Jae was silent as he stood in front of the Alpha. The prince's head was turned to the floor as the king sat on his throne. Armina was seated on the throne next to Fachan, her expression soft and sad as she gazed at her son.
"It is unfortunate she passed," Fachan began. There was not one ounce of sadness or truth in his words. "However, that means you are no longer a rejected prince with a living mate. I believe this is cause for celebration!" The Alpha stated with a smile on his face. The Alpha's declaration for celebration spurred deep disgust in the prince.
"Death should never be a cause for celebration, Father," Jae said through gritted teeth. "My fated one died, and you want to celebrate that?!" The prince could not hold back his anger at the Alpha's bloat over his fated one's death.
"Why wouldn't I?" Fachan returned as if the notion of this being a wrongful celebration was out of the question. "If you ask me, she deserved it for rejecting you, the prince. You are now eligible for mating. That is why I have called a convention of the most prominent packs to gather here on the next full moon. You will find a mate in one of the offspring of the leaders of the packs." Jae's heart sank at his father's words. "You may have your pick: male, female...alpha, omega...I don't really care as long as they are of royal blood," Fachan added with a strait expression.
"Father...I-I don't think I am ready for-"
"You are ready whenever I say you are. I don't care that that wolf died just the day prior. You will find a mate by the end of the convention!" Fachan's voice was stern as he relayed his order.
Jae was silent as his heart cried. However, the prince had no choice but to agree. "Yes, Father." The words were barely above a whisper as the true blood reluctantly complied with the Alpha's command.
"Good. Now, you are dismissed. Make yourself useful and don't make trouble," Fachan said as he released his son from the belittling position of standing before the throne. Armina watched her son leave with tears in her eyes. She would have spoken up if not for the crippling dominance the Alpha had placed over her in that moment. The Luna turned her piercing gaze to the Alpha once her son was out of sight. Her eyes were filled with hatred as she stood from her throne and stormed out of the King's Hall.
Armina was furious, but there was nothing she could do to stop Fachan from forcing Jae to find a mate. So, the Luna decided to take a walk to clear her head. Yehwa was quick to follow her queen from the hall and onto the grounds of the palace. Armina let out her pent-up breath as she exited the castle and slowed her pace. She loved the outdoors. Nature was her nurturer and mother. It was her safe place, her refuge.
Like Jae would go to the lake during times of heartache and stress, Armina would walk in the expansive garden and get lost in the many flowers and trees as the wind caressed her face and arms. The Luna's walk to the gardens, however, was interrupted by loud screams and cries of pain. Armina immediately stopped in her tracks and turned to her right to see a small male with pink hair being assaulted by a noblewoman with her riding whip.
<<<<<>>>>>
"Is that the last one?" Kip inquired of the team as they led the last horse into its stall.
"Ae!" Ibbi answered as he locked the door to the stall and joined the rest of the members in the main hall of the stables. The morning team had just returned from their time in the fields and had decided to take a small break when a woman approached the stables and ordered they saddle her horse. She was dressed in the most expensive riding clothes they had seen, with exception of the Luna's riding outfit. She was standing rather impatiently with a riding crop already in her hands.
Kip approached the woman and bowed before greeting her. "Which is your steed, Madame?" The beta inquired politely, to which the woman responded, "How am I supposed to know? It's one of the brown ones. Just bring me a horse!" The woman's voice was high-pitched as she ordered the beta with a scowl on her plain face that did nothing to help her beauty that was otherwise greatly lacking.
"I am sorry, but we are not allowed to saddle a steed at random. Do you know the name of your horse?" Kip was careful as he inquired of the woman. He could tell she was going to be very difficult, and if he did one thing even slightly wrong, that would be all cause to punish him in her eyes.
"Why would I know the name of my steed?! That's just ridiculous! Why would you expect me to know that!" The woman's voice had gone up by an entire octave at minimum as she waved her hands in front of her face frantically and said, "Just get me a horse! I don't care which one!!"
Kip knew there would be no reasoning with her, so he bowed and quickly entered the stables. The rest of the team had fallen silent as they heard the exchange between the beta and noblewoman. "Do we have a horse that doesn't yet have a rider?" Kip inquired of Calix as he reached his team.
Calix thought for a moment before answering, "Ae. It is copper, though. Not brown."
"It'll have to work," Kip returned. "There's no way I am letting that crazy woman ride someone else's steed and potentially injure it." The beta nodded to Calix as he said, "Lead me to the steed. I'll saddle it."
Calix nodded in response to Kip and promptly led the beta to the stall with the unclaimed horse. After a few minutes, Calix returned to stand with the rest of the group while Kip saddled the steed. Ibbi, Bevy, and Syri took quick peeks at the impatient woman who was beginning to tap her toe while standing beneath the awning of the entrance to the stables.
"I've never seen her before," Ibbi commented as he did not recognize the noble wolf.
"Me neither," Bevy said in agreement. She had yet to serve such a woman.
"She may be new to the castle," the omega pointed out as he turned his gaze back into the stables.
"Mm, probably," Bevy sounded with a small bob of her head before following Ibbi in retracting her gaze from the noblewoman.
The four continued to stand in silence until a grunt from Calix drew their gaze to the beta. Calix's face was red with pain as he clutched his heart and fell to his knees. The beta's brows knit together, and his chest began to heave. Syri was quick to go to the beta's side and check on him.
"Calix?" Bevy inquired as she sent to the beta's other side. "What's wrong?"