Twenty-four hours after the plaza confrontation, I stood before the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the royal suite.
I smoothed my hands down the skirts of my midnight-blue gown. The silk rustled against the marble floor, stiff and unyielding.
"Are you going to make the bad Alpha cry today, Mom?" Leo asked.
He pushed a carved wooden wolf across the thick Persian rug, unbothered by the sheer opulence of our surroundings.
"I do not have to make him cry, Leo," I said, turning away from the glass. "He did that to himself."
"He broke my toy motorcycle," Leo said, his dark eyes narrowing as he crashed the wooden wolf into a table leg. "He owes us a real one."
"He owes us a lot more than a tire," I replied.
I walked over to the mahogany desk near the window. A small, gilded frame sat near the edge. Inside the polished glass rested a single, crumpled one-dollar bill.
Five years ago, freezing rain had soaked through my thin clothes as Brandon threw that very bill into the mud and severed our mate bond. I had knelt in the downpour, clutching the sodden paper, until a black umbrella appeared overhead. Alexander crouched beside me and lifted my chin, his golden eyes steady through the storm. "Keep it," he had said. "We'll make him buy it back with his territory."
"You still look at that trash?"
Alexander's rich baritone filled the room.
I turned. He stood in the doorway, wearing his formal obsidian King's uniform. Gold braided cords draped across his broad chest, and a ceremonial sword rested at his hip.
"It reminds me of the price of weakness," I said.
Alexander crossed the room in three long strides. "You were never weak, Aria. You were just surrounded by cowards."
"Brandon thinks he can talk his way out of this," I told him, tracing the edge of the gilded frame. "He spent all night sending frantic messages to the regional council members."
Alexander laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Let him message the dead. The council answers to me."
"They might push back," I pointed out. "Shadowmere is a wealthy territory. The elders rely on Brandon's tax contributions."
"They rely on my mercy," Alexander countered. "I seized his accounts yesterday. His wealth is already sitting in the Royal treasury. The elders know better than to bite the hand that actually feeds them."
"You moved fast," I observed.
"I do not play games with your safety," he said, his expression hardening. "He ordered his men to put their hands on you. He raised his claws against your property. Every elder in that room will watch him pay for that insult."
"He thinks the trial is about a ruined motorcycle," I said.
"He is a fool," Alexander replied. "The trial is about treason."
"He will try to use Victoria for sympathy," I warned. "He will parade her pregnancy in front of the elders. A pregnant mate is a powerful shield in Lycan law. The elders prioritize pups above all else."
"The law protects innocent pups," Alexander said, his voice turning lethal. "It does not protect an Alpha who abuses his power to terrorize my territory. If Victoria speaks out of turn today, I will have Gideon escort her to the dungeons until the trial concludes."
"She would not last an hour in the damp," I said.
"Then she should learn to keep her mouth shut," he stated flatly.
He reached into the open velvet box resting on the vanity. His hands lifted the silver crown.
It was heavy, forged from solid Lycan silver. Seven large sapphires gleamed along its sharp peaks, catching the morning sunlight pouring through the window.
"Turn around," he ordered softly.
I faced the mirror again. Alexander stepped right behind me. He lowered the crown onto my head.
The cold metal settled against my scalp. It was a heavy, undeniable weight, pressing down on me with the full force of the Lycan monarchy.
I stared at my reflection. The midnight-blue gown hugged my curves, erasing the image of the exhausted courier Brandon had mocked yesterday. The silver crown elevated me to something untouchable.
"The pinnacle of our power," he murmured, his gaze locking with mine in the reflection.
"They will stare," I said, adjusting the angle of my chin.
"Let them stare," Alexander replied, his hands sliding down to grip my shoulders. "They will bow to their King. But they will bleed for their Queen."
"Brandon will not bow easily," I noted.
"Then I will break his knees," Alexander said.
He stepped back, offering me his arm. "Are you ready to end his bloodline's reign over Shadowmere?"
"I have been ready for five years," I said.
I turned to face him, leaving the framed dollar on the desk.
"Leo, stay with the guards," Alexander instructed, glancing down at my son. "Your mother and I have a territory to dismantle."
"Bring me back his steering wheel!" Leo cheered, abandoning his wooden wolf on the rug.
"I will see what I can do," Alexander promised, a rare, genuine smile touching his lips.
I took Alexander's offered arm. We walked out of the suite together.
We moved down the long, stone corridor toward the judgment hall. The Royal guards snapped to attention as we passed, their boots hitting the stone floor in perfect unison.
My pulse pounded against my ribs. Not from fear. From raw, surging anticipation.
The torches lining the stone walls flickered as we passed. The air grew colder the closer we got to the judgment hall.
"Will you let him speak?" I asked, my leather shoes tapping against the stone.
"I will let him dig his own grave," Alexander answered. "He will try to justify his actions. He will call you a stray again. And every word he speaks will only add to his sentence."
"I want to see his face when he realizes who I really am to you," I admitted.
"You will," Alexander promised. "I reserved the front seat for you."
"The elders are already seated," Alexander added, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "Brandon is waiting at the center podium."
"Does he know I am wearing this?" I asked, gesturing slightly to the sapphire crown.
"He knows nothing," Alexander replied. "He still thinks you are a rogue playing dress-up."
"He always lacked vision," I said.
"He lacks a future," Alexander corrected.
We reached the end of the hall. Two massive guards stood at attention before the entrance to the Royal Lycan Court.
"Open them," Alexander commanded.
The oak doors swung open, revealing a set of pure-gold scales gleaming in the firelight at the center of the hall.
