Against the Black

Chapter 9

I Walked into the clearing to see both men had shifted back to their human selves and were dripping blood from different places. My mother, on the other side of the clearing, where the ballroom was, just about collapsed from relief when she saw me. I waved and gave her a small smile.

I opened the link she kept trying to access and spoke first. I’m sorry for scaring you. I needed space to clear my head.

If you ever leave like that… And ignoring my link! She was clearly upset, as was evident by the fact she couldn’t finish a sentence.

I know. I’m sorry. I’ll talk later though. I think I have a mate thing to deal with.

Go get your men! Her tone changed drastically then, sounding more excited than upset.

The men standing in the clearing whipped in my direction as the breeze carried my scent to them. Both men began walking, noticed the other was walking, and stopped to snarl at one another all over again. If I didn’t step in, there was going to be another battle and more blood, and this would be a never-ending cycle. But before I could speak, there was a loud booming voice coming from the right of the clearing. I immediately turned to see who it was and saw the king.

“That is enough!” His voice boomed across the clearing and into the ballroom. I could tell everyone heard because no one so much as moved while the king spoke. “You two will dress and meet in my office immediately. Where is the woman in question?” His voice shook the mountain with authority as he looked around for me. I took a deep breath and stepped from the tree line with my head held high. As soon as his gaze landed on me, I dropped to one knee, placed my left hand over my heart in a fist and bowed my head.

“I am the woman in question. My name is Roxanne Cox, your majesty.”

“No need to bow, my dear.” His voice softened considerably as he spoke to me. I stood, keeping my head low out of respect. “Please, come to my office with me. It seems you have caused quite a stir tonight.” I looked up, and he smiled. “And I can see why, you’re stunning, my dear.” He winked and offered his arm to me and after I took it, he led me inside. As we passed Babs, I mind linked her.

Find my shoes, please. It feels disrespectful and wrong to be walking around the castle without shoes. She snickered, but went in search of my missing shoes.

“Now, tell me what happened.” He spoke softly as we walked through the utterly silent ballroom. Acting as if we weren’t being studied by every pack in the kingdom.

“To be truthful, I’m not entirely sure myself. I was only around for the beginning and only just returned when you called for me.” I forced my voice not to shake. I was linked arm in arm with the king as he led me through the castle. To say I was nervous and in over my head felt like the understatement of a lifetime. He stopped and looked confused by what I’d said.

“Why were you only there for the beginning?”

“Well,” I hesitated, knowing that saying out loud was going to sound ridiculous. “I got spooked, your majesty. I came to this mating ball not for myself, but so my pack members may find their mates. And so my mother would quit hounding me about it.” I tried to lighten the conversation with a small joke. It worked because the king chuckled softly and we continued walking.

“Did you not want to find your mate tonight?” He asked as we walked through a doorway and down a hall, away from the party.

“I am the Alpha of the Obsidian Falls pack. Finding my mate is… complicated.” He nodded in understanding. The royal family had always been supportive of the Obsidian Falls pack having a female Alpha, even if they didn’t fully understand it. They simply felt that as long as it didn’t cause unnecessary conflict, then there was no reason to oppose it. And aside from the odd pack that tried to take over because we were “a bunch of girls”, there were no problems. He stopped at a door and an attendant waiting outside opened it. The attendant held out his hand to me as we walked in and gave me the shoes I’d asked Babs to find. I thanked him quickly and followed the king into his office.

“So, you don’t want a mate?” He asked, leading me to a chair in front of the large wooden desk in the center of the room. I thanked him and sat down.

“It’s not that I don’t want one, simply that… I just took over the pack from my mother. I was hoping I would have a little more time as Alpha before I had to worry about a mate. I want to settle into my role, not pop out babies just yet.” His smile told me he understood.

“So explain again how things happened. You say you were spooked, did you run?” He grinned mischievously, knowing what it meant if I had.

“I did.” I hung my head slightly in shame. “I’m not sure if you heard, but I had just finished with a bit of Alpha sizing,” He interrupted me.

“You mean, you had just finished kicking Alpha Brian’s butt? I knew it had happened, and that it had been the Alpha of the Obsidian Falls pack, however I had not known it was you until you told me who you were. I have to say, you did a number on him. Even if he finds his mate this weekend, I doubt he’ll be able to enjoy her company.” He laughed to himself. His comment about Brian finding his mate over the weekend surprised me a little, but I figured some packs would stay until tomorrow afternoon due to travel constraints and I brushed it off.

“Actually sir, there is something surrounding Alpha Brian I would like to discuss with you, surrounding his mate.”

“We will get to that in a bit. Let’s solve this mate issue first. My attendant has just informed me they’re both waiting outside to be let in. But I want to hear your version first, before I let in the mangy dogs.”

“Well, I had just finished teaching Alpha Brian a lesson,” He grinned wickedly at that. “When I heard snarling, I was worried I would have to defend myself from his pack mates. But instead, two strange men were walking toward me, claiming I was their mate and I took off. I was prepared for battle, not… mates. And definitely not two. I sprinted into the woods and heard the fighting happening behind me. I came to my senses and returned to the clearing just as the fight stopped and you called out for me.” I explained as quickly and precisely as I could.

“You say they claimed you as their mate, but you do not claim them in return?” He looked surprised.

“I did not scent them. I cannot say for sure, but my instincts tell me they are my mates, but I can’t know for certain just yet.” He nodded his head in understanding.

“Well, that changes things a little, then. If you have not scented them, we may need to introduce them to you one at a time. Both may be too much at once. Though, if we only let them in one at a time, the other is sure to get jealous and go apeshit in my hallway.” His eyes widened in mock horror.

“Your majesty, I appreciate the concern, but I think I’ll be ok to meet them both.”

“Are you sure? The mate bond is a powerful thing.” His expression sobered and he looked very serious and fatherly.

“Thank you again, but now that I’ve cleared my head, I’m sure I can handle it. Besides, had I not run away in the clearing, I would have met them both and handled the situation then.” He grinned approvingly.

“You’re a strong woman. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” Then he looked toward the door behind me and it burst inward.