4. The Royal Guard

Elle

The royal office kept us on hold long enough for Dad to wear a path into the rug. Alpha offices had a Crown line because border attacks, rogue sightings, and leadership challenges could turn bloody before ordinary government finished its paperwork.

Apparently, preventing a murderer from inheriting Moonlight did not qualify as urgent until we could prove the murder part.

The music stopped. "Thank you for waiting, Alpha Whitmore. I can record your intention to withdraw the succession request, but the Royal Registry cannot amend an active petition without formal review."

Dad asked for King Dominic. The assistant refused. His Majesty was unavailable, and even an Alpha needed an appointment.

Soren’s name seemed darker than the rest of the print, though that was probably my hatred entertaining itself. The next appointment was days away.

"No." I moved closer to the phone. "The request could be approved before then."

The woman paused. "Who am I speaking to?"

"Eleanor Whitmore. The current heir to Moonlight."

"Miss Whitmore, the king is attending a closed summit tonight. His location is secure, and he is not reviewing unscheduled petitions. Your father may file the withdrawal electronically, but it will enter the Registry queue when the office opens tomorrow."

"And if he signs the original request first?"

"I cannot speculate about His Majesty’s schedule."

Royal employees had perfected refusing an answer without saying no. Dad ended the call before I put Moonlight on a watch list.

"I’ll submit the notice tonight," he said.

"That isn’t enough. The legal process already has Soren’s name on it." I pressed both hands to his desk. "In three months, you and Mom are dead, and he owns everything. I’m not going upstairs to sleep while the same plan is still moving."

Mom flinched at the word dead. Dad’s expression tightened, but he did not tell me it had only been a nightmare this time.

"Where is the summit?" I asked.

"You heard her. The location is secure."

"You know where it is."

Every Alpha received notice when the Crown held a summit nearby. Rival packs met on neutral ground, usually hotels, while the Royal Guard secured the conference floors.

Dad swore under his breath. "The Halcyon. King Dominic has the top floor."

Mom caught my arm as I turned for the door. "You can’t storm into a royal summit alone."

"I can’t take Dad. Soren will notice the Alpha leaving in the middle of the night, and he’ll notice Kevin too." I squeezed her hand. "The best chance we have is for everyone to think I’m still the unstable woman who ruined her own engagement party."

It hurt her to hear me describe myself that way. It hurt me more that it was useful.

Dad blocked the door. "If a guard tells you to leave, you leave. You do not challenge the Royal Guard, and you do not accuse Princess Rosalie until you’re standing in front of the king. The Crown can forgive panic. It does not forgive threats."

I kissed his cheek. "Then I’ll try to be charming."

It was the closest any of us came to laughing.

I left without changing. The fitted blue dress was meant for a proposal, not asking a monarch to stop my ex from stealing a pack. Mom’s makeup and loose curls made me look ready for a nightclub, not a constitutional emergency.

There was no time to care. I drove toward the city with the succession petition on the passenger seat and every ugly memory from the road to the church riding beside it.

The Halcyon rose above the surrounding buildings in black glass and gold light. Expensive cars waited beneath the entrance canopy, each one handled by a valet who looked too polished to sweat. I handed over my keys, ignored the way his gaze caught on my bare legs, and hurried inside.

The lobby was all pale stone, fresh flowers, and quiet money. Nothing announced that the most powerful Lycan in the country was upstairs, but every wolf in the room kept glancing toward the private elevators.

Dominic was more than an Alpha. He approved successions, settled territorial disputes, and called allied packs against rogues. Most wolves saw him only in royal broadcasts. I had not expected our first meeting to happen while I was dressed for Soren.

One of the private elevators opened as I reached it. I stepped inside before the attendant could question me and pressed the button for the top floor. The doors closed on his startled face.

That had been the easy part.

Two guards waited upstairs. Their black suits bore silver crown pins. Unlike pack warriors, they answered only to Dominic.

"This floor is closed," the taller guard said.

"I’m Eleanor Whitmore, daughter of Alpha Mason Whitmore. I need five minutes with the king."

The second guard checked a tablet and told me I was not on the approved list. When I explained that Moonlight’s succession was at risk, he directed me back to the Registry as calmly as if I had not just said dangerous man and Alpha title in the same sentence.

"We called them. They told us to wait several days. We don’t have several days."

Neither guard moved. Their eyes traveled over the short dress, heels, and engagement-party makeup I had not removed. I saw the conclusion arrive before either of them spoke.

"His Majesty does not receive personal visitors without clearance," the taller man said. His tone had changed from official to embarrassed, as if he expected me to start crying or confessing my love. "Return to the lobby, Miss Whitmore."

I held out the petition. "At least give him this. If he approves Soren as the next Alpha, Moonlight will be placed in the hands of a dangerous man. Tell him Mason Whitmore’s daughter is asking him not to sign." When neither guard took it, I closed the folder and held it against my side.

The guards exchanged a look. The second one stepped forward and reached for my arm.

"Don’t touch me."

"Then walk back into the elevator."

"What is going on?"

The new voice came from behind them. A man in a charcoal suit approached with a phone in one hand and irritation written across his face. The guards straightened as he drew near.

"Unapproved visitor, Mr. James," the taller one said. "She claims she needs the king."

James looked me over, taking in the dress and heels. His irritation disappeared. "Are you Lily?"

The sensible answer was no. I could give him my real name, explain everything again, and be escorted out exactly as planned. Then I thought of Soren smiling behind the church.

"Yes," I said. "I’m Lily."

James exhaled as though I had solved a problem for him. "You’re late."

"I got held up."

He told the guards I was expected and led me down the hall. Thick carpet swallowed the sound of my heels, while closed conference rooms lined one side and the city shone through glass on the other. The entire floor belonged to the Crown tonight. Apparently, ruling the werewolf world required excellent room service.

"You understand the arrangement?" James asked.

"I was given the basics."

It was not technically a lie. He was giving me the basics now.

"Everything inside that suite is confidential. No photographs, no recordings, and no questions about the summit or the royal family. The agreed payment will be transferred after you leave. If His Majesty dismisses you, you leave immediately."

My steps slowed. "Payment?"

James stopped outside a dark double door. "The amount is not being renegotiated."

So Lily was not a private nurse, masseuse, or late-night caterer.

Great.

I had lied my way into the king’s suite by impersonating an escort.

"I only need a few minutes with him," I said.

"What you do with those minutes is between you and the king." James opened the door, waited for me to enter, and closed it behind me.

The suite was almost completely dark. Heavy curtains covered most of the windows, leaving only a narrow strip of city light across the carpet. I could make out a sitting room and the edge of a doorway beyond it, but no king.

"Your Majesty?"

I reached for the light switch.

"Don’t."

The voice came from behind me. It was deep and rough, nothing like the controlled voice from royal broadcasts.

I turned, but a powerful arm locked around my waist before my eyes adjusted. My back hit a hard chest, and a hand closed over my wrist.

"Wait." I fought for balance. "I need to speak to the king."

"You are."

He moved so quickly that the room tilted. A second later, my back struck a mattress and a large body blocked the thin strip of light.

"You came here to take care of me," King Dominic said. "So stop talking and satisfy every need I have."