Chapter 5 - Talk with the King

Lance POV

I stand in front of my father’s office door, but no matter how I try, I can’t bring myself to knock. 

Dread creeps over me, and I’m frozen on the spot. 

What does he want? 

I don’t fear anything but my father.  He is the only person who has the power to defeat me, but his disappointing looks are what hurts me the most. 

I know he has wanted me to take over for him, but he has agreed to allow me to spend some time exploring the world on my own before I take the crown.  A part of me hopes he will skip me and put my younger brother on the throne instead, but I wouldn’t be so lucky. 

An image of the injured blonde wolf flashes through my mind. 

I take a deep breath and raise my hand. 

Knock.  Knock.

My father’s curt voice bellows, “Come in.  You have been waiting out there long enough.”

Gulp. 

I can do this. 

Before I lose my courage, I walk into his office.  “You called for me.”

My father looks up from his desk and the various piles of papers scattered across it.  His piercing eyes cut right through me.  “Yeah.  I wanted to talk to you since you are here.”

I silently breathe a sigh of relief.  He hasn’t asked me about the injured wolf. 

I sheepishly slide into the leather chair in front of his wooden desk while I swallow the lump in my throat. 

His eagle eyes scan me from head to toe.  “I initially wanted to talk to you about when you will come back home and settle down and take over as the king?  But after seeing you like this… I have a few other questions.”  He points to me and moves his finger up and down. 

What is wrong with me?  I don’t look any different from usual. 

My eyebrows knot together.  “Do I look different or something?”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I want to pull them back.  Why did I ask that question? 

My father rests his arms on the desk and stares at me.  His usual blank face doesn’t tell me what he is thinking. 

Silence settles over the room.  It is the same silence I’ve always hated when growing up.  It is usually followed by something I don’t want to hear or see. 

My heart pounds in my chest in anticipation. 

His caramel eyes scan me from head to toe again and come back to my face.  The little flecks of gold in his eyes shine brighter as he raises an eyebrow.  “Yes.  There is something different about you, but for once, I can’t seem to put my finger on it.  It isn’t going to stop me, though.  I’ll figure it out, one way or another.”

I don’t know what he is going to figure out when I know I haven’t changed, but under his eagle eyes, I don’t have the confidence to defy him. 

Instead, I timidly nod. 

He takes a deep breath.  “Well, I’ll leave that for now.  When are you going to take over as king?  I’ve been accommodating your request to go out and see the world, but my patience is wearing thin.  I also would like to enjoy my life too.  I’ve been all about my position and the responsibilities of being a king that I haven’t taken much time for myself and your mother.  She would like to take some trips.”

I shake my head.  “I don’t know.  There is still plenty of the world to explore.”

That isn’t true.  I’ve explored most of it, but I don’t want to lock myself down in ruling the Lycans and indirectly the werewolves or handling the disputes with the werewolves. 

One thing I’ve learned in my exploration of the world is that many werewolf packs hate us.  If they could, they would fight us, but they aren’t stupid.  They know they couldn’t win a battle with us. 

I don’t want my life to devolve into political talks, alliance agreements, and werewolf debates.  That doesn’t sound fun at all. 

My father snorts and taps his finger on the desk.  “That isn’t what my reports say.  They all say you have explored most of the world with only a little left.  Don’t you think it is your mother and my turn now?  Or do you want me to reign until I die?”

His voice turns cold with his last question. 

How could he think that? 

I shake my head.  “No.  I’m just not ready.  There is so much…”

He taps his finger harder against the desk.  “Do you realize by the time I was your age, I had been the king for several years and had found my mate?  If my memory is correct, we were expecting you at the time.  If you keep putting it off, you will never be ready.”

He gives me a stern look, daring me to argue with him. 

Gulp.

I move in my seat, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole. 

Gathering what little courage I have, I clear my throat.  “I still haven’t found my mate.”  I timidly add, “I was hoping to have found her first.”

There.  I’ve finally said it. 

All these years, I’ve kept that little secret to myself, and I wasn’t planning on saying it, but I don’t think I have a choice now.  He will find out sooner or later. 

Another snort flows out of him as he taps his finger on his desk.  “Do you think I don’t know that already?  That is the reason I’ve been giving you the time you have been wanting.  But your time has run out.  You need to take over my title, and I’m not giving it to your younger brother.  You think you’re not ready.  Your younger brother might be 18, but he has the mental capacity of a 10-year-old.  If I put him in as king, the Lycan world would crumble down around him.  I can’t do that to him or to our people.  It isn’t fair.  I’ve also worked too hard for it all to go down the drain.”

My brother might not be as mature as I was at that age, but he isn’t that bad. 

I shake my head.  “He might surprise you.”

My father’s eyes narrow.  “If you think that, you might not be ready to take over as king either, but I know you’re bluffing.”  The corner of his mouth slightly curves up.  “You wouldn’t allow it either.  You’re like me, and you want what is best for everyone.”

The gold flecks in his eyes shimmer while amusement dances around in them.

Like flipping a switch, the small bit of playfulness disappears, and his stern expression comes back.  “On to other things.  What is the story about the injured werewolf?  I’ve seen the medical report, but it doesn’t explain why we are on alert because of her.”