Taming the Queen of Beasts

If you enjoy music while you're reading, try "The Dark of You" by Breaking Benjamin. It's what I was listening to while writing this chapter and the next!

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AARYN

Aaryn could smell the tension on Reth and Elia as they entered the cave. The kind of tension a predator held in every rippled line of their body, wary and braced for attack when an enemy was known to be near.

He could feel the fear in Elreth as she watched her parents greet their old friend.

He could sense the uncertainty in Gar when he moved closer to his family, pulling Rika with him.

To Aaryn it seemed he was in the right place—near the wall, watching, observing, ready to intervene if anyone tried to interfere with the family. He would watch over them as they figured out how to keep themselves together through this.

But then Elreth turned, looking for him and beckoning him close and it occurred to him that he was family now. He was a part of this circle.

This was his family to hold together while they all navigated this hell.

He hurried over as Reth and Suhle pulled apart, then Reth looked to his kids—including Aaryn and Rika—and excused himself from his friend.

"We need to speak with the kids, Suhle. I'm sorry. It won't be long. You two eat and rest. I'm sure we'll have more questions for you as well."

Suhle was gracious and kind as she had always been the two times Aaryn had met her when he was younger—her daughter watched everyone with hunted eyes though.

Then, with murmured apologies to anyone who met their eyes, Reth and Elia ushered the rest of them through the cave and back into the bedchamber, Reth watching over his mate, while she kept her eyes down and arms folded across her chest.

It wasn't until he looked at Elia's face that Aaryn felt true fear—or perhaps, he hadn't let himself think about it. But until that moment, he'd been so focused on El, and the Protectors… it wasn't until they walked into that room and the low ceiling closed over their heads that Aaryn's stomach flipped and he wondered if he would be sick before this conversation was done.

Elreth made sure Aaryn was following, then stormed through the tunnel into the room, turning to face the rest of them, her arms folded when they trickled in behind her.

Aaryn slid to stand behind her, at her shoulder, rubbing her arms while Elia took a seat on the bed, and Reth stood to her side. Gar and Rika standing near Aaryn and El.

​ Reth's eyes kept checking each of his family, but returning always to Elia and his face grew more drawn, more lined each time.

Aaryn's stomach churned.

"What's going on?" El demanded sharply. Aaryn squeezed her arms, an urging to go easy. Her parents were clearly struggling. "Gahrye said you'd tell us."

Reth nodded, "We will. We're about to," he said, his hand still gripping Elias—who held his thick palm between both hers, her knuckles white as if she were afraid someone was going to tear him from her. "But before we do, I… I'm sorry, but I have to remind you who you are. What we all are. You are the Royal Family. You are the Honored of Anima—whether you were born to it, or mated in flame, or married, you are a part of this legacy. And our family has led the Anima for centuries. Whatever you need now, whatever is said here, is said. But when we leave this room—when we face those people out there, you carry with you dignity and power. You do not allow your fear to conquer you, do you all understand me?"

Aaryn found himself nodding without thinking. Reth's voice resonated with the Alpha Authority that he'd worn since he was a cub.

"Don't be hard on them, Reth," Elia breathed, staring at the floor. "We're all just… people in the end. We're all just humans and Anima and… we're all weak. You're allowed to be weak, kids. What your father's saying is, be weak with us, not with the people out in the cave."

They all nodded, murmuring. But Aaryn felt Elreth's entire body go tense, and he didn't miss how Gar took Rika's hands in both of his, just like his mother gripped his father.

"What's going on?" Elreth's voice was too high. Aaryn rubbed her arms again.

Elia looked up at Reth and he watched her, obviously measuring whether she wanted him to speak or not. Then she cleared her throat and looked back at them.

"Well," she said breathlessly. "I think Gahrye told you, Kalle and I are… necessary to closing the traverses. We have to go in and… with the help of a Protector, face down the voices. And, if we do this at the same time and we're both successful, we will close the traverses. I mean… pretty amazing, right?" she said, her eyes jumping between them, never resting on one of them for too long.

Aaryn's shoulders sagged, but he didn't want to be the one to ask—

"Will you survive?"

It was Elreth, her voice high and quavering—the voice not of a ruler, but of a child pleading for her mother.

Elia looked at her and her face crumpled. "I don't think so, sweetie," she breathed.

Elreth shivered under his hands as Aaryn's jaw dropped.

"Are you sure?" he asked, sounding ten years younger himself.

"It's impossible to know what's going to happen," Reth said, his voice strong and calm, though the torment in his eyes wasn't lost on Aaryn. "We both hope that the Creator has a miracle planned—no one knows what will occur when the voices are defeated. But we don't want to pretend—"

"This is bullshit," Gar spat, Rika putting a hand to his chest immediately. "No, it's bullshit!" He looked down at his mate, then back at his father, his face twisted in rage. "You're just going to let her go? Just like that? One conversation with Gahrye and it's bye-bye Mom?"

Reth's growl vibrated through the room and Aaryn tenses to step between father and son if it was needed.

But he should have known. Though Reth's eyes flashed, he showed no sign of moving away from his mate.

"Gar," Reth growled. "I assure you, no one in this room wants to say goodbye—"

"Then don't!"