Chapter 4

ALASTAIR’S POV

I had faced down enemy alphas twice my size without flinching and I had stared death in the face more times than I could count.

But nothing tested my patience quite like the council.

"Your Majesty, this is completely unacceptable!" Rogers Bane slammed his palm against the mahogany table, his jaw quivering with indignation. "An omega? To carry the royal heir?"

"The bloodline will be weakened," Lady Thorne added, her voice dripping with disdain. "We cannot allow-"

"You cannot allow?" I leaned back in my chair, fingers steepled beneath my chin. The migraine that had been building behind my eyes since dawn pulsed harder. "Interesting choice of words."

They fell silent, but only for a moment. Like dogs with a bone, they couldn't help themselves.

"What the King means," Norman interjected smoothly, "is that surely he understands our concerns. The people expect-"

"The people expect me to secure my line," I cut him off. "Which is exactly what I'm doing."

"B-B-But w-with a servant!" Rogers was turning purple now. "A nobody! An omega with no family, a common slave of the palace."

"Enough." My voice dropped to that quiet tone that made grown men step back. "I've made my decision."

Taylor Briggs rose from his seat, his grey beard bristling. He was the head councilman, the one with the most influence and the one who'd been pushing his simpering daughter at me for the past three years.

His voice was slow. "Your Majesty, we must consider the political implications. There are several highborn women who would make excellent choices for the position of Queen.” He tipped his chin in that proud I disliked. “My own daughter, for instance, has been educated specifically for this purpose."

"Is that what this is about?" I interrupted, leaning forward. My eyes locked on Taylor's. "You want me to put your daughter on the throne?"

Taylor sputtered, his composure cracking. "I'm merely suggesting that someone of proper breeding should be by your side as Queen, of course.”

"You mean someone you can control." I stood, and the scrape of my chair against the floor echoed through the suddenly silent room. "Someone whose strings you can pull and who will whisper your ambitions into my ear every night."

Taylor bowed his head. "Your Majesty, I would never attempt such a vile thing towards you."

"Wouldn't you?" I placed my palms flat on the table, leaning forward. "Let me make something absolutely clear. My decision stands. The omega will be my breeder and any further protest will be considered insubordination."

None of them spoke but I didn’t miss the glances they shared between each other.

"You are dismissed," I said, straightening. "All of you."

They rose to their feet, then bowed in unison, but I could see the fury in their eyes.

I strode from the council room, my boots echoing against the marble floor. My personal guard, Hayes, fell into step beside me.

"That went well," he said dryly after we had put some distance between us and the council chamber.

I grunted, rubbing at my temples. The migraine showed no signs of easing.

"If I may ask, Your Majesty..." Hayes hesitated. "What is your reason for choosing her?"

I considered the question as we walked through the corridor, past portraits of my ancestors who'd probably be rolling in their graves at my decision.

What could I tell him? That the council had been circling like vultures, each one trying to plant their own puppet in my bed? And I was sick of their constant pushing of daughters and nieces and cousins?

"It's strategic," I said finally. "They want an heir so desperately? I'll give them one. But not on their terms. By choosing an omega with no family or connections, I keep their slimy claws away from my throne."

‘Liar.’ My wolf, Todd, stirred in the back of my mind. ‘You know that's not the real reason.’

I shoved him down, focusing on the stone walls of the castle.

"That makes sense," Hayes said, though I caught the skeptical note in his tone.

It did make sense. But why did the memory of last night keep creeping back?

The way she had felt pressed against me in that dark room, her pulse racing beneath my palm and the small sound she had made when my canines grazed her throat.

I shoved those thoughts away viciously. "Strategic," I muttered under my breath. "Nothing more."

Hayes gave me a sideways look. "What was that, Your Majesty?"

"Nothing."

Because it was nothing, I was the Lycan King.

I didn't let my decisions be clouded by attraction and I certainly would never let an omega become my mate.

The very idea was laughable .

"Your Majesty!" A small voice called out ahead of us.

I looked up to see Cameron, playing with a leather ball in the hallway. His gap-toothed smile would have made my heart stutter if I hadn’t built a wall around it.

He ran up to me, the ball clutched in his hands. "Your Majesty! Did you see? I can bounce it ten times without dropping it now!"

I stared down at him, my expression unchanging. The boy's enthusiasm dimmed slightly under my gaze, but he held his ground.

He was brave, for a child. I would give him that.

"That's enough," I said flatly. "Go back to what you were doing."

The smile slipped from his face entirely. "Yes, Your Majesty."

He scurried away, and I continued walking, ignoring the disapproving silence radiating from Hayes.

I would never be able to give Cameron the affection he sought from me. No matter how much I tried, the very sight of him made my heart clench.

It was easier to keep the distance.

"Your Majesty!" Another voice called out, although this one was breathless and panicked.

A servant came sprinting around the corner, nearly colliding with us. He skidded to a halt, doubled over, gasping for air.

His uniform was disheveled, and his face flushed with exertion.

Hayes stepped in front of me almost immediately. “State your business.”

“I-Your Majesty…” The servant wheezed, pushing the hair away from his face.

I stepped forward on instinct. "Are you going to speak or should I make you?”

"The omega," he wheezed out between breaths. "The omega… the one you chose-"

Cold dread settled in my gut, but I kept my expression blank. "What about her?"

"She's missing, Your Majesty." The servant finally straightened, even as his entire body trembled. "We went to her room this morning to bring her breakfast, and she was gone!”