BXBX NOVEL Chapter 332
“You certainly took a while to figure it out. It’s simple really,” she then gestured to the proud pigeon perching on her shoulder, “Darla happens to know the faces of the criminals and might even be able to anticipate their attacks before anything bad happens.”
“We have had men stationed at all entrances into the castle and no one has spotted any of the criminals said to attack us today. It’s only a matter of time before we find them,” Jason replied, defending the security he’d set up.
The Luna scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Hadn’t they got information about the attack on her yet? Something wasn’t adding up. Kyle stepped forward before Katie could respond, “That might be true, but on our way here, we were attacked by one of the criminals pretending to work here.”
Cole’s face paled, “Why didn’t I hear about this as soon as it happened?”
“First of all, Cole, I’m fine. Kyle protected me... much more than I thought he was capable if you ask me,” the Luna mumbled the last part. Kyle was not amused, “Secondly, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions and start pointing fingers just yet. That will only bring more confusion. Could have just been a lack of communication from the guards. I assumed they would tell you about this, but I guess they are taking longer than expected. The worst-case scenario is that they ran into some trouble.
In any case, worrying about this past mistake will only give our enemies more time to prepare a coordinated attack,” Katie explained her reasoning.
The prince sank back into his seat, rubbing his temples. His mate was making sense right now. In fact, she was acting more level-headed than he’d expected. Something still bothered him, “How did they get into the palace though?”
The bird perched on Katie’s shoulder poked her at that moment, calling for her attention, “Tunnels, Katie. Tunnels that connect to nearly every room on the ground floor of the palace. You won’t even see them coming,” the bird replied, “I also advise you don’t tell Cole about this until he’s done with his speech. It might throw him off.”
.....
‘That last request is bitter. Do we really have to?’ Ashley groaned in her mind.
Katie was quiet for a moment before speaking up, “I’m not sure yet, but Darla will be able to identify them if it comes down to it. Jason, make sure you keep a watchful eye, even on those that have already entered the throne room.” With that, the girl was no longer interested in speaking of the matter and her expression said it all.
“Understood, Luna Katie,” Jason was gone in a flash.
The doors of the throne room swung open once again, admitting someone dressed much more elegantly in comparison to Katie. The only other person in the room that had dressed in a flowing gown as exquisite as the one the queen wore was Queen Martha herself.
All eyes fell on the queen as she glided into the room. Her gait was almost impossible to discern. Her bright blue eyes radiated power that forced all the wolves that faced her bow to acknowledge their ruler.
She made her way to the two thrones at the front that overlooked the throne room. Sitting on the throne that was meant for the Luna, designed just as luxuriously as its counterpart, but in blue rather than red. Gems were encrusted in intricate patterns into the chair’s very arms and legs, giving it a look of grandeur like no other. It was the throne of a king.
Caden walked to the podium in front of the thrones, dressed in a suit with an earpiece and mouthpiece to make him audible over the well-positioned speakers, “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We welcome all that were able to attend physically and those that watch on or listen from the comfort of their homes to the coronation ceremony of the future king, Cole Lycaon. Without spending any more precious time, I’d like to invite the Queen and Luna of Lycaon to speak on behalf of her regime. To speak on behalf of the king, Alpha Trevor Lycaon.”
The queen stepped up from her place on the throne and began to address the gathering, “Katie, what is on your mind?” Cole’s voice invaded the girl’s mind.
“I didn’t want to bother your speech. It turns out, the palace might have already been infiltrated. According to Darla, security might not be able to keep them out of the throne room,” she mentally sighed, “Please try to keep your reaction to a...”
“WHAT???” Cole’s voice was louder than Katie had expected.
“Oh dear,” the girl rubbed her temples, “Please try to stay calm.” The girl sent the queen an apologetic grimace... hoping she would understand that it was a mistake that wasn’t meant to happen. The woman had stopped speaking when Cole snapped. Murmurs rippled through the room.
“I will calm down when those bandits are caught,” the prince replied, in a much lower tone ignoring the disturbance he’d just made. Whether it was because he was trying to avoid more of a commotion or whether he didn’t care about what he’d just done was lost on everyone that bothered.
He sank back in his seat. If he hadn’t been anxious before, he was now, “Would you accompany me to the front when my turn to speak arrives? This would be a good opportunity to introduce you to the pack as my mate anyway.”
Katie was caught off-guard by his request, “Wait, what... That was so sudden.”
“Please, Katie...” he pleaded. The girl wanted to continue complaining, but one look at his trembling hands told her all she needed to know. She placed her smaller hand over the king’s trembling hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, not that she could have squeezed it any harder.
“Sure, I’ll be with you every step of the way.”