Chapter 560

Nina

I blinked in surprise as the first Alpha rose from his chair and bowed deeply, his hand over his heart. “My Queen.”

The others followed suit shortly after, standing one by one until I was faced with a room full of towering men all bowing their heads respectfully to me. I felt my cheeks flush hot as I glanced over at Enzo, whose eyes were just as wide as mine—although, when he met my gaze, I could see a knowing sort of look behind his eyes with a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Drawing in a deep breath, I turned once more to see all of the Alphas still standing, waiting for my orders. All except one—one Alpha sat toward the end of the table, watching me intently. He didn’t stand, nor did he bow; not that I expected him to. And in fact, his refusal to stand was an odd sort of relief, although I couldn’t entirely explain why.

Finally, I gave a small nod in return, struggling to keep my composure.

As the last Alpha took his seat again, I cleared my throat. “Thank you all for being here today. I know this situation is… unorthodox, to say the least.” I paused, glancing around the table. “But I appreciate your willingness to entertain this council despite the circumstances.”

“It is our honor, my Queen,” one of the older Alphas—a portly man with thinning gray hair and a mustache—responded gruffly. “Although the loss of your father is still deeply felt for all of us.”

A solemn murmur of agreement rippled through the room. I felt a lump forming in my throat at the memory of my father. He should have been here, not me. But I forced those thoughts down for now, squaring my shoulders instead.

“Thank you. I know he served this realm well for many years—”

“Decades. No. Centuries.”

I looked up then, startled by the sudden interruption. There, at the end of the table, was the Alpha who hadn’t gotten up from his chair earlier; his gaze was piercing and fixed unwaveringly on me, and his lips were pressed into a thin line.

I swallowed, feeling rather small beneath his gaze. The other Alphas looked around somewhat nervously, and beside me, I felt Enzo shifting uncomfortably. He took a step forward, but I put my hand out to stop him.

“What is your name, sir?” I asked. “I’m afraid I haven’t put the names on the list I was given to memory quite yet.”

The Alpha stared at me for a moment longer, the faintest hint of a smirk crossing his lips. I almost cringed outwardly; I shouldn’t have mentioned that my mother had to give me a list of names. A true queen should already know all of the men at the table by memory.

“Ezra,” he finally said.

I nodded politely. “Well met, Alpha Ezra. Yes, you are correct; my father served this realm for nearly one and a half centuries. And it is my hope to uphold his legacy, however imperfectly, in the time ahead.”

Ezra paused for a moment before nodding and falling silent.

The meeting proceeded without incident after that—just formalities being discussed, old policies being reviewed. I tried my best to follow along attentively, offering input where I could, though it was difficult to shake the feeling that I was in over my head.

By the end, however, I felt a strange sense of accomplishment wash over me. Perhaps it was merely my survival instinct kicking in after making it through unscathed. But I liked to think that a small part of me had embraced this unexpected role, at least for today.

As the Alphas began filing out, Enzo placed a hand on the small of my back, leaning in close. “You were incredible up there,” he murmured, his warm breath tickling my ear. “A natural leader. Your father would be proud.”

I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips as pride bloomed in my chest. “You think so?”

“I know so.” Enzo grinned, pulling me into a quick embrace. “That’s my queen.”

I melted into his arms for a moment before the clearing of a throat made us pull apart. We both looked over to see Ezra standing there, watching us with hard eyes.

“A word, your majesty?” His tone was clipped, borderline disrespectful. He had been mostly quiet throughout the meeting, observing, never removing his eyes from me.

I tensed up ever so slightly at his tone of voice, but gave a short nod. “Of course.”

Ezra waited until the room had fully cleared before speaking again. “I meant no disrespect by not bowing earlier. I have the utmost respect for your father’s legacy, as well as for Enzo’s father, Richard.” His gaze flickered to Enzo briefly. “But you must understand my hesitation to so easily pledge fealty to an untested ruler, true heir or not.”

The words hung heavy in the air between us. I opened my mouth, then closed it again, unsure how to respond. Part of me wanted to recoil, to snap back defensively. But the larger part knew he spoke at least partial truth.

I may have been the true heir, but I knew nothing about the mantle I was taking on here. Hell, I had only just learned that the werewolf realm existed less than a year before now.

Perhaps Ezra was right. Perhaps I shouldn’t expect immediate loyalty. And in fact…

“Thank you,” I breathed, rising from my chair.

Ezra blinked, clearly not expecting those words to escape my lips. Before he could say anything else, though, I continued.

“Thank you for being honest. And for not blindly pledging loyalty to a young ruler who is perhaps too green to take on a role such as this one. It speaks volumes of your intelligence and devotion to the realm. But…”

I swallowed, licking my lips before continuing. “I do ask that you give me a chance, Alpha Ezra—a chance to prove myself as a valuable leader. Even if I can never fill my father’s shoes, that’s all I can ask of you.”

Ezra seemed to consider this for a long moment before giving a curt nod. “Wise words,” he said, the faintest ghost of a smile tugging at the hard lines around his thin lips. “If I recall correctly, your father said the same thing when he ascended the throne.”

I blinked, surprised. “You were here?” I asked.

He nodded. “Aye. I had thirty years on your father before he came around—I’m an old wolf, if you can’t tell.” He gestured to the gray hair on top of his head.

Truthfully, I couldn’t tell. These Alphas and their extended lives still baffled me. But still, it was intriguing to meet someone who had not only been around for the entirety of my father’s reign, but his father’s before him.

“I’d love to chat sometime, if you’re interested,” I said, inclining my head politely. “It would be an honor to speak with someone who has served the realm for so long. And…”

“And you’d like to learn more about your father,” Ezra said, then let out a gravelly chuckle when he saw the look of surprise on my face. “I know the story well, Nina—how you were raised in the human world, separate from our world here. You never got much of a chance to learn about your father, did you?”

I shook my head, tears already pricking at the backs of my eyes. Ezra nodded and continued.

“Very well. Yes, perhaps we can chat sometime. That would be… nice.”

With that, he turned on his heel and strode from the chamber, leaving Enzo and I alone in stunned silence. After a few moments, I turned to him with raised eyebrows.

“Well… I suppose that went better than expected, didn’t it?”