Chapter 3: Whatever It Takes

“Aster, I am at a loss for words!”

Despite Diyanna being at a loss for words, she spent the better part of twenty minutes yelling at her son.

Meanwhile, Aster kept his eyes trained on the carpet in his mother’s drawing room. His back was rigid as a steel beam, and his clenched fists bunched up the end of his fine tunic. He knew better than to glance up at Eddie—who was loitering awkwardly by the door—because that would indicate some kind of conspiracy between the two of them.

Still, his mother knew better. She whirled on Eddie, who looked like he wanted to sink into the wall the moment she pointed her anger at him. “Was this your doing, Eddrick?! Did you put this idea in his head?!”

“Mother, leave him alone,” Aster sighed. “It wasn’t his idea, it was mine.”

His mother turned back around to scowl at him. “Then I ask again, what in the nine layers of damnation were you thinking?!”

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. Aster stood from the sofa, clenched fists at his sides. “I was thinking that watching him sizing up my fifteen-year-old sister was making me sick! Besides, he asked me what I thought!”

“Not to put myself back in the line of fire,” Eddie spoke up meekly. “But I may have a working theory on why the King is interested in your family, My Lady.”

Though her anger was still evident, Diyanna exercised a microcosm of her patience by sitting down and allowing Eddie to explain.

“In recent years, outer territories like ours have shown no signs of wanting to adhere to the laws and customs his regime implemented,” Eddie said, keeping his voice low as he spoke, in case anyone could hear. “I’m fairly certain he means to strengthen his ties to the villages on this side of the kingdom by marrying your daughter.”

“Or your son,” Aster added, crossing his arms. “If it’s loyalty from our villages he wants, I will gladly take her place.”

“Aster—”

“Mother,” he cut her off. “Refusing him would be treason, as you said before. Offering my hand is an alternative that will keep your daughter safe, as well as save our lives.”

Wounded, Diyanna’s lips formed a tight line. “You would ask me to choose between my two children?”

Aster paused. His mother, who almost never showed outward emotion, was clearly barely holding it together. And how could he blame her? No matter what strategy she approved, her family was being pulled apart at the seams. Aster sat down next to her, taking her hands in his own.

“Mother… I am not asking you to make any choice. I wish to make this sacrifice for you, and for Annalyse. You two need each other.”

Diyanna looked at her son sadly, reaching her hand up to touch his cheek. “I need both of you.”

“I know, Mama,” Aster’s voice cracked. He hadn’t called her that since he was a boy. “But she needs you more. I’m grown, I know I can handle myself. Please, let me do this.”

A solitary tear slid down Diyanna’s cheek. She knew there was nothing she could do that would change his mind—this was her son after all. The only thing she could do was pull him into a tight hug.

***

The dining room had never been so full of people. It was loud, rowdy, and Aster was trying to focus on drinking his ale far more than the chaos going on around them. The knights were forced to sit shoulder-to-shoulder at two long tables, and Aster sat between his mother and the King. Thankfully, Annalyse was down at the other end of the table, as far away from the Tyrant as she could get.

Despite trying to ignore the noise of the banner men and knights, Aster was hyper aware of all movement at the head table—especially the King beside him. He could practically feel his eyes on him the entire meal, and he tried to look casual as he kept his eyes on his food.

Finally, as they were finishing up their meal, the King leaned over to him. “I’d like to speak with you.”

That was all it took for him to find himself alone with the Tyrant minutes later, walking through his mother’s garden. The last streaks of sunlight peeked over the trees behind the fence, painting the clouds in streaks of orange that faded to pink, then to purple-gray on the other side of the horizon. It was beautiful to see the sunlight after such a difficult day, but it offered Aster no comfort.

“Your home is beautiful.” Pretty words were so unexpected from this infamous man.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Aster replied. “My mother takes great pride in her garden.”

King Darreth brushed his fingers over an especially pretty blooming rose before leaning in to smell it. “It seems she takes great pride in her family, as well. I was surprised to learn that you and your sister stand to inherit her name and titles.”

“Is this a bad thing, My Lord?”

Piercing hazel eyes trained on him, as they had all night. “On the contrary, I find it rather intriguing.” After a pause, he added, “May I ask you something, Lord Aster?”

“Just Aster,” the younger corrected him. “I will only inherit the title of Lord after my mother’s passing.”

“Aster,” Darreth amended, “you are aware that I came here to declare a proposal to your sister, but I’m sure you’ve wondered why I declared for her, given my age?”

Aster lifted his chin, and took a gamble. “I did wonder. But if I might be allowed to speak my mind, Your Grace, I have an estimate.”

That same amused smile from earlier stretched across the King’s face. He gave a permissive nod and gestured for Aster to go ahead.

Aster straightened his back and drifted along the garden path with the King at his side as he began: “Having grown up this far away from the capital, it is quite easy to find out what the lords of these outlying lands think. It is no secret that you usurped power from the previous dynasty that sat on the Primal Throne for two centuries, and many of these country lords have trouble changing their ways when such a disruption happens.”

Truly, he was just relaying Eddie’s theory into his own words, but he must have been doing something right, because the King did not seem to be angered by his words at all. Thus, he continued.

“The Silvercrest family is in good standing with the Lords of this side of the country, and have been since our inception. Therefore, it is my deduction that you wished to declare for my sister in order to win them to your side and re-unify the kingdom. Am I correct in thinking this, Your Grace?”

“My, what a sharp mind you have,” King Darreth chuckled. “Unification was indeed my goal, but I also wished to have someone at my side who understands the customs out here. Admittedly, declaring for one who had only recently come of age is not the best look, especially when half the kingdom still calls me ‘The Usurper’. Which brings me to what I wanted to ask you.”

The King stopped, and Aster’s feet fell still just ahead of him. They looked at each other for a moment, as dread quickly pooled in Aster’s stomach.

“You said upon my arrival this morning that you would rather I court you than your sister. Did you mean this honestly?”

Aster gave a nod. “Yes, My Lord. I am ten years my sister’s elder, and I do not believe she is ready to leave my mother’s care. You would attain the same alliance if you were to court and marry me.”

A look Aster couldn’t name flashed across the King’s face, and he stepped forward until they were mere inches apart. Long, cold fingers cradled Aster’s chin, causing him to look directly into Darreth’s eyes. His breath came in shallowly as he felt his chest constrict with anxiety. The musky cinnamon scent of the Alpha’s pheromones were intoxicating, and it took Aster a massive amount of self control to suppress his instincts to fight off the unwanted advance.

“You realize, too, that it is more than just a political alliance that I desire?” The low, intimate tone of the King’s voice was unmistakable. “I wish to take a mate who can bear me heirs, to make my own dynasty. Would this be something you could do for me, Aster?”

Aster swallowed thickly, unable to break his gaze away. “I… am an Omega, My King. The gods have granted me the capability to carry children.”

The same sickening smirk crossed the King’s face, and Aster knew in that moment that he would likely have to get used to seeing it. “If I declare intent to court you, I will ask you to return with me to the royal palace, and this place will no longer be your home. Will you still agree, even then?”

The dread that had pooled in Aster’s belly mere seconds ago now spread to his chest like black mold. The implication was clear: if Aster agreed, he would save his family, but he would likely not see them again once he was wed. He would have to bid his home farewell, and journey into the den of the lion. But an even worse realization came just after, that if he refused, this is exactly what he would be sentencing Annalyse to. And he had a promise to keep.

“I will.” He said firmly.

“Excellent.” The sly grin on the King’s face only sought to sicken him more. What was he getting himself into?