“Princess…” Garrick said as he walked closer.
Lyra held up a hand.
He stopped, his brows drawing together slightly.
“You bow in my presence, Commander Garrick. You may be commander, but I am still your princess.”
For all his ambition, he still had the instincts of a soldier.
When royalty gave a command, the body obeyed.
“Of course,” he said, lowering his head.
“I apologise.”
Then, belatedly and properly, he bowed.
“You called for me,” he said when he straightened.
“Yes, I did.”
The fountain continued to whisper behind her, its silver water catching the garden lights.
“I called to tell you that I will do as the council requests,” she said.
“I will marry you.”
Garrick’s face lit up.
“That’s such good news!”
“Yes,” she said coolly.
“I’m sure it is for you.”
His smile faltered.
“The throne is what you want, isn’t it?”
Garrick’s expression shifted at once.
Shock first.
Then hurt.
Then offended dignity.
He had an impressive range, she would give him that.
The man could change masks fast.
“Princess Lyra…” he began.
“Surely, you cannot think—”
“Oh, come on.” Lyra turned slightly, trailing her fingers along the fountain’s stone rim.
“Do not insult me with that wounded look.”
His jaw tightened.
“I do not know what Erin has told you—”
“I put it together myself,” Lyra said, facing him again.
“Then I spoke to Carys. Princess Erin’s maid,” Lyra added.
“She told me the truth of it all.”
“Princess, that is a lie. Ask anyone.” Garrick took a step forward. The source of this chapter is g.com.
“Princess Lyra, I swear—”
Lyra’s gaze hardened.
“You started to pursue Erin three years ago. She was the first daughter. The eldest princess. The one everyone assumed might be named Crown Princess.”
The corner of her mouth curved bitterly.
“What you did not know was that the council would never accept her. Because she is not the Alpha King’s biological daughter.”
Garrick’s lips parted.
“That is not—”
“You realised you had made a mistake,” Lyra said.
“You heard the council name me future Alpha Queen. You understood that Erin’s love could give you access, but not the throne. So you waited…You waited for opportunity. You waited for your hero’s moment. You waited for me.”
Garrick looked disgusted.
“I cannot believe Erin put these thoughts in your head.”
“Princess Erin,” Lyra corrected immediately.
His eyes flicked to hers.
“She is a princess, Garrick. A princess you ridiculed.”
“I was slandered. You have to believe me.”
“I don’t.” Lyra stepped closer.
If Garrick wanted a soft path to power, he had chosen the wrong sister.
Actually, judging by recent events, he had chosen the wrong family entirely.
“So here is how this marriage thing is going to work. I do need you for the stability of the kingdom. The army respects you. The council wants you. The people are already turning you into some shining symbol of sacrifice.”
“You will stand beside me where protocol demands it,” she continued.
“You will attend ceremonies. You will smile when required. You will command the army because Father gave you that honour, and I will not undermine him simply because you are one giant disappointment.”
“But make no mistake. You will not be sitting beside me as Alpha King. I will not be naming you Alpha King.”
“I don’t care about that,” he said.
Of course he did.
Every word in his mouth was polished, but his eyes had already betrayed him.
“All I want is to marry you.” His voice lowered, intimate and earnest, the same voice he had probably used on Erin.
“I have always loved you.”
Lyra chuckled.
“You’re good…Very good. If I were Erin, I would have bought the act too. But I have too much riding on my shoulders to be swayed by cheap words.”
“Princess Lyra, if you would just let me explain—”
“No. You will say nothing about this to my father,” she said.
“Nothing to the council. Nothing to the soldiers. Nothing to anyone. If that is clearly understood, get the hell out of my sight.”
Then she turned back to the fountain.
For a moment, Garrick did not move.
Lyra could feel him standing behind her.
“As you wish, Princess.”
Then his boots retreated down the stone path.
Garrick’s face darkened the moment he left the garden’s centre.
This was not working out as he had planned.
Stupid Erin.
She had ruined it.
She had taken what should have been his perfect public victory and turned it into a scandal.
He should have gotten rid of her a long time ago, back when he realised she was not going to be crowned princess.
Still, the game was not over.
Not even close.
Lyra was cautious now.
Angry, suspicious.
He had to find a way.
He had to become Alpha King.
No way was he going to accept defeat.
Lyra would love him, even if he had to offer her his life in exchange.
*****
Breakfast was perfect.
Coffee, fruit, pastries, meat, and eggs arranged like art.
While her belongings were being moved to the prince’s castle, Erin decided to take a swim to clear her head.
A break from thinking about Garrick.
Above them, the protective sky screen shimmered faintly.
It filtered the sun, softening the light.
Vampires could move beneath it without burning.
Carys followed behind her with a towel draped over one arm, talking nonstop.
“I must say,” Carys said, looking around, “the maids here are much nicer than I expected. They have been lovely. Very accepting.”
“Well, Queen Luna ruled this place,” Erin said.
“Surely, they have no choice but to be accepting. The first werewolf queen in Blood City.”
“I do miss the night shifting. How does one run around in wolf form in such a place?” Carys asked.
“You could ask the prince,” Erin suggested.
“You mean that prince?” Carys pointed toward the pool.
Erin stared and there, cutting through the water with slow, controlled strokes, was Magnus.
They could recognise his frame at once, even from behind.
His hair was slicked back.
His shoulders rose and dipped, muscles shifting as his arms swept through the water.