Chapter 71

The rogue was already pale from exhaustion when he muttered grudgingly, “I am to kneel… and bow

before the Queen.”

The wolves looked teasingly at the flustering Lucianne. In the interrogation room, Xandar smirked like a

cocky winner, “Good that you’ve come to your senses. We‘re done for today. Chief Dalloway will take it

from here now.”

As Xandar got up, so did Christian and Juan. And the Duke went behind the rogue, slammed the rogue’s

head against the table one more time before the King fractured the rogue’s neck, earning a painful

whimper from the criminal.

Xandar smirked in arrogance and satisfaction before he walked out the door. When the wolves started

getting up from the chairs, Toby tried to copy Xandar’s murderous expression and repeated the King‘s

words out loud, “What should you do if you are in the Queen’s presence?”

Lucianne punched Toby to the side with force again. He let his body fall sideways on the table as he

started chuckling uncontrollably.

Zelena then started with a teasing smirk, “Kneel,”

Her mate, Zeke, playfully continued, “And bow.”

Tate finished, “Before the Queen.”

“Guys. Seriously, stop it.” Lucianne pleaded, hiding her face with her hands in embarrassment.

Xandar opened the door, and Toby got off the table, still chuckling as he went to join Raden and Tate.

Xandar stopped the alliance from offering him another bow for the day as he went straight for his mate

with smiling eyes. His demeanor was a complete change from just ten seconds ago.

Xandar’s hands pressed on the table, and his arms trapped Lucianne’s small body between them.

Xandar pecked a kiss on her lips before he uttered in a low, husky voice, “When we are i n the Queen’s

presence, we are to kneel and bow before the Queen.” The upward curl of his lips showed that he heard

everything from when Toby copied him.

Lucianne continued to blush as she tried her best to ignore the cheeky giggles among the wolves and

told her mate, “Making one kneel is highly unnecessary, my King.”

Xandar mocked frustration, “Oh, come on now, my Queen. We wouldn’t want to confuse the rogue now

that I’ve just gotten him to come to his senses on the formalities.”

Lucianne smirked, “You’ve gotten him to come to your senses, you mean?”

He looked a little guilty, genuinely guilty, as he said, “I may have overused th…” Lucy quieted

him with a peck on his cheek as she whispered, “I was only teasing, Xandar.”

Xandar was visibly relieved, and Toby told Raden, “Maybe ‘tame’ was the wrong word. ‘Control . Hm.

Control the fiercest of beasts. Sounds better. Not just taming but also influencing what the beast does.

What do you think, Ray?”

Lucianne narrowed her eyes in her best friend’s direction, and her voice returned to normal when she

said, “I’m still here, Toby, and I don—”

“Yeah, I know. So, Ray, what do you think?”

Raden shrugged and said in agreement, “Control sounds better.”

Before Lucianne could retort, Xandar’s firm voice filled the room, “I agree.”

Lucianne turned her disapproving sights to her mate as she hissed, “Xandar, don’t agree to that! You

should never relinquish control of your life to someone else. In fact, no one should.” Xandar inched

closer to her and asked flirtatiously, “What’s so bad about relinquishing control to my mate? I’d say I’ve

never been in better hands. And besides, you only control my behavior, not my life. My life, you guide

and rule, like the Queen that you are.”

When Lucianne opened her mouth to refute, he pecked another kiss on her lips to silence her and

added, “It’s a good thing, my love. Don’t look so distraught by it. Imagine what would’ve happened to

Caunterberg, Cummings, the Kyltons and the rogue in there if I hadn’t given you control.”

Lucianne argued with uncertainty, “But those are…those are different. I only got you to calm down. The

control was still yours.”

Xandar scoffed, “Sweetheart, if it were, they’d all be dead by now.” He pecked a kiss on her forehead

before he mocked a look of hurt, “Is having control over this beast such a nuisance, my dear? Are you

trying to get rid of me?”

Lucianne narrowed her eyes at his overdramatic demeanor, “You very well know that’s not what this is

about Xandar,” she sighed in worry, “You’re the King. The suggestion that you’re merely influenced by

someone else may affect public confidence in the monarchy and the

government. To say that you’ve given control to me is just…wrong.”

The hurt in his eyes was genuine and evident as he cupped her cheek and said, “Lucy, baby. I s my love

for you wrong in any way?”

She blinked before she uttered, “I hope not.”

He pressed his lips briefly on hers before pulling away and locking a firm gaze on her as he declared,

“It’s not, my love. It’s not wrong in any way. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Don’t doubt

that. Ever. I love you.”

“I-I know. B-But control…”

“Is not something that you should see as an owner-and-pet relationship. You have control

over me when I’m not in control. Other times, you’re my beacon, pointing me in the right direction.”

“I don’t think it’s customary for a King to give so much weight to…”

“To the thoughts and views of his Queen? Well, that’s true but I don’t want to be like past Kings, Lucy. I

thought you knew that.”

“I do. B_”

He took her hands and suggested with a smile, “So, why don’t we start a new custom, where the King

and Queen lead together, as one? That’s how Alphas and Lunas do it, and the system seems to be

working quite well. And that was also how you and your allies won in battles, wasn’t it? Train as one, fight

as one and win as one?”

The fact that Xandar took out words from Toby’s speech a week ago didn’t go unnoticed. Internally, Toby

was squealing in excitement, even though he was just quoting his best friend at that time.

Lucianne sighed in defeat, and Xandar smelled a close victory so he kissed her forehead and smiled

wider at his still-reluctant mate, “I trust you, Lucy. I trust you to control me when I can’t control myself.

And I trust you to give me your unfiltered thoughts on anything we talk about, be it government issues or

something personal.”

After planting a kiss on the back of her hand, he said, “You’re more, Lucy. Much more.” This line sparked

confusion among everyone else in the room since they didn’t have the knowledge of the private

conversation between Xandar and Lucianne the first time this was said.

“Okay.” Lucianne answered meekly.

Xandar was in the mood to tease his mate, “Okay? That’s it? Babe, at least say that you’ll happily take

control of this beast. After all the effort I’ve put in to win an argument against you, don’t you think I

deserve at least that specific line?”

Lucianne narrowed her eyes at him again. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Christian shaking his

head and smiling at the ground, so she said, “See, you’re even making your second-in-command

uncomfortable by saying those things.”

Christian’s head snapped up, “Oh no, my Queen. You misunderstood. I was just wondering why our King

didn’t find you sooner. A hundred and seventy eight years was a long wait for the both of us, but more so

for my cousin.” Some wolves gasped at the age shared by the Duke and their King.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise but it did. Lycans can live up to five hundred years old, the longest living

wolf only reached about three hundred years of age. Lycans age slower, much slower. Right now, the

cousins only looked around thirty-five or so. 1

Lucianne tried not to sound too shocked as she responded, “Christian, let’s face it. I didn’t

exist any sooner.”

Christian raised his eyebrows and commented, “My Queen, it’s not like you were born a week ago.” He

then turned to Juan, “How old is she?”

Juan replied without hesitation, “Twenty-nine two months ago.” 1

The Duke nodded, then said, “It would’ve been nice if you came nine years earlier, my Queen.”

Xandar was gazing dreamily at his mate. Lucianne blushed under his affectionate stare. When he was

going for her lips, her hand pressed firmly on his chest as she said in a loud and clear voice, “Behave

now, my King. We still have the issue of the rogue to deal with. What’s the plan?”