Capture my heart. Legend of the Four Kingdoms Book 2 ✔️

Chapter 16. Breaking the stalemate.

No doubt influenced by Princess Selene and her infatuation with the Werewolf King prophecy, Reese had a healthy curiosity concerning all things werewolf. Feeling privileged to be in reasonable close contact with August she noticed a change in him as soon as they arrived in the garden. Queen Nara and three other women, all servants, were waiting in the small courtyard area. The servants turned to Princess Selene and bowed causing an influx of scent traveling towards the bodyguard. Reese bit her lip to keep in the silly giggle when his nostrils flared and his eyes flashed golden. 'What a precious sight, to be present when a werewolf sees his mate for the first time!' It would give extra depth to her meeting Kai.

From the corner of her eye she saw two figures approaching. After a quick glance back at August who was cemented to the floor she turned around. Jade green eyes filled with unbridled joy saw a female version of August, even more stunning than her brother, abruptly stopping at the edge of the garden. Gorgeous black eyes hastily scanned the area before fixating on the fiercely blushing black haired servant. Footsteps of someone running at full speed was followed by a low and menacing growl.

The small courtyard was suddenly filled with aggressive possessiveness. Three siblings standing in a perfect triangle all fixed their sights on the same woman. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening, but how was it possible that they all shared a mate?

Queen Nara beckoned the servant to kneel next to her rewarding her with another low growl from three directions. The Queen elegantly rose from her seat waving off the palace guards who immediately stood down.

"Nobody is denying your claim on this young woman, so ease up", she said to the triplets with noticeable authority. "Allow us some time to adjust to this unexpected situation. Take into account that Lissa is human and that werewolf customs are uncommon in our Kingdom." She turned to her left. "Summon General Magnus", she nodded to a guard before retaking her seat and softly smiled at her daughter.

"From all things that King Consort Rafael has told me about the triplets what stands out for me the most is their uniqueness in this world. Can you shed any light on the situation at hand?" Her motherly instinct longed to put an arm around her trembling servant, but it would only add to an already tense situation.

Princess Selene nodded, understanding the spoken question and the unmentioned intention.

"Human mates are rare. The triplets are one of a kind. There is nothing to compare with, so let's take it one step at a time."

Running footsteps preceded a disheveled looking General Magnus who stopped next to Baez with a pain stricken face. "Is this why you ran off so suddenly?" he said accusingly pointing at Lissa. "You told me you were gay."

With unwavering eyes Baez locked his jaw. "Don't embarrass me in front of my mate", he barked.

Queen Nara took one look at the state of undress of her General and sighed. So much for his help in diffusing the situation. She turned back to her daughter.

"It looks like their wolfs are eager to stake their claim. It will be hard to reason with them in this state", Princess Selene surmised.

The Queen nodded. "Time is something I can provide. However I will not tolerate any violent behavior." Her voice rang loud in the small courtyard. "Is this clear Wren Family?"

"Yes, Your Highness", it sounded in unison.

"We will leave you with General Magnus to sort out this stalemate", she stated gently gesturing to Princess Selene to stand up.

Reese reluctantly followed the women her eyes fixated on Kai until she could no longer see her.

"Let's go to the library to see if we can find anything useful in the old text", Princess Selene said with a sharp nod to Reese.

Queen Nara scraped her throat. "I will discuss this matter with your father. It suddenly became painfully clear that having a group of werewolves in our midst without proper authorization over them is very dangerous."

Princess Selene looked shocked. "They wouldn't hurt us."

Reese placed a hand on her arm. "Not intentionally, no. However the Queen is right. We have no way to break the deadlock we just faced. Who knows what we will encounter in the future. Your safety should come first."

The second Prince Cedric heard about the situation he spurted into action. A quick assessment of the still existing stalemate in the garden confirmed his suspicions.

"Have you learned anything?" he asked his sister whom he joined in the library.

"No. Just as I feared there is simply nothing to compare with", she said with hanging shoulders.

Prince Cedric swallowed down the rising bile when he recalled the state of undress of his General while he trying to reason with Baez. "I don't care about their uniqueness. Werewolves shared mates before, right? Isn't it supposed to be a blessing from their Moon Goddess?" He shook his head. "What I don't understand is why the pairing of the triplets illicit so much aggression between them? It doesn't add up." Still shaking his head he took out a small pouch. "Brew this into a tea and let Lan serve it", he ordered Reese.

When she didn't move he looked down on her with narrowing eyes. "Don't waste time thinking unnecessary thoughts, Reese", he warned. "I'm not out to harm anyone. Now go."

He turned to his sister. "I'll join mother next. Try to find some relative material to circumvent the Alpha authority."

Princess Selene blinked a few times when she noticed an unusual emotion in his eyes. 'Was he worried? And if so, for who?' Despite the urgency a small smile formed around her full lips. Her icy brother was finally showing signs of thawing out.

The tea worked knocking them out almost instantly. However since no solution was found to subdue the potentially dangerous wolfs, King Dominic ordered them to separate cells. Lissa was taken into protective custody. It was a bold move by the King, because Princess Selene did inform him that separating a wolf from his mate could cause irreparable damage to the mental state of the wolf and even result in death. Time was therefor of the essence to find a solution to appease all parties.