Being the intended mate of a royal is the duty of a lifetime.
To Princess Peregrine duty is everything. From the day she was born she was groomed to save her realm from extinction. With a lineage like hers, she was destined for one thing and that is...
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Duty...
I know the word as if it were my very own name as it had also been bestowed upon me at birth. Save your people. Save your realm. Do your duty. That is the perk of being one of the very last nobles of your kind. You have the bloodline of succession. You are the hope of your realm.
I am the hope of my realm.
Four realms. Four ancient bloodlines. Four species on the verge of extinction. Which is now why we have the laws we have. We are creatures, shapeshifters, bound by our heritage from the day we are born. Anything that steps outside of those bounds is forbidden; verboten.
Today, of all days, is a reminder of my duty. It is the day I will meet my intended mate. It is the day I will meet my king in the official capacity of being his future queen. I will secure my realms fate with him by providing my kingdom with heirs, giving them the promise of future generations of the sky realm.
"You look beautiful, darling." My mother's voice pulls me out of my head. "You wear your realm's colors proudly. You will impress them indeed." I don't say anything I just look up at her as she places my crown on top of my head. "Your intended will be here shortly and soon enough you will be the next queen or our kind."
"King Raven." I repeat the name of my intended mate; my king.
"Yes, darling, our strong king." She places her hands on each of my shoulders as she meets the reflection of my eyes in the mirror. "You and he will be bound together soon enough. He will claim you for all to know that we still have a future. You are our future, Peregrine."
He will claim me...
My cheeks redden at her insinuation. There are two ways our kind places their claim. One of which is through placing the excretion of our scent on our intended mate. The other is a much more intimate form of claim. One done with much less clothing than I am wearing right now. Neither of which I am even remotely familiar with personally.
"It is your duty to let King Raven claim you as his own this evening." I frown at her insinuation. "Not in that way, darling. You have seen it done. All he will do is wrap his arms around you and claim you as queen. You should feel proud to have such an honor."
"I am proud to do my duty, mother." Just extremely nervous to not only meet him but be claimed by him in front of a room of nobility. But I cannot say that to her because I will disappoint.
"The royal families of the other realms will be at court tonight as well. Most of them have already arrived." The thought of one of them in particular makes me smile but makes her gaze turns deathly serious. "Under no circumstances are you to talk to Prince Timber. You will not be anywhere near him. Not even a glance in his direction. Do you hear me, Peregrine?" Her grip tightens on my shoulder, almost painfully, as she asserts her words even more.
"Yes, I heard you, mother. I will not engage in any conversations with Prince Timber." I say monotonously because I cannot guarantee he will not do those things. Controlling Timber's behavior was something one could just not do. He is wild after all; a creature of the land, an animal.
