“She is my mate,” I continue, my voice never rising above a conversational tone. “The only woman who will ever wear a crown beside me. The only woman who will ever share my bed, my throne, my life.”
“The Council won’t see it that way,” Leon says quietly. “A latent shifter with no political connections, no dowry, no family alliance—”
“Then the Council will need to have their perspective adjusted,” I say evenly, and both my friends go pale. “Permanently, if necessary.”
The calm way I say it makes the threat infinitely more chilling than if I shouted.
I lean against a nearby tree. “Tomorrow,” I tell Seth and Leon, “I want you to bring Andrew here with you.”
Seth’s eyebrows rise. “The human? Here?”
“But stay out of sight. I don’t want Astra seeing either of you.”
“What are you planning?
