Guts

Chapter 4 - Guts

I made my way to Caspian as fast as possible, not holding back as I let Ophir take control. Even though he refused to talk to me, he still knew he had a duty to uphold.

We landed with a large thud on top of the castle before I shifted back into my human form. I pulled on a pair of breeches and a black tunic.

"Sire, he is in your study. I tried to take him to the throne room, but he refused sheering there himself," Gregory said, his voice slightly higher as panic set in. I grunted as I moved past him, making my way down the iron stairs.

"Gregory," I said in warning.

"Sorry, Si- Garren. I panicked. I have never met someone so rash before." I rolled my shoulders as we hit the last step making my way into the main corridor of the castle. My body still stiff from the fast shift.

"Balor Bloodstone is as bullheaded and entitled as they come, Gregory. It comes from his time in the human realm; he apparently isn't immune to their... Charm." I explained.

Gregory swallowed hard, nodding as he followed behind me. His cropped brown hair was tousled as though he had been anxiously rubbing his fingers through it. I could sense the nervous energy pouring from him.

I paused outside my office doors, turning my attention toward the male I had watched grow before my very eyes—the kid who was so eager to become a part of my royal team.

It was his bullheadedness and insistence on being by my side at all times that earned him the spot as one of my advisors. I placed a hand on his shoulder, allowing my magic to seep into his skin.

My mother always warned me about manipulating people's emotions without their permission. But Gregory was on edge. He needed this, and I knew he would refuse to have my help if I asked.

The corner of my mouth curled into a half smile, only half forced, as I sent a wave of calm into him. His body instantly relaxed.

"You did fine. I won't hold the attitude and arrogance of Balor against you. Please round up Mildred and Hunter for me. Have them wait for me in the training rooms for a debriefing. I feel this isn't going to be the last we see of Balor, and I need to plan for whatever message he has decided to grace me with today."

"Of course, Si-" I looked at him in warning again. He seemed to always forget that outside of the throne room and council meetings, I was his equal.

"Garren. of course." Gregory corrected before giving a quick bow and running down the hall before I could scold him for his constant need to be proper.

I let out a heavy breath, rubbing my hand down my face as I looked at my office door. I steeled my expression as I reached for the handle swinging the door open in one swift motion as I entered the room.

Balor stood with his hands clasped behind his back as he looked out the window and down into the large gardens my mother had made over two centuries ago to add life to the place. His scarlet hair was tied back, and he wore a perfectly tailored suit to show off his self-importance.

I shut the door behind me, heading to my desk without a word. If Balor wanted to talk to me, then he would speak. This was my kingdom, and him barging in and demanding council with me as if I was no more than a commoner to him was enough of an insult.

I lowered myself into my chair, turning my focus to the paperwork that I had left out yesterday. Balor didn't make a move to speak first as he made his way to the leather chair in front of my desk, and I didn't make a move to do so, either.

I felt his eyes on me as I shuffled through my paperwork, figuring out what problem I wanted to tackle after this meeting. Being a King was something I never wanted. But I guess not many would like the pressure of an entire kingdom laid upon their shoulder. It was chaos all the time; it was why I found myself in Ramiro more often than not.

"I see you are still upset with me and want to drag this tantrum out." Balor drawled, breaking the silence. He really was pushing my limits today.

"Is that what you think this is? A tantrum?" I sneered, turning my full attention to him. His sapphire eyes locked onto mine, a hint of amusement in them. He was enjoying this, taunting me, testing how far he could push my boundaries. He was always the wildcard in the family. But ever since he joined forces with Balthazar and took over the werewolf side of his family lineage, he had become even more unpredictable.

Balor leaned back in the chair, resting his ankle on his knee, his ringed fingers clasped together and resting on his thigh.

"Yes, that is what I call it when someone storms out of a meeting after finding their mate, leaving them hurt and embarrassed in front of an entire room of council members and guests." I resisted the urge to curl my hands into fists. His words hit a soft spot in me. Of course, that was why he was here.

"I know what you're doing, Balor, and it won't work," I muttered. He arched a brow at me.

"Oh? And what is it that I'm doing exactly, Garren?"

"Trying to get me to feel guilty about what I did when it is you who should feel ashamed for what you did. Setting up your own flesh and blood to be humiliated like that." Balor pressed his tongue into his cheek, his eyes moving to the bookshelf behind me as he thought of what to say next.

He nodded, pursing his lips.

"I can't blame you entirely for her embarrassment, but I can be pissed at you for being a self-righteous asshole, now, can't I. You have been looking for a mate for centuries, and now you have one, and you reject her. It's disgusting." He hit back, and I couldn't contain the growl that rumbled in my chest; he truly was a hypocrite. The corner of his mouth tipped up as he hit his mark. Ophir stirred in my chest, not liking how Balor was talking to us.

"Get out. I will not talk about what I do and do not do in my personal life with you, especially when you are one to talk. If I remember correctly you spent years avoiding your mate. You are no longer welcomed into my home. I may have a friendship with your sisters and brother, but I cannot stand the likes of you." I growled. Balor stood up from his chair, placing his hands into his pocket as if he didn't find my threats the least bit threatening.

"And I have learned from my mistakes, and it's why I'm trying to prevent you from making the same ones. You're broken inside, Garren. You have spent your whole life trying to fight who you really are because you didn't want the life you were destined to have. You still fight it, and now you are just destroying yourself further by denying yourself this slice of happiness. Stop being a coward and accept her." I gritted my teeth, standing up, my chair slamming into the bookshelf knocking a few books down onto the floor.

"I am protecting her from myself and this kingdom. That is why I am denying myself this sliver of happiness. My kingdom chews and spits out people like her. She has no magic, no powers, and she is a werewolf. Ryuu played one last trick on us all before she was killed, and it was this bond. My mate is safer away from me and this kingdom." I shouted at him, my truth spilling out before I could catch myself.

Balor let out an irritated sigh like I was being completely unreasonable. But I wasn't.

"Then reject her and break the bond, Garren. Because you aren't the only one hurting in this. Penelope has been a shell of herself ever since that night. So if you want to make it right, then go to the human realm and reject her. Accept your fate as a mad king and set her free." Her name sounded like music to my ears. I had tried so hard not to think of it, not think of her, and here he was, shoving it in my face.

"Leave," I ordered again.

"Think about it, Garren. It's the least you could do since you already broke her heart." Balor sheered out of the room, black smoke swirling around the spot he had just been. He was gone before I could say anything else. His words echoed in my head like a bad dream.

"Go to her, fix this." Ophir hissed.

"You know I can't." I snapped back.

"All I see is a coward afraid of what others will think of him," Ophir grumbled.

"You would really put her through this, have her degraded further by our people because of your selfish needs. They will eat her alive."

"You have decided already that she is not strong enough to handle this life before you have even gotten to know her. You believed Ryuu cursed you, but she loved her children more than anything despite what she had done in the end. Fix it before it's too late, Garren, before we go mad and your nightmares become a reality or have you forgotten what Sorin showed you all those months ago."

I cursed under my breath as I moved to my office door. I opened it, slamming it behind me as I made my way to the training rooms. I couldn't believe I was actually considering this.

A dragon in the human realm, what could possibly go wrong?