The Fae Queen

Chapter 12

It was the day of their mating ceremony, an age old fae tradition. Lili and Onyx weren't allowed to see each other for twenty-four hours before the ceremony as a way of building up the tension of the matebond and their reunion. It was driving both of them positively mad.

Onyx busied himself in the kitchen, it was the first time he had been back there since Lili's birthday. He had hardly spoken to his father the entire month he was mated to Lili and the awkward silence continued today. Echo, Ford, Lennie, and the rest of the staff were tiptoeing around the kitchen, hoping to avoid setting off the bomb that was clearly counting down between the father and son.

"Is this cake okay for the ceremony?" Echo asked, opening the oven door and revealing a strawberry cake. She had the ingredients for homemade vanilla icing out on the counter.

"It looks perfect, Echo." Onyx smiled.

"Her wolf marked you?" Robert said the very first words to his son.

"Yes." Onyx looked startled.

"She's really accepted you?"

"She has." Onyx said,

Robert sighed and turned away from the stove, facing his son.

"I'm proud of you." He confessed and Onyx resisted the urge to cheer. He knew he had to play it cool.

"Thanks, Dad." He grinned.

Robert stuck out his hand and Onyx shook it, knowing that was about all he was going to get from his Dad.

"Will you be at the ceremony?" Onyx asked.

"I'm working." Robert replied, turning back around towards the stove, "I'm making your favorite for the main course; chili." He added and Onyx knew that was his father's way of being there for him.

"Thanks, Dad." He said again.

Lili, on the other hand, was busying herself with paperwork. She knew that she would soon have a partner in all of this and she wasn't exactly sure how she was going to handle that. She was used to handling her duties on her own. Her uncle had promised to start handing over responsibilities to the newly crowned prince and the princess in order to begin preparing them for the throne.

There was a knock on the door and she nodded towards the guards to check on it. One of the guards opened the door and Viktor Judge strolled in. She was wound so tight from being away from Onyx that she didn't even have the decency to cover up her sigh at his presence.

"What is it, Viktor?" She snapped and he had the good sense to look taken aback.

"I'm glad that I caught you alone, princess." He said, looking at the empty chair where Onyx had once sat.

"I'm never alone." She said, eyeing her guards behind him.

"Right," He didn't clarify what he meant but Lili knew, "It has been a month and I thought we would discuss the state of my village."

"I know about the state of your village, Viktor. I was planning on making an official visit after the ceremony but it seems that you're eagerness has saved me the trip. The advisors have been reporting back to me along with the spies I embedded within your village." Lili's words shocked Viktor.

"You did what?" Anger flashed in his eyes.

"I knew you would try to catfish the representatives I sent, so I had several members of the royal village move into your village undercover. I know that you have been threatening your people to rescind their complaints and share only good reports. I know you've been threatening the children to keep their parents in line around my advisors. It's despicable, Viktor, and I'm ashamed by the actions of you and your father. The Judge family will be stripped of their title, their lands, their money, and their pedigree. A democratic vote will be held so that the people of the West village may elect their own leadership." Lili announced powerfully, keeping her voice calm and her face expressionless.