"Respectfully, we do not have time for such luxuries," Duke Darcel of Thorneshaw said apologetically. He was accompanied by Duchess Rhoslyn. "The fact we are all here right now is already risky for us. Our greatest advantage is ensuring they don’t know what’s coming."
"Who?" Ana asked.
Ryden shot Darcel a look, and led Ana to a nearby chair. "The alliance for this particular purpose is made up of houses Redcrest, Goldfrost, and Thorneshaw," Ryden said. He turned to the rest of the room. "Firstly, I have to ask, are all the families within your houses in agreement with this?"
“We are here, aren’t we?” Everard of Goldfrost said dryly.
Each royal house was comprised of three distinct families who had close ties to each other. Some families were small, others were large, encompassing uncles, nieces and cousins. The size of the family depended on the wealth of the house and how it was distributed, but each family had a representative who spoke and acted on behalf of the house. The two representatives from each house in Ryden’s lounge made up the majority of their house.
“That doesn’t mean your whole house is in agreement,” Aldous said dryly.
“Whatever we decide, the other family will either be in support or fall in line,” Everard said.
"Same with us," Duchess Rhoslyn said.
“Good.” Ryden handed Ana a glass of fruit wine and she took a deep mouthful, relishing the fresh and fruity flavor. “Then we are officially in alliance, since all the Redcrest families are in agreement as well.”
"When do we challenge the promise with the court?" Darcel asked. "When do we bring this alliance to the court and the people and start building momentum with this?"
"I think it's more important that Ana and I marry first," Ryden said. "Our marriage will bring more power to the situation and allow us to make more legitimate requests of the people and the crown."
"When is the quickest you can get married?" Duke Aldous asked. Aldous was Ryden’s uncle, and a powerful man within the Redcrest house and the court. It was no secret that Ryden looked up to him, and Ana also liked him. He’d always been kind to Ana, visiting her and bringing gifts, and even sending her books to study. He’d always made it clear how pleased he was that Ryden had been matched with her and was the one in court who’d been aggressively arguing against Maddoc’s request.
"It is possible in three or four days," Ryden said.
Ana inhaled a sharp breath. Three days until she was married?
Ryden glanced at her. "We're just bringing it forward, Ana," he said reassuringly. "Just like we discussed before we left."
Ana nodded. She wasn't sure what made her uncomfortable about the idea of marrying the man that she’d been planning to marry for years; it just seemed so final. Maybe that was a good thing. "Three days is fine."
“Use your head. We cannot wait three days before we bring the matter of the Royal Promise to the court." The growl came from Duke Theodore who was leaning against the wall by the fireplace staring out the window. His posture appeared relaxed, but the agitation in his voice rumbled around the room with force. He was known to be a difficult Alpha to please—one who wasn’t concerned about politeness or etiquette. Ana had seen him rouse many Alphas into a foaming-mouthed fury by his lack of respect for them in court. “That is too much time for the king to do something,” he continued, “either in court, or to collect his daughter with the full force of the crown. And we don’t know what this outlaw and his mad men will do."
"If we could do it tomorrow, I would," Ryden said. "But we need to prepare the announcement tour and the ceremony. It’s important no one can say it was done improperly."
Theodore lifted a shoulder. "We still must bring our argument to the court tomorrow," he said firmly. "We can announce it, we spread the word, and ask for all to attend, make a big spectacle of it that the king cannot avoid, just like Maddoc did."
"The king was intending to make a big spectacle out of Maddoc and that severely backfired," Aldous pointed out. "Are you sure this won’t?"
Theodore pushed off the wall and glared at him. "That is the risk we take every time we hold court. We just have to make sure we are prepared—our argument must be strong. We need the public to agree with us."
"We could do with having a day to prepare, then," Ryden said. "It would strengthen our position. The commoners could be difficult to deal with about not honoring the promise."
"You have been arguing this since Maddoc first showed up at the court,” Theodore growled. “What are you afraid of?”
Ryden matched his growl, squaring his shoulders toward him. “Nothing. It just needs to be done right.”
“We don’t need more time.” Theodore paused for a moment. “What we need is a distraction. Your wedding announcement and tour should be enough. It needs to happen at the same time as the hearing."
Ryden frowned. "That means I cannot be in court arguing in support of Redcrest.”
Theodore raised his ale, a grim grin on his face. “Then you will need to trust the rest of us.”
Ryan’s unease filled the silence that followed. But after a moment, his posture relaxed. “Tonight we plan our argument for the dismissal of the promise. Tomorrow we present our arguments in court and announce the wedding, and the following day Ana and I marry. Is everyone in agreement?"
A wave of nods dipped around the room while Ana looked between them. "I just want to ask Princess Ana one thing," Everard said, leaning forward toward her. "Are you aware what was agreed for our support in this."
“Now is not the time, Everard.” Ryden’s face darkened.
“I will not move forward unless I know the princess is fully aware of the agreement,” Theodore said sharply. “We are all taking too much of a risk.”
“Agreed,” Everard said. “We have only tonight to confirm this alliance.”
Ryden stilled. “Fine,” he said, after a long moment. He turned to Ana. “I didn’t want to tell you all this tonight, Ana, but it is important you know.”
Ana stared up at him, her stomach souring. “What is it?”
“Once we are married, the alliance between the three houses will petition to overthrow your parents.”
Ana’s throat tightened. For a moment, she couldn’t speak.
“And our children will need to be paired with children from Thorneshaw and Goldfrost.”
“Our children?”
Ryden nodded. “Our first- and third-born to Goldfrost. Our second-born to Thorneshaw.”
Ana’s head spun. “But how can we decide who they are paired with? It’s not up to us to decide.”
“The fated mates pairing process only applies to Alphas and Omegas.” Aldous stepped forward, his voice gentle. “Of course, that will not be interfered with. But if you have Beta children, or Alphas whose true mates are not identified by the age of twenty-two, they are to be matched accordingly.”
Ana was unable to draw on any words. Making an arrangement with one child was one thing. But three? And if they were Betas, they wouldn’t have any freedom to find partners they truly loved; they would be stuck with whomever the houses decided for them. How could she do that to her own children? As an Omega she had the security of knowing her pairing was something beyond her own decision, but her Beta children would be forced into a life that didn’t guarantee their happiness—all because of this alliance.