Chapter 294 - Rooted to You (2/2)

Russ stared down at the blank screen of his cell phone. It hadn't pinged a notification in over an hour. His attention moved back to the others in the room in idle boredom and irritation. He lowered the phone into his ŀȧp and swiped across the screen. {Unread... still... is she ignoring my messages now?} He was just about to send a text addressing that very question when a single word of what the group around him was saying rang through his brain. ”Marriage-” Russ sat forward in growing irritation. ”Wait, what!”

Lamia frowned as she repeated herself. ”I'm sure it has been brought to your attention multiple times by now, you have to be wed no later than three months after your coronation.” Her attention moved to the tablet in her hands. ”It would be easy enough to proceed with the arrangements your parents began before their death, but it will have to be decided soon as your coronation must be performed as soon as possible.”

His eyes shifted angrily to Ry, but the massive man seemed to be lost in his own troubles and also ignoring the current conversation. ”What do I have to be married to take my rightful place? I'm sure there have been single rulers in the past. Hell, Fern was never married!”

Lamia's frown deepened. ”Well yes, but it's ill-advised and doesn't bode well for the kingdom.”

”Have you seen this fuċkɨnġ kingdom?! I'm pretty sure my marital status will have little effect on it. AND I'll be damned if I'm following through with the arrangements my parents started.” He said as he pushed up from the seat. ”I'm sure with the current situation there's exceptions to any outdated, retarded laws you may have as far as the ruling of MY kingdom goes.”

”And where do you think you're going?” Lamia asked in irritation.

”I have other matters to deal with before I address my people.” Russ nodded toward Ry as he made his way to the doors of the study. ”You got this?”

Ry nodded back. ”Yeah, kid… go on.”

Lamia's mouth dropped as her eyes darted from Ry to Russ. ”Exactly who do the two of you think you are?! This isn't your decision! You can't leave until I say-”

Russ could feel his anger rise as he turned on the council member. ”Until you say so? What a fuċkɨnġ joke you are. Come back with that shit when you've done something to warrant my respect and obedience.” With one last snarl of his lips, he turned and stormed out of the room.

Lamia couldn't help the wide-eyed horror as her eyes shot from the closed door to the stoic faces around her. ”I… I'm sure the young prince is just nervous about the speech later is all…”

”Ha!” Ry chuckled as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he did. ”No, I'm pretty sure that was the 'young prince' telling you to go fuċk yourself.” He eyes twinkled with amusement as they held hers. ”He may be young, but that kid is no pushover.”

***

Before Russ had even realized where he was going, he was pushing open the door to the library. It had become one of his favorite spots in the palace after he'd found out it was his mother and father's. Somehow being there made him feel closer to them. He let out an angry growl as he tried again to mentally will his eyes to return to normal, but the red tent remained.

”Are you always such an angry person, Your Majesty?”

The beautiful yet stoic voice pulled his attention toward the window seat overlooking the main gates. He walked toward her, the red tent slowly fading the closer he got. ”Are you always so cool and controlled?”

An eyebrow arched from behind the book. ”Did I seem cool and controlled last night?”

Russ let out a chuckle as he set down on the other end of the seat and pretended to stare out the window when in reality, he was watching her reflection. ”I mean yeah you did… kinda… I imagine it takes quite a bit of control to organize your pack so quickly and quietly… not to mention the seven of you did what my entire palace staff couldn't in a fraction of the time… It's pretty cool if you ask me.”

Jaden's eyes peeked from over the book as she openly studied the prince. ”Blind rage will get you nowhere in a battle, Your Maj-”

”Just Russ, please.” He interrupted her.

Jaden's brow lifted farther. ”Excuse me if I was raised with manners. No offence to the late king and queen, but you seem to be lacking in that department.”

Russ shrugged. ”I'm sure they'd take no offence to that since they weren't the ones who raised me.” A smile curved his lips as a particularly hot-tempered fairy came to mind. ”The fairy who raised me would though.”

Intrigue danced in her eyes as she lowered the book. ”You were raised by a fairy?”

He nodded. ”Yeah, a dark fae and the Kraken… and as shocking as that might sound, it was the most normal childhood an orphaned kid could ask for. Did they prepare me for this? No… but they did the best they could to give me and my sister a better life. Had they not stepped in I'd probably be dead, and Shelly would have been left to rot in that cellar with the other girls.”

She studied him in silence for the longest time. ”Your motives are clearer now knowing this.” She sat forward, laying the book on the seat between them. ”About what you asked me this morning, I've made up my mind… but first one question.”

”Sure, what is it?” Russ asked, feeling his heart rate begin to race.

”This vision of yours, where do you see yourself within it? You've talked about my role and where you'd like to see the people, but what about you? Where will you be in all this if I agree?” She studied his reactions carefully as her question sank in.

Russ could feel the color flood his cheeks as he thought over his answer. ”I don't plan on abandoning you or my people if that's what you're asking… As for you and I…” His gaze moved to the book she'd set down. It was one of his mother's diaries, which wasn't surprising. He'd brought several of them in here to read. ”I'm already being hassled to take a wife, and I'm sure as soon as that happens, I'll then be hassled to produce an heir… a potential alpha…” His eyes shot up to hers. ”Not that I'd expect you to sleep with me immediately… or even marry me immediately! I'm just saying that's what will be expected!”

Jaden nodded. ”I know the ways of werewolf packs; you don't need to explain. I also understand your… reluctance to wed. I'm sure it's hard leaving the freedoms of the normal world to be dragged into the strict confines of royal within pack life.”

He let out an uneasy laugh, ”You have no idea…”

She nodded again as she tapped her index finger on the diary. ”I do, I grew up in as pack royalty not far from where your mother was born.”

Russ's brows furrowed as he glared at her indignantly. ”Wait, you mean to tell me you, you the same person who gave me hell for 'growing up in a palace' just this morning grew up in a damn palace?!” He forged a glare as he crossed his arms. ”I should bend you over my knee right here and now!”

She arched a brow. ”I'd love to see you try, alpha. Unlike the rest of your pack, I don't have to bow to your will. Besides, I said I grew up royalty within the pack. I didn't say we were wealthy enough to afford such luxuries as this place as to offer.”

Russ chuckled. ”You think there's a lot now, you should have seen it before I started selling off all the expensive, useless shit laying around.”

Her brows tented in amusement. ”Sold? Why did you sell off things in your own palace?”

He shrugged again. ”My people need food, clothes, and shelter way more than I'll ever need 48 golden candelabras or the 20 or 30 crystal chandeliers that were hanging around. The ones from the dining hall sold for over $30k apiece. Can you imagine?!”

The first laugh in over three years rumbled through Jaden's ċhėst as she imagined this crazy man ripping down all the light fixtures throughout the palace. ”No, I can't, not any more so than I can imagine a king destroying his own palace.”

He laughed with her before finally settling his hand over the hand she still had resting on his mom's diary. ”So, you'll stand with me today, in front of the people as my fiancé?”

She nodded slowly, her eyes moving from his hand to his hopeful eyes. ”Yes…”