~NYSSA
"I want to go to my pack first," I told Rowan.
I was surprised at how steady my voice sounded considering the fact that my heart was hammering in my chest.
"I've been here for days. I'll spend the first two weeks at my pack-"
"No," he cut me off. "You spend three days at your pack. Say your goodbyes and a royal convoy will be there to pick you up."
I opened my mouth to refuse but he held up a hand to stop me.
"You only got this far in negotiations by being my mate. Don't push it."
With one last lingering look, Rowan walked out, leaving Henry and I alone in the room.
As soon as the door shut behind us, Henry whirled on me. "What the fuck were you thinking?"
"Don't speak to me like I'm a child," I snapped. "I made the best choice for the pack. One more second and you would have blown our only chance of getting help to bits."
"Don't play the pack card, you did this to spite me-"
"Get your head out of your ass, Henry. Not everything is about you. You brought me here because I am great at negotiation and I did exactly that. You should be thanking me."
There was so much he wanted to say, but I didn't give him the chance to speak. I turned on my heels and stormed out of the room before he got the chance.
I headed straight for the gardens.
I knew Henry would go to find me in the room and I had no intentions of seeing him. I wanted some alone time to come to terms with what I'd just agreed to.
I'd spoken without thinking, and now that the adrenaline had worn off, I couldn't believe its.
"It could be worse," my wolf said to me in an encouraging tone. "He could've been an old man without teeth."
I held back a laugh. "Werewolves don't lose their teeth."
"He's a lycan. We don't know much about them."
I exhaled deeply. "Me, the King's mate. Can you believe that? And not just that, I'm going to spend two weeks in the palace. I don't know the last thing about being a Queen."
"Well it's a good thing there is no timeline on your arrangement. You have time to figure things out and decide if it's something you want or not."
That was the problem unfortunately… that I had to make a choice.
I couldn't go back to Henry, no matter what. All I'd done is buy myself time. Right now, my only choice was being Rowan's mate or be a rogue. Considering the rumors I'd heard about Rowan, I wasn't sure which was worse.
I didn't leave the garden until the sun began to set in the evening. I would have lived out there if I could had my stomach not rumbled loudly.
Food was always brought to our rooms in the evening, but to my shock, when I got to the room, I found a maid standing there, her hands raised as if she wanted to knock.
"Do you need something?" I asked and she turned, surprised.
"I thought you were inside," she said, chuckling awkwardly. "The King has asked for you to join him at dinner."
My eyes widened in shock. "I don't… I'd rather eat here."
She smiled awkwardly. "Unfortunately, I don't think it was a request. He asked me to bring you."
I hadn't realized that Henry was listening in until his door opened. "I'll be coming with her!"
The maid looked between me and Henry awkwardly. "I'm sorry sir, but the King asked for her alone. It's a private dinner."
The disgruntled look on Henry's face filled me with more joy than I cared to admit. It felt good to see someone put him in the place.
"If the King doesn't want me there then he will have to tell me himself-"
"Let it go, Henry," I said, already getting annoyed by his need to display bravado. He opened his mouth to protest but I turned away from him and faced the maid. "Lead the way."
She didn't respond immediately, she glanced at Henry again, then back at me as if trying to figure out what was going on between us. I kept my expression carefully blank. My personal life was none of her business.
Finally, she nodded and gestured for me to follow her.
The palace was so fucking massive. If she hadn't been leading me, I definitely would have gotten lost on my own.
She led m through the halls in silence, her hands clasped behind her back and her spine perfectly straight.
We passed multiple hallways before we finally stopped in front of a pair of double doors.
"The dining room is just through there," she told me. "This is as far as I am allowed to go."
"Thank you. I don't even know your name."
Her eyes widened in shock. "No one ever asks my name."
"I can't imagine why."
She smiled softly. "I'm Leah. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You too."
She gave me a curt nod and a lingering stare before walking away.
I watched her leave before turning back to the door. For some reason, it felt so daunting. My mate stood on the other side.
I swallowed deeply, smoothing my shirt and trying to calm my racing heart before finally pushing the door open. I wasn't sure what I expected but it wasn't a massive dining table with about eight chairs on each side.
It looked like it was hand crafted. Every inch of the table shone like it was freshly polished.
There were so many dished on the table that I lost count. It was more food than I'd ever seen in my lifetime.
Only one chair was occupied, but it wasn't by Rowan.
"Well don't just stand there," Aria drawled. "Take a seat. I'd like to properly meet my brother's mate."