The Cat Shifter (Book 1 of Shifter Series)

Chapter 54

"Thank you again for coming on such short notice," I said, looking at the royals from the other clans and offering them a small smile, grateful that they were here. "I hoped that we would have met on better terms, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case."

"It wasn't in battle, so it was on better terms than it could have been," King Edmond said with a pointed look and a slight wink.

"Hmph." I nodded because it wasn't in battle. "That is true," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, "but there is a battle looming overhead, two of them if you want to count what I will have to face after my uncle and I fight."

"That shouldn't be a problem for you, though," King Edmond said. "However, the battle with your uncle..." He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, looking nervous for me. "You do realize that there are others from different species that are going to be participating with him, correct?"

I nodded in confirmation. "I know, which is why I do hope you all will help me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I cleared my throat while I shifted on my feet. "I hate asking for it because it is mainly our fight, but for the sake of the species..."

"You will need as much backup as you can get," King Paul said. "We'll help you where we can. Will you tell us when the battle is close?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty," I said and nodded, biting back a sigh of relief. "I will also tell you where to expect it, but I have a feeling that it'll either be close to here or at the palace. However, I am not sure about that yet."

"Then until then, keep learning what you can. Get stronger and become more attuned with yourself and the powers that you hold. You should be a lot stronger than your parents, and I would say that you'd be stronger than us too," the witch queen said before she squealed and clutched her husband's arm. "I can't wait to know what powers you have and how different they are from your parents."

My cheeks turned red, and I looked down while I cleared my throat. "I know that I can heal people and talk to animals," I said, sheepishly. "I'm still learning what else I can do, but I can let you know when I get there."

Queen Selena smiled and nodded. "Of course," she said, "and I can help you with that if you will allow me too."

"You can," I said, feeling relieved. "I would ask someone else for help, but..." I shrugged and grimaced while I talked about Amity.

"Aren't you the true heir to the throne?" King Philip asked and raised an eyebrow, and I looked at him.

"I am," I confirmed and nodded.

"Amity was given as a gift to the throne and has been ordered to serve the heir to the throne. She isn't fully under your uncle's command, so that is why one eye is red and the other isn't."

I opened my mouth to ask him how he knew that because I knew that I didn't tell him, but I closed it when he raised his hand to silence me.

"We can discuss that later," he said. "Right now, I believe it is time for us to go so that your pack can relax. We will be in touch to help you later before the battle."

"You have support, Kat," King Paul said. "Don't worry about your clan because they will be protected as well as your throne."

I made sure to keep my face blank because I was worried. I had no idea what was going to happen and prayed that my clans would stay safe while we got myself prepared to take over the position that was rightfully my own.

There was no way we could fail...

"Thank you again for meeting us on such a short notice," Brody said when I didn't say a word. He cleared his throat and looked at me before he looked at the kings and queens, and I had a feeling that he was still nervous. "We do appreciate it, and it is nice meeting you all."

"It is nice to meet you, too," Queen Beatrice said and smiled. She dipped her head, and Brody smiled a little at her. She cleared her throat and gestured to her son. "George respects you and seems pleased with you being her mate."

Caspian pressed his lips into a thin line and shifted on his feet, and he didn't say a word. He didn't approve of Brody as my mate, and I hoped that he was going to start acting cordial with us, especially if we are to work together.

King Paul looked at Caspian and set his jaw, disapprovingly. He said something through his link with his son, and Caspian didn't say a word and set his jaw.

"Thank you," Brody said and nodded with a small smile on his face. The smile was forced from what I could tell, and I had a feeling that my mate didn't like the way Caspian was acting.

King Edmond noticed Caspian's behavior and looked at him. "What is it?" he asked, and his eyes flashed in warning, and the Werewolf king looked at him before he looked at his son, staying silent. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Caspian said and dipped his head close to his chest. "Nothing is wrong."

He looked at me. "Care to explain?" he asked and raised an eyebrow.

George and I looked at each other before we looked at King Edmond, not saying a word.

The Vampire king pressed his lips into a thin line, and annoyance flashed through his eyes when neither of us said a word. "Do you know?" he asked while he looked at his son, and there was a small threat in his voice that I didn't like.

George looked at me before he looked at his father. He didn't say a word, and I could tell that he wanted me to take control of this, especially since I was to lead my clan sooner than they lead theirs.

"It's nothing to worry about at the moment, Your Majesty," I said, silently begging him to stop it while my mate looked between George and I, confused. I cleared my throat and stood taller while I looked at the king. "There was a bit of a disagreement between Caspian and I, but it is in the past and will stay there."

"Hmph," the Vampire king said unamused and looked at Caspian. "I hope it will stay in the past and will not affect your abilities as a leader of the Werewolves. You three will have to work well with each other if you all want to survive. Is that understood?"

Caspian pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said, and I could hear the disgust in his voice.

I wasn't the only one that heard it because King Edmond hissed out a warning and took a threatening step forward.

His gray eyes were speckled with red, and he looked angry about the evident disrespect that Caspian gave him. "Y-"

"Your Majesty," I said, interrupting him, and he turned his gaze to me. I pressed my lips into a thin line, annoyed but didn't make a snippy comment like I wanted. "Please, control yourself, I beg of you. There are still those that do not trust you, and if they see you being "mean" to their prince..." I grimaced and shrugged while I trailed off before I cleared my throat. "We still have a lot of work that we need to take care of before we are allowed to show our displeasure with one another and not behind closed doors."

King Edmond scowled and narrowed his eyes while he studied me. He didn't appreciate that I had interrupted him, but he knew that I did it to protect him and whatever image my pack had of him.

I pressed my lips into a thin line and stayed silent while I stared at him, silently waiting for him to calm down again.

Finally, the Vampire King took a deep breath and let it out while he closed his eyes, controlling his eyes. He cleared his throat and slowly nodded, knowing full well what I said was true. "Of course," he said and opened his eyes. "My apologies, Your Majesty."

"We should get going," King Philip said, and we looked at him. "If anything changes, and you find something else out, do not be afraid to contact us," he added. He looked at my mate. "That goes for the both of you. Is that understood?" He looked at me.

I nodded, feeling relieved. "Yes, Your Majesty," I said, "and if you need anything, then let me know. I will see what I can do."

The king hummed and nodded. He sent one more warning look to Caspian before he and his family went into the van, and the others followed suit until we were the only ones left standing.

I leaned against my mate when he wrapped his arms around me and breathed a sigh of relief when they left without any other issue or fight.

Goddess, protect them, I silently prayed while I closed my eyes, feeling slightly exhausted. Please don't let my uncle kill them too.