4: Duties and strength

Mia sat in the maiden's court with her mind wandering. Usually, she stayed focused on the day and the issues at hand, but now she was disoriented. Kailani returned to Soule this morning, and a part of her wanted to leave.

In the last week, Kailani stayed at the palace. Mia didn't feel alone; she had someone to talk to. Kailani understood a lot of things she was going through, being royalty. She understood the responsibilities of marrying an Ainsworth and how painful it could be. It was a trauma bond, but a bond nonetheless.

Mia wondered how things would go for her now that Kailani had left for Soule. She would become alone but for her sons.

"My Queen," she heard her name called, and she snapped out of her thought.

"Luna Elena told us some slath armies are just like us." A maiden seated in the first row spoke.

"Yes," Mia nodded, "they are beings, broken to the point that they do not care about their safety or even life. But just as they have werewolves, they have those who aren't. All eight kingdoms have sold their slaves to the slave masters in the last few decades. Those slaves were then broken and taken to the kingdom of Foth as slath (slaves of Foth). In the army of slaths from which King Damien rules, you will find humans, watchers, healers, werewolves, vampires, and witches. They are just like everyone else, but those with magical powers are made to wear the giga around their necks to take away their powers until their brokenness is complete. Then, even if the giga is removed, they will never return to who they once were. They will belong to King Damien and their powers; his to wield."

A murmur went through the crowd, and one seated to the right raised her voice. "Then how do we win?"

"By working together and getting as strong as we need to be," Mia answered confidently.

The rest of the meeting continued with Luna Elena and Lady Margaret reading out the many ways each maiden could contribute to the coming war. Mia sat quietly, listening and trying to hold up a brave face.

"Is all well?" Lady Elena asked as she stepped towards her while the other maidens took their leave.

Mia looked up at her, and her brows narrowed, wondering what Luna spoke about. "I do not understand."

Elena smiled small. "You look sad." She pointed out, and it meant her emotions, even though she tried to hide them.

She tried a smile. "I am fine."

She wasn't a great pretender; it wasn't in her nature. If something wasn't going great, she was always the first to show it. Xavier was good at hiding things, like his affair with the blonde lady in white. She was sure he wouldn't have told her about his affair if she hadn't walked in on them weeks ago. He would have gladly left her in the dark. That wasn't the type of man she thought Xavier was, but he was now that man. He had become him.

She hated it. She didn't hate him; she believed the man she married was still in there somewhere, but she hated who he had become. He had become someone who could live without his mate, something she thought wasn't possible for them. The moon goddess didn't create them with such an ability, and doing so had been a nightmare for her, but it had come to him like breathing.

She held a blank face and kept her head up high constantly. She did not give space to anything that would make her feel like she had failed.

Elena didn't say anything. "The maidens believe in you, and as impossible as this war seems, I feel it in my heart that we will win."

Mia sighed inwardly. Elena probably thought the coming war influenced her emotions, and that wasn't even close to the truth. Yes, the coming war scared her to think about it, but what made her sad was her husband.

"We will win; I am sure about that." Mia agreed with a firm nod.

"I am sorry, my queen." Luna Elena said that and took a step back.

Her apology took Mia by surprise, and she frowned. "For what?"

"For the things you cannot talk about." She answered and turned to leave. "It's probably back home, and I hope you fix it soon."

Elena knew the war wasn't what made her sad. It was on her mind, but it didn't make her sad. She knew it was something different, something she couldn't talk about or else she already would have.

Luna Elena was an intelligent maiden; it was no surprise; she was married to Alpha Koz, the alpha of truth and knowledge, after all.

The luna could tell that the maiden, Willow, wasn't correctly loved at home by her husband just by hearing her speak. So, she would know this quickly. It was nice that Elena didn't go into detail about the reasons she was sad. It was a sign of respect to leave that part to her and hope for the best for her. The older woman always had her respect at the end of the day, and that will never change.

"Thank you," Mia said, and without looking back, she nodded and walked away from the court.

Mia's carriage stopped in front of the palace, and she helped herself down from the carriage, not waiting for the guards. It was still a few hours into the afternoon, and so she figured Xavier would be in the throne room listening to issues and news brought in by the people and the elders. Despite their differences, she still frequented the throne room and sat to judge with him. It was her duty, and their current situation wouldn't change that. Today was an exception because of the maiden's court, but if she had enough strength after being well-rested, she would join him in the throne room.

Mia paused when she stepped into the throne room where Xavier was and saw the blonde lady in white standing on his left side. She had her hand on his shoulders, and he spoke to the people in the throne room.

She scoffed at the sight before her. First, he brought his whore into the royal chambers, and now he had her in the throne room, judging the affairs of the kingdom with him. Could it get any worse?

Her eyes welled up, but she blinked them back and stood silently in the throne room, watching as Elder Grey and Elder Zayn relayed the ongoing affairs of the kingdom to him.

"Thank you." He told them before adding, "You do the entire kingdom a great service, Alphas." The two men bowed their heads to him and then walked out of the throne room. Towards their exit, they noticed her, both having a look of pity in their eyes as they beheld her, and they bowed their heads before walking out.

Her stomach turned, and her hands clenched into a tight fist.

"You should go freshen up and change if you want to join us," Xavier said from where he sat, which told Mia he had taken notice of her.

She laughed a little. "Join us? I mean, I would love to join you, but 'us'? I do not want to join us."

His brows narrowed, and he spoke, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

She shook her head and covered her mouth. "You have your lover in the same room as me, and you do not know what I'm talking about?"

"Mia." He called out a warning, and the blonde lady in white smirked in triumph.

Mia's teeth clenched, and she turned to Xavier. "I am sorry, your whore."

Since she had left the royal chambers, she hadn't gone back there. A part of her feared what she would see if she were to step in there without being summoned. What she saw in the study was still a nightmare to her. She assumed he had asked the blonde lady in white to move into the royal chamber. He had his whore in the palace. This was something his father didn't even dare do to his mother, although there was no love between them. At least the late king respected the late queen enough not to send her out and bring another in. Xavier had no respect for her, and she didn't have any respect for him.

"You will not use those foul words here."

"They are the truth. First, you threw your wife out of the royal chambers, and now you brought your whore into the throne room. Soon, you will have your mate out of the palace and your whore ruling beside you. The elders give me a look of pity, and it is all thanks to you, Xavier. You have made me into a joke, a thing of mockery in the eyes of all. You did this; you did this!"

"Enough." He slammed, rising to his feet, and his whore came to stand beside him. "Go to your room and do not return unless you are ready to be a dutiful queen."

"How about this? I go to my chambers, and I do not come out to the throne room to compete with your whore," she said and stormed away from them.

She would no longer be humiliated by the man who was supposed to protect and defend her. She will choose herself; she will put herself before him and everything else. And if that makes her selfish, then so be it.

She slammed the door as she stepped into the room, but her tears fell, and she crashed onto the floor, not having the strength to go on any further. This was harder than she bargained for, and she had no more strength left.