Chapter 12


    Twelve: Natalie


    Natalie’s p.o.v.


    I felt ridiculous dressed in such a stunning gown. It was the kind of thing that made me second guess


    whether or not I was fit to be here. The fabric brushed the ground, shimmering from a pale blue to a


    pearly white as the light hit it at different angles.


    The deep cut that ran between my breasts left the small diamond-crusted wolf pendant to be on disy


    from its long silver chain. Contrary to human beliefs, which they had to learn the hard way, silver did


    nothing to us, and I adored the ne as soon as I saw it.


    Killian''s eyes widened as I rounded the corner, and I had to remind myself to breathe normally as he


    stood tall and proud with his hands sped in front of him with his feet shoulder-width apart. The crisp


    ck suit was different than what I had seen him in before, and I let my eyes roam over the more


    formal wear.


    He was a fine man indeed, one that any woman would be lucky to mate with. But I felt a brief moment


    of longing for more, for a rtionship. I wanted a man to look at me the way Killian was and for it to


    mean something. For him, it seemed to mean nothing, and that was the way he acted as if he wanted it


    to stay.


    The glowing red eyes of his beast forcing his way forward made me want to melt into the floor as he


    stared at me, and heat traveled up my chest and neck as I blushed. As I looked back up shyly, the red


    was gone, and in its ce were the cold mask and hazel eyes that I had grown frustrated by.


    As he turned to face the door, I moved up next to him, gently cing my hand in the crook of his arm.


    "You''re back to being cold then," I said softly, trying to keep my voice low enough that others wouldn''t


    hear. "For a second, I thought you were actually happy that I was joining you for dinner."


    I could feel him looking down at me as I stared ahead at the door. "You look very nice," I whispered,


    knowing I was only embarrassing myself further by not keeping my thoughts to myself.


    His arm pulled closer to his body, taking my hand with him. My hope that it was a move intended to


    It was the first time we were being presented to the pack as a united front. Yet, I still knew nothing


    about Killian beyond how he smelled when he held me at night, that he was cold, and that he was


    rumored to be cruel to those that opposed him. I had no knowledge of my ce in his world and felt


    butterflies swarming my stomach.


    The servants at the doors stared straight ahead, refusing to look at either of us, waiting patiently for US


    to signal that we were ready to enter.


    "Before we go in there," I whispered, looking up at him and seeing his empty hazel eyes staring back at


    me. "What am I? Am I to sit back quietly as your chosen, or am I to take the role of your partner before


    you''ve even marked me?"


    ...If he were to ever mark me. He didn''t exactly seem to want me here.


    The uncertainty didn''t sit well with me, and I watched his eyes soften for a moment before he looked


    back up at the door. "You are my mate and are to be treated as the queen, marked or not."


    I hadn''t realized how tight my grip on his arm was until he ced his hand atop mine and nodded at the


    servants. They pulled both doors open, revealing therge dining room. The pack sat in row after row


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    of tables. I knew it wasn''t everyone in his pack. There were hundreds, if not thousands more. But


    having so many eyes on me made me feel like I was back in my old pack, tied to the whipping post with


    the entire pack watching in satisfaction as I begged for mercy.


    "His Majesty, the King," My chest filled with pride as the pack rose to their feet, and Killian stepped


    forward with his head held high. Theck of introduction for me, was not surprising as I held no official


    title yet. Even if people wanted to address me as Her Highness in a smaller setting, it was a title


    reserved for members of the royal family beneath their ruler. It was not and would never be my title


    unless he chose to use me as a breeder and then marked another.


    Once he marked me, I would be the Queen Consort. I would stand at my king''s side as his


    partner. 1


    It was an incredible sight to see each person dip their head in respect at the same time, and Killian


    guided me to the table at the head of the room, pulling out my seat before prying my hand from his


    arm.


    Our table held many other familiar faces, but none of which I had interacted with beyond Joselin. I was


    thankful that she sat to my left and that I wouldn''t be as alone as I felt. She dipped her head in respect


    before smiling brightly at me, the ck lines etched into her skin, seeming to vibrate against their pale


    background. It would have appeared ominous to anyone who did not know her. To anyone that did, it


    was still clear that she was not someone to be messed with, but was not because of her looks. It was


    her temper.


    As I sat, Killian did too, and the rest of the pack followed suit.


    The food was brought out shortly after, and I did my best to hide my shaking hands as I took small and


    careful bites. My nerves were winning, and I hated that there were so many eyes on me. The ones


    sticking out the most sat at the table directly in front of me.


    Mira''s green eyesnded on me with a forced smile as she continued to talk, her voice raising with


    excitement as she continued to tell her story. The more she spoke, the quieter the room seemed to get,


    and the tenser Killian became.


    Once I was able to hear her, I felt the food I had managed to get down turn to concrete in my stomach.


    "She cried out for a while, begging for it to stop, but then she just went quiet. I thought she was dead


    for a minute. Obviously, she wasn''t. I think it was twentyshes, but she still didn''t shift by the end of it.


    I don’t think she''ll ever shift." Mira''s hands moved in the air as she mimicked my punisher, cracking a


    whip. 1


    I could remember the way the leather bit into my skin like a hot knife slicing through my flesh like butter


    as I hung from the post. It was theirst attempt at trying to force my shift. The Alpha had said that it


    would force my wolf toe to the surface, wanting to protect and heal me.


    It didn''t.


    I knew it wasn''t the first story she had told of me. If it was, Killian never would have known to call me


    Tilly.


    I had been happy to leave my past behind, but it was catching up to me, elerating with each passing


    moment.


    Killian''s hand pressed against my knee, the heat of his hold burning through the fabric of my dress and


    into my leg. It was exactly what I needed to lift my chin. I could feel the support in his touch and knew


    without words that this was my moment to establish my authority over her.


    He had told me that I was to be treated as the queen, even without his mark. I just had to hope he was


    a man of his word.


    She wasn''t telling those stories to reminisce about the good-ole days. She was belittling me, talking


    about my past and my failures to make me look bad. She wanted to drive the point home that I was just


    a human. One who cried and begged for the pain to stop instead of maintaining my dignity.


    Her mate met my eyes, and I knew what he saw there. I was livid.


    He ced his hand on his mate''s arm, and I could hear him telling her to stop, but she continued to


    "Mira," I called out, my voice sounding a lot stronger than I was feeling at that moment. I felt about


    three feet tall but sounded like a queen, feeding off Killian''s strength and touch. She turned at the call


    of her name, her smile dropping as she flinched from Killian''s re and met mine. "It has been brought


    to my attention that you enjoy telling stories about me."


    The room fell silent, but it was the gentle rubbing of Killian''s thumb on my thigh that encouraged me to


    keep going.


    "Yes, your highness." The dip of her head with my false title was minimal, and I knew she was having a


    hard time with my new ranking being above hers. "I was just exining how strong you are for what


    you had to survive."


    "Of course. I can''t imagine how funny it was to watch as I had the flesh stripped from my back." I


    paused, enjoying as she visibly swallowed, and her mate leaned in closer to her as if wanting to protect


    her from the '' human'' that she was justughing at. "If you are out of your own stories to tell, I would be


    more than happy to allow you to relive some of mine for yourself. Twentyshes, was it? We can do it


    right now if you''d like."


    The few who were still trying to mind their own business fell silent, and I stared Mira down as she


    gaped at me. "No!, I, please, no!"


    Her desperate look at my mate made me want tough as he continued to rub his thumb harder


    against my thigh.


    I felt my body growing warm, surprised by how deeply his touch was impacting me. From the corner of


    my eye, I watched as he lifted his chalice of wine in her direction. His deep voice filled the room. "You


    may count your queen merciful. I was ready to rip your tongue from your mouth." 1


    The open threat didn''t seem to take anyone except Mira by surprise. If anything, they looked excited. It


    made me wonder how often they had disys of violence during their dinners. They seemed to live


    true to the rumors of their bloodthirsty and harsh ways.


    But then again, I had no problem threatening to spill blood on my own.