Good. Let her stew in it.
Reiya watched the lady strode toward her father, her expression perfectly schooled. Hassamir threw her one sharp look, brief enough to be missed, before turning away as if the victory had meant nothing, something they gave away and not earned.
She exhaled, fingers unclenching.
This was far from over.
For now, though, she’d won this round.
Chapter Fifty
REIYANA
They’d left the desert picnic after sunset. By the time they reached Turasid, the sky had deepened into indigo, stars scattered bright and heavy above. Their footsteps soft against the cool stone as she and Alarik made their way through the family wing. The palace corridors were quiet at this hour, the symphony of garden crickets punctuating the tranquility.
Kaelen had been summoned to a late council session—some diplomatic matter requiring his presence. Reiya hadn’t asked for details. The moment she opened her mouth, she knew her golden Alpha would’ve stayed. She could tell by the way he’d kissed her knuckles before leaving—gentle, lingering—that he already wished he could.
Beside her, Alarik walked in thoughtful silence, hands clasped behind his back. The golden trim of his sleeves shimmered faintly with each measured step.
“You’ve been quiet,” he said at last. “Tired after the race?”
She offered him a small smile. She should’ve felt triumphant. Satisfied, even. But her thoughts kept circling back to the unease still tugging at her chest.
“The race,” she admitted, though it wasn’t the whole truth. Herarms wrapped around herself, the restless energy crackling beneath her skin making it hard to stay still. “And… other things.”
“Other things?”
“I can’t stop thinking about the picnic, and . . . Lady Neda,” she confessed. “She looked . . . I don’t know. Dejected. Sad, maybe?”
“She hides it well,” Alarik admitted, his tone taking a thoughtful turn. “But yes, I saw it too. The king’s attention was . . . diverted today, and she sensed it.”
“Annaïs ensured your father’s eyes were on her today.”
“My father is a cautious man, but he’s not immune to flattery, and Annaïs knows how to use her feminine charms. Neda is perceptive enough to see what’s happening.” Alarik pursed his lips into a grim line. “The fact Annaïs is an Omega doesn’t help Neda’s cause.”
Reiya shook her head. “It doesn’t seem fair. Lady Neda has been by his side for years, hasn’t she? Loyal, patient. She’d given him a daughter . . . and now he’s . . .”
“Drawn to something new,” Alarik finished. “Men in power often reach for what’s shiny and fleeting, forgetting the strength of what they already have.”
Reiya’s stomach twisted. “Do you think he means to marry Annaïs?”
Alarik exhaled, his expression unreadable. “I don’t relish the thought, but the council will support it.”
She swallowed hard. “No kingdom would turn down the chance for more Sunborn or Moonfire heirs.”
Alarik’s gaze sharpened. “For the Mezerins to take control of the succession, they’d need more than that. They’d need more than an Alpha heir—he must also be a Sunborn. You know how rare that is.”
He hesitated, his voice lowering. “Kaelen is already one. By the time any new heir is born, he’ll be too entrenched in governance to be easily replaced. Hassamir and Annaïs would have a long road ahead of them if they intend to shift the line of succession.”
Reiya bit her lip, her mind whirling. Difficult, yes . . . but not impossible.
“Binding the Mezerins to the throne is a tidy solution to preventstrife,” Alarik continued. “Two powerful houses, finally tied together after generations apart. If nothing else, it’ll keep them cooperative.”
She stopped in front of an arched window, hands curling into fists. The thought of Lady Neda—loyal, constant—being blatantly pushed aside for the High Lady of Mezerin lodged like a thorn in her chest.
Alarik came to a stop beside her, silent but attuned, his presence steady even as her thoughts raced.
“At what cost?” Her voice rose. “Lady Neda doesn’t deserve to be treated that way.”