Page 15 of Owned by Four Alphas (Silverthorn Alphas #2)

Her heart was racing, near beating out her chest as she took in the alphas seated around the table. There were fifteen of them in total; Fae, dragon and wolf. All powerful, some decidedly unfriendly. She glanced to Iveir, Kaelen’s kind yet firm General, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

She sucked in a breath.

“You can’t attack the Silverthorn Kingdom. Not with our Realm as it currently is. Besides, it would take years to break through the human lands to the heart of the Empire where Dorian sits. And it would be innocent blood we would be spilling.”

The alphas exchanged glances, some with sneers on their faces. She swallowed.

You can do this. You have to do this. You can’t let them win.

“My queen,” Ordovic’s gaze was nearly lecherous as he slowly dragged it up and down her form. She fought the urge to shudder. “The humans seemed to have no restraint at all when they invaded. They killed many innocent beings with their little toy Crown, omegas and children included. Why should we grant them the mercy they failed to grant us?”

There were a few murmured agreements, and Selena swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “That’s not the point. If we focus on strengthening our own lands, on building ties between our clans, then perhaps the humans will think twice before invading again. King Dorian has shown no signs of aggression. We have already proven to him what will happen if he attacks us.”

“Have you spoken with him, my queen?” Theodas’s voice was deceptively lazy, but she knew better. He was, after all, Fae.

Ronan and Malek’s scents spiked with aggression, their gazes trained on him, and she fought the urge to reprimand them. She could do this. She could play this game.

“Not since he sent his son to try and kill me,” Selena said, her voice cool. “But instead, I killed him.”

She let the words ring loud through the hall, let the weight of them settle on their heads.

She was the daughter of a god, not some weak thing to be spoken down to. Her magic crackled down her fingers in delight and she clenched her hands, forcing it down. Now was not the time to lose control of herself.

“If you care so much about uniting the Realm, my queen , why did you not become a goddess?” Egais’s voice was pure challenge, “The magic was there, given to you by your father, and yet you rejected his position. And now, the magic languishes within a weak human host.”

Kaelen and Ronan growled at the same time, and Egais held his hands up, “That is merely a commentary on her species, not on her in particular. Humans aren’t made to host magic.”

Selena didn’t answer. Egais wouldn’t understand even if she did. That moment when she had been a goddess, had felt the full power of her father’s mantle rest on her shoulders, she had been tempted to keep it. But with it, she felt her human skin melt away, shift from her, taking with it everything she considered herself to be . And that was not a sacrifice she had been willing to make.

“She’s not human, not fully,” said Elian, tossing his blond curls away from his forehead. “She’s a demigod. More kin to the Fae in her mind and spirit than to a human.”

“But her flesh is human.”

“Wrong again,” Elian said. “Of course, the baby is massively interfering with my experiments, once she’s given birth I’ll be able to tell more definitely precisely how divine she is. She may have given up goddess-hood, but she’s still half-god.”

Egais didn’t bother to hide his sneer of disgust. “Gods are absolute. She is not.”

Anger prickled her skin, her fists clenching, but before she could speak Kaelen growled, “Watch your tone, Egais.”

“Yes, my King,” Egais replied, his voice hard.

Something in the air shifted.

“I would have thought someone as religious as you would be throwing himself at her feet and kissing them,” Theodas remarked lightly, ignoring Egais’s warning snarl. “After all, you worship a god dead and buried. Astonishing, when there’s a living one in your presence.”

“She is not a god!” Egais replied, his chair clattering to the floor as he launched to his feet. Instantly, Ronan stood, looming behind her, the warmth from his huge chest radiating into her back.

She set her teeth. “We seem to be getting distracted by what I am or am not . A pointless discussion, as the facts remain clear. It would be a waste of time, resources, and lives to go to war with the humans. And it is not a choice I will be making until every other avenue has been exhausted.”

“Who said it was your decision to make?” Ordovic said, his voice growing louder. “Why don’t we discuss that instead, how you decided that your lineage makes you fit to be our queen?”

Ronan wrapped an arm around her, shielding her stomach. She wanted to push him away, the heat and the pressure aggravating her already overwhelmed senses, but she didn’t. She sensed he wouldn’t let her even if she tried.

“We decided she would be our queen,” said Kaelen, stepping towards her and Ronan, hands coming to rest on the hilts of the blades at his side. “We are your rulers. We have the right to declare a queen.”

Ordovic’s eyes flashed to Ronan. “For now. You are our leaders for now.”

A chill raced down Selena’s spine, and she instinctively placed her hands on Ronan’s massive arm to try and keep him calm.

“You will not make threats in my home, Ordovic,” she said, magic hissing down her limbs, “not when you are our guest.”

“And what if I do?” Ordovic replied, the other wolves near him rising to their feet, “I all but have the wolf clan under my complete control. As far as I see it, Kaelen faces dissent from his people. The Fae will side with strength. What will you do then?” His lips peel back, his tongue darting out to lick his teeth.

Malek stood, the movement entirely unnatural, his pale face seemingly carved from stone. Ordovic looked at him, true fear in his eyes.

“My Nightwalkers are Selena’s to command,” he said, his voice like cracking rock. “If it comes to war, do you really believe you would be able to stand against us? After all, it was us the humans used when they invaded. And only Selena was able to stop us. I have no care for politics or morals. If she tells me to kill you, I will. If she tells me to decimate your lands and your people, I will. If she tells me to raise this Realm to dust, I will.”

Ordovic took an involuntary step backwards, his scent spiking. The other Alphas were slowly getting to their feet, wary and ready to withdraw their weapons.

Selena gulped. Her magic coiled and darted from her belly, lashing at the constraints she was barely able to keep them in.

“You know,” Theodas twirled a knife between his long fingers, “that sounds to me an awful lot like a challenge. Do you know what I used to do to…what was it… Nightwalkers that challenged me?”

Malek didn’t move, the shadows around him thrumming with agitation. Elian had moved closer as well, all four of her mates within stepping distance of her.

Ready to defend.

Theodas continued, the light from the fire catching on the silver blade, “I used to carve their skin from them and watch them scream as they bled out. I wonder, Malek, for all your composure, would you scream?”

The shadows were lashing now, rumbling ire spilling from Malek’s chest. His black eyes narrowed, claws trembling, muscles shifting beneath his skin.

“This is ridiculous,” said Egais. “How can we expect to take back the old lands when we can’t even control our own? We’re too weak. Too divided. But there is a solution.”

“Do enlighten us,” Kaelen’s voice was dripping fire.

“You all mock and belittle me, but you can’t deny the truth. There is a god, a god of fire and death, who would kill the humans for us. All he asks is to be released.”

Selena’s blood froze, her breath catching in her throat.

So the Order of Theldir truly did seek to release him from his prison. And her child…her baby …was prophesied to either destroy him. Or join him in his quest for power. Her stomach turned, her hands turning cold and clammy.

No, she couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t let that happen. Not her baby.

“You’re insane,” spat Iveir. “We dragons may have allied with him once, but look where that got us. Nearly killed by the same god we worshiped.”

“He wasn’t trying to kill us, he was trying to make us stronger,” Egais argued. “We lost faith, and he punished us for it. Not this time. This time, we could have a god strong enough to defend us.”

“You’re not talking about defense!” Selena couldn’t help but shout, hot tears welling up against her will. “You’re talking about complete destruction! There is a reason my father locked Theldir away, there is a reason why he gave his magic to me!”

“Selena, what are you talking about?” Elian said, his voice rising.

Her breaths were coming shorter now, desperate and panting. Ronan tried to steady her, but she pushed his hand away. Her magic boiled within her, rolling and furious, shredding her from the inside out.

“You don’t understand! You can’t release him! If you do…if you do…”

“Omega,” Kaelen’s voice was a warning growl, but it was too late for that. She couldn’t contain it, couldn’t stop it bursting from her.

The fire jumped, the windows rattled. The alphas in the room jumped, their heads whipping about as the very stone around them began to creak.

“No! No, Kaelen, you don’t understand! If he’s freed, then our child, our baby , will have to be the one to defeat him! There’s a prophecy, a prophecy that says he may return! But he may take our child, Kaelen, he might take our baby away!”

“Omega, nobody is going to take our baby away—”

“NO!” Her skin was glowing now, but she could barely see it past her tears. Malek snarled and growled, a cornered animal, his own skin rippling and shifting from the lashings of her magic. “If he is freed, he might take our baby for himself! The prophecy said…the prophecy said that our child may join him!”

“I knew it,” Ordovic roared, withdrawing his sword. “I knew that thing growing inside you was nothing more than a monster!”

The whole room was rumbling, shards of stone falling. Several of the nobles were backing away as the windows shattered raining glass down upon them all.

Selena was dimly aware of her mates calling to her, telling her to stop, shouting in pain as glass and stone hit them.

“You’re no goddess,” Ordovic flipped the table away, his yellow eyes flashing, his teeth bared. “You’re nothing more than an omega bitch. And I’m going to carve that thing out of you and throw it in the fire as you bleed out!”

Ronan and Kaelen launched, ready to attack. Malek fell to the floor, ripping at his skin, trying desperately to contain the beast. Elian’s magic slammed against hers, unleashing its full might to try and contain her.

It was no use. As Ordovic advanced, she opened her mouth in a scream, pressing her hands into her eyes as she blazed brighter than she ever had.

Her magic stilled for one impossible second.

Then it exploded from her, smashing into everyone in the room, pummeling the walls.

Just as Ordovic raised his blade, a great cracking thundered from above.

Selena could only watch, helpless and screaming, as the ceiling caved in on the alphas in front of her.