Chapter 204

Theodore’s POV

With the sheer volume of people attending Dahlia and Kincaid’s wedding, it took a while for everyone to get seated. I sat in the front row with Dahlia’s immediate family on the other side of Eva to my right and my half-brother on my left. It was tradition for any royalty attending an event to be given preferential seating, and it was only expected that he would be sat next to his own family.

Though we were only family in the biological sense.

Owen glared at my shattered forehead band like he often did, but otherwise, he didn’t speak to me. I was glad for it. When I saw him glaring across the aisle, I angled to see what had caught his attention.

There she was. My gorgeous mate, sitting next to Kincaid’s immediate family in the front row. It took me a moment to realize Owen was glaring at her forehead band, too.

It really was garnering more attention than usual, by more than just Owen, and more than my band was. I wasn’t sure if it was the way she had styled her hair or if it was actually glowing brighter today.

Owen finally faced forward again, so I did, too. Settlement residents had been hired as ushers, helping people to their seats. There was nothing more for me to do than sit patiently and wait for the ceremony to begin.

The silence between me and Owen would have been awkward had I not been so grateful for it. Still, I longed for some conversation, and I found myself wishing Bennett were here. I had come to care for him and miss his company when he wasn’t around.

Still, he was my mate’s baby cousin. And there were too many things that could go wrong today. Violet and I had agreed to keep him as far away from Mel Rimanea as possible today.

There’s going to be the most beautiful sunset of our lives this evening. Violet’s voice filled my mind, and I rubbed her token around my neck affectionately. Though I hadn’t heard about whatever astral event she was referring to that would make tonight’s sunset so striking.

How come? I inquired, grateful for our mind-to-mind bond, but even more grateful that we would have significantly less use for it soon.

Because it will be our first sunset once we’re back together.

I took a deep breath at her words. There was no astral event. Then again, maybe our love was explosive enough to be considered one.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Owen watching me rub the token around my neck. There was no way he could know it wasn’t my mother’s as I had led the world to believe. There was no way he could know I was talking to my mate in my mind or that we were plotting against him.

Though it did occur to me that I had worn my mother’s token, which looked different in the most minute ways, my entire life – including when I had lived with my half-brother. If anyone could recognize those infinitesimally small variations, it might be him.

I feigned nonchalance as I let go of the token and looked around. Thankfully, Owen turned his attention elsewhere, too. Most people were seated, so we wouldn’t have to wait much longer before the quartet began playing and the ceremony began.

That’s when I heard it.

“Honestly, it’s embarrassing.”

“Just because they were exiled from their packs doesn’t mean they’re not still part of our country. That makes them his responsibility. And he doesn’t even care to learn about them or how he can help them.”

“If I had known the whole story, if I had known how my aunt had been living this whole time, I would have been pleading with the king for years to reconsider the rogue laws.”

All different voices from all different directions. As people shuffled to find seats around us, by the time one voice complaining about Owen’s response to rogues disappeared, another cropped up.

“It’s a disgrace to turn his back on all these children.”

“The sad part is that he’s not even aware of his own ignorance.”

“He’s clearly paranoid about his brother trying to take his crown. Not once in all these years has he attempted such a thing.”

I winced internally at that comment. That opinion might come back to bite me in the butt.

“This is exactly why Alpha Nightshade is referred to as the Uncrowned King. He’s the one who figured out how to take care of all these people.”

That last one had my muscles stiffening as I checked my peripheral vision to see if Owen was hearing all this. The last thing I needed was a raging tantrum from him to interrupt Dahlia and Kincaid’s wedding. And from what I could see, from my half-brother’s heaving chest and reddened face, he had heard every last word.

As if the Goddess herself was looking out for me, the string quartet started just then, hushing the crowd eager to listen. I watched from the corner of my eye, practically holding my breath until Owen’s own breathing slowed and his face returned to its usual pallor.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I thanked the Goddess for her timing as the ceremony began. Though I was sure Owen’s ire was only temporarily calmed.

Part of me wished I wasn’t disrupting Dahlia’s wedding day with dethroning my brother. No matter how many times she assured me it was okay, no matter how many times she claimed it only made the day a happier one for her, part of me still felt guilty.

I was vigilant during the ceremony. Despite her repeating that they didn’t need it, it made me feel better when I promised that the ceremony would belong to Dahlia and Kincaid. That part of the day would be untouched by political scheming.

Other than the location in Mel Rimanea and the despicably long guest list, of course.

I offered to pay for everything, offered to spare no expense, partially out of guilt for taking over the rest of her big day, but mostly because she had been loyal to me before anyone else deemed me worthy of loyalty. For someone whose only family member they could count on died years ago, that level of unconditional devotion meant everything.

Still, when I asked her to imagine her ideal wedding ceremony, it was simple and efficient – much like her personality. Kincaid had apparently been of the same mind. Maybe it was a Beta thing.

Or maybe they were just perfectly matched by the Goddess herself.

Dahlia and Kincaid appeared on opposite ends of the platform in the middle of Mel Rimanea’s town square. They walked toward each other to the music of the string quartet in the traditional symbol of how the Goddess had brought them together. Upon meeting in the middle of the raised platform, they partook in the traditional wedding dance to symbolize the many dips and spins in life, the roller coaster of coming together and getting to know one another.

As in life, some moves in the dance brought them closer together, while others threatened to separate them. Still, they always found a way back together, fingers entwined, eyes focused on no one but each other.

The dance came to a close. Dahlia and Kincaid stood in their final pose, toe to toe and hand in hand as the audience applauded their performance. Then, as the applause faded, the High Priest and High Priestess made their first appearance of the day, stepping up to the platform to stand behind Dahlia and Kincaid.

We could have had any priest or priestess marry Dahlia and Kincaid, but these two were needed today for more than just the marriage.