Page 67 of Monster Daddies
I'm practically shaking from nerves by the time Kael stands in front of the room with me proudly beside him, his arm around my shoulders. A wave of calm comes through our bond. I take a deep breath as I try to relax.
"Good evening!" Kael says, addressing the room. "I have an announcement that brings me great joy. I want to introduce you to my Goddess-given mate, Seraphina."
Immediately, the room is filled with whispers of surprise until Kael quiets them down with a simple gesture of his hand.
"I know you have questions, and I promise we will answer them all. Seraphina recently fled from her pack because her parents were attacked and killed." Gasps fill the room, followed by more whispers. "I can assure you that there is no danger to our pack and that the attack is going to be thoroughly investigated. We will make sure justice is served."
There's a brief applause before Kael continues. "I hope that you will all welcome Seraphina as one of our own. We will have more announcements soon of her coronation as our queen."
"Is she an Omega?" someone shouts from the crowd.
Kael's eyes narrow, and his grip around me tightens.
It's okay. Remember, they couldn't properly scent me before,I say through our bond.
"Yes, Seraphina is an Omega.My Omega," he adds with a growl for emphasis.
Saint and a couple of the people at our table chuckle at his show of possession. Not that I mind because I can sense dozens upon dozens of Alphas in the room, and it's making my Omega nervous, which in turn is making my anxiety worse. I'm made even more anxious when Kael takes a step away and holds his hands out so that I'm no longer able to cower at his side.
"Please welcome my Goddess-given mate and your future queen!" Kael's voice booms through the room before wolves of all ages stand and cheer while clapping.
It's both heartwarming and terrifying to know that so many people are welcoming me to their pack without even knowing me. I'm filled with relief when Kael leads me toward the empty seats at the table. While I can hear people talking about me being the king's mate, they aren't openly staring at me anymore.
I move to sit in the empty chair by Kael's, but before my butt can hit the seat, I'm lifted off my feet and sat on Kael's lap. There's a round of awws from the dining room that makes me blush.
"Kael! You're making a scene," I whisper-yell.
"Don't care, and it's Daddy to you."
I blush even brighter when I hear Saint and the others at our table snickering. I huff and cross my arms over my chest. I'm not really angry, but embarrassed and hating the added attention.
Two plates are set in front of Kael. One has a delicious-smelling pasta dish, and the other has an obscenely big steak and a baked potato with all the fixings. Kael thanks the beautiful wolf that smells like an Omega who brought our food. She smiles happily at me.
"Thank you," I murmur to her, even though Kael already thanked her.
"You're welcome, Your Majesties," she says with a little bow.
I return her smile, trying not to hyperventilate at being part of the honorific. I knew that being with Kael would makeme queen, but having a random wolf address me as such has filled me with a whole new wave of worry. Sensing my stress, Kael kisses my mate mark, which causes a different kind of distraction. I elbow him and he laughs.
"Sera, I'd like you to meet the Alphas who help me rule the pack and keep the peace within the kingdom. To your left is Sean, the third in command and an excellent advisor. Beside him is his lovely mate, Anne."
I'm a little surprised when I realize that while Sean is an Alpha, his mate is a Beta. The upper tier of my old pack would never settle for anything less than an Omega mate or concubine. I try to hide my shock, but obviously not well enough.
Sean smiles at me kindly. "I know it might seem odd for an Alpha to mate with a Beta, but the heart wants what it wants. You'll find a lot of Alpha and Beta pairings across the kingdom. With so few Omegas, a lot of Alphas have chosen their mates. You'll even find Alpha males with Alpha females. Now those are some interesting matches," he says with a laugh that brings a smile to my face.
"After Anne, there's Petra. She's been standing in as the Luna while we've waited for me to find my mate. She helps the females of the pack and addresses any issues that may arise for the women and children. There's more to the role, but you'll learn about that later, as a lot of the duties are those of the queen."
"Your Highness, I look forward to working with you during this transition. I know it seems overwhelming, but I'll be right there with you as you learn."
"Thank you, I appreciate that. This is all very new to me."
Kael kisses my temple. "No need to worry, love. You'll be great, and you can always keep Petra as an advisor. You won't have to do everything alone. Currently, Anne assists Petra with her duties. We won't throw you to the wolves," Kael says, causing everyone at the table to laugh.
He introduces two more Alpha advisors, Travis and Leo, and Alberta, who is a Beta and runs the palace's day-to-day operations.
"Please let me know if there's anything you'd like to change in the palace, and I'll ensure it's done to your satisfaction. We can start interviewing prospective ladies to be your personal maids. They will help with dressing, hair, makeup, personal shopping, and whatever else you might need," Alberta says, obviously excited by the prospect of finally having a queen in the palace.
"I won't be needing a personal maid. I appreciate the gesture, but I wouldn't feel comfortable with that."
