Mated To Rival Kings

CHAPTER SEVEN

Raven's POV

The two Kings were staring at each other like they were ready to burn the whole world down. Darian suddenly decided he was done talking. He ignored Valen completely and started to walk away, still holding my sleeve firmly.

Valen’s hand shot out like a snake and grabbed my other sleeve, jerking me back.

“Where do you think you’re going with her?” Valen growled.

Darian didn't even look back. “I’m leaving with my mate. Move out of the way, Valen.”

I felt like a wishbone about to be snapped in half. I cleared my throat timidly, my voice coming out as a tiny squeak. “Um, may I interrupt for a second?”

Both of them looked at me instantly. The weight of their combined stares was so heavy I felt like I was being crushed into the stone floor. I took a shaky breath and tried to sound reasonable.

“How about... I don't go with either of you?” I suggested, looking from one to the other. “You both just go back to your palaces, forget this ever happened, and we all move on with our lives. Sounds good, right?”

“Impossible,” Darian said immediately.

“I refuse,” Valen snapped at the same time.

I shut my mouth so fast my teeth clicked. Well, I tried.

Darian looked at Valen, his expression turning cold and calculative. “Looking at this objectively, I have the stronger claim. The girl is from the South, she is a Southern subject, and I found her first.”

A dark look crossed Valen’s face. His black eyes went murderous, but for a split second, I saw a flash of something else—subtle panic. It was like he was terrified that Darian was right.

“That doesn't mean anything,” Valen hissed.

Darian ignored him again and tried to pull me away. That was the final straw. Valen let out a roar that shook the windows of the castle.

“Stop trying to leave with my mate!”

He lunged at us. Darian had lightning-fast reflexes so he shoved me hard toward a patch of soft grass nearby. I tumbled through the air and landed with a thud. I wasn't hurt, but my heart was racing. I scrambled to my feet just in time to see everything go to s**t.

Both Kings had shifted.

In the center of the courtyard, two massive wolves were now grappling. Darian’s wolf was huge with fur so dark it was practically black. Valen’s wolf was the same ash-brown beast from my vision. They were going at each other mercilessly with teeth and claws.

Around the edges of the clearing, the high-ranking Alphas from both sides were partially shifted, their claws out and their teeth bared, ready to jump in and fight if necessary. Other Alphas and Betas were frantically ushering the lower-ranking pack members toward the rooms to keep them from getting caught in the crossfire.

The courtyard was already a mess. Tables were flipped, stone tiles were cracked, and the air was thick with the scent of blood. Alpha Hilton ran toward me, grabbing my hand.

“Raven, we have to go! Now!” he shouted, trying to pull me away.

Suddenly, both of the giant wolves stopped their fight for a split second and let out a joint, earth-shattering growl in our direction. Alpha Hilton turned white as a sheet. He dropped my hand like it was made of fire and ran off toward the buildings without looking back.

I stayed frozen, watching the fight. Darian’s dark wolf took a massive swipe at Valen, but the ash-brown wolf yipped and ducked under the razor-sharp claws. I realized with a jolt that this was exactly what I’d seen in my vision. Valen’s wolf had those same vibrant blue eyes, but right now, they were clouded with an uncontrollable rage. He lunged forward, his long teeth sinking into Darian’s foreleg.

It was a bloody, horrible sight. Darian was starting to limp, and Valen was bleeding from a deep cut on his face. I felt sick. Nobody was moving to stop them. If they kept going like this, they were actually going to kill each other.

“Stop! Someone stop them!” I screamed, but my voice was drowned out by the snarling.

Suddenly, three elderly people walked into the clearing—one man and two women. They looked incredibly old, their hair varying shades of silver and grey. The man had a long, flowing beard that he was calmly stroking as he watched the c*****e.

The Kings were still at it, nipping and scratching at each other. They were so evenly matched that it didn't look like anyone was winning. I saw Valen’s wolf crouch low, preparing to spring for Darian’s throat.

“NO!” I screamed with every bit of breath in my lungs.

Both Kings paused mid-motion and looked at me. It was the opening the other Alphas needed. A group of about ten Alphas from both sides rushed in, throwing themselves onto the Kings to pull them apart. The Kings struggled, snapping their jaws, but they were clearly exhausted and couldn't shake off that many high-ranking wolves at once.

The old man with the beard stepped forward. His voice wasn't loud, but it had a strange authority that made everyone go still.

“Stop,” he commanded.

The Kings stopped fighting to escape, though they were still vibrating with fury.

“Shift! Both of you!” the man said.

To my amazement, they obeyed. Both men shifted back to their human forms. My jaw dropped when I saw the damage. Darian had a long, nasty gash in his left leg and chunks of flesh were literally missing from his side. Valen looked just as bad. His face was covered in blood, his chest had four deep, bleeding claw marks, and his arm was hanging at a weird angle like it was broken.

I felt nauseated. I had never seen so much blood in my life. The ginger Alpha from earlier appeared at my side and put a hand on my shoulder.

“They’ll be fine,” he said quietly. “These are minor injuries for Kings. Their healing is faster than ours. They’ll be as good as new in a few hours, though those deep ones might leave some scars.”

I nodded absentmindedly, feeling a bit relieved. Then I noticed the wolves bringing towels and a pair of trousers for each of them. That was when it hit me that they were both completely naked.

I gasped and looked down at my shoes, my face heating up so fast I thought I might catch fire. But before I looked away, I caught a very clear eyeful of Valen’s firm, sculpted ass. My heart started thumping against my ribs. I had to slap my own cheeks to try and cool down.

Once they were covered up, though their bare, bleeding chests were still on full display, one of the old women stepped forward. Her eyes were so pale they almost looked white, like she was blind.

“King of the South, King of the North,” she said, her voice echoing. “Why do you fight like common rogues on neutral ground? This gathering was supposed to foster peace!”

She raised her voice, looking at them with total disapproval. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You are supposed to lead by example. You’re supposed to show our people that we are all one kind. Instead, we had to pull you apart like stray dogs. Such a disappointment.”

The old man came forward then. “What is the issue here that is worth starting a war over?”

Darian looked at me. Valen looked at me. Then the three elders followed their gaze and landed their eyes right on me. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Can everyone please stop staring at the poor girl? I thought desperately.

“Well?” the old man asked.

Darian spoke first, his voice dripping with spite. “I found my fated mate, just as the elders of the South asked me to do. I was going to take her home. Then he came out of nowhere and claimed she was his, too. He’s just doing what he always does, which is causing trouble.”

Valen glared at him with pure hatred. “I’m not causing trouble, Darian. You’re just an arrogant prick who thinks everything belongs to him. For the record, the girl is my mate. I felt the bond just as strongly as you did.”

The old man stroked his long beard, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “Interesting,” he murmured. He turned his gaze toward me and held out a hand.

“Come here, child,” he said.