The Royal Pain

Chapter Twelve:

"Thank you. Tonight was perfect," I said to Nathan, trailing kisses along his jaw. Every word I'd said was true, but I couldn't help the tiny worm of betrayal that wriggled around inside my chest. I was lying to him, and everyone else.

I hadn't told anyone about my revelation, and I was still unsure as to what I was going to do with the information. It was our move; my move. I would spend as much time with Nathan as I could get, and then, in the middle of the night I would leave.

If it really was Alpha Kaine, there was only one place where he would - could - be. 

"Just like you," he whispered, his hot breath scorching my neck. We kissed, and even though my heart was void of any emotion, I could have sworn that it began to beat faster. 

I grinned and pushed him out of my room, back onto the landing. I closed the door as he walked away, offering a 'goodnight' to me as he went. I slumped down against the door and rubbed my eyes with the palm of my hand. Bashing my head against the pale wooden door seemed like a good idea, but I didn't fancy waking up with a pounding headache. 

Instead, I walked past the walk in closet and the bathroom. I ignored the desk that was littered with papers for me to sign regarding my coronation, I rounded the corner of the room, slipped out of my clothes and jumped into the soft bed. The walls were gold, with white flowers hand painted up to the ceiling. 

The floor was a pale white colour, and even though I knew that this room was temporary, I hated the design of it. See, Nathan was still decorating the room we would share, so we were both in different rooms for now.

As decorum demanded, I would be crowned, I would attend the celebration, and then Nathan would mark me that night, and we'd complete the mating process. 

At least, that was what I had been telling everyone. My coronation was five days away. I had, by some miracle, convinced Nathan that his father's funeral should come first, and so that was being held tomorrow. I would stay for the funeral; I would not disrespect my King by running off the night before we were to pay tribute to him. 

With that in mind, I blinked back the tears, rolled onto my side and attempted to fall asleep. 

***

"The King was a gracious man," I boomed. Time had seemed to fly, and I was standing on a podium in the open lot of the Royal Graveyard. Mourners stood around me, dressed in the werewolf's colour of grief; red. 

Red to mark the blood of the fallen. 

Nobles stood around his coffin, which had just been lowered into the ground. Nathan and Jex had spoken, paid tribute and laid to rest their sins with their father. Now it was my turn. Despite the bitter mood, the sun shone overhead, glinting off of the sleek black coffin. 

Beside him, lay his wife, Rebecca. I'd learned from Nathan that she had been captured by a rogue, her head savagely torn off; he'd been forced to watch and since that day, he only spoke up when spoken to. 

The wind ripped through my tight french braid and the bottom of my bright red dress swayed slightly due to the force of it. As a sign of respect, I had shadowed my eyes in red eye shadow and red lipstick. Make up, something I was not accustomed to wearing. 

A novelty the humans had created in order to enhance their appearance. However, I felt like slugs were clinging to my face. My high cheekbones stuck out from my face, a feat that had made me seem dangerous compared to the other Guards. 

I had considered wearing red contact lenses, but after debating it with myself, I'd decided that that was too far, and the King had always complemented my kind grey eyes. 

"He was like a father to me, and I know he will leave a hole in all of our hearts. As I stand here today, I can't help but blame myself for not being able to pull his body from the ashes of the building. But, I know that if he were here to hear me say that, he would reprimand me. 

"Therefore, everything I do for the rest of my life will be in his honour. I will always think of him before I say or do anything. God rest you, my King, may your journey to the other side be as peaceful as your life in the Realm was."

Nathan and Jex stepped forwards, both wearing their red mourning suits and dropped the first seeds of winter into the grave. It was a custom that every Great King was to have the first seeds of winter, and every Great Queen to have the first seeds of summer.

If it wasn't for the fact that Nathan was just ever so slightly taller than Jex, I wouldn't have been able to distinguish between the two twins.

I felt an overwhelming urge to go over and comfort Nathan, however, I refrained, unbeknown as to whether he wanted to be alone with his misery. 

A sad smile found its way onto my face. I would leave tonight, I would give myself up to Alpha Kaine in exchange for the safety of the Royal family. I was doing this in honour of the late King; he would want his children to be safe. He would want me to be safe, too, but since it was only in my power to keep the Royals safe, I must do what I had to do.

What must be done, had to be done. 

I repeated those words in my head. It was a chant; a mantra. It grew within my head; within my body. It became a crescendo and I winced as my head started to pound. I may not have been able to determine my own safety, but I would secure the safety of this kingdom. 

The Realm was my sanctuary during my first years of training. Without them, or the twins, or the King, I would have been forever lost. A morsel of a body. A shadow. 

A rogue. 

If, back then, I had known that staying with them would endanger them like this in the future, I would have left. I felt sick to the stomach knowing that it was me who was the cause of all this distress.

It was entirely my fault that the King was dead. 

If I did not stop it, soon Nathan would be dead, and Jex. Perhaps even Bethany. Before long, the Realm would fall; the Kingdom would cease to exist. Its people would be slaughtered and death would roll over the ruins of the Royal Realms. 

It was my move. 

I would end the game.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every atom of me. Every atom of you. 

- Phillip Pullman.

  (Edited)