Zions' P.O.V.
As we walk through the crowd in the throne room, I pick up on Rain's nervousness. I squeeze her hand gently to reassure her that everything will be fine. "There are so many people in the Throne Room!" She links me.
"It's okay, my love. Unfortunately, it's tradition to have leaders and Alphas from all over attend the Crowning Ceremony of a new royal. Try to keep your eyes forward and your chin up. And remember, we are all by your side, No matter what!" I link back, and she takes a deep, steadying breath. When we reach the bottom of the stairs, I put my hand on the small of her back to help support her, and we start making our way up.
After making it to the top of the stairs, She finally notices the second and slightly smaller throne, placed next to mine. "Do you like it?" I whisper in her ear.
"It's perfect," She answers in complete disbelief. She smiles up at me, and I give her a cocky smile, proud of myself for making the right choice.
"I knew she would love it," Ryker says, almost as proud as I am.
The elder greets us and whispers. "Shall we begin?" She nods, and he turns to address the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to witness the crowning of the new Queen of the Southern Werewolf Kingdom and her ascending to the throne. And with her, the ascending of Lady Jessica as the new Female Beta." He says, and the crowd cheers.
I take my place on the bigger of the two thrones as Orian and Sam take their places beside me, as Lady Ezmerelda and Odett stand to the left of her throne, while Jessica stands next to Rain. I get a link from the doctor saying that the results of the blood test have come in and that he would like to talk to us after the ceremony ends. I agree, telling him that we will meet him in our suite after the ceremony, becoming nervous when he didn't say everything was okay.
"I'm sure everything is fine. Rain seems to be in good health now." Ryker says, I definitely feel something is off, but push it to the back of my mind because today is her day, and I don't want her to pick up on my discomfort.
The elder has them recite their vows and calls for Mia and Annie to bring out the crown and sward that Orian and I had custom-made for our mates. After the elder places the sapphire and diamond encrusted crown on Rains' head, he helps her to her feet and announces her as the crowned Queen of the Southern Werewolf Kingdom, and I quickly walk to her side and guide her to her throne beside mine. He then Knights Jessica as the Female Beta, and after announcing her as the Female Beta of the Southern Werewolf Kingdom, Orian does the same, guiding her to the right side of Rains' throne.
I stand and thank the elder for performing his role in the ceremony. The elder bows and begins to walk off the stage, followed by Mia and Annie. I call out to the ladies before they can reach the steps, asking them to come back. Rain, Mia, and Annie look confused. They look at Rain nervously as they approach the center of the stage where I stand. She nods and smiles at them. I'm grateful that she puts her trust in me.
"For your constant devotion to the castle and its people. I want to take this time to acknowledge your effort and would like to promote both of you to the position of Head of Staff if you will accept it." I say, and their mouths drop. I knew this would be something they didn't expect, but they have performed great in their roles, and this promotion was well overdue.
"Let's face it. You love doing things that shock people." Ryker says with a laugh. I don't disagree with him one bit.
"At least this time it's something good," I tell him with a light laugh. "They were willing to defend our mate and daughter even though they had just met her. That says a great deal about their character."
"We would be honored, my King. Thank you so much!" They say as they begin to cry and continuously bow. As they walk off the stage, I join my mate at our thrones. I lean over to whisper in Rains' ear, telling her that the doctor wants to talk to us after the ceremony. She doesn't seem upset or worried as she looks at me and nods.
I stand up to address the crowd, and the room becomes quiet. "Thank you all for coming to this two-day event full of our mating ceremony, the run of the wolves, and my mate's crowning ceremony. We will be hosting a buffet in the banquet hall, and tonight the Queen has chosen to have a movie night in the courtyard with smoothies, candy, and snacks. Everyone is welcome to attend both." I say, and the crowd cheers loudly. I hold my hand out to Rain, and she takes it and stands by my side. "Once again, thank you all for coming. Everyone is free to explore the kingdom, and the buffet will start soon. My Queen and I have a few things to take care of, and we will meet you all in the banquet hall."
I take Rain and the others out the back of the stage and up a hidden staircase that leads directly to the fourth floor. Rain and Jessica look around in shock. "What is this." Rain asks me.
"This is a secret pathway that leads to the fourth floor. We use it for a quick getaway in case of an emergency or to get past the crowds." I say, and she nods in understanding.
"Are there more secret pathways in the castle?" Jessica asks, and Orian nods.
"Y'all will eventually know every inch of this castle," I say with a laugh. "It's part of your training that will begin next week."
"Ohh, that's exciting," Odett says, making everyone laugh.
I look over to Rain and ask if she wants everyone there when we talk to the doctor. She says they are welcome to stay, but she would like us to talk to him privately first. I nod and tell Orian they can wait in the living room or join everyone downstairs as we speak with the doctor in my private office. We make it to the top of the staircase, walk out into the hall and into our suite, and everyone walks into the living room to wait.
"I guess that means they will be staying," I say to Rain.
"They are worried." She says, her voice barely above a whisper. I turn to look at her, but she continues. "I can feel all of their emotions, remember? Everyone but yours for some strange reason."
You mean you can't feel my emotions and feeling?" I ask her, and she shakes her head.
"Nope, not beyond the mate bond. I also couldn't mind link you before we marked each other. But I could link Jess easily." She says, making me confused.
"We will discuss it with your mother later," I say as I wrap my arms around her and kiss her on her forehead. "We will figure everything out, I promise."
"I just hope it's not too late." She says, and I give her a light squeeze to reassure her.
A few minutes later, the doctor knocks. Rain runs to open the door for him, and I led them to my office. I sit in my chair, pulling Rain onto my lap as the doctor takes a seat in the chair across from us. He congratulates Rain on her ascension to the throne, and she giggles as she thanks him. She reaches up to her head, almost like she had forgotten she was wearing her crown.
"Am I supposed to wear this all the time?" She asks, making me laugh.
"Only for formal events, my love," I say as I remove the crown from her head.
"Oh, thank the Goddess. It's beautiful but so heavy." She says with a giggle. I smile at her before turning to face the doctor.
"So, Doctor, what seems to be the problem with my mate?" I ask him, getting to the point. He looks at us with a stern face, not giving anything away. Rain squeezes my hand as she places her other hand on her stomach, and I assume she's picking up a bad feeling from him. I start to worry about what he's about to say to us. It's uncommon for werewolves to become sick or die from any type of disease, but it does happen.
"Well, after checking and rechecking the results of the blood tests I took to be positive, it seems that the Queen is pregnant." He says, and Rains' body goes ridged in my lap as her eyes almost pop out of her head.