Chapter 19

King Carson “I should only be gone a few days.” I said, giving Carliegh a k**s goodbye.

“Be safe. Give my regards to the council and other kings.” She coughed.

“I will. Get some rest. I’m just a phone call away.”

I got on a flight to King Edward’s Kingdom where we had a quarterly meeting with the council to attend. It switched between our kingdoms. Last quarter was in King Derek’s territory, the next we would host. Meetings consisted of a variety of reports. Crime rates, missing persons, rogue invasions, ect. In some cases, discussing our relationship statuses was necessary. The council was less than impressed that King Edward chose a wanted hybrid, and weren’t too fond of my sick luna either. Thankfully, the heat was off both of us today, this time focusing on King Derek who was approaching thirty. The age at which the council started pressing for him to choose a mate.

“My kingdom still needs work, I don’t have time for a mate.” He griped.

“King Derek, this is not a choice. You must choose a mate soon.” Councilman Howard said.

“Define soon.” He sighed.

“By your next birthday.”

“Two months?” He snorted. “Thats not happening.”

“Perhaps the following birthday then?” King Edward suggested, always quick to defend his young prodigy.

“That seems fair.” Councilman Josiah agreed.

“Its settled then.” Councilman George agreed.

King Derek looked less than agreeable. The young man still had a lot to learn about decorum when it came to the council. King Edward quickly moved the conversation along, sparing King Derek any further stipulations. Eventually, the conversation moved my way, much to my annoyance.

“King Carson, there has been an influx of chupacabra’s in your territory.” Councilman Chester said, reading over my stack of reports.

“Its their mating season.” I shrugged. Nothing new about that.

“Their numbers have nearly quadrupled since last year.” He added, passing around my reports.

“They are staying within their bounds. I don’t see it as a problem just yet.”

“I would like regular updates on the matter.” He said, setting down the report after scribbling some notes.

“Of course.” I nodded respectfully.

The rest of the meeting was awfully boring, as we all hoped it would be. Boring was good. Boring meant everything was functioning as it should be. King Edward, King Derek, and I exchanged pleasantries before packing up our things and heading back to our rooms. King Edward had dinner planned for us and breakfast in the morning before our flights left, but we had some time before dinner.

“King Carson! A word?” Councilman Howard asked as I was on my way back to my room.

Odd. He wasn’t typically my go-to member of the council. Each king had one, or two even. I was assigned council members Chester and Frederick. King Edward had Councilwoman Leslie, George, and Josiah since he was covering two kingdoms at the moment, and King Derek has Howard and King Edward. For him to approach me outside of a meeting was highly unusual.

“Councilman. How may I help you?” I asked.

“As you are aware, King Derek was given a timeline to pick a mate. I don’t trust that he will take the time to find a suitable match before his next birthday due to his busy lifestyle. I am composing a list of prospects for the young King and would like to know if one of your daughters would be interested in taking him as a mate.”

“Oh,” I said, taken back. “I must admit, this is quite a surprise.”

“Consider it. I was going to give King Derek a list of eligible young women and go from there. He might wish to pursue one of your daughters, or perhaps not. But he is a king, and your ally. It would be a smart decision on both of your ends.”

“I will consider it.” I nodded curtly, continuing along.

Was I okay with that idea? That King Derek could potentially pursue one of my daughters as a chosen mate? I hardly knew the young king. He was always busy tending to his kingdom, which meant he was hard working, but what was he like as a person? And of my two eligible daughters, who would be the better match? I wouldn’t recommend them both, that would only cause problems. Kelly and Kylie had completely different personalities. Would either be able to build a life with King Derek? Would they be happy? I guess I should ask some questions tonight at our dinner. Feel him out a bit. Only then would I know if this was a good idea or not.

“Thank you for the wonderful meal.” King Derek said to King Edward just a few bites into his meal.

Respectful. Thats a plus.

“Dont thank me, its all Anita.” He laughed, gesturing to the older shewolf who was pouring drinks. “She is a goddess sent.”

“Thank you Alpha.” She bowed politely before making her exit.

“So, King Derek, what are your long-term goals for your kingdom?” I brazenly asked.

“Survival. Prosperity.” He snorted. “I want my kingdom to be everything it wasn’t under my father’s rule.”

Another good sign. His father was a cruel man. I was happy to hear he wanted the polar opposite.

“What are you looking for in a Luna?” Luna Sierra asked.

“I’m not looking for a luna.” He sighed. “There is just too much to do. And I don’t want to neglect her.”

“But that’s why you have a mate, she will ease some of that burden. She will make your kingdom prosper. I don’t know what I would do without Sierra.” King Edward said, looking at his mate lovingly.

“I don’t know. If I found my mate, maybe I would feel differently. Its just hard to imagine trying to take on a relationship amongst all my chaos. I have been going at high speed for so long, I don’t know how well I would do balancing another person’s emotions and feelings when I hardly have time for my own.”

He is aware that the relationship will require effort, good.

“King Derek, what are your interests?” I asked, abruptly changing the conversation which he looked thankful for.

“My interests? I haven’t had much time to explore my interests.” He sheepishly admitted. “But if given the chance, I’m open to trying new things.”

Adventurous, good.

“Do you want pups one day?”

“I wouldn’t mind having one or two. With the right person, of course.” He shrugged.

“King Carson, you seem to be asking some very personal questions, might there be a reason..or two?” Queen Sierra asked, a small giggle escaping her.

“Just trying to get to know King Derek a bit better is all. He has been king for over ten years now and we hardly know one another.” I shrugged.

“Sorry about that.” King Derek said sheepishly.

Willing to seek forgiveness. Another good sign.

“No need to apologize, you have had your work cut out for you.” I said casually. “And from what I can tell, it paid off.”

“Yeah, thankfully, finally.”

We finished eating and parted ways for bed. The next day, breakfast went similar to dinner. I learned a fair amount about King Derek, and was quite pleased over-all. I think he could be a suitable mate for either of my daughters. Kelly was closer in age to him, but I still had yet to decide if I was going to allow her to become queen or not. Kylie was younger and she hadn’t found her mate yet. Maybe I would let them decide who should potentially be his mate. Nothing was set in stone, it was just a list in case King Derek dropped the ball. They might find that they love each other or hate each other in the process. I guess there was only one way to find out…