Chapter 56
Eclipse
I had smelled him all the way from the houses we drove past after the drawbridge. He sniffed the air deeply and let out an annoyed sigh. I had disrespected him by needing help to kneel, and I closed my eyes shut, unable to move.
“Flesh of my blood.” He growled, his unnaturally deep voice shaking the very core of my soul with a ferocity I had never experienced before. I felt his eyes on us, a burning gaze that demanded submission. It threw me and Shimmer out of sync with each other, and for a moment, I could not sense her, as he submitted our soul itself.
“Blood of my ancestors.” Kaiden answered back respectfully.
“Your mate cannot withstand my presence. Rest.” He commanded, and I could hear him walk down the stairs. My heart pounded like a drum. He was so intense that I couldn’t stop shaking. I felt it shake Shimmer, and we felt out of sync until he was down the stairs.
“The King will receive you at midnight, feel free to rest in your royal chamber, my Prince and Luna.” He bowed and left down the stairs. Alpha helped me up and opened the door for me. The room was massive, with black and gold trim as the matching theme of the room. It looked Victorian, and the items in the room looked as if they had been here since before either of us were born, though it was all polished to perfection. They had brought our bags up already, they were on the floor, placed neatly in a row. I gingerly walked in behind Alpha, who held my hand.
He sighed. “I hate this place.” He grumbled, closing the door.
I stood in the middle of the room unable to comprehend, nor shake my instincts. Kaiden picked me up and placed me in bed. “Babygirl, you need to rest so you two can recover.” He said quietly. His command held power, and his smell was a mixture of the smell the Kaiden I craved and the one I feared. I had never smelled him as a combination of both, so I looked up at him.
He breathed in deeply, eyes closed, smelling my scent. “Babygirl….” He slowly opened his eyes. They were like the King’s. “I hoped you would never see me like this Eclipse.” Said Alpha. He let me go, and his claws immediately came out. They retracted, and then his eyes became normal. “Fuck…” he growled loudly, gripping the post of the bed, and taking in a deep breath. He seemed to have a hard time getting a hold of himself, and an even harder time talking. He looked as if he wanted to say more to me than that, but I would comfort him this time…
“You are my mate, and that never changed. It doesn’t matter your title or rank.” I hugged him as hard as I could to let him know how much I still loved him. “You did what you thought was best and honestly, I don’t think I could ever be prepared to feel That no matter how much I would have been prepped.” I said with my face in his chest as he held me. His smell unsettled me, but his touch soothed me, calming me. I felt weak from being around the king, but his embrace helped me feel slowly more at ease.
“I’m sorry I hid this from you babygirl…” He said, still not letting me go. “The goddess blessed my bloodline, but she sure as fuck didn’t bless me…. well except you. Any other time, I would be unable to revert until I was all the way home, but with you… I could fight it. For you babygirl… I refuse to be a monster.” He held me in his arms, and I felt so tired. I didn’t think I could go with all the new smells and revelations happening around me, but my eyes closed on their own.
-----Kaiden-----
She fought to stay awake, but the pull of her bond with Shimmer was strained, and needed to be healed. Her body forced her to rest. I was fine, I had been here before, so I wasn’t shaken as badly as her. Although, being in this place calls out my truest power, which I have as of yet to actually control…. I regret letting it get out that I had a mate in the first place, I wanted her to be ready…. That bastard Wade, even in death, was a pain in the ass.
I stayed with her in bed and just held her. She was my everything, and I knew that in the next few minutes, I would have to wake her up. It took everything I had not to lose it in the little room. Rakaam wanted to shift, to better protect our mate, but that was unwarranted, at least not yet. There were always assholes that would want me to have another mate, one of their bloodlines’ she wolves to raise their status. I sighed and looked at my phone, I would have no more time to think, now it would be time to act.
After all… this was my fault. If I’d have stopped trying to avoid the inevitable, she’d have been better prepared… But at the same time, she was Too new. I didn’t understand they were in such a rush…
The alarm on my phone went off, and I got ready first, so that she could sleep a little longer. I tied my hair with one of her scrunchies and ironed my clothes…. It made me want to vomit. I put on a white dress shirt, black suit jacket, with black slacks and shoes I’d shined just for today. I knew the King wouldn’t care about this kind of thing, but some of the council might.
I woke her up, and she seemed fine now. I was worried for her, but she would never know that. I was thankful that she couldn’t hear how worried I was for her. /Let her know how we feel./ Growled Rakaam, and he was right. In my worrying I didn’t even notice she was already dressed. She wore her hair in a high bun, and a nice light pink dress with lilies printed on the bottom, and she looked stunning. “Beautiful…” I whispered, surprising her. She didn’t notice I was watching her. She blushed.
She looked like a Luna, and I held her hand, walking her to the Grand Council Chamber. I didn’t need an escort to show me where it was; I already knew. We went down the elegantly polished stairs, and past the over the top reception area. Everything here was… it had to be, and it made me hate even the walls of this place. Honestly that would have been just a living room in any other packhouse. Down a hall with high ceilings, there it was, the Grand Chamber…... It had a 30 foot high ceiling with black marble floors, gold trimmed white walls, and a long table. The table was black marbled and long, so as each council member had a section of it in front of him.
All the chairs, honestly thrones since they were so elaborate, were on the far side of the lengthy, polished wood and black stone topped table. Each chair was its own color, and each elder had a banner over their heads that held their family crest, signifying their royal house. The only one that got my attention was the golden wolf breathing fire; that silhouette was embroidered in real gold.
And in the center, was the largest, grandest chair of them all, black and gold, matching the table and floor. There he sat, like the king he was, in a tailored suit. Above his head was the silhouette of a wolf breathing fire on a black and gold banner as long as the table… It had been a long time since I’d seen my family’s crest. I was afraid for my mate, but I did not show it. I struggled, and failed to keep my true form at bay, to match my grandfather.
I know my presence shook my mate, but I held her hand and rubbed my thumb on her knuckles to let her know I was still myself… I regret never learning how to suppress my aura. These were things I would have learned if I had stayed, but I refused. I have my own pack to protect, and honestly, I am not needed here.
She stood there, staring at the king wide eyed and I had to help her bow, like I did a few hours ago. They murmured to themselves. “Approach.” Said my grandfather. I held her hand tighter and helped her walk to see the High Council. “Why are pups here, my Lord.” Growled Councilman Lupe, sitting at the far end, in a green and silver chair. I knew he would protest; he was always the pragmatic one, and easily offended, and apparently, we were too young to be in his audience.
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