The Rejected Werewolf Princess

CAMILLA'S PO.V

I wasn't sure if Ryker's idea was amazing or going to end up being a total disaster. It had the possibility to be both depending on how the elders chose to go along with things. The elders stayed staring at us after his words, their faces held various expression from shock to disbelief and finally annoyance but no one said a single word. "Your majesty," one of the elders began clearing his throat. "There have always been six elders. It is the way it has been for ages. Your ancestors-"

"Probably had use for six elders," Ryker said simply and they all went silent. "As of right now, I have no use for six elders who waste time and resources. Prove to me that you are useful and you will be kept. It shouldn't be so hard, should it?”

He pursed his lips but didn't say anything. I glanced over at Ryker who said nothing. He was leaning back into his chair with a look on his face that could only be described as superior. No one spoke for a full minute and I realized that they were waiting for me to say something. I didn't know what to do. On one hand, I understood what Ryker was trying to do but on the other, I recognized the need for tradition.

Still, there was no possibility that I was going to stand against my mate so I cleared my throat. "I believe the prince has spoke. Does anyone have any questions?" "None, your majesty," they bowed in unison.

"Good, you can all leave now."Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

There were grumbles and chairs being dragged unnecessarily against the floor as they stood to their feet. I watched them file out in order and I watched them leave. Visit Job n ib.com to read the complete chapters for free. Just as the door was about to close, I noticed one of the elders lingering. I knew without looking that it was Caius, he was the only one who ever lingered. He was the only one who would dare to.

"Do you need something, Caius?" I asked looking up at him with a bored expression and he pursed his lips.

"I just wanted to ask if you knew what you were doing, your majesty. This kind of competition could prove to be unhealthy amongst the elders. Not a lot of them are willing to ever go back to being normal citizens. Things could end up in a way that you don't expect. "I believe we can handle ourselves, Caius," I drawled. "You would do well to focus on your own problems right now. Everyone is at risk of losing their jobs, including you."

I could see the surprise on his face. For some reason, he might have thought that it didn't affect him but it did, it affected everyone. Sure, he was kinder to us than the others and he was arguably more useful than the others but he was going to have to test it like everyone else. There was no way in hell I was giving anyone any kind of preferential treatment.

"Of course, your majesty," he bowed and I watched him walk away.

Once he was gone and I was sure the door was securely shut behind us, I turned to Ryker. I finally let my wall down and let all my worry flood his senses. It took him off guard because I saw something flash in his eyes as he turned to me.

"I always support you and you know that," I began with a soft whisper. "But you know that this has the possibility to go south very quickly."

"I know, but this is one good way to get them off our backs as well as sort out most of the pack problems without actually leaving the palace," when he said it like that, it sounded smarter. "We already have a shit ton of things going on right now and we need to focus on it but we can't if we don't have the things in the pack handled."

"So you aren't going to remove any of them?" I asked to be sure and he nodded. "You are devious, Ryker Caine."

"Always," he winked before getting to his feet. "I have some work to attend to right now but I'll be back before dinner."

My brows scrunched because he hadn't told me about having any work and I didn't think there was anything that required that much time and attention. I crossed my arms over my chest and tried not to let my suspicion and anxiety show. A few weeks ago, I wouldn't have cared but now that he had whatever that thing was inside of him, I was

"Where are you going?" I tried to keep my voice even and light hearted. "I didn't know you were going to be going out."

"Don't worry, I'm just going to do some research with Juan. I need to understand these powers that I am working with if I have any plans to pass the test."

"Do you want any help?"

I had barely finished my statement before he refused. I would have been lying if I said I didn't feel bad that he wasn't accepting my help but I pursed my lips and said nothing. He was at liberty to do such and I could understand not wanting to put yourself out there especially considering everything that had happened so far. I would have done the same in his shoes.

All I could do was smile. "Just be safe, okay?"

"I will," he assured me and with a kiss on my forehead, he was gone.

I didn't have much to do if I was being honest. I tried to focus on my work so I could finish up early but my every thought revolved around Ryker and if he was safe. His wall was up so I couldn't sense him but that didn't stop me from worrying every few seconds. He hadn't told me where he was going and neither had Juan. It was almost like they had disappeared and thankfully, I wasn't the only one concerned. Christine had spent half an hour talking about it and she was arguably more pissed than I was but there wasn't much we could do about it.

I was holding Aurora and feeding her lunch in her room when I heard a knock on the door. I glanced over at Christine who was lying on the bed in front of me and her brows rose. Neither Ryker nor Juan would have knocked so that left a stranger. "Come in," I called out and the door opened to reveal a guard holding Audrey by hand. My eyes widened because Audrey was meant to be in school by now. I had taken her less than two hours ago. "What happened? Did she get sick?"

"No, your majesty," the guard responded but he didn't say anything else. It was almost like he was contemplating whether or not he should talk to me and that infuriated me. This was my child that we were talking about.

"Well then what happened and why is she back early?" I asked opening my arms for Audrey to rush into and she didn't hesitate.

"The principal asked that we send her home because according to her, the princess was scaring some of her classmates and talking about seas of blood," he sounded as confused as he looked.

I glanced down at my daughter who was pointedly looking at her hands. She seemed slightly embarrassed and I knew she didn't want to talk about this with him in the room so I cleared my throat and looked at him.

"Tell the principal that she must be mistaken and I will personally bring Audrey in tomorrow so that we can talk as well," I told him and he bowed. "You may leave now."

He shut the door behind us and I immediately handed over the plate of mashed food to Christine who was more than happy to take over for me with feeding Aurora. Audrey still hadn't looked up from her hands and when she saw that my complete attention was on her, she tried to run off but I grabbed her and gently pulled her to a stop.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and my brows furrowed. "Where's daddy?"

"Daddy isn't here right now," I told her trying to keep my voice down and her face fell even more. "Tell me what happened, Audrey, what did you see and why did you talk about seas of blood?"

She shrugged but still wouldn't look at me. I sighed and went on my knees so that we were at eye level and I gently cupped her tiny face into my hands. It was at that moment I realized that there were tears streaming down her face and I quickly wiped them away. Was what she saw so terrible that she was crying or were her tears as a result of something else? For the life of me I couldn't tell and I asked a million and one times over but she wouldn't speak to me.

"Audrey, you can trust me," I coaxed. "What's going on?"

"You have good magic and I don't," she muttered after a few seconds and I stilled.

"What do you mean?"

"You have good and me and daddy, our magic is bad. I don't want you to be mad."

It suddenly made sense why she had been avoiding me and I couldn't help but wonder if I had done something to feed into that narrative. She was crying already and I pulled her into my lap. She buried her face into my chest and I wrapped my arms around her. "Your powers are not bad," I whispered to her. "You are good and that means your powers are good, Audrey. I love you and I love your powers. They are not evil and I cannot be mad at you."

She sniffled. "Do you mean that?"

I nodded immediately. "Of course, darling. Now, tell me about what you saw."

Her face fell. She didn't want to speak but I decided to give her some space and wait for her to share it at

her own pace. It took a few minutes before she finally spoke.

"I saw the front of the palace, it was covered with blood."