Maddoc lowered his lens and exhaled heavily. The duke hadn’t touched her yet, but that wouldn’t last. There was no Alpha who could resist an Omega in his possession for very long. It was likely that he would wait until their wedding night, but he would have her by then.
He put down his lens and moved away from the window. If Ana and Ryden were in the public eye, traveling for most of the day, he didn’t need to keep an eye on her so closely. "I want their full route," he said to Raine, pointing at Ana’s carriage. "And a note of any stops or deviations they make in between the houses." He headed to the door. "I’m going to the palace."
“They are out of their fucking minds!” Orick stormed into his throne room, followed by the queen and the rest of his court.
Maddoc remained still, careful not to draw any attention to the wall of decorative lattice that ran along the very top of the room. The secret corridor behind it was one of the few places that allowed him to remain hidden with no disguise, even though his view was partially obscured. The most important thing was being able to listen in on one of the most important rooms in the palace.
“What are they trying to prove by this?” Orick thundered, pacing in front of his throne, as his court took their usual positions. “They are harming her more than they are helping her!”
“The commoners will never look at her the same again,” the queen murmured as though in pain. “After everything we have done to try to keep this from them… it was all in vain."
Maddoc allowed himself a grim smile. The rumors that had been circulating since his visit to the court had been confirmed by three of the houses announcing it to the commoners today and accusing the king of allowing it to happen. It had been a lively hearing, one that painted him as the ultimate villain and Ana as a pure, virginal innocent victim whom the king had not protected.
"Her reputation may be marked to some degree," one of the king’s courtiers said. "But if you recall, when we were discussing the repercussions of the outlaw’s hearing, we did suggest that Duke Ryden still marrying her would curb some of that damage to her reputation. If they are announcing their wedding, even though they claim she was harmed by you, it absolves her reputation further. The commoners may be concerned at the beginning of all this, but as long as Ana and Ryden wed successfully, no one will even remember the slight on her reputation within a year or two."
“Yes,” another older courtier said. “This hearing was orchestrated to damage you, Your Majesty, not her.”
Orick slowed to a stop. “To blame me for Ana’s virginity being given to the outlaw?”
The queen inhaled sharply. “To take the throne.” Her strangled voice echoed across the large room.
Orick remained still for a moment, as did the whole room. “That is why three of the houses were in agreement.”
“Yes. They want to claim you are incompetent so you can be removed,” she said.
A moment of silence hung in the air.
“Ana is not ready to rule, and neither is Ryden," Orick said, his voice tight. He made his way to his throne and sat down. "If they try to and I resist, what will be the consequences of that? Will they attempt to violently usurp me? What manpower could they possibly use against the crown?"
"Not necessarily, Your Majesty." The king’s formal adviser finally spoke up. "It is likely they will simply claim that you are an unfit king, and that Ana needs to step in now."
“On what basis?" Orick thundered. "I have been an exemplary king, almost every single king from my line has ruled this kingdom, and have maintained a peaceful existence for all. By what reasoning could they have that I am unfit?"
"The outlaw," the queen said through gritted teeth, bitterness strong in her tone. "You owe a Royal Promise to him. That is the one thing attributed to you and none of your royal line."
“It is still risky for them to pin everything on you honoring the Royal Promise, Your Majesty,” the formal adviser said. “You didn’t go against Allandis Law or the expectations of the people. It is the wedding that is going to be the problem. Once she is married, they have an immediate claim to the throne without any of the other houses having a chance to interfere. They just need to find a way to remove you.”
“They?” The queen’s voice was sharp. “Are you suggesting my Ana has anything to do with this plan? Because she has no desire to be queen right now.”
“No, of course not,” the adviser said. “But we do know Duke Ryden is very ambitious, Your Majesty.”
Orick nodded gravely. “And if they have the support of two other houses, it is likely they have a hand in it as well.”
Maddoc ground his teeth. They were all using Analisa for their own purposes, just like her parents had done.
“So what do we do?” the queen asked, her voice stern. “How do we stop the wedding and get Ana back home with us.”
"I’m not sure you can, Your Majesty," the adviser said apologetically. "She is officially an adult and she has been betrothed to a royal house for years, which means they have a small amount of claim over her. Unfortunately, the situation does not lend itself easily to your favor with regards to Allandis law.”
"I don’t give a fuck about Allandis law. She is my daughter!"
Maddoc grinned at the queen’s outburst. She may act virtuously regal in public, but in the privacy of her court, she was just as coarse and corrupt as the rest of them.
"Atara." Although the king spoke sternly, there was a gentleness in his tone that calmed the queen. She placed her hands in her lap and leaned back on her throne.
The king addressed the adviser. "Maddoc is going after Ana. Regardless of what the houses are trying to do with the throne, the only way to save Ana from him, and the Royal Promise, is for us to get to her first. The houses should be told about the deal I made with him—it will keep Ana safe if we can all protect her.”
“I don’t think the houses will care about that now, Your Majesty,” another courtier said. “Goldfrost and Thorneshaw have already made their allegiances known. They cannot back down from targeting the crown.”
“Then we just have to take her,” the king growled, rising from his throne. “At the wedding.”
The general of the king's guard stepped forward. “We can plan that right now, Your Majesty. We know where and when it will be, and we can prepare for Maddoc and his men.”
“Do it.” The king looked back at the adviser. “I want the houses punished for attempting this. Find a way to do it.”
The adviser nodded, but his face was grim. “Will Ana still be marrying into Redcrest?”
Orick was quiet for a moment. “What are the repercussions if she doesn’t?”
The queen leaned forward and touched his arm. “It is well known Ryden is her mate. We cannot separate them.”
The king exhaled heavily and nodded.
For the next hour, the king and his royal court discussed his continued reign, how they would take Ana back, and the effect of the current circumstances on the houses relationship with the crown.
Maddoc listened to their plans, and formulated plans of his own, trying to push back his disgust at the way they were intending to continue using Ana. He would be glad to finally get her away from them—they’d already damaged her enough.