31: Lady Elizabeth Jane's POV

Soon.

Soon, I would be married to Darius– the great champion of the competition for the royal surrogate and the Prince of the Northern Skies. I would be Luna Queen Elizabeth Jane Ashford. The thought made me smile widely in the mirror as I ran my palms over the material of the dress I was in. It was lovely– a billowing wedding dress with a twenty foot train. It had a lace high-neck closure that led to full length sleeves that faded to a baby blue then to a navy by the time they reached my fingertips. My hair was fashioned in a crown on my head, as I wanted as close to the full vision as possible.

*Darius.* He wasn’t necessarily the one I would have chosen, though he was the oldest of my cousins. Phoenix would have been a bit easier to keep a handle on, but I was certain I could work Darius. He may not love me at first, but given enough time… I could get him there. And once he was there…

That slow smile returned to my face. Power was almost at my fingertips. I’d fought tooth and nail for years, earning favor with my uncle as much as possible. He’d been surprisingly easy to convince that I was the rightful Luna Queen and the prophecy he kept so quiet could be met and fulfilled without leading to his ruin. At least, that’s what I had gathered from his drunken mumblings during one of our several meetings over the last year or so.

I wasn’t sure there was anyone that was alive (aside from him) that knew the full prophecy. He’d simply mentioned that there was a destined path for his sons and that it would involve a girl birthing their children. When I’d suggested the path of calling her a surrogate and fulfilling the prophecy that way, he’d eaten it up so fast I’d almost offered myself up as dessert. He’d been positively lustful after the suggestion and had allowed me to stand in his quarters and watch as he took various she wolves to bed. In fact, when he’d caught me touching myself while watching, he’d seemed that much more invested in ravishing those in front of him. I’d locked eyes with Alpha King Everett Ashford as we had found our releases, securing my role as future Luna Queen to one of his sons in one fell swoop.

If I’d know that the mewling, hideous bitch Ada Lennox would be the destined surrogate, I wouldn’t have offered the solution. I would have insisted that I could solve the problem myself. But no. Instead I was stuck with her and had to watch the Alpha Princes lower themselves to lay with her. And worse? Darius, my future husband, seemed to be smitten with her. Hell, they all did. It was simply grotesque.

The allure of the wedding gown and the distraction it offered seemed to have worn off. If my thoughts had gone back to Ada, I might as well use the time to figure out a way to undermine her position with at least Darius. My Lady’s maids had informed me that Ada had not yet fallen pregnant, and seemed to not be taking the news well. The truth of the matter was that if I could keep her from getting pregnant in the first place, she would be exiled for failing. So if she wasn’t pregnant already, I still had an opportunity.

I signaled for my maids to come change me. They worked efficiently and silently, changing me from my future wedding gown and into a more casual fuschia colored dress that fit a bit more snugly. I donned a pink and white lace hat and headed for the gardens. It was midafternoon. Odds were I could find one of the Princes here. Any chance I had to be around them without the sniveling inconvenience known as Ada was worth a trip in the heat.

I had barely made it around the entrance hedges to the gardens before I ran right into Ada. She looked pale and yet red-faced, like she’d been crying. I couldn’t fight my sneer as Gwyn, her lady’s maid, turned on her heel and darted back into the castle. Ada’s eyes met mine.

“Well, well, well,” I crossed my arms over my chest, “If it isn’t the surrogate who is failing to bear children,” a laugh skittered out my mouth as I watched her jaw tick in response, “Aw. Nothing to say to that?” Ada stayed silent but kept her eyes locked on mine. Irritation sparked and I grabbed her arm, yanking her toward me, “You’re even more worthless than I’d thought. You can’t even do your job,” I resisted the urge to physically spit on her, “It’s a shame, really. We were so *rooting* for you.”

Gwyn appeared behind Ada, eyes cast down on the ground. Behind her were the three Alpha Princes, casually making their way toward us. Their expressions ranged– Phoenix’s was the most pleasant at mere disinterest. Darius’ brow was furrowed, jaw set tight. His shoulders were back and his canines had started to lengthen, his fingers shifting into claws. Spicy cinnamon wafted off of him in droves and the scent was nearly maddening. My sneer turned into a smirk.

Until I saw Nikolai. The Midnight Prince was shrouded in darkness despite the sun being out and bright. His dark eyes were swirling as they looked at me. He wasn’t partially shifted like Darius, but the shadows concerned me. I’d been here off and on my whole life, and lived here exclusively for over a year, and still I had only rumors of Nikolai and what he was capable of when provoked.

Belittling Ada would have to wait. I stepped toward Darius, wrapping a hand around his forearm, “Prince Darius,” I looked over the other two, “Prince Phoenix, Prince Nikolai,” I cleared my throat, “Have the three of you decided to join us for an afternoon stroll?”

Darius didn’t even glance my way. Instead, he asked Ada, “Are you alright?”

She gave a curt nod and I waved my hand at her, stepping up close to Darius, “You know, Ada was just stopping to help me because I twisted my ankle and–”

Darius’ deep blue eyes stopped me mid-sentence. They were narrowed, calculating, as they looked me up and down, “You seem to be just fine,” he shook my hand off of his arm, “Ada–”

But the surrogate was gone. She was fleeing into the house. And as I turned to say as much to Darius, he took off after her. Rage ran through my blood and I had to work to keep my face from contorting. Phoenix casually strode after Darius and Ada, Gwyn at his heels. It was Nikolai who smirked and took a step toward me.

I stepped back, swallowing. He started to pass me and spoke coolly, “It doesn’t bode well for you, does it Elizabeth? I mean, when your supposed future husband runs after another woman,” he shook his head and clucked his tongue, “I’d say one of you certainly has numbered days left in this castle.”

He disappeared in a flash of shadow. Blush crept up my cheeks. Fine. If Darius wanted to run after the fucking surrogate, and Nikolai wanted to make veiled threats… I’d ensure that it was *her* with numbered days left.