Page 38 of The Unwanted Mate of the Lycan Kings
“You’ll what, Zeke?Snarl at me?Voice your empty fucking threats?”King Regan growls, pushing up from his chair.
“Well, it’s decided.Regan will add conditions but won’t remove the rule.”The king adds, and Regan stalks toward me.He steps behind me, plucking the marker from my hand and leaning over me to write on the board.His chest presses to my back and rumbles as he steps closer and dips his head.
“You owe me!”he whispers, and I quickly nod.If it means not having Zeke force himself on me, I will agree for now.
When he lifts the marker, his father speaks.“Make sure not to change the rule Zeke made completely.”I peer over the board, looking at him.King Regan grabs my hand, sliding his fingers through mineand sharing hold of the marker.
He moves our joined hands toward the board, and my entire body trembles, wondering if he is letting me add the condition or if he is doing it.I look at him over my shoulder, nearly brushing my nose against him.His eyes flicker, making me look back at the board.He adds brackets and then stops, leaving it blank.
Is he giving me the choice?He taps my foot with his, and I grip his fingers, waiting for him to tell his father I was trying to manipulate what he writes.When he doesn’t call me out, I move the marker.When I’m done, he drops his hand and holds the marker out to me.
“What did he add?”Zeke demands as Regan steps away and takes his seat.My eyes go to Regan, then back to the board as I read aloud what I wrote in the brackets using Regan’s hand.
“That the kings will not penetrate the bride without her permission, or touch below the waist without her permission.”I read out to him, and Zeke snarls, rising from his seat.His father snarls back at him in warning.
Zeke glances between the lot of us before he turns on his heel and storms out of the dining hall.
I read my rules and theirs once more as I decide what to add to their side.
I glance over the rules, trying to think of one when it occurs to me that if they demand to choose what I wear, they’ll figure out I am a witch, but another worry gnaws at me.
The king may not harm his own people, but would his sons hurt others to get me to comply?My eyes dart to Shelley.Looking over the rules they’ve given me.Some are kind of two rules rolled into one, like Regan’s handing the wolves’ back and not using them against them technically can be seen as two rules.
So, I write my rule.
9.The bride can pick her own clothes, and the kings can’t hurt any of the kingdom’s people to make the bride comply.
Stepping back, I look at the rules.“Make sure you sign it as they did,” King Theron says, and I glance at their signatures.I quickly sign it before turning the board to show the king.
“Very well, King Regan will take you into town, and as oftomorrow, you will officially be his for twenty-four hours.You’ve been granted twenty-four hours of grace, Zirah, but tomorrow you will live with my sons as their wife.So please behave.I leave tonight and wish to come home to my future daughter-in-law in one piece,” King Theron states.His brows pinch before his eyes fall on Regan and Lyon.
“Behave yourselves!”he scolds his sons.
“You don’t wish us the same, Father.Do you fear she will be no match for us?”Lyon taunts.
“No, you’ll leave her in pieces, but you three, there wouldn’t be anything left of you to stitch back together.”I snicker, and Lyon raises an eyebrow at his words.Regan remains silent, staring at the table.“Son?”King Theron tilts his head, and Regan lifts his.
“Where are you going that is so important that you would risk leaving her unattended with us?”
“House of parliament,” King Theron retorts, pushing his chair in.
“There have been notices requiring your attendance?I would have seen those.What are you hiding?”
“What I am doing and where I am going is none of your business.You do as required, and don’t you dare question me, son!”
“No, if I am being forced to remain here, forced to accept these rules, and forced to accept...”King Regan’s eyes move to me.“This human, then I want answers.”
“You don’t have to accept anything, but you will do as I say and have some manners.Your bride has a name.”
“Not when with me, she doesn’t.She is a commoner, a peasant!”Regan growls.King Theron walks around the table slowly, while Regan glares daggers of disgust at me.Lyon presses his lips in a line before glaring at me too.Suddenly, I feel as small as Regan insinuated.Just when I thought he and Lyon were trying to show me a shred of kindness, they are back to being as mean as ever.I hate them.Why do his words affect me so much?I don’t want any part of this.What he calls me shouldn’t matter.
King Theron drops his hands on his oldest son’s shoulders, leaning down.His aura oozes like lava from an erupting volcano.It’s suffocating, and a bead of sweat rolls down the back of my neck.Yetthe longer I remain here, the more I feel and recognize their auras, which is becoming quite concerning.Maybe Granny was wrong about them not affecting me, or maybe these runes are wearing down.I will have to check later.
“If you think so poorly of her, why did you change the rules to protect her?”Theron snarls.
“That is not why I changed them,” Regan booms, and he turns his deadly gaze on his smiling father.
“You had nothing to say until Zeke suggested sleeping with her.The moment that was mentioned, you suddenly cared for the rules.Why is that?”
