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The room erupted into laughter though Papa Nic’s face shadowed over.

“Seven,” a voice said.

The room went silent. A deep knot formed in my stomach. I turned toward where the voice came from. Even knowing who said it, I couldn’t keep the confusion from my face. There wasn’t seven. We all knew that. There were only six ruling clans.

Alexei bowed his head and moved forward in front of my mother and fathers. He swallowed. “I know I am not from a ruling clan, but I beg you to let me offer myself up to our future queen.”

My heart stammered as the world stilled around me. “Alexei?” I asked, not sure what prompted me to speak first. The fact that he called me his future queen and I hated hearing that from him, or the fact that I was so stunned at what he was doing, what he was saying.

He didn’t look at me. He stood there, his gaze never leaving the floor as he waited for his answer. I looked at my mother, then at my fathers, who stared at one another. Natalie excused herself from the inner circle and stood in the background, a small smile on her lips.

“Alexei,” I said again after I looked back at him. He still wouldn’t look up at me though. My fingers started to tremble, and my stomach tightened.

Stephan moved toward me and put his hands on my shoulders. “Let’s go in here.” I let him steer me away. As surprised as I was, I couldn’t think straight.

Papa Stephan took me into the kitchen and sat me at the table before leaving again. I was too stunned to try to even listen to the conversation that was going on in the other room. Alexei. He wanted to be one of the choices. Why? How?

The kitchen door swung open and Natalie stepped through. I looked up, and she tilted her head at me. “Is it that much of a surprise, Izzy?”

My mouth gaped open, but I couldn’t find a suitable response. My first reaction was to say yes, but everything about her told me that was the exact opposite answer I should’ve had.

“Alexei has loved you since you were both young. I know you fought about choosing mates from the clans. It wasn’t ever because he didn’t like the idea, it was because he would never have his chance.”

Life drained from my face. He wanted a chance. With me? He loved me…

I stood and moved to push past her, but she held back on my arm. “They’re sorting through it now. Just wait.”

“But…”

She pulled me close. “You’ve always been so special to us. Forget about what’s going on in there. Prepare yourself for meeting the others. You need to have a clear head. There’s nothing you can do about what’s going on in there right now.”

I closed my eyes. She was right. I couldn’t make the decision about accepting Alexei or not. That had to come from the kings and queen.

She muttered something about wrong timing, but I was too busy trying to pull myself together. If Alexei was out there for the ceremony, I’d deal with it. If he wasn’t, I’d deal with that too. I had to.

Chapter Four

My mother, my fathers, and myself left through the main door. Natalie and Alexei were already gone. I didn’t dare ask questions and no one thought to include me in what was going on. Instead, I focused on what was ahead of me. This was for the good of our future. Yes, selfishly, I wanted to be able to like the people I chose, but I had to weigh the good with the bad too.

“Are you ready for this?” Papa Nicolai asked.

I looked at him and nodded.

It only prompted him to smile. “You’ve always been stubborn like your mother.”

The limo pulled away from our house and inched down the driveway. We normally didn’t like such pretense as driving around in fancy cars, but when we all went somewhere together, there was little alternative.

“And grandmother,” Papa Christian added.

Papa Nic’s eyes widened as he nodded in agreement. “There’s something about the females in this clan,” he continued, turning loving eyes toward my mother. Most kids were disgusted when their parents showed so much love for one another, but for me, it was the exact opposite. I was brought up in a cocoon of love. It didn’t make me nauseated, it made me feel even more included in the strongest emotion there was possible.

Papa Stephan reached out to touch my knee. “Remember that this is your life, Izzy. We won’t be around forever, so you have to do what’s right for you, and your heart.”

Mom smiled at him and looked at me again the same way she did at the house when I’d come down in my dress. “You’re ready for this, Isabelle. I don’t know that it will be as much of a choice for you as you might think. Your heart wants what it wants. Just remember to listen to it. Forget about the prophecy and the future. If you’re surrounded by those you love, you can never go wrong. When I saw these four, I just knew. It will be the same for you.”

“You think so?”

She nodded, and I felt a little lighter. My heart wouldn’t steer me wrong, and even if one of my choices wasn’t the most skilled fighter, I believed she was right. Love could conquer anything, and no matter who I chose, politics aside, it would be the right choice for me. In the end, the clans would all be united, anyway.