Chapter 15: Not So Queen

(LOCKE)

My attention is drawn to the garden outside my office window.

What is that woman doing now?

She’s hunched over by the side of a tree in the most unladylike position, digging.

My eyes narrow as I watch her look around suspiciously before she continues whatever she is up to.

“Did you hear me, Locke?”

Edgar’s voice brings me back. “What?”

He gives me a strange look. “I was asking if you have decided what to do about the full moon.”

For a moment, I gaze at him uncomprehendingly, and then it hits me. “What kind of question is that?”

He clears his throat. “Given your disposition toward the queen, I want to know whether you envision having a child with her this year or not.”

“That was the plan, wasn’t it?”

I turn my attention back toward the woman in the garden.

Has she lost her mind? If she wants to have a hole dug, why isn’t she asking one of the gardeners? Why the hell is she doing this herself?

“Look, whatever is out there is far less interesting than what I’m trying to say to you,” my friend snaps at me. He walks around the desk to see what I’m looking at, and before I can stop him, he manages to catch a glimpse.

“Is that Queen Ravenna?” he mumbles, shocked.

I shove him away. “Mind your own business.”

“I’m trying to, but you’re completely distracted by her. What is she doing?”

“Beats me.”

“So, go ask her.” Edgar scoffs. “What is she trying to do, dig her way out of the castle?” He snickers as he says it, and when I give him a level look, his laughter fades.

“For someone who is supposed to be my advisor, you sure do lack the right amount of brain cells.”

“You’re just as curious as me. Go find out what she’s doing so we can all move on with our lives.”

“Worry about yourself,” I say darkly. “Let her do what she wants. Now, what were you saying?”

He gapes at me for a full ten seconds before rolling his eyes. “Fine. It’s your problem, not mine. The elders want to know whether you plan to have a child by next year. What do you want me to say to them?”

“Tell them to stick their noses where they’re needed. It’s not their business when I fuck my mate.”

“Well, they’re making it their business,” Edgar retorts, “and you’d better give them an answer before they start pestering the queen. You already know how they feel about her. They’re not going be very nice to her.”

I glance at him, my tone calm. “If anyone approaches the queen, execute them. Lop off a couple of heads, and the rest will fall in line.”

Edgar shakes his head. “Since when have you become so protective of her?”

I feel annoyed at this. “I’m not protective of her. I just don’t like the elders poking their noses into my business. And they have no reason to talk to her. You give them my message.”

He sighs. “Fine. But I’m just asking when you’ll be ready to…you know.”

I give him a hard look. “I’m not going to have this conversation any longer. Do you have anything useful to say to me?”

He checks the paper in his hand and rolls his eyes. “Not really. The full moon is in a month.”

That catches my attention. “I thought it was in two weeks.”

My wolf has been drawn to Corrine, and I assumed it was because of the coming full moon. I sensed my own shift in behavior toward her, and I thought it was the effects of that, as well. As the full moon grows closer, fated mates who have yet to share a mating mark always grow a little possessive of each other.

“No. I checked.” Edgar shakes his head. “It’s in one month. Anyway, I have to go. Rothan wants my help with arranging security for when the village artisans arrive.”

I nod approvingly.

Corrine has taken my order from last week very seriously. She has approached different artisans in the nearby villages to help decorate the castle. It took me by surprise because I thought she would go for renowned artists. Instead, she’s recruiting local talent. This means more jobs for the villagers, and they’re over the moon about it.

The attitude of the castle’s staff toward Corrine has significantly improved, as well. She has gone from being the enemy to being a benevolent queen. There have been several maids who have asked Sigrid to let them assist the queen, but each one has been turned down. It seems the newly positive sentiment hasn’t returned. Corrine doesn’t trust them. She’s kind to them, but trust has to be earned, and my people are aware of that.

I guess I was wrong. Kindness does speak to Northern wolves. “What has she ordered?”

“Tapestries for the hallways.” Edgar looks impressed. “I thought she would make up the castle like the Eastern Kingdom’s palace, but she’s putting a different spin on it. The Eastern palace was so colorful that it was almost blinding. The queen is using colors like ice blue and silver here. The carpets are being laid out tomorrow. Heated ones. There’s a local witch who’s going to help with that.”

I blink. “She got a witch to help out? They never offer their services to us shifters.”

“I don’t know if she negotiated something with her or what.” Edgar glances toward the window. “You’ll have to ask her. She looks quiet and unassuming, but she’s a force of nature. Everybody’s anticipating how the castle will ultimately look. You can sense the excitement both in the villages and within the castle.”

I feel a strange emotion inside me. I didn’t realize that the castle was so drab that the idea of adding some color to it would get everybody all worked up. Have I not been paying attention to my people?

“Anyway.” Edgar eyes me. “What about Bella?”

My voice turns icy. “What about her?”

“Are you really planning to continue with this? Stripping her of her authority was a harsh move.”

“She’s lucky she’s not in a dungeon. She overstepped her bounds, and she knew what she was doing,” I say coldly. “She humiliated my mate. Regardless of my relationship with Corrine, Bella acted out of spite and jealousy. She had no right to do so. She’s gotten too cocky. I had to bring her back down to Earth.”

“You never plan to reinstate her, then?”

I study him. “She knows what she did, Edgar. I warned her, but she thought she would get away with it. She challenged my authority. I’m not about to let that go.”

My friend nods seriously. “She’s pretty upset about it, but you’re right. Despite beating herself up over it, she still hasn’t apologized to the queen.”

“She’s too prideful,” I mutter.

“Perhaps.” He checks the time. “I have to leave. Maybe you should go see what your mate is up to. If anybody else sees her, they’re going to start wondering if she’s lost her mind. What is she digging for?”

“Stop worrying about her and worry about yourself. Don’t you have better things to do?” I scowl at him.

“Fine. Don’t bite my head off.”

Once he’s gone, I sit down at my desk and try to get some work done. However, every few minutes, my eyes wander toward the window.

What is she doing? Maybe I’ll just go see. If she’s trying to find an escape route, I’ll have to tell her that’s not the right spot to dig.

After making my way downstairs, I head outside. It’s cold. But then, it’s always cold. As I approach my mate, however, I see that she has taken off her jacket. A growl builds in the back of my throat.

“Why aren’t you wearing your coat?”

She nearly jumps in fright. “What?”

“Your jacket, Corrine. Why did you take it off?”

Grabbing it from where she has tossed it on the ground, I pick her up by her arm and begin putting it on her.

She struggles against my grip. “I don’t need it.”

“The healer said you’re not supposed to get cold. Why is it so hard for you to listen to instructions?”

“Let go of me!”

She’s trying to pull away, but I’m determined to get her into this coat and zip it all the way up.

“Why are you such a bully?!” she suddenly bursts out, pushing me away, her cheeks flushed from the cold and her eyes glittering.

“Bully?” I echo, my eyes narrowing. “Since when have I bullied you? You’re not supposed to be out in the cold.”

“I am minding my own business,” she snaps, and I see her try to regain composure.

Lately, it’s been harder for her to maintain that cool façade around me. Probably has something to do with the fact that she wakes up in my arms, all tangled up with me. I refuse to let her go back to her room. She clearly doesn’t know how to look after herself, and I have no plans of searching for another queen anytime soon.

Corrine has been resistant to the idea of sleeping in my bed, but she’s slowly getting used to it. I’ve also begun to notice that she is getting a little mouthy around me. That part, I like. I have no use for a weak mate. Corrine has a spine, and it’s starting to show a little bit.

“What are you doing digging out here? Where are the gardeners?”

“They don’t know how to plant this.”

She’s holding the packet of seeds I gave her two days ago. Her eyes filled with shock when I handed them to her and told her that I specially requested them from the king of the Human Kingdom.

“They will if you tell them.” I cross my arms over my chest, and when she leans down to resume her work, I snarl. “Don’t even think about it. I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you into the castle if I have to. Get somebody to do this for you.”

“They’ll ruin it.” She’s beginning to get upset now, and my wolf stirs, not liking the look on her face.

“They are gardeners.” I try to speak patiently. “This is their job. This is what they are trained to do.”

“I know how to plant these seeds. You can’t make the holes too small or too big. They have to be the right size, and the right distance from each other, and around the right tree.” She begins to babble, and I can feel myself getting a headache.

Annoyed and seeing no other way out of it, I roll up my sleeves and crouch down to the ground. “Fine. You tell me how to do it. I’m sure I have enough brain cells to follow your instructions.”

Cheeks turning red, she stammers, “Y–You can’t dig. You’re the king.”

“And you’re the queen,” I retort. “And you’ve been digging out here, looking like a fool. What if somebody saw you?”

I see the shame in her eyes and instantly regret the harshness of my tone. As soon as I do, I catch myself and feel a hint of irritation.

Since when do I care how I speak to her?

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