“Shame on you.” Erin looked at no one else and walked away from the gathering.
Kyllian turned his gaze to Garrick.
The hall seemed to hold its breath with him.
Garrick stood near the platform, face still wearing that wounded, respectful expression that had worked far too well on the crowd.
Kyllian truly did not like that he had no idea what to believe.
The entire company of soldiers could not be lying, could they?
Men lied.
Kyllian knew that.
Soldiers lied too.
But all of them?
This many witnesses?
This many confirmations?
This many murmurs about Garrick and Lyra?
Still, his heart tugged toward Erin.
Attacking a decorated soldier was a diplomatic nightmare.
But Erin’s rage had not looked invented.
Her humiliation had not looked like a tantrum.
It had looked like betrayal.
Kyllian turned to Mabel.
Mabel had no immediate answer.
Kyllian cleared his throat.
“We shall sort this out privately.”
“Your Majesty, if I may…”
Kyllian’s eyes shifted.
Another soldier stepped forward from the crowd.
He was older than Garrick.
The soldier bowed.
“Gamma Garrick is the most suitable choice for Princess Lyra.”
A murmur of agreement rippled through the hall.
Garrick lowered his eyes, playing humble.
The soldier continued.
“Sadly, the Moon Goddess did not bless you with a son.” he swallowed but kept going.
“When you pass, Your Majesty, with Gamma Garrick standing beside the Alpha Queen, we will remain undefeated. He has proven himself. The people trust him. The army follows him.”
“Princess Erin isn’t even of your own blood.”
Lyra’s head snapped toward him.
Mabel’s face went cold.
Kyllian’s rage filled the hall so completely that several soldiers lowered their heads on instinct.
The wolf beneath his skin pressed forward.
“Did I not say,” Kyllian asked softly, “that was not to be mentioned on this land ever again?”
The soldier immediately bowed.
“I apologise, Your Majesty. But it does not take the truth away.”
A few people gasped.
Someone muttered silently, “This man wants to die.”
“Princess Erin is mated to Prince Magnus. Our alliance with Blood City is forged in blood. Does she plan to break that bond and disgrace us even more?”
Erin and Magnus were not merely a romantic arrangement.
They were the fragile bridge between kingdoms.
If Erin broke that bond, especially now, Blood City would consider it an insult.
Fucking perfect.
The soldier pressed on.
“We want Princess Lyra with Gamma Garrick.”
More murmurs.
“Garrick earned it.”
“The kingdom needs strength.”
“The army will stand behind them.”
What had begun as a reward had turned into a political demand.
Kyllian looked across the faces of his soldiers and saw expectation.
His wolf growled low inside him.
“That is for the princess to decide.”
“She has decided,” someone called from the back.
Before Kyllian could respond, Lyra stepped forward.
“I will have to speak with my sister on the matter,” she said quickly.
“This…” Lyra looked toward Garrick.
“All of this has to be clarified first. I will make my decision in due time.”
A disappointed ripple went through the audience.
Lyra understood them.
She knew what Garrick represented.
Strength.
Stability.
Military confidence.
A future where the army could look beside its queen and see a commander they trusted.
She had spent her whole life being trained for that exact responsibility.
All she wanted was what was best for her people.
But this situation with Erin complicated everything.
It always did.
Erin, with her wounded pride and wild emotions.
Erin, who hated being pitied but made it hard for anyone to know how to reach her.
Erin, who looked at Lyra sometimes as if Lyra had stolen something from her.
Lyra had tried.
Goddess, she had tried.
They had always had a strained relationship and as much as Lyra tried to fix it, she realised none of it was her fault and finally gave up.
Lyra looked up at her father.
It was what she always did.
When the kingdom became too loud, she looked to Kyllian and found strength there.
Her father had always been the mountain in every storm.
His eyes had gone distant.
It meant he was thinking beyond the scandal in front of them.
Lyra felt the kingdom pressing in from every side.
Garrick stepped toward her.
“Princess Lyra?”
She turned to him slowly.
Caution sat plainly in her eyes, and she did not bother hiding it.
Garrick saw the caution.
His expression softened, his shoulders lowering just enough to suggest vulnerability.
“Listen,” he said.
“I know this is sudden for you. Me coming out this way and saying all this.” Garrick gave a small, self-conscious laugh.
“But I was just an ordinary man. Unworthy of you. You are…” he paused, as if words failed him.
“You are awesome. But it is not sudden for me. I have…”
He stopped.
“I’m sorry,” he said, lowering his gaze.
“I guess I shouldn’t embarrass you any further.”
Lyra gave him a strained smile.
It was the only safe thing she could offer.
Then she stepped back and stood before her father.
All eyes followed her.
Garrick was the golden boy now.
She was the princess.
The Crown Princess.
The future Alpha Queen.
Her life had never belonged entirely to her.
The future of the realm depended heavily on her.
Kyllian cleared his throat.
“I apologise to everyone for the events of the evening…The matter will be clarified, and we shall get back to you. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” He extended his hand to his wife and daughter.
Mabel took it first.
Lyra followed.
Together, the royal family walked out of the arena hall.
The moment they stepped into the private corridor, the noise of the hall dulled but the whispers followed them.
Kyllian released Mabel’s hand.
“Take your mother home…I’m going for a run.”
Lyra turned sharply.
“Father…”
“Do as I say.”
Kyllian stepped away from them, his body already shifting before he reached the edge of the path.
Bones cracked.
Power rippled through the air.
In the space of a breath, the king was gone, and in his place stood a massive black wolf with eyes like burning gold.