Chapter Nine

Christopher

“It wasn’t a rogue,” Celina tells her father unwillingly; sounding as if she’s signing her own death sentence.

An odd expression crosses her father’s face, and his face starts to turn red. “Young lady, you need to explain that sentence. Were you trying to get out of the Claiming?”

She snorts. “Yeah right. The wine on the table showed up while I was getting ready for the party. I didn’t think anything of it since it didn’t have a smell, and there was no scent around it. I thought it was just some random gift from another guy who wants to claim me.”

My eyes flash gold and my fists immediately clench as I restrain my beast.

Unaware of how close she is to breaking free my beast, she continues. “The name of the bottle was Pour Mon Pote. It’s French for “For My Mate.”

The veins from my neck pop out while I fight to restrain myself. Unsure if I can handle anymore from my beast, Celina keeps speaking, “I’m assuming it came from someone from the party because there was no scent.”

I feel my claws begin to come out. I mentally slap my beast to restrain him. What the hell is wrong with him?

“Stay here,” King Marcus orders her. His voice is enough to snap my beast out of it. “Exzicial, will you and your sons investigate who came into her room? I’ll handle the horny wolves.”

Celina groans and throws her head back, “Can I just go to bed? I have teeth to dodge tomorrow.”

Her father covers his face to steady himself before speaking to her. That stupid Claiming. “You can go to one of the rooms where the other female Claiming contestants are staying. They have strict security there. I’ll have your mother bring you a change of clothes.”

“Christopher, please escort her there, and make sure there are guards watching her at all times. Then return to me,” My father instructs, following my father out.

My head snaps to his attention. He can’t be serious. Doesn’t he see how much this woman infuriates my beast? Ruben gives me a glaring look before following my father out.

Celina opens her eyes when I glance down to look at her. She’s not looking at me but my body is suddenly snared in her light blue eyes. My heart skips a beat while it’s forever absorbed by her very being. Everything slowed as she takes another deep breath, drawing my eyes to her chest. It’s as if I can see her heart beating. My every thought is of her. She’s gorgeous and she’s mine.

Slowly, my eyes follow her pulsing blue veins, following them to the necklace she wears that hides her mark. I want nothing more than to rip it off and bite into the soft creamy skin that lies underneath it. My entire body becomes hard, trying to resist the desire to sink my canines into her lovely neck.

Frustrated, my beast begins to growl, “Mine! Mine! Mine,” repeatedly as it moves around; as if circling for its kill. My muscles begin to move while they grow, my beast trying to force me to go and bite her. He can sense her wolf and feel her strength. He wants her. I can feel my canines begin to grow. I know my eyes are black now, my beast nearing the surface. My claws grow while I feel my bones begin to break.

When I open my mouth, a mental image flashes into my face: Father’s threatening eyes on my brother and me. “Under no circumstances will the princess be marked in the Claiming. Do I make myself clear?”

The Claiming. If I am to bite her before the Claiming, my life is forfeited, no matter who I am.

“She is ours,” my beast, Rajin, roars; trying to fight my control.

“She won’t be ours if we are killed,” I argue back. “Under no circumstances can this woman be marked until the Claiming, and we are not entered in it. If we go against the Beast Council, we will be sentenced to death.”

Reluctantly, he settles down. She closes her eyes and sits up; freeing my mind the moment her eyes are shut. I glance at the clock on her father’s desk. Three seconds. Only three excruciating seconds had passed.

“Alright, we should probably get moving.” Celina’s amazing voice pulls my mind to her, making my canines descend. I watch her stand while I fight to restrain my beast. I can’t.

“Maybe I’ll get lucky, and a lycan will take me out,” she mutters, making my beast growl furiously.

“Ma-”

“Don’t say it,” I growl to him. “Our life depends on you not saying that word.”

“Prince Christopher,” Celina asks, standing by the door, “are you coming?”

It takes all my will not to follow that trail of thought. I nod, unable to answer; my canines are still descended.

She gives a disappointed sigh. “Not much of a talker, are you,” she says, stepping into the hall. “That’s okay, I guess. I mean, at least you’re not trying to sink your teeth into my neck.”

I almost laugh at the irony of that statement. “Are people normally trying to sink their teeth into you?” I ask, doing everything within my power to keep my jealousy masked, and to retract my canines.

She looks back at me, leading me to the quarters the other girls are kept in. “Only this time of year. It brings out the crazies. Any Alpha would love to have the Alpha King’s daughter as their Luna.”

My beast growls at that, but I ignore him. “Any particular crazies we should look at?” I ask, her falling into step with me.

She purses her perfect lips as she thinks; making my beast stir. “I didn’t think of it earlier, but my ex I suppose.”

Ex? “Why do you think that?”

She blushes a little, and I can hear her heart pick up. “Well, he proposed to me six months ago, and he didn’t exactly take my rejection well.” She sounds embarrassed about it. She rubs her neck while fired jealousy fills my body.

“What do you mean by that?” I ask calmly, doing everything I can to keep myself collected.

“He’s been harassing me non-stop. I had to change apartments. My father has security following me at school. I’ve changed my number six times, and he keeps finding it. He called me today and told me he’ll see me at the Claiming, and it doesn’t matter if I don’t want to be his mate; because it wouldn’t matter after tomorrow.”

I feel my irises flash gold; forcing me to close my eyes. I pinch my nose to cover it, “Does this deluded bastard have a name?”

“Declan Ferrings,” she says, concern in her voice. “Are you alright? You look like you’re in pain.”

She’s not wrong. “Fine, just tired,” I lie quickly. “You’re not the only one that flew in today.” I lower my hand and open my eyes. “Why doesn’t your father just force him to leave you alone? He cannot resist the order of the Alpha King.”

She shrugs, “Because he’s a lycan.”

That makes me feel better. He is someone I can destroy. “I’ll look into it and see what I can do.”

She suddenly turns around, and I realize she’s standing in front of a guarded staircase. The four lycan guards glare at me while she waits. “Well this is me,” she says, jerking her thumb back. “Thank you for walking me here.” She bares her neck to me, showing her submission and respect to me; making my beast go wild.

I quickly nod, squeezing my arm as I bow, “Goodnight Princess.”

She lifts her head, calming me a little, and smiles. “Please, call me Celina.”

She turns and starts walking away at that point. I glare at the guards, pushing my aura; instantly making them bare their necks. “Have a mated male outside her door all night.”

I turn and go directly to my father. I find him back in King Marcus’s primarily red office. He’s talking to Ruben and Marcus. “Glad you could join us,” my father says pointedly as I close the door. “From what we found, the wine was homebrewed, and sealed with beeswax. There was scent-neutralizing spray mixed with the glass from the bottle, and coating it, making it impossible for her to smell the Wolfsbane. Even a lycan wouldn’t have picked up on it. With Celina’s strength, the Wolfsbane would have only made her sick for a few days if she ingested it. That young wolf is lucky that Celina found her when she did.”

“So Jenna wasn’t the target,” Marcus asks to clarify. “I did find out that her tool of a boyfriend broke up with her.”

Father shakes his head. “Jenna was undoubtedly not the intended recipient. I’ve done some digging, and Celina hasn’t dated anyone in six months.”

Marcus nods, “She hasn’t. I’m not sure why they broke up, but he is off the rails. I’ve even been forced to place a guard on her while she’s at school, because of him”

“I know why,” I tell them, folding my arms. I keep my eyes low, trying not to make eye contact with my father. “She told me about it while I was escorting her. Her ex, Declan Ferrings, proposed to her. She rejected it and he’s not exactly thrilled about it. He’s stalking her to the point she has guards on her at school, and she’s constantly changing her number. He called her today and insinuated that she’s his after the Claiming. He’s planning on marking her.”

“Declan Ferrings?” Ruben demands, straightening. “That’s Councilor Randaul's son.”

I nearly growl. That means I can’t just slice his throat. “So can we prohibit him from participating on grounds of suspicion?” I ask, trying to think of a way out of this.

I hear Marcus shuffling papers. “I didn’t even know he entered.” He sits down and smacks it when he finds the paper. “Added yesterday.”

“Again, can we block him on suspicion?” I ask, growing annoyed.

“We can’t do that without evidence,” my father says, sounding frustrated. “What does he gain if she doesn’t compete?”

“If she doesn’t compete, the Council could assign Declan as her mate,” Ruben points out, surprising me that something useful came out of his mouth.

“Then why enter the Claiming in the first place,” Marcus asks.

“To throw suspicion,” he says crossing his arms.

“Then how does he explain leaving the Claiming mateless? The whole point is for men to grab a mate. As the only lycan, he’s guaranteed a win against any werewolf, if Celina doesn’t participate. She’s defeated lycans before, so he’s not guaranteed a win.”

That interests my father. “Which ones?”

Marcus goes to his file and pulls out past files. The list for Celina is long. Marcus flips each year until he finds the lycans. “Declan all three years prior. There are five others. Cedric Higgins, Derrick Beavoux, Lance Rovoure, Daniel Harris, and Nicholas Tribidoux.”

“Every single one of those lycans has a father on the Council,” Ruben groans.

My father holds up a cell phone. “According to Celina’s call logs, Councilman Geoff Tribidoux called her, several times. Larry Higgins and Leopold Beavoux did as well, but she only talked to Geoff for less than a minute. I wonder what he had to say.”

“Geoff, Larry, and Leo all call her often. She’s my daughter, so it’s not that strange.”

“She’s not inheriting your role,” My father points out. “They should be calling Prince Xander, not her.”

“Celina still has royal duties she has to uphold.”

“Look, there is no point in arguing,” I cut in. “Unless we talk to her, we do not know what their conversation consisted of.”

“I agree, it’s going to be nothing but theories until we talk to her. This is Celina’s last Claiming, and the list of those who have the intention to mark her is long.” Marcus says tiredly. “For now, I suggest we break for the night. I have a Claiming Ceremony to prepare for.”

“Agreed,” my father says, motioning for us to adjourn for the day.

When we’re leaving dad grabs my arm. “Do not let Declan mark her tomorrow, or it’s your neck.”