Read with BonusRead with Bonus

CHAPTER 4

Eir's POV

"Watch your tongue sparkling insect!"

Atlas' hoarse voice broke through Armon's voice.

But all I could focus on was that sly grin on the Fay King's face as he looked down on me in every way possible. His face displayed an unsettling mixture of pleasure and disgust. For one reason or another, his words hit me differently, though. The apparent contempt rolled off like water off an oily surface, and the reasoning faded, but the hidden information slowed my heart. My pulse increased, filling my head and ears like a thick fog.

"Then who is the real one?"

The men's bickering right next to me died, and Amon's anger turned to protective mode. His hand wrapped around my waist before pulling me closer, whispering in my hair,

"Don't fall for his games, love! Don't let him…"

"Did the Fay King himself lose his tongue?"

I regretted cutting him off the moment I felt his hurt wash over me. It didn't last, didn't linger, but it was more than enough to let me know I hurt him. I was taking a deep breath, swallowing down the heavy feeling in my heart, accepting what I'd done to him. Again. But I could not look away from the King. His smile only grew, clearly enjoying the attention and conversation turn.

"I heard you were a heartless little bitch..."

The King paused a second, only to wait out the deep growl from Amon's throat before he continued like he didn't exist. Just like I had done only seconds ago, and again, I felt that heavy pain inside my chest but chose to ignore it.

"Anyways, curious? Feeling the need to know whose place you have claimed as your own? Maybe even scared?"

A burst of dry laughter stripped from all humor erupted from his throat, and like a trained puppet crowd, his warriors copied it. They were filling the seconds with mockery and grunts of entertainment. My hand glided down to Amon's hand, trying to calm him down. Atlas raged beneath his skin, and his muscles tensed to the point he was almost trembling. But I needed to hear this; this could be what I've been waiting for, what I've been searching for all this time! I didn't care about his shitty behavior; I wanted to know what he knew!

"Royal or not, here you are, nothing but a man with pointy ears! Say what you came to say, 'King' or leave!"

Drifta's impatient voice ripped through my own, scraping up my throat as she forced her voice forward. She felt nothing but disrespect, anger, and a growing need to rip this man apart. The king's face turned to a displeased grimace when Drifta uttered his status, slower and more explicit than necessary.

"This is no way to treat a king! Not even visitors! Don't you know who I am!?"

The king's cheeks burned red, spitting the words out between clenched jaws.

"It is too late to play butt hurt; you chose the tone of this conversation."

I answered as calmly as possible while fighting Drifta back. I could understand her, feel her, and acknowledge her reaction. But not right now. There is a place and time for everything, and now I need him to swallow his colossal ego and speak.

"I demand to be treated like I deserve! I will crave to be treated like the laws clearly state peasants and animals should meet a royal!"

"Then act like one, for goddess's sake!"

Tew's voice boomed through the air, catching us all off guard. All eyes went to him, and now I saw how angry he was. His fist clenched, gritting his teeth, and the vein reaching for his hairline pumped like it was about to explode. You could hear a needle drop before he spoke again. This time, it is lower, but the alpha wolf and anger are still evident,

"I will not accept this kind of treatment from a visitor! From anyone! You are in my pack, my home in my land! Act like the king you claim to be, not a teen bully high on himself. Then, and only then, will I consider treating you like anything but an intruder!"

Just then, the pack warriors lined up behind us; I could feel wolf and human forms ranking behind us. Adrenaline and caution flooded the warrior's bodies as they shifted their weight from one foot to another. Eyes glued to the king and his warriors.

The King stepped back, and he no longer acknowledged my existence. Even his little puppet master with the dandy scarf looked a little unsettled as he leaned over to the king's ear and whispered. Words danced through the air, old fay language, as we waited for what to come next.

"It seemed we got off on the wrong foot! Let me introduce the new King of the fay, the new leader of the golden realm, King Joshua Christopher Blacktail the first."

And just like that, his puppet took over, brushed everything aside, and introduced his king like they just arrived. There was a long pause. Too long. The tension grew, but the kind made no signs of smoothing anything over or taking any of the faults himself. All was laid on his puppet and Tew.

"King Joshua, fine. Welcome to the barbarian pack; follow me, and let us have something to drink."

Tew breathed a heavy sigh before speaking, clearly not what he had in mind or expected from the new arrivals, but either way, he went with it.

Shortly after, we found ourselves placed at the same long wooden table as the Fay king and his closest me in the pack's long house.

The wooden table and benches were placed in the middle of the grand hall, and everyone was quiet while a couple of omegas rushed around to fill everyone with a cup of mead.

Tew waited for the last omega to close the door before addressing the Fay king, lifting his cup as tradition would have it, and we all drank for the visitor's arrival.

"Now tell me, Christopher, Why are we blessed by your arrival? Something tells me you are not here to take part in my sister's mating ceremony."

A tiny twitch by the king's eye and how his mouth tightened as he threw his sophisticated clown an angry glance made me believe he was unaware of this detail. I had to bite the inside of my cheek not to smile like a fool.

"Well, of course, we are here to attend the joyful ceremony. It would be a great shame if the fay community were not…"

My heart skipped a beat; the king and his men almost jumped back in their chairs as a thunderous boom shook the room. It took me a few seconds to gather myself and another couple to understand the sound coming from Tew, who slammed his hands down on the wooden table as he stood up. Still a bit baffled, I stared at him, almost laying back in my chair. His voice was filled with anger but controlled. Profound and threatening, nevertheless.

"Do not lie to me in my own home!"

His answer was barely a whisper, but each word sent a shiver of cold down my spine,

"The Vikings are opening the portal early..."

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter