Page 23 of The Unwanted Mate of the Lycan Kings (Unwanted #1)

“Correct. Once the rules are written, they cannot be changed. So, choose wisely, Regan.” King Regan looks at his father, and his eyes glaze over.

His father wears the same faraway expression, and I know somehow they can communicate that way because it’s like their auras merge briefly.

King Theron nods once to his son, and Regan turns back to look at Zeke, who he is chest-to-chest with.

“Move. I will only ask once,” Regan sneers, and Zeke glares at him.

“Fucking pussy!” Zeke barges past him with his shoulder to stand behind him.

They each get to pick two rules, so I’m not sure why they are fighting.

My stomach sinks when I see Regan read the current rules.

His eyes flicker, but he says nothing. Instead, he quickly writes on the board and tosses the marker at Zeke.

It bounces off his chest, and he just catches it, and Zeke storms over to look at what he wrote.

A feral snarl tears out of him, then a wicked smile crosses his face as he puts the marker tip against the board. “Very well, brother.”

Regan takes his seat and glares at me as Zeke saunters over, holding the marker out to me.

“Choose wisely. You only get one, love!” Zeke taunts. I instantly know what I will choose for them to keep their grubby paws off me!

Getting up, I move to the board, feeling their glares on me. My eyes go to the rules first that the king set out on the groom’s side.

1. Can’t kill the bride.

2. Must remain faithful.

3. Must plan a date when the bride is in their care.

I nearly snort as I keep reading. It was like the king was just trying to find any rule to give them to force them to make this sham marriage work.

4. Must share a bed with their bride.

5. No pornography in her presence.

6. Dinners must be in the dining hall, and all three grooms must be in attendance.

7. The kings must take her outside at least once daily and not confine her to their rooms.

8. Must ensure she eats three meals a day.

9. Kings are to run the kingdom TOGETHER as one while I am gone.

The ninth rule makes me frown. If they are to compete, why must they work together?

However, when I see the 10th rule I’m supposed to make, it is already filled in, but with different handwriting, I gasp.

My mouth opens in shock when I realize it isn’t King Theron’s handwriting, and Zeke definitely wouldn’t have written it, meaning it was King Regan.

10. The kings will not force her to have sex with them.

My eyes dart to Regan, who has turned his chair slightly and is watching me with an indecipherable expression on his face.

Glancing at my side of the board, I read the rules King Theon has written for me. The first three rules are the same on both sides.

1. I can’t kill the kings.

2. I must remain faithful.

3. I must share a bed with the kings.

The fourth is different.

4. I cannot run away.

I swallow when I see the next five rules. My brows furrow, and I glance at King Regan. He gave up one of his rules and added one to their side. But why?

5. The bride must bathe her kings.

I grit my teeth, not wanting to be near them, and I definitely don’t want to wash them.

6. The bride must eat and drink whatever is provided for her by the king whose care she is in.

I shake my head and move to the next. Lyon’s weren’t too bad, though the bathing one makes me want to scream in anger. I come to the next rule, which I know by the handwriting is King Regan’s.

7. She must hand back our wolves and not use them against us.

Wouldn’t that be two rules?

My stomach sinks at that one, knowing their wolves are my only protection, yet nothing makes my blood run colder than seeing the two rules Zeke chose.

8. If the bride breaks any rules or embarrasses the kings or causes what we deem as trouble within the kingdom, the assigned daily king can pick her punishment.

9. The bride can’t refuse their touch or affections.

My mouth opens at Zeke’s last rule, and my heart rate quickens. Zeke must know where my mind went because he speaks before I can ask the king.

“Father said as long as they don’t go against his rules, they’re allowed.” I press my lips in a line.

“Your rules are basically the same thing!” I snap at him, and King Regan turns his head to look at his brother.

“What’s the rule?” King Regan asks, his eyes trained on his brother, and King Theron looks at me.

“Read the rule out. Is it one of mine it goes against?” King Theron states.

“No, it’s...” I start to say when King Regan, who is glaring at his brother, speaks up.

“It’s mine!” Regan snarls.

Glaring at Zeke, I read the rule. “9: The bride can’t refuse their touch or affections.”

“That doesn’t contradict my rules, or the one Regan added to your side.

Marriages have physical and sexual contact.

They are to remain faithful. I can’t expect them not to have some of their needs met, Zirah.

Please do try to understand, dear. They can’t force you into having sex with them, Regan assured that.

” My eyes prick with tears as I glare at the board, knowing I can’t change it.

“But it’s the same thing,” I tell him, looking at the king. His eyes soften, and he looks down at his hands and curses.

“That is my mistake, dear. It never occurred to me, but I made the rule that the rules can’t be changed,” he says, looking genuinely angry with himself before he turns his head to glare at Zeke.

My eyes move to the three kings. King Regan looks furious, Zeke looks smug as a pig in shit, and Lyon is staring down at the table in thought. He looks up at Regan and then to his father. “Let me or Regan add conditions to it.”

“No, it’s my rule, and it can’t be changed!” Zeke snarls.

“He won’t be changing it. He’ll simply be adding to it. The majority rules, Zeke. Father said he would compromise. I vote we compromise on that rule,” Lyon snarls at him. I’m shocked to see any of the kings defend me, but I can’t help but wonder why when they all despise me so much.

Zeke scoffs, looking at his father for backup. “Son,” King Theron turns to Regan. “You have to agree or disagree with breaking the majority between you three,” King Theron says, and King Regan’s eyes move to mine.

“Regan, she’s a fucking—” Lyon snarls but is cut off.

“I know she’s a virgin! Why do you think I placed that rule on our side?” he snaps at his brother.

“I swear, Regan, if you take this bitch’s side—”

“You’ll what, Zeke? Snarl at me? Voice your empty fucking threats?” King Regan growls, pushing up from his chair.

“Well, it’s decided. Regan will add conditions but won’t remove the rule.” The king adds, and Regan stalks toward me. He steps behind me, plucking the marker from my hand and leaning over me to write on the board. His chest presses to my back and rumbles as he steps closer and dips his head.

“You owe me!” he whispers, and I quickly nod. If it means not having Zeke force himself on me, I will agree for now.

When he lifts the marker, his father speaks. “Make sure not to change the rule Zeke made completely.” I peer over the board, looking at him. King Regan grabs my hand, sliding his fingers through mine and sharing hold of the marker.

He moves our joined hands toward the board, and my entire body trembles, wondering if he is letting me add the condition or if he is doing it.

I look at him over my shoulder, nearly brushing my nose against him.

His eyes flicker, making me look back at the board.

He adds brackets and then stops, leaving it blank.

Is he giving me the choice? He taps my foot with his, and I grip his fingers, waiting for him to tell his father I was trying to manipulate what he writes. When he doesn’t call me out, I move the marker. When I’m done, he drops his hand and holds the marker out to me.

“What did he add?” Zeke demands as Regan steps away and takes his seat. My eyes go to Regan, then back to the board as I read aloud what I wrote in the brackets using Regan’s hand.

“That the kings will not penetrate the bride without her permission, or touch below the waist without her permission.” I read out to him, and Zeke snarls, rising from his seat. His father snarls back at him in warning.

Zeke glances between the lot of us before he turns on his heel and storms out of the dining hall.

I read my rules and theirs once more as I decide what to add to their side.

I glance over the rules, trying to think of one when it occurs to me that if they demand to choose what I wear, they’ll figure out I am a witch, but another worry gnaws at me.

The king may not harm his own people, but would his sons hurt others to get me to comply?

My eyes dart to Shelley. Looking over the rules they’ve given me.

Some are kind of two rules rolled into one, like Regan’s handing the wolves’ back and not using them against them technically can be seen as two rules.

So, I write my rule.

9. The bride can pick her own clothes, and the kings can’t hurt any of the kingdom’s people to make the bride comply.

Stepping back, I look at the rules. “Make sure you sign it as they did,” King Theron says, and I glance at their signatures. I quickly sign it before turning the board to show the king.

“Very well, King Regan will take you into town, and as of tomorrow, you will officially be his for twenty-four hours. You’ve been granted twenty-four hours of grace, Zirah, but tomorrow you will live with my sons as their wife.

So please behave. I leave tonight and wish to come home to my future daughter-in-law in one piece,” King Theron states.

His brows pinch before his eyes fall on Regan and Lyon.

“Behave yourselves!” he scolds his sons.

“You don’t wish us the same, Father. Do you fear she will be no match for us?” Lyon taunts.