Killian’s POV
My eyes tracked the up-and-down movement of Rosalind’s chest as she flushed a beautiful pink.
Her voice was weak and reedy so obviously turned on out of her mind. “You are sick.”
I raised my eyebrow questioningly. “Am I or are you?”
Rosalind wrapped her hand around herself as though that would be able to shield her from my words and her icy blue eyes met mine. I was surprised to see anger wed to resolve there.
I had been so sure that I had broken her. It would seem like I was about to be pleasantly surprised.
“Look Prince Killian, since I got here, you have been making my life a living hell.”
She gathered her breath before continuing as she fought back tears that looked fascinatingly real to me. She was a good actress.
“I have endured and I have done my best to make you understand that I am not a gold digger that wants to exploit your brother.”
A tear fell despite her obvious efforts and she wiped at it furiously as though it would negate the fact that I had seen it drop.
“Cillian may not know this but I love him. I am attracted to you but that is it. All it can ever be because physical attraction is the only connection I can have with someone like you and I will never act on it.”
I felt a weird sensation in my chest at her words but I ignored it as I sneered at her, unable to ignore the opening her words had given me.
“Who told you that I wanted any connection with you at all?”
I saw the hurt flash in her eyes and felt intense satisfaction that I had been able to get through to her as her strange words had hit me.
I moved closer so she would be able to hear the words I whispered to her.
“You are a nobody and your ‘romance’ with my impressionable brother is never going to end well.”
She shook as though my words had rattled her then she tipped her head back to look at me.
“I know. I knew before it started but he is worth it. He is worth every tear I will shed.”
Rosalind stared at me like she could look into my soul as we shared a breath devoid of any passion.
“You have made untrue deductions about me. You believe me a whore. Fine. I am just a maidservant. Your opinion of me doesn’t really matter to me.”
Finally, something we could both agree on. She was just a worthless whore who needed to know her place and stop inviting confusing thoughts into my head.
It seemed she still had more to say. “You believe your brother’s weakness to be his good nature. But that is the greatest strength that he will always have over your brutish ways. And that is the exact reason he will make a better King than you ever will.”
I found myself rearing back with anger at her words. I was a prince. One of the two heirs to this kingdom. How did a nobody like her find the courage to speak to me however she pleased?
“How dare you wench talk to me like that?”
I held onto her arm and although I knew I had to be hurting her, she glared at me fearlessly.
“Hit me. Hurt me but it won’t change the truth.”
I let go of her hand before anger would get the better of me and I would do something I regretted.
Rosalind didn’t bother to thank me for my magnanimity as she brushed her hand as though to remove the residue of my touch.
“I will no longer be in charge of the cleaning of your room.” She turned away. “You can find someone else to torment.”
She walked out of my room without a backwards glance.
******
Hours later at the impromptu meeting that was being held, I was still angry.
Pissed. Livid that a little nobody has gotten to me so easily. I wanted to find her and tell her exactly how worthless she was and how she was in no place to criticize me.
Yet I couldn’t help but recall her words and wonder if there has been any truth in them. Would Cillian, weakling that he was, make a better king than me? I recalled how she had fallen apart in my hands. I recalled how touching her had felt perfect, destined, preordained.
I tried to dislodge these crazy thoughts from my head. The wine I had taken before the meeting must have gotten into my head.
The council members exchanged glances as though looking for who would volunteer to talk to us and my anger rose.
“What is this so-called important meeting about?”
Cillian, the voice of reason and the perfect future king, was quick to try to diffuse the situation.
“Please be calm, brother. I am sure they will get into it at any minute now.”
Council member Arthur stood with an ingratiating smile plastered across his face and I knew at once that I didn’t want to hear whatever it was that they wanted to tell us.
“Prince Killian. Prince Cillian.” He bowed slightly. “We called you here to discuss a sensitive topic.”
I never really liked Arthur. He was one of those fellows who had been on the council before Cillian and I were even conceived so he felt he knew everything.
He had garnered a lot of power as well in his decades in the position and had a lot of away so I couldn’t even depose him because I didn’t like his face.
Sensitive topic indeed. Everything was sensitive to these geezers. I looked at Cillian. He was listening intently as though the man could actually have anything relevant to say.
You believe your brother’s weakness to be his good nature. But… that is the exact reason he will make a better King than you.
Rosalind’s words taunted me. And only the unexpectedness of Arthur’s next words drew me out of my head.
“We wish to discuss the matter of your mating.”
What? I looked at the madmen in front of me. What the hell was this?
“As you are aware, you are the last of this line. Thankfully there are two of you. But with a war on the horizon, it would be best to acquire mates and heirs as soon as possible.”
A war on the horizon. He spoke of the abominable rogue wolves, outcasts from the different packs that spanned our world.
They had not only been cast out of our packs due to their deceitful nature, but they had also bound together to form a terrorist group of sorts that had taken down the leadership in the West.
Rumours had it that they were thinking of crossing the seas to our side to attempt another conquest. To make us subjects to the witchcraft that my ancestors had freed us from.
But they were only unconfirmed rumours. Rumours just like the ones that said that the original witch queen was still alive somewhere waiting to enslave us when she had perished centuries ago.
Rumours that the council members wanted to use to fit their twisted power games. There was only one thing that gave me pause. What they spoke of was eerily similar to what Aunt Lilly had spoken to me about.
Had she known of this or had she instigated this? Games inside games. My aunt remained an enigma.
I tilted my head regarding the council members that seemed way too excited about this random development.
“I assume these brides will be your daughters.”
A number of them coughed or simply avoided my glance. I knew it. Fucking power play at its finest.
Arthur the spokesman replied in their stead.
“Only the most qualified nobles like the nobles and royal bloodlines will do for you”
I stood up suddenly and the entire table fell silent. I looked at my brother who had been silently observing everything without even a slip of a reaction on his face.
Unlike him, however, I couldn’t hold my temper for even one second more than I needed to.
“Go and fuck yourselves. I will only mate with a woman that I care about.”
Even if I had agreed with my aunt to do the exact opposite, I wouldn’t give those geezers the pleasure of me capitulating to their demands.
“Prince Killian”
My voice brooked no further arguments.
“This meeting is over.”
I walked out of the meeting room letting the heavy doors slam shut behind me. Only to see Rosalind standing a few feet away with wide eyes.
She must have overheard our conversation because she just stood there with her jaw dropped in obvious surprise.
I didn’t know if it was surprise from the fact that her love had not ardently defended their love to the council or if it was surprise arising from the fact that I said I wanted a love match.
Either way, I touched her chin helping her close her open mouth. Then I walked away.
******
Rosalind’s POV
I never thought that it would be Prince Killian of all people who would advocate love to the council.
I had been on my way to get some rest while they were in the meeting only for me to overhear the conversation through the doors.
Naturally, I had stayed because I was a masochist that wanted to torture myself. To know what Cillian would say especially after we had broken things off.
Prince Killian’s touch seared through me long after he left and I felt my hand going to my chin, my lips, my heart racing.
Finally, I hear Cillian’s voice. Low and conciliatory.
“Please pardon my brother’s outburst. Let us continue the meeting.”
Continue the meeting? He was continuing the meeting? Not telling them off for their meddling?
One of the elders spoke up sounding mollified.
“We merely wish for the continuity and stability of the royal line.”
Cillian didn’t disapprove or argue.
“As you should as faithful citizens. As your prince, I will listen to you. How should we go about the selection?”
The selection?
“The traditional way should be…”
The elder continued speaking but I stepped away.
He was going to pick a bride. A stunning partner. Someone who wasn’t an orphan, who wasn’t an omega with dubious parentage fresh off the streets.
The romance was over. And it wasn’t his fault.