Perry’s POV
“Excellent work,” I said, giving one of the warriors a pat on the shoulder after the brutal training session – something I rarely bothered with.
Damn. I’d nearly finished them all off during practice if Flynn hadn’t stepped in.
But here I was, acting friendly, and the warrior looked like I’d struck him as he watched me walk away.
“What’s gotten into you? Something put you in a good mood?” Flynn approached, clutching a tablet loaded with my daily agenda. One of the elders wanted an audience to discuss Phoebe’s position in the kingdom.
The people were getting restless because I hadn’t announced my mate yet. Worse, I kept everyone at arm’s length from her, so Phoebe had only met those I’d handpicked – like the omega helping her adjust to daily life here.
“Nothing,” I replied curtly, grabbing a water bottle and downing half before dumping the rest over my head.
“Nothing?” Flynn’s eyebrows shot up at the smirk spreading across my face. He never liked it when I wore that expression – it usually meant I had something brewing.
“No more wars. You’ve drained our treasury, and the alphas are up in arms about it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Those conquered cities will send tribute to us instead of their old kingdoms – that’s additional revenue. And which alphas are complaining? Last I checked, only ten out of forty packs actually opposed the war.”
Flynn went quiet. He’d assumed I wasn’t paying attention when he’d briefed me on those numbers. After a moment, he switched topics.
“Elder Tricia wants to meet about Phoebe,” he said, earning a snort from me.
“Tell him to go to hell.” I wiped sweat from my brow.
“Perry, you can’t just do whatever you please. Some traditions need to be respected, and you can’t battle them at every turn.”
“Why not?” I tossed the towel aside and strode off. I was more interested in hearing updates from my warriors advancing toward Valerium’s capital.
“Perry…” Flynn groaned, trailing behind me down the hallway. As usual, he’d have to smooth things over with the elders when I went against them. It was giving him constant headaches. “We still need the elders.”
“For what?” I stopped abruptly and spun around. Flynn nearly crashed into me, growling in irritation, but I didn’t even flinch. “What exactly do we need them for?” I cocked an eyebrow. “If it were up to me, I’d ship them all to the front lines as cannon fodder. Then they’d finally serve a purpose.”
“Perry!” Flynn’s eyes went wide. From anyone else, he’d take that as dark humor, but when I said it, he knew I was seriously considering it. It would only take a small push to make it reality. “We have to show respect for our elders.”
I scoffed at that nonsense like he’d told the world’s funniest joke and continued toward my office.
“Perry, there are customs we must honor regardless of your feelings about them.”
“Screw them all.” I’d never forget the agony those fools had put me through.
“Perry.”
“Screw them all. I’ll throw them to the wild wolves if they meddle in my personal affairs again. Make sure they get that message.”
That ended the discussion. Flynn knew better than to push further – I might actually follow through just to spite him, something I was perfectly capable of doing in my current mood.
So Flynn shifted to other matters, though he’d definitely give Elder Tricia a sanitized version of my response.
When we reached my office, a warrior entered to inform us that the former beta from Obsidian Claw pack had arrived requesting an audience.
“The former beta? Phoebe’s father.” Flynn answered his own question, frowning. He wanted to tell the warrior to turn the former beta away since no appointment had been scheduled.
But I surprised him by granting permission and instructing the warrior to escort Cameron to my study.
“You have three meetings this afternoon,” Flynn protested. He had no idea how long this would take, but since Cameron had traveled from his pack to see me, it wouldn’t be a quick chat.
“Cancel my afternoon and evening appointments,” I said.
“Absolutely not,” Flynn refused. He didn’t want to reschedule with those irritating alphas – he wanted their business handled quickly so he could move on to other matters.
“Of course I can. I want to hear what he has to say. This should be entertaining.”
That was Flynn’s cue to back down since I’d do what I wanted anyway. “I don’t want any part of this. I’m leaving. I have plenty to deal with.”
My beta shot me a dirty look for indulging in mate-related affairs while neglecting royal duties, but he knew it could be much worse.
As Flynn left to handle the meeting cancellations and other business, Cameron was escorted into the study. They exchanged polite nods but no words.
“Your Majesty,” Cameron greeted me, bowing respectfully.
I slouched back in my chair and waved him toward the seat across from me. “You realize this impromptu meeting is completely inappropriate. You should have scheduled through my beta.”
“My apologies for the oversight,” Cameron replied politely. “I’ve only come to request permission to see my daughter. I won’t take much of your time.”
“You want to see Phoebe?” An amused smile tugged at my lips. “Why? I heard your relationship was strained. Word is you despised your daughter for being unstable.”
Cameron shifted uncomfortably at me airing his family drama, though he knew it came from rumors Kevin had spread.
“That’s merely gossip, Your Majesty. Phoebe remains my daughter, and I’m concerned about her. I don’t want her causing problems under your care.”
Perry’s POV
“Cause trouble under my care?” I tilted my head lazily. I wanted to hear what this man could tell me. “What trouble do you think she will cause me?”
Cameron looked composed in his seat as he faced me, though he avoided direct eye contact – the intensity of my gaze was something he couldn’t bear. “My king, I can’t say it, because if I do, I will portray a bad image of her, and no matter what, she is still my daughter.”
“Then I don’t think you need to see her. She’s fine. Alive and unharmed, if that’s what you care about. You can leave now.” I felt a wave of disappointment wash over me – I’d expected more from this fool sitting before me.
I didn’t like the beta for countless reasons. He was a scheming old bastard. This wasn’t our first encounter either. I remembered him from long before I claimed the throne.
“My king, I’m glad she’s fine under your care, but I miss my daughter.” Cameron drew a deep breath, as if carrying the weight of the world. “I’m grateful you haven’t acted harshly despite the rumors spreading about her, but she’s still my daughter, and I didn’t get to see her when you took her away.”
“So you blame me?”
“No, of course not!” Panic crept into Cameron’s voice as he waved his hands dismissively, then sighed again. “I only want to give her advice. She tarnished her own reputation back in the Obsidian Claw pack, and now she’s your mate and will be queen of this kingdom – I want her to behave.”
“Who told you she’ll be queen of this kingdom?”
Shock spread across Cameron’s face, but I ignored it and continued. “If you couldn’t give her advice when she was still in the Obsidian Claw pack, what makes you think it’ll work now?”
Cameron had no answer, but he wouldn’t be a beta if he couldn’t wriggle out of this.
“My king, everything that happened was punishment for her, and I think she’s learned her lesson. I believe she’ll listen to me now. Whether you make her queen or not, she still needs to behave so she won’t sully your name.”
“Sully my name?” I laughed – that was the funniest thing I’d heard all day. My nickname was the Mad King, after all. “What else could she possibly do to sully my name?”
Only then did Cameron realize his mistake. This time, he didn’t try to be clever and shut his mouth, waiting for me to stop laughing at his blunder.
“If there’s nothing else you want to say, you can leave.”
Cameron lowered his head. He had two choices: leave and forget why he came, or give me what I wanted.
Kevin had told him to expect this.
“My king, what do you want to know about my daughter?” Cameron finally asked, his expression emotionless as I matched his seriousness.
This was when the real conversation began.
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