A Queen's Anxiety

LUCIAN

In the car on our way to visit her father, I can feel the waves of anxiety radiating off her, in turn spiking my own stress response.

“You okay, baby?” I ask gently, giving her deliciously thick thigh a soft squeeze. Looking down, she rests her own hand on mine with a small sigh, and nods.

“Yeah… I don’t know… Something just feels a little off, Lucian,” she answers honestly and my brow creases, prompting her to elaborate. “When I linked my father, something just didn’t feel right. He felt…different.”

It’s her turn to frown as she ponders over the thought before shaking her head to brush it off. I put my block up slightly to hide the anxiety her statement sparks in me.

“I don’t know. I’m probably just imagining it because I’m so anxious to share our news,” she adds with a small, straight smile. I can tell she’s trying to convince herself that’s all there is to it. Even though, now she’s said it, I know we both feel differently.

After a minute of quiet while I’m lost in thought, she speaks again.

“Remind me why we brought extra security? It’s my family home, Lucian. No one would hurt me there. I’m still their princess.” She looks across at me after a swift glance in the side mirror at the four SUVs tailing us.

I give her thigh a reassuring squeeze once more before answering. “You’re right, you’re still a princess, but you are now also a rising queen. You should know that finding my mate has made me more powerful. Those who were hoping to see me fail may now be not so happy about the idea that I will be ruling for a lot longer. It’s nothing personal, baby…

~I hope~…

She nods, chewing on her lip anxiously and looking back out of the window toward the mountains.

The last thing I want to do is lie to Liana, but in this case it’s for her safety. I cannot be sure whether my mother’s “visit” was a dream or reality, but I cannot take any risks. Not where she is involved. This woman I have waited so many years to find is finally here, and she is finally mine. I will not let anything take that away from me. I will tear apart anyone who dares try.

***

As we pull down the driveway to her father’s house, her anxiety spikes again. We were quiet for the rest of our drive, but I could practically hear the cogs ticking in her head.

As I sit behind the wheel waiting for the SUVs to park, I spot a few members of her pack’s security walking the grounds. They nod and bow respectfully to me. I give them a nod in return, and they continue on with their day.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, I watch as Kia hops out of one of the SUVs and does a quick scour of the grounds.

~“All good, sir.”~

~“Thank you, Kia.”~

When I turn to Liana, she’s chewing her lip again and looking to the door of her childhood home.

“You ready, love?”

She sucks in a determined breath and nods as she swings open the door. Opening my own, I stride around to her side and offer my hand to help her out.

She looks stunning in the new outfit I bought for her. Skintight black jeans hug everything perfectly, and are paired with a strappy top of emerald-green silk that matches those beautiful eyes. Her mother’s necklace rests at the top of her cleavage. She opted for some black heels, which surprised me, but they suit her with their thick suede wedges and the wide straps over her pedicure. I like the little extra height they give her even though I still love how short she is compared to me.

A soft breeze blows through her raven hair, plastering it over my shoulder as we walk. Kia follows behind, his eyes shifting across the grounds. He’s followed by two of my most highly trained warriors while the rest stay within the vehicles, just in case.

Several piercing howls suddenly fill the air, making Liana flinch and tuck in closer to me. I love her reaction but I focus on the noise as the howls and whimpers get closer.

From the right, fifteen pack members come running up the track in form, all howling and staring at us. I quickly tuck Liana behind me and Kia moves to my side, as well as Trevor and Dylan.

“Lucian…” Liana whines slightly. I hold her closer to my back and keep her shielded from sight. The wolves all skid to a stop but pace around us anxiously. I can tell they’re communicating via link, and I spot a larger black wolf who seems to be the main instigator of this rally.

He shifts in a second and looks over me critically. He is, even from my point of view, quite a specimen: large in all ways, black hair matching his wolf and brown eyes that almost glow, like amber. He paces the line of his backup and grinds his teeth together with a tight, sharp jaw.

“~You,~” he states, spitting at the ground.

“Problem?” I respond calmly.

“~You~ have claimed ~our~ princess. I can smell it from here… She was not yours to claim, ~my king~.” His voice holds a distaste that makes me grind my own teeth while trying to remain calm.

“~She~ has a name and Liana is now your queen. As I am your king. You need to remember who is in charge here, pup.”

He scoffs and continues to pace. I can feel how heated the atmosphere is, even from a few feet away.

“Liana is ~my~ mate,” I state once again, as calmly as I can muster. “Our claim on ~each other~ is lawful.”

He stops pacing and looks at my arm. Then he smiles. I look down at Liana’s hand resting on my bicep. It happens to be her left hand. Without a ring.

“Maybe not as lawful as you claim, my king,” he says, his smile still firmly in place.

I growl slightly without meaning to, but as if by pure luck, Liana’s father picks that moment to open the front door and step out.