At The Palace
And after that, everything goes like clockwork.
We arrive at a port and as we walk out, about twenty decently dressed guards approach us. We are led to an expensive car and then the drive continues along the amazingly dense countryside. There is a lot of forest along the road that we travel at high speed, my enthusiasm is growing at the sight of all that greenery. I think it is the wolf in me, we like woods, lots of it, actually. Just too bad that I didn't shift yet, I'm sure this forest would be fantastic for a run of my life. Although I should have postponed that, pregnant women are strictly forbidden to shift. It could endanger the child.
After a drive of about half an hour, we ride between two impressive pillars.
The Kingdom. My heart pounds like crazy at the thought of meeting Ralph's family. But I have little time to think about that. The car enters a tall iron gate and stops in front of an imposing building. There is a group of people waiting for us, smiling broadly. Ralph hurries to open my door and help me out of the vehicle. "I'm right here beside you. If you feel suffocated under their attentions, just stand closer to me," he offers. Gratefully, I grab his hand as we walk down a red carpet to the waiting group.
A woman shoots forward. Ralph's mother.
She still looks so young. Her face is smooth, she is tall and chubby but curvy. Ralph clearly inherited his penetrating eyes from her. She runs toward me, stops abruptly in front of me and stares at me, smiling for several seconds. "Saray," she whispers. And then she grabs my hand. "Welcome to the palace, my child. I am Alidya, Ralph's mother. I have waited so long for you. For you and my grandchild. Come, let me introduce you to your father". She pulls me away from Ralph, my hand firmly in hers. When we reach the man she indicates, I see a replica of Ralph. I flinch at his authority and bow my head. "Sir," I whisper shakily.
"Dad!" Ralph exclaims behind me. "You frighten my fiancé. Lower your aura, you are standing before your daughter-in-law, for God's sake," he points out. To my surprise, the man begins to chuckle and the energy around him diminishes dramatically. Relieved, I release my held breath and raise my head to him. With two steps, he is with me and holds me by the shoulders. "Saray, it is an honor to welcome you to the palace. Ralph told us the good news yesterday. And you have been on your way home for almost two months," he sighs dramatically. "That's a stunt only my son can pull. Making an entire Kingdom wait for him for three months and then coming home with the biggest surprise."
Behind him, a suppressed laugh sounds.
"By the way, I'm Randall. And this young gentleman here is Eric, the King's secretary," he introduces me to a man the same age as Ralph. Judging by his facial features, Eric must be related; he could easily pass for Ralph's younger brother. When I extend a hand to him, he takes a step back. "Dare to touch my mate, scum. I'll cut your hand off," Ralph roars behind me. For a moment, I see the corners of Eric's mouth pull down; he is suppressing a chuckle. "My Queen. Spare my life, please. Your mate is out for my neck if I accept your hand," he pleads, but the twinkle in his eyes betrays his amusement.
"This man is my second cousin. An idiot by nature. But according to the Sages here, he was born under the stars to be my secretary. He is important to the Kingdom and my most loyal family," Ralph declared with rolling eyes. "Ever since they spouted out that nonsense, I have banned the consumption of werewolf alcohol in the Kingdom. It brings the Lycans here to the most senseless delusions". Everyone bursts out laughing; Eric seems the least offended by Ralph's words. It looks like he is used to my mate's outbursts. Unfazed, he stares at me as if digging into my soul with the same eyes as his cousin.
He shrugs nonchalantly and takes a step to the side.
Alidya walks ahead of me up a corridor to a wide door. Two women hold it open, and as I stand in front of the entrance, they suddenly throw pink petals over Ralph and me. My mother-in-law puts a wide scarf over my head. "With this, you are part of the Royal family. This scarf alerts everyone that you have a high position in the family. Now the only things still have to take place are the marking ceremony and your installation as the Queen alongside Ralph. We'll be making preparations for that soon, preferably before your pregnancy points more clearly," she giggles with a knowing look at my little bump. Unbelievable how a pup shows off so emphatically after his arrival is announced. It's as if he wants to make sure we don't forget him.
Ralph stands before me and formally puts a thick gold-colored rope on me.
"And this is the King's signature. Combined with the scarf, your status will be more obvious to everyone; the Queen to be, my beloved," he declares tenderly. He takes me in his arms, holding me against his chest. After a peck on my lips, we walk into the palace. It is breathtakingly decorated. Luxurious yet homey. Not a museum of wealth you often see with wealthy packs. We go straight to a large hall where I see so much food displayed on the table. My stomach revolts and a dizziness rises. I bury my nails in Ralph's hand and turn to him wide-eyed. "Hey baby, what's up?" he whispers, alarmed.
When he sees my reddened face, he understands.
Quickly he pulls me into a smaller room where I can barely bend over a sink. I don't remember eating anything after the hospital. My appetite has diminished quite a bit in recent weeks. "Saray, you need to eat something. We went to sleep without food yesterday and that's not good for our child," my mate urges. "Wait, Alidya knows what to do." Before he was even done speaking, his mother stood in front of us and pushed him out the door. ...
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