Callum guided Sonia away from her opened door and closed it. Then he took her hand and led her up the stairs.
His two soldiers bowed their heads briefly to their king and queen, their eyes inquisitive on Sonia, grins on their faces.
Sonia automatically smiled back and nodded, not regally, sociably. As if she was walking down the street, caught a passerby’s eye and gave them a warm, neighborly smile.
At her gesture, his warriors’ grins turned to wide smiles.
Callum’s hand tightened in hers.
Yes, Callum thought, his people were going to love her.
They entered the large entryway that led to a long, wide hall.
Ryon and Caleb were walking toward them. Caleb was carrying a thin, manila folder.
“All’s ready,” Caleb called.
“I’ll want to read the briefing report before I go in,” Callum replied.
Caleb nodded and he and Ryon turned and walked back a short distance toward a closed door. They opened it, stepped through and Callum and Sonia followed.
It was Mona’s office, complete with baronial desk, gleaming wood floors on which large, thick, expensive Persian rugs lay, priceless antique furniture and heavy, ornate curtains at the tall, wide windows.
He saw Sonia looking around, her eyes wide taking in the opulence. Seeing what his mate saw, Callum distractedly noted with some scorn that Mona’s penchant toward lavishness was evident in the government building she’d overseen creating. These were not the usual surroundings of a wolf, nothing like it.
He stopped them close to Mona’s desk, leaned a hip against it, brought Sonia in close, dropped her hand and held his own out for the file which Caleb gave him.
His mother had stood by his father’s side in everything. This was the queen’s purpose, a physical show of support to the king as well as the demonstration of the solidarity of all wolves.
Regan had been with Mac during strategy sessions and on campaigns. Though she didn’t fight, she also didn’t complain when her accommodation was just a tent or two beds pushed together in a barrack with blankets strung around them for privacy. Also she had been at his side during summits, diplomatic assemblies and war tribunals.
As queen, Regan performed her duties silently. Her presence was all that was required. Her understanding of events would be important during the private times she shared with Mac. She could hardly offer him what he needed if she didn’t know what was happening.
There were times of separation but they were brief and they were rare.
Sonia, Callum had decided, would do the same.
Without a word, he opened the file and began reading the report.
Then he felt Sonia move away and heard her say softly, “Hi Ryon.”
He glanced up and saw Sonia lift up on her toes and press her cheek to Ryon’s then she leaned back and tipped her head to smile up at him.
“Hey there, Sonia,” Ryon smiled down at her in turn. “How are you handling this? It’s all a bit weird, isn’t it?”
“Um…” she mumbled, the smile never leaving her face and the way she said her next words pointedly reflected they were an understatement, “A bit.”
Ryon chuckled.
Sonia’s smile brightened.
Callum’s jaw tightened.
Ryon had a way with female humans, Callum knew that.
He just didn’t appreciate, at all, Ryon using it with Callum’s very recently, and definitely spectacularly claimed bride.
But it was something his cousin didn’t hesitate doing, either yesterday or now. It was also something Sonia responded to and further, it was something Callum didn’t f**king like.
Before he could say anything, Sonia turned to Caleb and said, “Hi Caleb.”
She leaned into Callum’s brother and gave him a cheek touch and a smile as well but it was nowhere near as fond as the one she gave Ryon.
Still, Callum noted that even Caleb was grinning down at her with a rapt expression on his face, as if bewitched.
“Hey there, sis.” Caleb made a reply that caused Sonia’s body to twitch.
Then she whispered wistfully, “I’ve never really been a ‘sis’.”
“You are now.”
Then Caleb received a bright smile from Callum’s bride.
Callum felt his temper rising and because of this when he said, “Sonia,” her name lashed through the room sharp and annoyed.
She started and turned to him, her eyes confused, her face growing pale.
“Come here,” Callum ordered and she hesitated briefly but moved to his side.
Both Ryon and Caleb looked at him. Ryon with annoyance. Caleb, Callum was surprised to see, with barely concealed anger.
He ignored their expressions, looked down at Sonia and instructed, “The queen belongs at the king’s side.”
“I was three feet away,” she replied quietly, her face growing even paler.
“The queen belongs at the king’s side,” he repeated, watched her swallow and felt the air around them growing thick, this coming from his family.
His gaze sliced through his brethren, nonverbally making his displeasure known, and he looked back down at the papers.
He read the three page report and the words erased Sonia, Ryon and Caleb from his mind.
He flipped the folder shut and looked at Ryon.
“Bloody hell, Mona’s an idiot,” he remarked.
“Always was,” Ryon returned.
“Mac f**ked up, installing her as Governor of this Territory,” Callum noted with frustration, handing the file back to Caleb.
Mac had left him with a rebellion which, in a year with studied brutality, he’d quashed, forcing their signature on a treaty they vowed never to sign and, four short years later, they broke.
Other than that, and the occasional insurrection which was normal amongst intense, temperamental and often quarrelling wolves, Mac’s realm was peaceful and ordered.
There was no mess.
Except Mona.
“He thought it was a diplomatic move,” Ryon replied, his eyes sliding to Sonia. “Titium was displeased with what went on.” Ryon looked back at Callum. “And he’d make a formidable enemy.”
Callum knew this.
During their brief fling ages ago, something which Callum engaged in regularly, a fact he thought Mona understood as every she-wolf did, she’d become infatuated with him. Because of her obsession, scraping her off had been unpleasant and eventually diplomatically sensitive.
Titium, Governor of Europe and a highly respected warrior, had spoiled his daughter. What she wanted, Titium gave her. Unfortunately, Mona was ambitious as well as obsessive. In order for her to leave his son alone, Mac had installed her as Governor of the then sparsely populated Western Territories of America.