Chapter 137
HANNAH
I clutched the cup so tightly that my knuckles were white and aching. If this woman were anyone less than the Lycan queen, I would have given her a piece of my mind. Even now I don't trust myself not to.
I didn't ask anyone to like me. What right did she have to judge my looks? I was good enough for my mates and that was enough for me.
"Well well," she continued. "There's nothing we can do about it now. We must take it as it is. At least you have something going on for you. You are the white wolf. That should count for something. It must be fate that made you and my son run into each other."
I couldn't stop myself from asking, "Why do you say that?"
She delicately dabbed at her lips with a napkin before answering. "After the pageant, I had planned to ask you to marry my son and then move to our pack."
I almost choked on the coffee I was trying to drink. A coughing fit shook me. I spat out some of the coffee onto my napkin, thankful I hadn't accidentally sprayed it all over her. All the time I was conscious of the queen's frigid stare.
"Sorry?" I croaked when I could finally talk again.
"You seem surprised, like you weren't expecting this." Surprised was an understatement, I thought but didn't say. "Anyway, it's not every day Edward takes an interest in someone, no matter how small and inconsequential they are. When my son does pick an interest in something, he must get that thing. You understand?"
I set the cup down. This had gone on long enough.
My voice shook a little with the effort it took to keep my tone respectful as I said, "Your majesty, your son already knows that I've been mated to triplets. They have marked me already."
The queen's nostrils flared for an instant. "Do I understand that you are rejecting my son?"
"I'm afraid so, Your Majesty. I love my mates." I told her. "And I have already been marked like I said."
She slowly rose to her feet. Clutching her purse with her long, painted nails, she looked down at me, fire in her eyes.
"I don't care about that," she said finally. "A Lycan's mark will overshadow whatever you think you feel now. You have until the pageant ends to get yourself ready to be wedded to my son."
She turned smartly and walked away, her heels clicking on the tiles. With a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I watched her leave.
********
"Do you think Edward told her about you? Could he have put her up to it?"
I thought about Willa's question long and hard. I would have told her no, but I didn't really know Edward very well, did I?
"I don't know," I huffed, shoving my fingers through my hair. The frustration and anger were eating me up.
How could the Lycan Queen just show up to bark orders at me? To marry her son?
"If Edward wasn't behind this, then why would she take your consent for granted?"
"I don't know."
Willa looked at me sharply. "You keep saying that!"
"What do you want me to say? The only thing I know is my mates would go crazy if they heard about this."
"Heard about what?"
I groaned. Cade was standing behind us. I thought he was playing games with Jace inside. How much had he heard?
"Heard about what?" he repeated.
"It's nothing," Willa said. "Hannah and I were just joking around."
I couldn't control my expression fast enough. One look at my face, and Cade knew something was wrong.
"What is going on?" he asked, his voice sharpening.
I got off the steps and walked up to him. I touched his shoulder. The muscles there felt like steel.
"It's nothing. Nothing I can't handle," I soothed.
Cade didn't relax. "Tell me all about it. I insist."
And so I told him about the Lycan queen's order.
"What the hell, Hannah!" he exploded immediately.
Willa jumped.
"Calm down. Calm down," I cried, grabbing his arm. "I'm going to find a way out of this. She can't force me to do what I don't want to do."
"But she's having a damn good try, isn't she?" Cade slammed a fist into his open palm. "I suspected something like this was going to happen. I never trusted that blonde creep. Lycans! They're all the same. I bet Edward was putting on that good boy act to impress you. When that didn't work, he got his mummy to do his dirty work for him."
"Cade-"
He spun around and grabbed my shoulders. "I swear, Hannah, if he ever comes close to you again, Lycan prince or not, I'll beat the shit out of him."
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