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He shrugs. “No, it wasn’t. I won’t let you coerce her into anything. But I am also not going to risk my kingdom for her. She’s an asset, and she would make an excellent queen. I’ll fight you to keep her here but not at the risk of war. We both know threatening a war is overkill.” Erik gets to his feet, walks over to the window, and looks outside. “She was in bad shape when she came here. Desperately clinging to life. She knew she was pregnant. The first thing she asked was for help to save her and her baby. You reduced her to that. And if you didn’t, your people did. How do you know they won’t do it again?”

I don’t think I’ll ever truly be free of this guilt. If I had only known that she had survived the Misty Forest, everything would be different now. But I can’t turn back time. “If I’d discovered that she was alive, I would have gotten rid of Vivian. And if the elders had protested, I would’ve gotten rid of them, as well.”

“And now? Vivian’s your queen.” Erik turns to face me. “What will you do about her now?”

“My queen—My legal queen,” I say coldly, “is here. She’s the only one I mated.”

“Under Vivian’s name.”

“It doesn’t matter. The vows I made were to Leanna.”

“Insincere vows.”

“Don’t try to tell me about my sincerity!” I say harshly, taking a step forward, ready to spill blood. “I made a mistake. I accept that. But I won’t lose her, and certainly not to you.”

“Then give me a reason to help you convince her she’ll be safe and happy in the North.” Anger crosses Erik’s face, his tone biting.

I’m stunned for a moment. “What?” When he doesn’t reply, my brow furrows. “You want her to go back with me?”

“No, I don’t. But I know Leanna. She has never forgotten you. She has never moved on. Several eligible males have expressed curiosity about her, but she doesn’t even look at them. She says she’s not interested, but that’s not it. As an unmarked female, with the kind of men she’s been surrounded by, she should have shown some attraction toward them. But she hasn’t. And I haven’t seen her wolf react to any male, either.”

His words give me some hope. “But she was willing to mate you.”

“To get away from you!” Erik retorts. “She’s scared of you.”

“I won’t hurt her.”

“Does she know that beyond a reasonable doubt?” My silence speaks volumes, and Erik sighs. “What do you plan to do, Cedric? If she agrees to go back with you, what’s your plan for the woman who claims to be your queen? And what’s your plan for the elders?”

I already spent the night considering my options. Even if I have to make the hard choice and not force Leanna to return with me, her mere existence and that of my son’s will put them in danger.

“No matter the outcome, whether they choose to stay here or come with me, since they’re alive, Vivian will become a political prisoner. Whoever opposes me will have their entire bloodline erased.”

“And you think that will work?” Erik raises an eyebrow. “You think the Eastern Kingdom will allow it? Their princess, who has been a queen for the past eight years, is suddenly thrown into the dungeons as a prisoner?”

“They won’t have a choice.”

The man before me bursts into incredulous laughter. “I always wondered how you managed to keep the North under control. It’s through brute force, isn’t it? You kill your enemies.”

“That’s how it’s done.”

His amused look fades. “No. Not when the danger is from the inside, Cedric. The East will do everything in their power to get rid of Leanna and Finn. And they will have plenty of support from among your own people.”

“So, I’ll kill them.”

“Kill whom? How many? Will you wipe out all the noble families in the North? How much blood will you shed? And how much blood will Leanna be comfortable with you shedding?”

I don’t have an answer to that.

Erik walks around his desk to lean against the edge of it, his hands in the pockets of his suit pants. “I’m not a fool, Cedric. I’ve heard that you stay at the border for the majority of the year. I can only assume you’re trying to avoid Vivian. And then there is the very real fact that she hasn’t conceived a child yet. Seeing how fertile our kind is, the only reason she hasn’t gotten pregnant is because you have not lain with her. I can put two and two together.”

He sounds very sure of himself. I let him continue talking. I want to see where he’s going with this.

“You’ve never accepted Princess Vivian. I had my suspicions with respect to how you felt about Leanna, and you confirmed them the other day when you found her here. I’m not the kind of man who steals another wolf’s fated mate, Cedric. No matter how much I like her. I didn’t know you two were fated mates till you said it. But if you want to keep her safe, you have to play politics.”

“So, that day when you invited me to the palace”—I give him a considering look—“you meant for Leanna and me to meet up?”

Erik grins. “What do you think? Leanna is a good woman. And she’s gone through plenty of hardships. She didn’t have to tell me about them; I had my spies in the East find out everything I needed to know. Her existence was an open secret—her treatment at Vivian’s hand, even more so. If you ever want to know what your mate went through, I have a whole file.”

“I want to see it.”

“Sure.” He’s not smiling now. “I’ll help you, Cedric. Unlike you, I am very good at playing politics. Two months from now is the annual ball. As you know, this is an annual function hosted in our kingdom, and wolves from both the Northern and the Eastern Kingdoms will be in attendance, including the elders. Vivian has been attending in your absence. I’m sure she will make an appearance again, especially if she knows you will be here. Take the opportunity to give Leanna the mating mark. Announce your mate and your heir to the world. And I will give you my full backing.”

I stare at Erik. “Why are you doing this?”