Filed to story: The Rejected Werewolf Princess (Camilla & Tyson) by Didi Adeyemi >>
Standing behind the dead guard was a man I had never seen before. He had dark brown hair almost the same shade as mine but his eyes were a deep black, it was almost like he didn’t have irises. He crossed the threshold of the room and made a show of wiping his blo ody knife on his pants.
“Sorry to intrude but it looks like my invitation got lost in the mail,”
he smiled widely as he made his way forward. The guards were quick to point their spears at him but he merely glanced at it and turned to face me.
“I think you’re in my spot.”
“Excuse me?”
He straightened up and took a piece of paper from his pocket. He held out the paper and I began forward to pick it but Ryker grabbed my arm in a firm grip. He shook his head and I remembered that I wasn’t just Camilla, I was the queen and I couldn’t make stu pid decisions. One of the guards took it from him and brought it over to me. I hesitantly took it and unfolded the picture. I had seen enough of my father’s handwriting to recognize it on sight. He kept a lot of journals but it wasn’t the handwriting that caught my attention, it was the small photograph.
It was of my father and a young boy. The boy couldn’t have been more than three years old in the picture and it was dated the year I was born. I glanced up at the man in front of me and allowed the picture flutter to the ground.
“What is that? It’s just a picture, it doesn’t mean anything.”
He smirked.
“I think we both know what that means. My name is Frederick the second, I was named after the late king. I am his son and rightful heir.”
“Anyone can come out and make a claim,”
I glanced at his picture on the floor.
“That means nothing to me or anyone else here.”
“I don’t think you want your father’s infidelities aired out in public, Camilla,”
he spoke my name like a threat and Ryker growled and stepped in front of me.
“I only came here out of respect for the title. You have one week to vacate my throne before I make it my business. I will not hesitate to take my crown back from you, Camilla/
People were beginning to whisper and I knew I needed to do something to discredit him and fast. There were too many similarities bet**en him and my father and it was clear to the n*ked eye. Regardless of that, I was not giving up the throne to a nob*dy, much less someone who killed a guard in cold blood.
“Even if you are the king’s son, you are a ba stard and I would rather die than have a ba stard sit on my throne.”
His jaw clenched and the next thing I knew, there was a knife being hurled my way. Ryker pulled me out of the way just in time and the knife embedded itself in the wall behind me. Frederick stood there with a snarl on his face.
“One week, Camilla.”
The guards rushed to grab him but he was quick. He turned on his heels and disappeared. There was silence in the hall as people fought to grasp what had happened. I was breathing heavily and I had so many things running through my mind but the predominant one was that the priest didn’t light the candle.
“Finish the ceremony,”
I instructed him. I could see him shaking like a leaf but he did as I asked.
Ryker looked at me like I was crazy but I wanted the ceremony over. I let out a sigh of relief when the flame burned brighter and I didn’t wait for the announcement of Aurora’s name before I grabbed Audrey and left the hall. I didn’t stop moving until I was safely behind the doors of my room.
Ryker and Christine were close behind and as soon as the door shut, Ryker handed Aurora to Christine and rushed over to my side.
“Are you okay?”
he asked and I nodded.
“What happens now?”
“Now, we have one week to prepare before that ba stard does something crazy.”
I expected that after the naming. I would be away on a trip with Ryker enjoying some quality time with my family but instead, I was being roped into a meeting with the elders to figure out what we were to do about Frederick. In all honesty, I didn’t care about him or his claim but the elders seemed genuinely worried. I only had time to nurse Aurora and put her to sleep before I was out. The elders were frantic when I got to the council room. Ryker was already there seated at his usual spot next to mine. When I walked into the room, they all fell silent and I ignored them as I made my way over to the chair. I had barely sat down. before the first one spoke.
“The boy has a right to the throne,”
he began and I raised a brow in his direction. He understood what that look meant because he swallowed.
“What I meant to say was that if he truly is your father’s son then he has a claim and he can contest for it.”
“What does the law say?”
I asked and everyone turned to me in confusion.
“What does the law say about heirs and the throne? There has to be something that talks about the child being a descendant of both people on the throne. Doesn’t anyone read the law?”
I knew I shouldn’t be snapping at them but I was frustrated. I wanted to be with my mate and my children instead of being stuck in a meeting with six sniveling adults who could not care less if I were to live or die as long as they regained their position as the elders. They mumbled bet**en themselves and I knew they were trying to remember. 1 felt Ryker place a hand on my th**h and I turned to him. He was looking at me with concern but I shook my head to let him know that I was okay. I could tell that he didn’t believe me but he knew better than to push where we were so instead, he lounged back in his seat and watched the entire scene unfold. He rarely spoke during council meetings and I made a me ntal note to ask why.
“We will have to check in on that, your majesty,”
one of the elders said finally and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“It does not change the fact however that the news has gotten to the towns and people have varying responses to it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“News travels fast in this kingdom and people are beginning to question the validity of your claim to the throne. You are younger than him and he is-”
he trailed off but I knew exactly what he wanted to say.
“Is this because he is male?”
I asked and they all stayed silent.
“What do you think?”
“I think that you are Queen and nothing else matters.”
Translation: He wouldn’t speak against me for fear of his life but that didn’t mean that he supported me. I resisted the urge to scream. After all it had taken me to get here, I was going to get overthrown because of something a stu pid as this and I couldn’t even count on the elders to defend me because everyone had their own hidden agendas.
“Thank you all for coming but this meeting is over,”
I declared and they all looked bet**en themselves in confusion