selkie in front of me looked over his shoulder with a sneer and then shook his head before leading us up the steps to a grand, open room.
‘Rumor is,’ Rage clarified, ‘the selkie king marries any female who becomes a widow so she doesn’t have to fend for food or shelter. He adopts the children.’
And just like that, I was conflicted. The mean a-hole who sent guards to Shifter Island to kill students and teachers also took pity on widows? Talk about a gray area. I wasn’t sure whether I liked him or hated him.
We stepped into a great room. The stone was polished onyx with dark green and blue carpets lying over the shiny black expanse. Bright silk pillows in various shapes and sizes were scattered over the carpets, some clustered in bunches and others solo. My gaze traveled up the aisle and…
Holy crap.
There, sitting on an honest-to-mage throne, was a giant of a man, but he wasn’t what stopped me in my tracks. I stood, gaping, slack-jawed, and shocked at the women at his feet, lying prostrate on the floor and … what the hell? Were they praying to him? Like he was a god? Maybe if he married me and took in all my children after my husband died, I’d worship him too. Who knows?
“What is this?” His deep voice rumbled across the space, and my attention snapped upward. The women on the floor stood, kissing him on the cheek, and then they left the room.
He was better looking than I expected. Long black hair feathered around his chiseled shoulders, slick with water, and his strong jaw and sharp nose were appealing.
“Sir…” The army fatigue dude stepped forward with Rage. “Chinook ran an unsanctioned mission and brought in—”
“I brought you the son of the alpha king, My Liege,” the asshat who’d kidnapped us said and dropped to one knee. Melody did the same, followed by the army dude.
“Indeed?” the king asked. “I thought you were instructed to keep watch over the wolves at Dark Row, Chinook?”
Chinook paled and bobbed his head. “But when we smelled them, I led a contingency of warriors there, and we followed the alpha heir back to Shifter Island where we captured them … for you, My King.”
The king pursed his lips, and his gaze went glassy and unfocused for several seconds before he straightened with a grin.
“Steele,” King Ozark said, giving the army fatigue dude his attention. “Who was in charge of the contingency of warriors left at Dark Row?”
Army fatigue dude, aka Steele, stood, and his gaze darted from the king to my least favorite selkie. “Chinook.”
The king nodded and then rotated his head slightly. “Melody?”
The female selkie raised her head. “Yes, My Liege?”
“Stand up,” he said, waving his hand at her to rise.
She froze, unmoving.
“Stand up.”
She jumped to her feet, her eyes wide.
“Now, you were with Chinook, weren’t you?”
‘What the hell is he doing?’ I asked Rage, glancing at him out of the corner of my eyes.
Rage shrugged. ‘No idea. It’s either a demonstration for us or because of us.”
I wanted to ask what that meant, but my attention jumped back to the female selkie as she bobbed her head.
“Can you confirm that he gave the order to follow the wolves?” the king asked.
Melody’s gaze bounced from the king to Chinook and back before she said, “Yes.”
King Ozark stroked his chin. “So the reward for bringing me these two wolves should rest solely on the shoulders of the selkie who risked so much to accomplish this daring feat, should it not?”
Chinook raised his chin and grinned.
“Melody?” The king’s prompting was accompanied by a stern look at the female. “Does anyone else deserve credit for his daring decision?”
“No, Your Majesty. Chinook made the decision. The rest of us were just following his orders.”
Holy frickin’ mage. I glared at the selkie, fuming as I spoke to Rage. ‘If Chinook gets props for—'
‘Wait,’ Rage said to silence me.
“Steele,” King Ozark said, rising from his throne. “Your blade.”
‘Is he going to get a knighthood?’ I snarled. Why did the dirtbags always get ahead?
Steele drew his sword and handed it to the king.
The king took the blade and then stepped in front of Chinook—who was no longer grinning. In fact … was he shaking?
“There’s a reason I give orders. Always a reason. And your disregard cost us two selkie warriors—”
“But I brought you the alpha king’s heir.” Chinook raised his head and gritted his jaw in anger. “His first heir!”
King Ozark swung, and the blade