Mated To Rival Kings

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Darian's POV

The study was quiet, filled only with the scratching of my pen and the occasional flicker of the lanterns. I had been reading reports and drafting letters all evening, trying to stay ahead of the mountain of bureaucracy that followed a King even into neutral territory. My eyes were starting to strain when I reached for the next parchment and froze.

The envelope bore the heavy gold-pressed emblem of the Southern royalty. It was a formal missive from my council of advisors back in the South. Goddess knows I didn't like them one bit. They were overbearing, controlling, and obsessed with bloodlines and tradition. If it weren't for the fact that the council had existed for as long as I could remember, I would have scrapped the whole institution years ago.

I broke the seal and began to read.

To His Majesty, King Darian of the South,

The Council has observed the recent developments at the summit with increasing concern. Reports of the shared bond between yourself, the Northern King, and the Omega are unacceptable. It is beneath a King of your stature to share a woman, particularly with a barbarian like King Valen.

We strongly advise that you withdraw your claim and return to the Southern Palace immediately. Your betrothal to Lady Celeste remains the priority of the state. She is of high birth, refined, and waiting for your return. Do the honorable thing. Be the bigger person and leave the girl to the North. The stability of our lineage depends on a pure Southern union.

I rubbed my forehead tiredly, the paper crinkling in my hand. I already knew what my response was. I wasn't returning anywhere, and I definitely wasn't marrying Celeste. She was a perfectly fine noblewoman, but she was a choice made for me, not by me. Now that I had found my mate, why would I ever settle for something that pales in comparison?

I picked up a fresh sheet of paper and began to write. I knew I had to be firm, but I also had to be ambiguous enough to keep them from staging a coup while I was away.

To the Council of Advisors,

Your concerns have been noted. However, the nature of a mate bond is not a matter for political debate. It is a spiritual mandate from the Goddess that I cannot, and will not, ignore. I am currently navigating the complexities of this triad to ensure the best possible outcome for the South.

Regarding Lady Celeste, tell her that my current duties require my full attention. I will address the matter of the succession upon my return, but do not expect me back until this summit is concluded and my mate is secured. My position remains unchanged.

King Darian.

When I was finished, I held the council’s letter over the flame of the lantern. I watched as the edges curled and blackened, the words turning into glowing embers before crumbling into grey ash. I didn't want Raven thinking I had other commitments or that my position back home was on shaky ground. It might give leverage to Valen, and I couldn't risk that.

I called for one of the guards, a Beta whom I recognized from my own palace guard.

"Secretly deliver this to the South palace," I told him, handing over the sealed response. "Do not let the Northern scouts catch wind of it."

He bowed low. "I will, your majesty."

As he left, a strong gust of wind rattled the windowpanes. The sky outside had turned a bruised purple-black, and I realized I had been working for much longer than I thought. Darkness had completely swallowed the grounds.

I walked out of the study just as the first heavy drops of rain began to fall. I wondered where Raven and Valen were. They had been gone for hours, and I didn't like the idea of them being alone for too long. They better not be up to anything nefarious.

Near the kitchen entrance, I ran into a staff member holding a large black umbrella. She bowed as I approached. "Your majesty. Do you wish to go somewhere?"

"I’m looking for Raven," I said. "Have you seen her?"

"Oh, yes," the woman said. "I saw her and King Valen heading toward the training pit earlier. I was surprised they haven't returned yet, considering the weather."

"Thank you." I took the umbrella from her and walked off toward the pit.

To my shock, when I arrived, I didn't find them training. Raven was dancing and playing in the rain like a child, her laughter echoing off the stone walls. Valen was standing under the shade of a stone overhang, watching her with an expression that was softer than anything I’d ever seen on his face. It was fond. Genuinely fond.

I couldn't help but go off on him at first, but Raven’s energy was infectious. Eventually, I eased up, and we all ended up caught in the fun moment.

As the rain began to taper off, Valen and I walked a few paces ahead toward the stairs, waiting for Raven as she went to return a basin she’d used to drench me. Valen glanced at me, his eyes uncharacteristically pensive.

"Honestly, Darian," he said, his voice low. "Without the mate bond... would you like her? If you just met her somewhere out there?"

I looked at him, surprised by the sudden depth of the question. "What kind of silly question is that?"

"Just answer it," Valen grunted.

I thought about it for a second. "It's hard to answer because the bond is part of who she is to me now. But yes. She is exactly my type," I said pointedly, meeting his gaze.

Valen snorted. "So you have a type. Who would have thought? You’ve bedded many women in the South, haven't you? Noblewomen, dancers... you probably have a list."

"What’s with the questioning, Valen?" I asked.

He didn't answer immediately, but the way his eyes were jumpy and his shoulders were tense suggested something to me. I smiled slyly, realization dawning on me. "Don't tell me you’re a virgin, Valen."

Valen sputtered, his face turning a dark shade of red that was visible even in the dim light. "f**k off, jerk! I—"

He was cut off by the sound of splashing footsteps behind us. We both turned, and the words died in my throat.

Raven was standing there, squeezing the water out of her hair. But my eyes didn't stay on her face for long. Her thin, white cotton shirt was completely soaked through, glued to the front of her body like a second skin. I could see the flat, toned line of her belly, but as my eyes drifted upward, I stopped breathing.

Her breasts were fully visible through the transparent fabric. They were soft and full, their puckered, hardened tips staring me right in the face. They looked especially made for the span of my palms, and I had to clench my fists at my sides to avoid the overwhelming impulse to reach out and touch her.

I felt a sudden, hot stirring in my groin. This was bad. I looked up at her face, knowing I should say something, but I was speechless. Alarmed and completely captivated. How would she react? Should I have looked away?

Then I remembered Valen.

The bastard was getting a full eyeful. He was standing there like a statue, his mouth slightly open. That was the exact moment Raven looked down and realized why we were staring.

She let out an ear-splitting scream. "Don't look!"

I immediately cast my eyes down to my boots, my heart racing. I looked sideways at Valen, who was still staring at her chest like he was in a trance. I elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Lower your head or turn the f**k away!" I whisper-shouted.

Valen blinked repeatedly, shaking his head as if waking from a dream, and quickly turned his back.

I was wearing a light waterproof jacket over my shirt. I stripped it off with fumbling fingers and held it out blindly toward her, still looking at the ground. "Here. Take this. Go ahead and get to the suite and take a warm shower. I'll make sure dinner is brought up to us."

She snatched the jacket from my hands with a muffled sob of embarrassment and bolted toward the stairs.

I let out a long, shaky sigh once she was gone. I wanted my mate. I wanted her more than I had ever wanted anything, but the situation was a mess. We hadn't officially accepted one another, and then there was the issue of... him. I looked at Valen hatefully. If not for him, I could be in that shower with her right now. I could be tasting her skin, sucking on those t**s until she moaned my name—

"Get your head out of the gutter," Valen muttered.

I leveled him a look. "You’re one to talk."

"It was written all over your face what you were thinking," Valen said, though he looked just as rattled as I was.

"Why were you staring that hard, anyway?" I asked, trying to shake the mental image of her.

Valen went quiet for a moment, then whispered, "It’s my first time seeing... boobs."

I couldn't help it. A laugh bubbled up in my chest, and I let it out. Valen looked at me in surprise, his expression turning indignant.

"You sound like a horny teenager," I said, shaking my head.

"Shut up, Darian."

We began the walk back to the lounge in silence, stopping only to tell a passing servant to bring our meal up to the suite.