Against the Black

Chapter 10

I turned to see the men enter and froze. My brain was in overdrive, and I wasn’t sure where to start. The man on the left was the broad man with dark hair. He felt even larger in the confines of the office. The king’s office was in no way small, the man was simply huge. His hair looked thick and wavy, and what I thought had been short hair was actually shoulder length hair that had been tied back into a low ponytail. His eyes were strikingly blue. He was like looking into a storm, dark hair that resembled ominous rain clouds, but eyes that were as bright as lightning. He had a tanned complexion that came from many days spent outside.

The man on the right was chiseled, like a marble masterpiece. His jaw was sharp and his muscles were defined. His hair, that had looked dirty blonde from a distance, was actually slightly red up close. His dark eyes were a deep forest green with specks of emerald, surrounded by long, dark lashes. His skin was lighter than the other man’s, though he still had a golden tan.

They couldn’t have looked less alike. The man on the left was dark and rugged, the man on the right was sharp and clean. But the most shocking part of all of this was that I knew these men.

The man on the left was William Black. He was the descendant of the warlord, Warren Black, the same man who’d taken over my ancestor’s pack, forcing them to find and establish Obsidian Falls. The man on the right was Roman Woods, the crown prince.

Something in my brain popped and fried as I tried to wrap my head around what I was seeing. You could practically see smoke coming out of my ears as the gears in my head ground to a halt. Then, their scents hit me and my eyes snapped back into focus. William smelled like rain and expensive, smokey whiskey. Roman smelled like the ocean breeze, spicy sandalwood, and citrus. Kalua and I inhaled deeply and she let out a pur that rumbled through my chest.

“Mine.” Kalua and I spoke almost drunkenly. She was at peace, and I was drowning in their scents that seemed to be taking up the whole office. I forced myself back to attention. They both grinned at me, knowing how the mate pull was affecting me.

“Well, now that’s been established.” The king broke the standoff between me and the men in front of me. Both men moved forward and snarled at each other as they did so.

“Knock it off, both of you. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to have you both removed and to take Roxanne as my own mate.” I looked up in surprise, and the king just winked playfully at me. I smiled at his antics. The king’s teasing felt almost fatherly. William and Roman seemed not to have noticed the king’s threat and were practically roaring at each other. I’d had quite enough of their testosterone filled bickering. I stood from my chair and growled at the two men.

“Sit down before I reject you both and marry the king.” My voice came out hard and rough. I wasn’t serious, obviously, about marrying the king. But I had to say something to get them to stop. They both paused to look at me. Then, they each took a chair to one side of me and sat. I looked back at the king, shocked that it had worked. He exploded into laughter as I sat back in my chair. The king wiped a tear from his eye as he reined in his laughter.

“Thank you for that Roxanne. And as much as I have missed having a mate by my side, I think my son might kill me and take over the throne if I stole his mate from him.” William growled low, upset by the fact the king had called me Roman’s mate. “However, if either of them mistreats you, please let me know and I will handle it with the full weight of my title as king.” He got a hard expression on his face as he looked at Roman and then William, driving his point home. When he was satisfied his point was fully received, he continued.

“Now that all of that unpleasant-ness is out of the way, let’s move on to the good stuff.” He smiled gleefully. “Roxanne, this is my son, as I’m sure you know. Crown Prince, Roman Woods. This man on your other side,” He gestured to William. “Is William Black, Alpha to the Black Winter pack.” Then he nodded to both men. “Roman, William, this is Roxanne Cox. Alpha of the Obsidian Falls pack.” As he said my title, his face grew mischievous. He knew that who I was, and what my title was, would cause conflict, and he was enjoying it.

Sick bastard. Kalua thought, and I had to agree. I didn’t love having my life be the king’s reality show. But I couldn’t exactly say as much. Both men looked at me with shocked expressions.

Here we go. Brace yourself, Kalua. At least one of them is bound to reject us.

Nope, they’ll fight over us. She said it so matter of fact, I almost choked. She was so sure of it, yet they looked at me as if I’d grown an extra head.

I kept my head up tall. I was proud of who I was and where I came from, even if these men couldn’t understand or respect that. There was a much longer pause than I felt was necessary before anyone spoke. The whole time, the king just grinned like the Cheshire cat and glanced between all of us. I decided I was sick of waiting.

“Thank you, your majesty for helping us sort this mess out. I cannot express my gratitude enough.” I stood and bowed low to him, my fist across my chest. “If there is nothing else, I should return to my pack mates. I’m sure they’ll be worried about their Alpha. And as we’ve already caused more than one disturbance, I’d hate for them to try tearing your lovely home down looking for me. I will send my Beta to speak with yours about the matter regarding Alpha Brian that we discussed earlier.” I bowed again, receiving a nod from the king in return, and turned for the door. The attendant on the other side opened the door before I could reach for the handle. I stepped through before hearing the scraping of chairs behind me. Roman and William had decided to get up and follow, it seemed, but I was in no mood. I pushed the door shut behind me without turning to face them, knowing full well I had just shut the door in the crown prince and William Black’s faces. Before the door clicked shut, I could hear the king’s laughter echo through the office. Then the door clicked shut with a small thud on the other side.

I knew it was only a matter of moments before they got the door open. So I sprinted towards the end of the hall, slowing as I reached the end and an attendant opened the door, letting me back into the ballroom. I carried my shoes still, not having a chance to put them on inside the king’s office, and walked through the crowd bare foot. My goal was to disappear into the crowd and hopefully get away before either of my mates found me. I hurried through the crowd without seeming too rushed. Everyone stared and whispered as I passed. I found the table we had picked when we’d gotten here and Babs and Vera were standing at the table with their elbows propped, having a private conversation.

“I’m leaving. I’ll send a driver to pick you ladies up tomorrow afternoon. But I’m heading home tonight.” I started speaking before I had fully reached the table. They both looked up with surprise. “Babs, I need you to find the king’s Beta and explain the situation with Alpha Brian and his mate. Let him know they are welcome to come and investigate on our pack land. I only ask for an hour of warning to clear my schedule to greet them.” Babs nodded, though she still wore a slightly dumbfounded look on her face.

“Vera, I need you to take care of my mother. Make sure she has the time of her life tonight.” I smiled softly, sad that I wouldn’t be able there to see it myself.

“Alpha, the ball lasts the full weekend.” Vera blurted before I could move away. It was my turn to look surprised. “Have the car pick us up Monday morning. I’ll let you know otherwise if we need a car sooner.” She must have picked up on my hurry to leave and only gave me the most vital information. I simply nodded and turned to leave. But not before Babs handed me the mask I had misplaced during the fight with Alpha Brian. I quickly tied it around my face, suddenly wishing I’d requested masks that disguised our identities more.

As I made my way through the ballroom, I spotted my mother dancing with a tall gentleman. I smiled and rushed toward the door leading back out the way we’d come. I could smell my mates and I knew they were already on the hunt. But I would not have them reject me in front of a ballroom full of people.