Bloodmark (38 page)

I followed her into the bath chamber adjacent to the room. It was equally as beautiful as Calista’s other things. I didn’t belong in a room so exquisite. Underneath my family name and birthright, I wasn’t the slightest bit royal. But that never mattered to Tegan; she had never treated me any differently. She had always seen past my lack of elegance to the scared girl underneath.

But the only thing I feared now was fighting my father for Grey.

“All of our packs are here to receive you, to honor your life,” she said as she picked my dress from the vast closet. “Grey is being permitted to eat with the packs as one of Baran’s guests.”

“One?” I asked.

“Willem and his wife, Khepri, are here to receive you as well. I think Baran asked them here to help protect Grey from getting himself killed. If he acts too boldly or claims right to you in front of the council, your father will have no choice but to exterminate him.” Her words were soft, but their dark truth was a cold blow to my already unsteady confidence.

“What do I do?”

“We just have to get you through tonight. Your father has agreed it’s in your best interest to finish your education as well as not cause any more unwanted notice from the humans, so he’s going to send us all back to York Harbor. Tonight, be careful not to look at Grey too often. If your father senses you’ve bonded with him, he’ll be outraged. We have to hide this . . .” she said, “for now.”

I nodded my head numbly. “Does Grey know of this?”

“Baran is informing him of the appropriate behavior.”

There was something else she wanted to say. It was on the tip of her tongue. By the stress on her face, I could tell she wasn’t supposed to tell me, but she wanted to intervene.

“Tegan?” I asked. “What is it?”

Her small lips pursed as she considered her options. “I think you have a right to know what you are walking into. Brychan is here. His offer still stands to court you.”

“I know. I saw him yesterday.”

“That’s not all. With the announcement of your safety, Channing Kingery has also asked to court you. As well as Eamon Dvergar. All three will be at dinner, and Mother Rhea intends to have a formal offering. Eamon has vowed his pack to the council and with your hand would prove his loyalty. Grey has a lot of royal and noble competition. Now that he’s a wolf, the stakes are even higher,” she said, shaking her head. “Slip this on while I tame your hair.”

She handed me an ivory strapless gown that formed around my curves. The thick gold trim accented my hair as Tegan pulled it back into a Grecian style. It reminded me of my mother’s pack, the Vanirs.

“Tegan, I just want to love Grey.”

“Chin up, Ashie, I can smell them.”

She stood next to me as the door opened. Her posture was rigid but feminine. Mother and Father stood there in their finest. Father nodded to us as they continued past the door. Flin and Bridgid followed behind Father with their three sons. Mund was behind them; Tegan quietly joined him, scooping Nia into her arms. Felan, Cadence, and their son walked slowly past the door without the slightest notice of me, but as Quinn and Gwyn passed, he gave me a big smile and she gestured for me to follow them. I had never been to a council dinner, nor had I ever met most of the packs. I was walking into an unknown wolf den, and I was afraid. I wanted Grey by my side, but that would mean his death.

I would have to learn to stand by myself . . . and I would have to learn to play their games better than they did.

The doors to the grand dining room opened, and I could hear the entire room stand as Mother and Father appeared in the doorway. “King Pørr and Queen Nessa,” was announced as they entered the chamber. Father and Mother gracefully walked to the head of the table, taking their seats, as all others remained standing. I could see some of them through the crack in the door. I peered inside, looking for Grey, but I couldn’t see him from where I stood. Each of my siblings and their mates were announced one by one as they entered the chamber, until only I remained in the darkened hallway. I felt anxious.

Father stood, getting everyone’s undivided attention. “I present Princess Ashling Boru,” he said.

The sound of everyone’s heads snapping back toward the doorway was like the crack of a whip. They all inspected me as I stood there, and I stared wide-eyed back at them. They scrutinized my every movement as I walked awkwardly to the open seat across from Quinn. As father sat for the second time, everyone around me sat. I followed a few beats behind their mass movements. Down at the end of the table, I recognized Grey’s handsome face sitting with Baran’s small pack. At least I knew he was safe with them. I forced myself not to smile at him and instead busied myself with counting all the gems on Gwyn’s amethyst-covered dress.

I could feel all their eyes on me like burning flames on my cheek. I didn’t even know whom I was sitting next to. I was too scared to look up for fear of catching Grey’s eye and putting his life in danger. My neighbor leaned in close, whispering in my ear.

“These dinners are always more show than anything,” said a kind, masculine voice.

I looked up into Brychan’s dark eyes. Though his regal face didn’t soften, his voice was reassuring. I wondered now how I had never noticed how handsome he was. I suppose I didn’t know what handsome was then. I dared a glance down the lengths of the table, and I spotted Eamon immediately, his eyes burned into mine. I couldn’t hide anything from his watchful eye, so I looked away. Dinner went on for three courses, mostly of raw animal flesh, without me looking up from Gwyn’s dress. I was thankful for the distracting gems.

“It is time for declarations,” Mother Rhea said.

Mother Rhea was a werewolf who had lived fifteen centuries but only appeared in her seventies. She had seen many battles and had been near death many times, all of which aged her physically. I knew very little of her history, only what Mund had told me. She was so elegant; I loved her British accent. Her silver hair was curly and sculpted beautifully atop her head with a few ringlets on the right, but it was her pale skin and beautiful blue eyes that everyone always spoke of. For me, it was her smirk and her pointy eyebrows—just like mine—that made me want to fold myself into her arms. She was refined in every way, but I knew underneath that exterior she was one tough lady. She used to visit Mother and me on the cliffs from time to time.

As first in line for my hand, Brychan stood facing my father. “I, Lord Brychan Kahedin, Beldig-son of Wales, declare my honor and will court Lady Ashling at your will,” he said.

Father nodded.

I felt as if I were being auctioned off to the highest bidder. I was sick to my stomach. I had been here for no more than a few days, and I was already being drowned in pack laws.

A tall blond man stood. His strong jaw held his mouth firm in his decision. He had piercing pale-blue eyes, and his strong body rippled beneath his black suit. He looked like a spy from one of those
007
movies Baran loved. “I, Channing Kingery, Karik son of Switzerland, declare my honor and will court Lady Ashling at your will,” he said. Channing was the elder brother of Cadence, Felan’s wife.

Father nodded again.

I knew Grey stared at me. I could feel his rage at other men talking this way about me, Grey’s rightful mate. Publicly, my father showed him where he stood—no more than a witness to these proceedings. Baran was doing all he could to keep Grey in his seat. He was being torn apart by this spectacle. And his pain was my pain. I wanted to cry for us both.

Eamon stood up; his body was all mended from his battle with Adomnan. Bento sat by his side. “I, King Eamon Dvergar of Iceland, declare my honor and will court Lady Ashling at your will.”

There was a hush among the guests as they awaited father’s rule. The son of his greatest enemy now asked to court his only daughter, and not only that, but he was now King of the Dvergar land and pack. There was something about the way Eamon stared at me that made me uneasy. Despite everything he’d done for me, I still didn’t trust him. Father nodded, reluctantly. There was a smile in Eamon’s eyes; I was sure only I could see.

The room grew quiet. No more offers were spoken. I knew, from what I had read, that this was the only time declarations could be made. A female of mating age was either betrothed to someone or open to declarations. If Mother Rhea closed the offers, no more could be made. I could never be with Grey without breaking a Bloodbond with my family. I felt as if my soul were being smothered. Suddenly I needed air, and my head began to spin. I stood abruptly, letting the chair scrape across the floor as I stumbled backward. Trying to catch my balance, I crashed down toward the floor.

Grey’s strong arms caught me. He was faster than the others—most weren’t even out of their seats. Even Brychan didn’t have time to react to catch me. I breathed Grey in again. He had scooped me up in his arms like a child cradled against his strong chest. When he didn’t put me down, I knew he wanted to run away with me in his arms. Mother Rhea offered me her hand, to intervene before he could take such rash actions. Grey set me back on my feet carefully.

“Perhaps . . .” she said, studying Grey. She seemed to be reading our connection. The Elder Gods could see the energy between two bonded souls as though it were a colored fiber dancing around us, our own personal aurora borealis wrapping around our bodies and connecting us together. When she finally looked back to me, it was clear she knew what Grey and I were and that we had already bonded. Neither of us could ever live without the other. “Perhaps Grey of Killian should make an offer,” she said.

There were grumbles and curses around the room at the idea of a nomad courting me, their high princess. It was beyond words, and had anyone but an Elder God suggested it, that person would have been put to death. I held my breath.

“Mother Rhea?” Father said.

“As Lady Ashling’s savior, he has earned this right, if he dares claim it.”

Grey squared his shoulders to my father. “I, Grey Donavan of Killian, declare my honor and will court Lady Ashling.”

A small smirk was hidden at the corner of his mouth. I knew he had intentionally left out the statement,
at your will
. He was stating his right to me, not asking for permission. Mund was fighting down a smile, as he had caught the defiance too. Mother Rhea turned to father. He didn’t dare question an Elder God again. He nodded solemnly to Grey’s offer.

“And so it shall be. The sons of our packs Dvergar, Kahedin, Kingery, and Killian will court Princess Ashling of Boru for the right to be her one true mate,” Mother Rhea said. She held her hand out for Grey to escort her back to her seat.

Brychan stood, helping me back to mine. He poured my water, setting it in front of me. He studied my pale face as the color started to return.

“It can be overwhelming at first, but you get used to all the silly rules after a while. Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” he said, smiling for the first time. It softened his masculine features.

“Thank you, Lord Brychan,” I said. My voice was barely a whisper.

“As the suitors of my only daughter, I must be sure of your strength as an ally and your ability to protect her. You shall all fight in a series of matches in the Bloodrealms to prove your worth,” Father said.

There were some rumblings and whispers around the room before each of my suitors started knocking his metal goblet on the table and all cheered at the prospect of the matches. The testosterone nearly dripped off their skin as they sized each other up.

“Princess Tegan, I think my lady is still feeling a bit faint. Would you kindly escort her back to her room?” Brychan asked.

I wasn’t sure if he was trying to be nice or just separating me from the other suitors, but I wasn’t going to ask. I was willing to flee before this evening got any worse.

“Would the ladies care to join us in the sitting room?” Tegan said.

As though it weren’t a question, the other women and children stood and followed us out, leaving the room filled with testosterone. I suddenly wasn’t sure that was a good idea, either.

Tegan sat me on the small sofa in the corner of the room where Mother Rhea joined me. She didn’t say anything as she watched me carefully. Her indiscreet eyes didn’t leave any inch of me unmarked. She knew all my secrets, even the ones I had yet to discover in myself.

“Thank you, Mother Rhea,” I said.

“For what, my dear?”

“Grey,” I whispered his name.

“He earned his place. It is his right to fight for you. But you must also learn your place. You will save the humans. As a species, they can only be saved by love.” She patted my hand thoughtfully. “You must protect Old Mother; she is the soul of nature that gives life to the universe. Her love is poured out upon the earth, and it is she who links us to the land and the cycles of the seasons and the moon. It is she who created the humans.” She spoke of the humans’ lives as though they were more important than her own beating heart. Her love for them was deep in her bones.

I finally understood the humans’ need to fight—it stemmed from fear. Fear that resulted from us not protecting them and not fulfilling our duty to Old Mother. We were meant to balance them and protect them from the fear of darkness.

“Each pack was created with a purpose,” she said. “The Boru brought wisdom, the Vanir brought life, Kahedin brought balance, Killian brought protection, the Kingerys brought compassion . . . even the Dvergar have a place in the elements. They are strength, though strength in the wrong hands can become corrupt. But all along, Old Mother’s work was flawed. She never gave them love. That is why she created you—and why you’re so wild. You are filled with the love and passion the humans so desperately need because one cannot contain love nor stop it. It is the greatest strength in the world. It overpowers evil, fear, and hate.”

I now knew the brightest of lights would always attract the darkest of nights, but love would outshine the darkness. If love was allowed in, it would save souls.

I felt so overwhelmed. Everything had changed. I was no longer just a silly werewolf princess in love with a human; I was the survivor of a ruthless attack, a daughter of a king, a princess with four suitors, and the key to the prophecy. In less than a year, my whole world had changed forever.