Total pages in book: 220
Estimated words: 205637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1028(@200wpm)___ 823(@250wpm)___ 685(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 205637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1028(@200wpm)___ 823(@250wpm)___ 685(@300wpm)
“You are very strong-willed, Finley, we all know that,” Arleth said, ignoring Hadriel. “You are a woman who likes to take care of herself. You are very competent. But now is a time to rely more heavily on your mate.”
“Please don’t tell me we are doing this now,” I muttered, finding Weston at the bow of the ship with two of his beta stand-ins.
“Protecting you and your young is one of his major purposes as a mate and a dragon,” she continued. “Nyfain is a very strong alpha, and he will take that duty so seriously he might seem overbearing at times. Overly possessive. But it is in his nature.” I stopped a couple feet from Weston, waiting for him to finish so I could interrupt Arleth. She must’ve realized it, because she started talking faster. “You will feel the natural urge to let him protect you. Give in to that urge. Allow him to do his duty as your mate. Practice patience if you must, and know that you won’t be held back from the battle forever. Just until your young are safely out of harm’s way.”
Weston turned to me with raised eyebrows.
I gave him a flat stare, relaying my annoyance.
His eyes sparkled, but he didn’t let the sentiment curve his lips.
“Do you have all you need?” I asked him.
“Yes, thank you, highness. We’ll check on the harness setups as soon as the dragons take to the sky. The wind from their wings might disrupt their layout, and I don’t want to have to do the job twice.”
“Great. As you know, I’ll be leading the first wave. I’ll cut out near the ship to the north. With me will go Tamara and Vemar—”
“And me,” Arleth said. “And Dee.”
“I really don’t think you need to babysit me, head advisor,” I said through clenched teeth.
“A member of the advisory circle doesn’t engage in battles, or who would lead the kingdom if its leaders were to perish?” She chuckled softly. “No, no, we’ll be happy to monitor the queen and heir.”
She had probably just made that rule up. No doubt, by the time we got back, it would be law.
I stared at Weston with all the frustration I wanted to unleash on her. His lips started to wobble as he lost the battle to hold back that smile. He had no end of fun with my trying to learn my new position.
“The rest of my guard will help with the ship. I’ll be on hand if you need me.”
“No, you will not,” Arleth cut in. “You will do your duty as figurehead only. You will let them handle the rest. Your duty is to protect the future of the kingdom, which is almost assuredly in your womb. This is exactly what I was talking about.”
I didn’t take my flat stare away from Weston.
“Anyway, moving on,” I said dryly. “What of Hadriel? Are you leaving him behind?”
“Yes. We don’t need him for this. Plus, he’s clearly flustered by the…possible news. I’ll leave him here in case you need to come back early.”
“Thanks, alpha,” Hadriel murmured behind me. He was being genuine.
I nodded and turned from him. No one had ever been this intense when someone in the village was with child. While I realized it was different now that I was queen of the realm, I wasn’t even sure I actually was pregnant. I hadn’t used the herb concoction the midwives had taught me back when I was starting to treat people with my remedies. I had no proof.
As if sensing my bewilderment, Weston said, “Highness…”
I paused and looked back.
He bowed low and straightened, his eyes intense. “You are possibly carrying the future of our pack. It is an incredibly important duty. I will protect you and your young with my life.”
“There, see?” Arleth said, stepping closer and sweeping her hand toward Weston. “He has expressed the situation perfectly.”
He winked at me. “Stay out of that battle. We won’t need you, promise. That and…I don’t want to see the alpha lose his ever-loving mind.”
“I don’t even know if I am actually with child,” I grumbled, finishing my turn and doing a sweep of the deck. I checked on Nyfain through the bond. His power was pumping, his adrenaline up, but he wasn’t quite ready to fly into battle yet.
“It would be extremely rare for you to feel the euphoria if you weren’t with child,” Arleth said, shadowing me with everyone else trailing behind her.
“Except my body could reject the pregnancy.” I reached one of the only open spaces on the deck large enough for us to shift. Originally I had planned to just jump over the side and shift before I hit the water, but I had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well just now. “I could miscarry. The first three months are a precarious time.”