Fate Stained - Part Two

I’d managed to half convince Jayce that Fern had a good point about taking out not only her father, but her brothers too. Although he agreed with me that the Point Invictus pack were better off without them in charge, he still didn’t like the idea of making such a brutal statement. Killing the Alpha he could justify. After what he’d done to Oliver and would no doubt do to Fern if she ever returned to the pack - killing him was the only way to right those wrongs.

But wiping out his sons without even giving them a chance to be different to their father was another thing altogether.

So, while I’d decided to go spend some time with Kyanite and to let him know about the developments, Jayce headed back to the Beta house to chat with Cameron. New baby or not, these were decisions that couldn’t wait and Cam was essential to whatever plan we went with.

“I’m for whatever plan keeps you the safest” Kyan professed, “you know that”

The panther Prince relaxed in the grass by the creek, his back resting against the large tree and me using his lap as a pillow. It was safe to say this was our place now. Whenever we were together we somehow gravitated here, even if it hadn’t been our intention in the first place.

“I know you just want to keep me safe - and I am safe. I’m the safest I could possibly be. Have you any idea of the strength embedded in this pack at the moment? I’ve never seen anything like it”

Right now, within these compound walls, we had a tribrid Shifter Queen, a tribrid Warlock, an Alpha wolf, two former Alpha wolves, a wolf-mage hybrid, a panther Queen and a panther Prince. Not to mention in a few weeks we would have a she-wolf with the Alpha gene once she completed her first shift. As far as defences went, we pretty much had them all. The Fern Creek fighters were also the elite of the elite and tomorrow Kyanite would bring back five of his best warriors with him from his trip to Panthera.

“It doesn’t matter how much Fern Creek has going for it at the moment. If you were to be hit with not only one, but two wolf packs and a bear tribe…then casualties on both sides will be expected. As far as I’m concerned, one casualty on our side is too many, especially when it could be you”

“Kyan” I sighed, sitting up so I could look him in the eyes, those beautiful emerald eyes, “I fucking love you. I love how you worry about me and I love how you care for me…but right now I don’t need that side of you, right now I need the over-confident, arrogant prick of a panther that never worried about anyone bettering him, let alone a few measly wolves and bears”

Kyan rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I thought you hated that side of me”

“I wanted to hate it…I don’t think I could ever actually hate part of you though. You’re my fire and my ice - all at the same time. How could I ever hate something that gives me so much life?”

Sighing, Kyan stared back at me, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I knew this was a big ask. While he was here I was his only priority, I was all he saw and all he focused on, there was nothing else here for him. If anything, this trip back to the Panthera Kingdom would do him good. It might remind him that there was so much more to his life than me.

“Fine” he grunted after a few moments of searching my face for something. I’m not sure what he was looking for but he obviously found it, “We’ll stay here and we’ll fight. Any wolves fuck with you or me then I’ll kill them, I don’t give a fuck who there are. But if at any stage that Alpha toss-bag of a mate of yours tells me what to do or orders me around…I’ll fuck him up - you hear me?”

The corners of my lips curled up and I leant forward, giving Kyan a kiss on the lips.

“That’s my boy. I wouldn’t expect anything less”

………………………

Kyanite POV

“You ready?”

I turned to face my sister and scratched my head. Was I ready?

“I feel like I’m forgetting something” I muttered, looking around as we stood outside the doors of the Panthera palace, “Like something I would normally have with me…”

“Your mate?”

I blinked at Onyx. She was right.

I was standing outside my home, a place I hadn’t set foot in for three years and I’d never felt so out of place. Quinn should have been here with me. She should have been by my side, but I understood why she couldn’t be. It was too much of a risk having her leave the Fern Creek compound at the moment, even if it was to come to the safety of Panthera. I’d made an agreement with her and that was that she could wait until after the baby was born to spend time with me in my own surroundings…that was, of course, only if the baby turned out to be mine.

I sighed and looked back towards the palace doors.

“Nervous?” Onyx asked.

“No” I scoffed, “a panther Prince doesn’t get nervous”

Onyx laughed and I could virtually feel her rolling her eyes.

“Don’t lie. You’re shitting your pants. Come on, let’s go”

The palace was just how I’d remembered it. Not a single thing had changed and it almost felt as though I’d never left - except for the hushed gasps and whispers from the palace staff as Onyx and I made our way to the dining room where we’d arranged to meet our parents. Either no one had let any of the staff know I was alive or they were just shocked to see that I was actually back, either way, their eyes and surprised tones followed me wherever I walked.

“Your majesties…welcome home” Andrew, one of our butlers greeted us at the door of the dining room, “The Kingdom hasn’t been the same without you”

Andrew stepped out of the way and the doors opened. I swallowed dryly and followed Onyx inside. Why was I so nervous? I never got nervous. Perhaps it was because I’d decided to let my parents know about the pregnancy. But who cared what they thought? I’d be King soon. No one’s opinions would matter except for my own. This Kingdom would have a new heir, wether they accepted her or not.

“Kyanite!”

The angelic sound of my mother’s voice echoed through the dining room and my eyes were instantly drawn up as I stepped inside.

“Hello mother, father” I smiled.

Both my parents stood from the table where they sat and extended their arms towards me with tears welling in their eyes.

I don’t know what reaction I’d expected, but I hadn’t expected this. The former King and Queen were proud people, as all royal panthers were. In all my time I’d never seen my father shed a tear, not even at the birth of Onyx or at the death of my grandfather. But here he was, standing in front of me, arms extended, with tears already starting to run down his cheeks.

I quickly closed the distance between us, being more overcome with emotion that I thought possible, and allowed my parents to wrap their arms around me. My mother began sobbing uncontrollably but my father and I, for the most part, managed to hold it together.

“Oh Kyanite, my dear boy, It’s so…so lovely to have you home again” Astrid placed her hands on my shoulders and held my back from her, her emerald eyes combing up and down my body, “For someone that has spent three years in Hell, you look very well indeed”

I cleared my throat and smiled.

“Thank you mother. I’ve had a little time to rest and regroup. I’ve missed you both very much”

“Not enough to come home a week ago” my father muttered.

Oh. Here we go.

“Magnus, please. He is here now, everything is how it should be”

My father cleared his throat and nodded his head before indicating to the two other places set at the table.

“Please. Join us for morning tea. We have much to discuss”

I was glad Onyx was here with me. She had an ability to soften the atmosphere in a room, especially where my parents were involved. I’d always had a different relationship with my parents than she did. Onyx had been raised like their daughter, the apple of my father’s eye and she could do absolutely nothing wrong. Me, on the other hand, I’d been raised like the future King of Panthera. My mother and Father had always gone hard on me and I’d never really had much of a childhood…not like Nyx. When she’d been climbing trees and hiding in the sugarcane, I’d been learning to fight and control an army.

I believe it was for this reason that Onyx had grown up to be such a vibrant and carefree woman. She was so loving and generous to everyone she met and I was yet to find someone that didn’t instantly fall in love with her. Me, on the other hand, I’d grown up to look down on others and to challenge absolutely everything that came my way. I lacked empathy and understanding and honestly hadn’t cared about what others had to say.

I’d lost a lot of that over the last three years. If anything, being tortured in Hell had opened my eyes to what true suffering could be and now I had more empathy to the plights of others that I’d ever had before.

I wondered if my parents would even notice the change in me and if they did, would they accept it?

“We have a lot to discuss and organise” Astrid stated as she sat down opposite my sister and I.

I raised my brow at Onyx but her eyes were quick to look at anything else but myself.

“Such as?” I asked, my voice laced with both curiosity and concern.

“Well, your sister’s abdication and your coronation for starters. I was thinking we could make it as soon as the end of this week. There isn’t really that much that needs to be arranged…to be honest I’ve already sorted out most of it”

“Mother—”

“—of course we will need a few days first to announce to the whole Kingdom that you are back, give them time to adjust before the festivities”

“Mother—”

“—and then there is the matter of training. We need to make sure you are fighting fit - or so to speak - can’t have our King forgetting how to swing a sword and—”

“—Mother!”

Astrid’s eyes widened at the tone I took. It felt harsh, unnatural, to speak to her in such a way. But she wasn’t Queen anymore and right now I needed her to listen to what I had to say.

“Kyanite?”

Onyx’s knee tapped mine softly under the table, letting me know she was right there and giving me the little bit of encouragement I needed.

“As you know, I’ve been in Fern Creek since returning from Hell…spending time with Quinn—”

The slight tense of both my mother and father’s bodies at the mention of my mate’s name didn’t go unnoticed - but I continued on.

“—it was her that rescued me, and our relationship…our bond…has strengthened because of it. My intention is to have Quinn, in due course, return with me to Panthera and to be crowned as my Queen. She is already the Queen of shifters, so I believe our people will accept her as the Kingdom’s Queen with open arms”

“So what happened to Jayce, the Alpha wolf? He was her mate too, No? Did she reject his bond then?” My father asked.

He knew that was not the case. Onyx had filled them in already regarding the situation between myself, Quinn and that dog piece of shit - minus the pregnancy. Magnus was just putting words out there to trip me up and to make what I was proposing sound insane.

“No. She did not reject his bond—”

“But he is happy for her to renounce her position as Luna and take your side as Queen of Panthera? Very interesting”

“She will not be renouncing anything. This situation is unique and—”

“—and nothing! Kyanite. You are being selfish. Either you reject the bond to her or she rejects the wolf’s. We will not be having this Kingdom run by some crossbreed that thinks she can have everything her way. She either loves you or she doesn’t. It’s all or nothing in a relationship. What’s got into you Kyan? This is not the behaviour of the man we raised”

My mother’s words were harsh and her tone cold and unaccepting. It pissed me off and Onyx knew it. She nudged me again with her knee but it was no use. If this was the way my parents wanted to act, then so be it. This was no longer their Kingdom, right now it was my sister’s and wether they liked it or not, it would soon be mine - with the woman of my choosing by my side.

Magnus narrowed his eyes, clearly sensing there was more to my story - and by Goddess there was. Originally I’d wanted to tell them about the baby like any son would want to announce to his mother and father that they were going to be grandparents - but now I just wanted to do it to spite them. So before I could stop myself, before I could check the maturity of my next move - I leant forward on the table, a smile playing on my lips.

“Quinn is pregnant”