Queen of the Lycan, Karina Espinosa [accelerated reader books .TXT] 📗

the throne room with my guards surrounding me and my head held high.

10

When I entered the royal wing, I saw Alexander seated in the common area with his guards at his side, waiting patiently for me. He was supposed to have joined the meeting, but there wasn’t an opportunity to bring him in with all the shit-show activities going on.

My guards took their posts and I sat across from Alexander, exhaling loudly and rolling my shoulders to release the tension.

Alexander frowned. “That bad?”

I rubbed my forehead and sighed. “Let’s just say it could have been better.”

“What did they want?”

“They want to reverse your law for the lunas. Which is ridiculous when I say it out loud!” I laughed hysterically. “Did they really think I, of all people, would agree to that? I was the one who fought for it!” I shouted.

“They probably thought they could reason with ye, ye ken,” Alexander explained. “Did they bring up the treaty with the Highlanders?”

I shook my head. “We didn’t have the opportunity to talk about anything else. Once they brought up the lunas, it set me over the top. I’m sure they have a laundry list of things they want to change, but I didn’t make it easy for them,” I admitted sheepishly.

“Be careful, darling.” Alexander leaned forward. “Especially of Lucas. He comes off as innocent and docile, but he’s a true snake in the grass.”

I nodded in agreement. “I figured as much. Don’t worry; I won’t let them get one over on me.”

Alexander’s frown deepened. “This is why it’s important ye build yer Council. Ye need them to deal with the Summits. Hurry, Mackenzie. Ye can only hold them off for so long.”

“I will, I will, I promise,” I grumbled.

I had so much on my plate, but I knew I needed to establish this council before I ended up fighting against the Summits all on my own. And Alexander was right – there was only so much I could do as Queen. This wasn’t a dictatorship. If Stefan was right, then the Summit might try to interpret the law to dethrone me on a stupid technicality. I couldn’t let that happen.

I leaned against the floral sofa and rested my head on the back, closing my eyes for a moment. I was exhausted, mind and body. I was still weak and nowhere near a hundred percent. The illness that knocked me on my ass still lingered, leaving me weak and foggy-minded at times. I did my best to keep it together in the throne room, but now I felt like I could sleep for an entire day.

“Darling, are ye okay?”

“Hmm?” I lifted my head. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just resting my eyes.” I smiled and tried to look as casual as possible. The last thing I wanted was for Alexander to worry.

Luckily, Ranulf picked that moment to walk into the royal wing, cutting Alexander off just as he was about to say something.

“Hells bells, Yer Majesty! Ye left me with a mess, ye ken,” Ranulf grunted as he sat beside Alexander. “We set up a meeting for one week from today, but they were none too happy about it.”

“I’m sure they weren’t,” I muttered as I looked out the French doors that led to the balcony. “But they’ll have to get over it. There’s a new sheriff in town and I’m not taking any of their bullshit.”

“Ye need a Council, Yer Majesty,” Ranulf pleaded in a very un-Ranulf way. If they were trying to get me to understand the importance of the Queen’s Council, I think I was getting the point.

“I know, Ranulf. Alexander already beat you to it. But it’s not like I can pull a list of people out of my ass and hand it over. I don’t know anyone around here.”

“They don have to be from Sheunta Village, darling,” Alexander said. “We can pay for moving expenses if ye want someone from the outside.”

I thought about that for a moment and considered my options. There was Jackson, but he really needed to be Alpha of the Brooklyn Pack. That was where he belonged. Bernard just got his father back, and even if that wasn’t a factor, we didn’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on matters relating to the lunas. Then there was Cassidy. I could ask him … but asking him to leave the SIU? I didn’t know if I could do that, especially since it would mean leaving Michaels without a partner. There was Ollie, my brother, but he was too green and new to the Lycan world. He didn’t know much about Lycan laws. I needed someone more seasoned. Someone like …

I perked up and stared at Alexander and Ranulf. “I want a luna!”

“What?” Ranulf questioned, looking bewildered.

“The only luna on the Council so far is Ailios, but she’s a Highlander and she comes with a whole other set of baggage. I want an everyday, run of the mill luna to join my Council. A voice for the lunas. Someone who sees what I can’t.”

If Blu was still alive, I would have begged her to join, stowing her away in my luggage to bring her across the ocean.

“We can find one,” Ranulf agreed cautiously. “Are ye sure ye want to go this route, though? This will cause even more tension with the Summits.”

I shrugged. “It’s my Council, not theirs. If they want to change the laws for the lunas, well, shouldn’t the lunas have a representative there to fight for them?”

“Very well.” Ranulf nodded and made a note of it in his phone. “A minimum of ten seats need to be filled to have a full Council. Ye need to fill five more, Yer Majesty.”

“Don’t worry; I got it,” I reassured them, even though I had no clue where I would find these elusive Council members. “Is that all for now?” I asked, looking at Alexander and the grizzled old guard. When they nodded, I called out, “Liam!”

“Yes, Yer Majesty?” The young guard walked into the common room and bowed