Part 4

“I’ve heard of the royal families, but me?” The disbelief was evident on my face.

“All royals ascend the throne on their 21st birthdays. Prince Rupprecht will turn 21 on the full moon in December,  he will take his rightful seat, and marry Adelie on the same night,” Edmund said.

“This doesn’t make any sense, why didn’t anyone come for my father, or my grandfather, to ascend the throne?” I asked him.

“We were unaware that the St. Claire line had survived. You are now of age to ascend, and you are the rightful Crown Prince of Scotland,” Ashton said.

“So if you knew about all this, why didn’t you stop Adelie from being taken?” I asked them, angrily.

“It was not within our rights to interfere. There is a marriage treaty in place, but as a crowned royal, you will have more power,” Edmund said.

“So what happens now?” I asked him. I was still struggling to wrap my mind around everything he’d told me.

“You will come to Scotland with us and take back your seat, by force,” he said.

“What do you mean, by force?”

“After the battle, the House of Conrad bestowed the throne to Prince Erich the Second, a cousin of the King of Germany. His family has ruled that part of Europe ever since, but they are not the rightful bloodline to sit on the throne,” Edmund said.

“So I have to go to Scotland and fight for a throne I knew nothing about until ten minutes ago?” I asked him.

“It is the only way you can try and save the Princess,” Edmund said.

I sat down at the kitchen table, my hands slightly shaking. I had to go to Scotland and take on a king and his army of wolves. It was insane to even think about. I felt relieved knowing  Adelie hadn’t willingly left me, but she had known this would happen. She clearly didn’t know about my history, but she had known  they would take her. In hopes of sparing me, she chose to leave me and go to him. It still hurt to think she wouldn’t trust me with her secret.

“How the hell am I supposed to take on a King and his entire pack in a foreign country?” I asked him.

“By being you,” Edmund said, and I huffed out a laugh.

“How does this work? We gather supporters and attack his castle?” I asked him, feeling like an idiot. I knew nothing about the royal lines, their history, or how any of this worked.

“We will be with you every step of the way. It will not be an attack, but more of a meeting. Should King Bardo deny you your throne, then a battle of dominance will be called for, and the survivor will claim the throne,” Ashton said.

“How are you born Zetas, if Montgomery was the only survivor?” I asked him.

“Many of his people survived. You only see the survival of your blood line. Like Edmund said, you have supporters, and we’ve already sent word of your existence,” Ashton said.

“Shit, I need to talk to my father,” I said, and sighed. That was going to be one hell of a conversation.

“We should leave as soon as possible. We will need time to prepare you for your initial meeting with King Bardo,” Ashton said.

“It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” Edmund said, and smiled at me for the first time.

“You clearly don’t know my father,” I said.

“You father is the Alpha of his pack here. If he leaves with you, who will remain to lead them?” Edmund asked.

“So you want Kai to go to Scotland and take over as your King?” Falcon asked, and both men nodded their heads.

I stood up from the table and switched the kettle on. I took cups from the cupboard and turned to lean against it. Edmund and Ashton both looked at me with a horrified look on their faces.

“A prince never labors for his underlings,” Ashton said, and took the spoon from my hand.

“Are we going to Scotland?” Tala asked me.

“My Lady,” Edmund said, and bowed his head at Tala.

“Lady, my ass,” Tala said, as she looked at him.

“How many St. Claire ladies are there under the age of 21?” Ashton asked me.

“Why?”

“As soon as you ascend the throne, the marriage treaty will come into effect between the two houses,” Edmund said, and Ashton gave me a look.

“Kai,” Falcon said, and it almost sounded like a growl.

“My sister’s already imprinted, and she’s engaged. Tala also imprinted,” I said.

“That doesn’t really matter,” Ashton said.

“The hell it doesn’t,” Falcon said, as he looked at Tala.

“What happens if I don’t ascend the throne?” I asked Edmund.

“Then you will remain as you are now, a future Alpha, with little say as to what happens to Princess Adelie,” he said.

“How soon can we leave?” I asked him.

“Kai, you’re not going alone,” Falcon said.

“You should stay here with Tala, help Kiran protect them both,” I said. I knew he could. I knew Tala could look after herself, as well.

“Tala and Saga should stay under Kiran’s protection,” Falcon said.

Tala snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. “I go where Falcon goes. So, who’s this prick in Scotland that has Adelie?”

“Adelie will be taken to Germany, so we don’t have much time. She will be safe until Prince Rupprecht’s birthday in December,” Aston said.

Edmund nodded his head at Ashton, and he left the kitchen. I heard his footsteps on the stairs and turned to look at Edmund.

“We will leave in one hour, pack what you need. You can speak to your father on our way to the airport,” Edmund said, and took his phone from his pocket.

“Are we flying commercial or private?” Tala asked him.

“Private, Lady Tala,” Edmund answered her, and she smiled.

“Kai, Tala won’t stay, and you said she’d make a great Zeta. You know what she’s capable of,” Falcon said, softly.

“I agree. It can’t hurt to have her with us, and we’ll make sure she’s not taken,” I said.

Falcon walked over to Tala, and they disappeared into the living room. I went upstairs and walked into my bedroom to find Ashton going through my closet.

“What are you doing?” I asked him, as I looked at the half packed suitcase on my bed.

“I’m packing your suitcase, my Prince,” he said, as if this was normal. He had already packed all my suits, two pairs of jeans, sleepwear, and a few t-shirts.

“Are the suits really necessary?” I asked him. We were going to fight, weren’t we?

“Once in Scotland, this will be your normal attire, my Prince. When it comes to battle, your Zetas will fight in your stead,” he said, and I grinned at him.

“I fight my own battles,” I said.

“Of course, my Prince, but for the meetings, this will be your attire,” he said.

I went back downstairs as Tala and Falcon appeared with their bags. Tala had a rifle bag slung across her back, and Falcon carried two more. I knew that at least one of those bags would contain Jericho’s, Karambits, and extra magazines and rounds.

“Are we ready to leave?” Edmund asked, as Ashton appeared with two suitcases.

“It seems we are,” I said, and took a deep breath.