Chapter 191

I look seriously up into my father’s green eyes, my stomach turning over with anxiety.

“Never, ever,” my father growls, “let a man raise his voice at you like that again. Do you hear me?” I can hear the anger rolling in him now – anger that I can tell he’s been tucking away for my sake.

Tears spring to my eyes suddenly, even as they go even wider with surprise. Because that? I was not expecting that.

“What?” I breathe, totally confused.

Dad continues to look into my eyes as if this is the most serious thing he’s ever communicated to me. “Remember who you are, Ariel Sinclair. And it’s beyond the fact that you are my daughter, and that you’re goddess-born, and that you’re a Princess of this nation – all of which are things that should scare the living daylights out of any man who thinks he can talk to you like that -”

My mouth starts to wobble dangerously as my dad continues, his voice growing ever softer and more dangerous.

“No, Ariel,” he growls, “even if you were the lowest born girl in this nation, even if you weren’t lucky enough to have a whole family to stand behind you in support? You, Ariel? You are magnificent. A creature of grace and light. Brilliant and beautiful, bold and kind – worthy of respect from every person who is lucky enough to cross your path. You have to remember that, daughter, and not accept any less – not from your mate, and certainly not from some angry boy. So don’t you ever let him raise his voice to you, ever again.”

Dad snarls the last words, and drops my chin, even as two tears start to roll down my cheeks.

We take a long moment, just staring at each other, and I have to admit – I’m shocked to my core. Because even though I know that my dad loves me – never doubted that, not a moment in my life – I…I didn’t know he saw me like that.

“All right, trouble?” he murmurs, raising his hand again and using his thumb to quickly wipe my tears away. “No more crying over this. Just…remember, okay?”

“Okay,” I whisper.

And dad gives me his patented Sinclair smirk, and a nod, turning towards the door. “Ten minutes!” he calls, his powerful voice booming out as his eyes flick over me. “Put on some shoes and meet us down the hall.”

I laugh a little, looking down at my stockinged feet, and then over at Daphne as dad leaves.

To my surprise, Daphne’s just smiling at me, wiping at the tears that slide down her own cheeks. “That was really nice,” she squeaks. “He’s…he’s really nice to you.”

“Aw, Daph!” I cry out, running over to her and wrapping her up in my arms, remembering that she doesn’t have a dad – that he died when she was much younger. Hearing my dad say that stuff…well. It probably makes her think of the things her own dad never got to say. “You can share mine, he’s big enough for both of us.”

“I might take you up on that,” she says, laughing and sniffing. But then she pulls away and squares her shoulders, taking a deep breath. “Okay, Sinclair. Let’s get you some shoes.”

I grin at my friend and nod, leading her over to the shoe closet where I keep my trove.

Nine minutes later – and I credit Daphne alone with keeping us on time – we scurry out of my room. Our boots click loud on the tiles as I push my braid back over my shoulder, hurrying out of the private Royal suite, down the hall to where the serious conference rooms are. I don’t even worry about my crown falling off my head, because I figured out a trick a couple of years ago where if I loop my hair up and over the back of it before I braid it, it effectively holds it in place until I take my hair down. Convenient and chic – but solutions to princess problems I know are mine and Juniper’s alone.

I stop beside a nondescript door and push it open, knowing that this antechamber is where my family and friends will gather. It connects to the largest of the conference rooms.

My eyes go wide when I see how packed it already is with our family, and our closest friends, and all of dad’s advisors including, of course, my grandpa.

A smile bursts onto my lips when I focus on the group of young men in the back corner – all of them dressed in Cadet black.

“Ohhh, that’s a sight for sore eyes,” Daphne murmurs, slipping in behind me and pressing the door shut, likewise looking over at our boys.

I grin and grab her hand, dragging her over to where they’re all waiting. Rafe – wearing his own crown, which shines bright against his dark hair - Jesse, Ben, and Jackson, looking just as I remember them, and Jackson looking a bit relieved, if I’m being honest, to be back in clothes he understands. I look briefly around for Luca, but he’s not here yet. Still, there’s no time to dwell on it.

Jackson instantly opens an arm to me as Daphne and I cross the room and I dart to his side, wrapping my arms around his waist and beaming up at him. “Hi, I missed you,” I whisper, grinning. “Everyone’s been torturing me all day looking for your mark.”

He laughs a little and runs a fond hand over my cheek and down my neck. “Sorry to disappoint,” he murmurs, shaking his head with a smirk. But then his face falls. “But really, sorry – I didn’t get you in trouble, did I?”

“No,” I say, quickly shaking my head.

“I like this,” he murmurs, shifting his eyes to the shining rose-gold circlet on my head, which mom picked – of course – to match my hair. “Very pretty on you.” He raises the hand not wrapped around my waist and traces a finger around the curve of it.

“Thank you,” I say, smiling with very real pleasure. It’s not every day, after all, that your mate tells you how pretty you look in your crown. “But, um…” I turn, quickly, my eyes seeking out Rafe and Jesse. I let go of Jackson and hold my wrists out to Jesse and Rafe. “Scent marking, please! Dad’s orders.”

Jesse just laughs and obliges me, even though Rafe frowns. “Wait, why?” Rafe asks, though he steps forward too when Jesse finishes.

“I don’t know,” I say with a shrug. “Dad said something about camouflage. Just…obey your king, all right?”

“Whatever,” Rafe sighs, following Jesse’s routine and glancing over at Jackson. “Sorry, man,” he murmurs, “I know you went through a lot of effort to scent her up good –“

Jackson just growls a little, not liking the joke, but I just laugh when he pulls me possessively back to his side.

“So, um,” Daphne says, standing close to Ben – who is unusually quiet - tucking her hair behind her ears. “Do we…have any idea what this is about yet?”

“No,” Rafe murmurs, clearly anxious about it. “But…” he sighs, looking over at the door to the conference room, “I think it’s big, guys. I don’t know what it is but…I think it’s big.”

My stomach drops, and by the looks on all of my friends’ faces, I can tell that they do as well.

“I come delivering one more little lost cadet!”

I look over with surprise when I hear Aunt Cora’s voice ringing out cheerfully. My surprise increases when I see her walking over with her hand between Luca’s shoulder blades, Uncle Roger on his other side. She grins at my mate, a little mischievous. “I found him wandering the hall, looking for a plant to puke in.”

Luca scowls a little but doesn’t deny it, and when I step closer to peer at him I realize that he’s hung over as hell. I blink in surprise, because honestly I didn’t think he was that drunk this morning – but that must have been the adrenaline clearing his head. Still, the exhaustion, and the drinking, plus barely a few hours sleep?

Luca does…not look bright-eyed and bushy tailed.

“Ah, it’s all right, kid,” Roger says, patting Luca on the shoulder in turn as my mate steps into our little circle, settling close to Jesse and not looking over at me. “We’ve all been there.”