Protect The Queen

6 - Something I Need To Discuss With You

Haven’s POV

We left the shack, and I had more questions than answers if I was being truly honest with myself. I now know why I had a connection with Bobby, but it didn’t stop the fear I had of everything else he revealed to me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy he wants to be with me and doesn't want to go along with mating this northern princess, Valarie.

The unanswered questions were to do with this betrothment and why his parents were going along with it. Unfortunately, Bobby didn’t have any idea himself, which sealed what we should do next; tell Mum and Dad. I knew we couldn’t do this ourselves and insisted on telling my parents everything. Bobby wasn’t happy with this decision, but considering I had back-up with Shaun and Jasmine, we convinced him it was for the best.

This brings Jasmine and my talk with Mum and Dad. They weren’t shocked when I told them Bobby was my mate. Nor were they shocked to hear Jasmine and Shaun were fated mates. It was like they already knew. When I explained everything else, mum went pale and dad looked furious. He asked Jasmine and me to leave his office, since that’s where I asked to talk to them, because I knew we wouldn’t be interrupted.

That was two days ago, and Jasmine and I were going to head out to the academy to see Shaun and Bobby again. “Haven, a word”, Dad said, calling from his desk as I walked past his open office door. I stepped inside as Dad stared at me; “Close the door," he added as I turned and shut the door behind me before sitting on the seat in front of his desk, bouncing my leg nervously. This can’t be good. He never speaks to me with the door closed, unless he was reprimanding me about something.

“You wanted to see me?” I asked as Dad’s stern expression softened to concern.

“I want to come with you and Jasmine to the academy today. There are some things I need to tell you and your brother," he answered as I opened my mouth to ask what it was, but shut it again when Dad held up his hand to let him finish. “I will tell both of you at the same time and, since your brother and mate couldn’t wait for you or Jasmine to find out about being fated until you turned 18, Bobby and Jasmine can be there too.”

I don’t know why Dad is so annoyed about us knowing now. People find their mates early all the time because someone gets their wolf before the other and wants to pursue them suddenly, similar to how Jasmine and Shaun got together. “I suppose you can tag along,” I muttered, standing up from my seat, knowing Dad wasn’t really asking my opinion on if he could come or not.

Dad followed me out of the packhouse and instead of going in Jasmine’s car, Dad insisted on taking his black SUV the two hours to the shack. We finally made it without me wanting to kill myself from Dad’s talk to Jasmine and me about why it was beneficial for us to have our fated mates, and why King Reginald was wrong to have put his son in this predicament. Problem is, this much I already knew, hence why I got so upset when Bobby told me. I would never have known what happened to my mate if he didn’t have the courage to come and talk to me.

“Dad," Shaun called out, looking surprised as he walked through the door and gave our father a hug while Bobby stood behind him, uncomfortably shifting from one foot to the other. “This is Prince Robert MacKay, or as he likes to be called, Bobby," he introduced as Bobby stepped forward with his hand outstretched, while Dad shook it firmly.

“Can we sit down? There are some things I need to discuss with you," Dad replied while Bobby nodded his head and sat down as I moved to sit on his lap, and Shaun and Jasmine sat together on the bed. “First, did you hear back from your father about meeting Valarie?”

“His avoiding it and making excuses as to why it wouldn’t be a good idea at this time," Bobby replied as Dad nodded his head as though he was expecting that response.

“That’s because they don’t want you to know, she is only 12," Dad replied as Bobby’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Not that I blame him, my mouth was gaping open too. My question is, did Bobby not know how young she was?

“Wait! They want Bobby to mate with someone who will be 15 years old when he turns 21?” Jasmine asked as Dad nodded his head to tell us that is exactly what they want. “There has to be some law or something that prevents such a thing.”

“Arranged mateships in the north aren’t uncommon and if I know my brother, he would have planned this well before Valarie was born," Dad replied as my gaping mouth was joined by Shaun’s at what Dad implied. My father has a brother. No, this can’t be right. He and mum are only children. What happened to honesty being the best policy? “Yes, I am the half younger brother to King Alister Holland. My mother was my father’s third mate and his fated. Her maiden name was Thompson. When I found your mother, my father tried to force me to reject your mother as my first mate and take another ‘more influential she-wolf’ as my queen," Dad continued, emphasizing the last words with his fingers. “Why do you think I was so hard on you about what it means to find your mate?”

“Does my father know who you are?” Bobby asked as Dad stared at him for a moment before nodding his head without giving him a verbal response. I’m still trying to get my head around the fact my uncle is King Alister of the northern kingdom. “And still, he was willing to do the same thing as your parents and brother as a means to end the conflict between the kingdoms?”

“That’s the thing, I don’t think it will end the conflict," Dad replied as we all stared at him in disbelief again. I can’t believe he didn’t tell us any of this. “Alister is a great strategist. He would use the arranged mateship to lock your father into a false sense of security for a take-over. It may not happen until you take the throne, but it will happen, and you wouldn’t even know it. Alister is all about the long game; starting little battles here and there to line up with the bigger picture.”

“Is that why you knew we wouldn’t be attacked if the North came through the Masonite Pack? You know he isn’t really attacking?” I asked, pushing my back into Bobby’s chest as Dad shook his head.

“They will attack us, just as they will attack any other southern pack if he deems it necessary for the long game. His attacks are more just a means of letting us know he can, if he wants to. King Reginald would be there to protect the pack if that happened, the same way he is protecting other packs that have already been attacked," Dad replied, and I stopped myself from scoffing because it wouldn’t have changed the way any of us view this conflict.

Bobby pulled me closer to him and kissed my shoulder, as though he sensed my unease. “Sir, what do we do about this arrangement Father has put me in?” Bobby asked, as Dad released the breath he was holding.

“You may as well call me Dad, since you are fated to my daughter," Dad replied as Bobby glanced at him with uncertainty about whether he should or not. “As for the arrangement, you and you alone can accept or reject it. We can’t do that for you. It may even mean you have to abdicate the throne.”

“Can I do that?” Bobby asked, a little taken aback by what Dad was telling him. “I mean, I didn’t think I had an option when it came time for me to take over from my father. I’ve been learning my whole life what it meant to be king, and sometimes it means sacrificing myself for the greater good.”

“Do you think mating with an underage she-wolf will give you the freedom to be able to rule the kingdom?” Jasmine snorted as I glared at her, shaking my head at the same time, telling her not to add more fuel to an already burning bonfire. “Sorry, Hay. It’s just wrong. Valarie doesn’t have a choice to accept or reject the mate bond because it’s forced on her, before she has a chance to receive her wolf.”

“That’s not right, and I agree with you. Bobby has already said he doesn’t want to go through with it. You don’t need to rub salt into his wounds," I sneered, while Jasmine rolled her eyes in defiance, which made me more frustrated. Not with her, in this whole situation. “That’s probably the best way to get out of doing it. Tell your father you refuse to mate with an underage she-wolf.”

“I’m surprised your father is going along with it, and yes, there are laws for that sort of thing," Dad piped in, causing me to snap my head towards him as he leaned back on the sofa. “When your mother and I left the northern kingdom to be together, your father was the one to advise us to start our own pack, citing the importance of seeking our fated mates compared to having them chosen for us. Now, he is doing the same thing to his son; underage inclusive which goes against some of the laws he has in place for the kingdom.”

“That opens me to more questions," I said, as Shaun, Jasmine and Bobby nodded their heads in agreement at my statement. “Why would he go against his beliefs? Why did the war start in the first place? And what happens to us, if they find out who we are to King Alister? Does anyone else know Shaun and I are his nephew and niece?”

“The first answer, I don’t know. The second, the northern kingdom always thought their way of life was always superior and us allowing women to dictate…” I scoffed, stopping dad from speaking as he raised his eyebrows in my direction.

“It’s no different here to the north. I can’t even apply to go to the warrior academy because I’m female. I’m more skilled than half the males in this kingdom, but I don’t have the opportunity to show it," I argued, while Dad released the breath he was holding, knowing my stance was going to come up again, sooner or later. Inside our pack he was all about our freedom to learn the skills to be able to defend ourselves. Outside the pack, he abides by what was the norm.

“I get your point, but that’s how things have been run for generations in the kingdom and the academy. To finish my answers, they thought they were superior and needed to force their way of life in the southern kingdom. Plus, like any other conflict, it's about what land they can get. As for others knowing I am his brother, no; it was to remain confidential." Dad finished what he set out to say and shut down my argument for discussion again. I don’t buy the southern kingdom has been run for generations that way and has worked. Why change it? It needs to be changed because times have changed.

We sat there in silence which felt like an eternity thinking about Dad’s words. “Father knows who you are?” Bobby asked again, breaking the silence and turning his chocolate brown eyes towards my father, probably wanting to hear the answer again.

“Yes," Dad replied, giving him another nod of his head.

“And you are still in contact with people in the north? How else would you know Valarie is only 12 years old?” Bobby continued to ask his questions. Questions I hadn’t even thought about asking. How did dad know Valarie was only 12 years old? It’s not like I knew anything about the northern kingdom except it was run by King Alister.

“I get updates," dad replied, while Jasmine, Shaun and I stared at the man we thought we knew, and turns out we didn’t. “I have half siblings and cousins that keep me informed who remained in the north, some of them still living in the castle. Alister followed in my father’s footsteps and has taken some concubines in addition to his mate Queen Celeste. Valarie isn’t Celeste’s child. She is one of the concubines and isn’t worth anything more to him than to marry off to fulfill his objectives.”

“That’s sick," Jasmine scoff filled the room. I wish I could object, but I agree with her.

Bobby held onto me tighter while glancing over at Shaun, contemplating something in his mind. “Change of plans," he announced, a broad smile beaming on his face before turning to face my father. “I’m going to tell my father I will be willing to agree to an arranged mateship, providing I get to choose who I am mated to from the northern royal family. That includes long-lost nieces. If that is OK with you, Sss… I mean, Dad?”

Dad’s smile broadened across his face at what Bobby was proposing, and I leaned back into his chest as Bobby planted a kiss on my cheek. “Then we can take the next step," Bobby included, a small smirk appearing on his face, causing everyone to stare at him again. “Work out a way to get Haven and Jasmine into the academy to learn more than being able to defend themselves from tossers who want to grope them.”

“Going to the academy is Haven’s idea of fun, not mine," Jasmine countered, putting her hands up in protest. It’s not like she doesn’t have the same skill as me, she just doesn’t flaunt it like I do. This might be interesting.

“Haven is going to need a helper, and you are it, Babe," Shaun replied, causing Jasmine to flop backwards on the bed in disgust while the rest of us began to laugh. “Besides, I’m sure we can get rid of a roommate to accommodate two more.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves," Dad piped in, holding up his hand to slow down our plans. “Bobby will need to inform his father of his choice before anything else. Then we can work out if Jasmine and Haven can start at the academy.”

“We can get Father to agree to both at the same time," Bobby said, a mischievous smile crossed his face as I stared at him in surprise along with everyone else. I can’t see them being willing to help me get into the academy, but if he is confident, then I’m confident. “And once he agrees, we will tell him who Haven really is to me and can’t go back on his decision.”