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“Ready for what?” I repeated, my voice becoming somewhat shrill.

“Your Majesty,” Ezra said, looking a little nervous himself. “I don’t think I’ve been informed about any upcoming drills…”

“No, you were busyrecovering,” he sneered, darting his eyes towards Canna. She shrunk into her shoulders, averting her gaze. I gave her a reassuring squeeze on her knee and glanced up quickly to see Ezra’s reaction. For the first time since I’d been here, he looked…

Murderous.

Well, if I couldn’t have been the one to have helped him finally realize what an evil asshole the king was, I was glad it was his omega. At least his alpha instincts to protect his bonded mate weren’t totally gone.

“There was a disturbance in one of the shifter havens last night. We thought it had been taken care of, but apparently the situation has devolved. A unit of fae soldiers will meet us there, and then the alpha units will be able to get them back under control,” Nivardi explained.

Was that the same shifter haven my pack had gone to hide in? Or had they left already?

I was afraid to ask, afraid if they told me their location, Alarothcould somehow wrench it from my mind.

I’d wait til he was asleep to warn them.

Once we’d had dessert, Sarai got up, her voice slurring. “Shall we have after dinner drinks in the parlor?”

Nivardi’s jaw tensed. “Perhaps you’ve had enough tonight.”

She stumbled a step towards him, patting him on the cheek. “I think you mean not nearly enough. Come ladies, we’ve heard about the alpha’s shortcomings, how about I tell you all about my dear husband’s?”

Bethyn and Laurel winced. “Mother, please…”

But they followed her out anyway, and I looked at Canna and shrugged. “Shall we go?”

She looked expectantly at Ezra, asking for permission. I knew Ezra, for all his faults, wasn’t the type to want a submissive female as she’d likely been trained to behave like, and he gave her a confused smile. “Everything okay?”

“Do you mind if I join them?”

He blinked a few times and then smiled. “Yeah, go for it.”

We stood and I offered her my arm, and as we walked out Alaroth sighed. “I wonder if I’ve gotten the prophecy all wrong…”

Oh boy. Ezra and I exchanged nervous glances. “Is that so?” I asked, reluctantly taking the bait.

He looked at his wine glass, inspecting the legs as he swirled it around. “Perhaps it wasn’t twins in the literal sense, but more of an alpha-omega team. A bond, if you will.”

The color drained from Ezra’s face. “Your Majesty?”

I moved Canna a step behind me, getting between her and the king. “Just spit it out already,” I said. Ezra rose slowly on the other side of the table, keeping us all in his line of vision.

“Here we have Marlowe, the famed omega of legend, who, despite her… intoxicating scent, is the least like any omega I’ve ever known. Unwilling to submit, uninterested in sex, disobedient…”

I grit my teeth, and Ezra balled shaking fists at his side.

Alaroth continued to stare at his glass. “While Ezra, who is most certainly the famed alpha, has bonded to a deliciously sweet and docile omega. One who actually seeks his approval, his permission. She hasn’t said a cruel word about anyone this whole night, unlike the other wretched females I was forced to dine with.”

Canna whimpered behind me, and I felt the tingle of my magic beginning to gather and move towards my hands. “Don’t you lay a single finger on her,” I growled. “She’s bonded to Ezra.”

My brother’s face was turning red, sweat beading along his skin. Why hadn’t he moved yet? Was he really just going to sit here and let Alaroth threaten his omega?

Then the king was up, moving so quickly towards me I’d barely clocked it before his hand was around my throat, his thumb grazing the bond mark left by Nolan on my shoulder. “You should know by now, beloved, that shifter bonds mean nothing to me. Pledge yourself to a hundred alphas, I care not. I’ll have you in the end.”

Ezra still didn’t move, the coward. He simply held his head, a pained expression on his face while Canna whined and tried to pull me away. “Please, Your Majesty, I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm…”

His grip around me tightened. “Canna,” I gasped. “Leave, it’s fine. I’ve got this.”