Natalia’s P. O. V

Once again, I found myself inspecting my reflection in a mirror of the Royal Werewolves’ Palace.

This time instead of the right wing for official duties or the main wing for the mate ball, I had been given a suite in the left wing – the residence wing of the Royals. The difference was striking. Instead of a room with an adjourning bathroom, the suite was complete with a parlour for receiving personal guests, a bedroom twice the size of any I’d stayed in during my time at the palace, a closet bigger than I needed for a visit, and a bathroom that could be described as nothing short of luxury.

A knock came at the suite door, followed by Mrs Burton’s voice, “Are you ready, Your Highness?”

I left the bedroom and crossed the parlour to open the door for her. She looked at me with that same expression of pride that made my heart long for my mother.

“You look lovely, Your Highness.” She said with a bow.

I had her to thank for it. The dress she’d found for me was midnight blue, with subtle shimmers that sparkled when I moved ever so slightly, like a night sky with shy stars. It was asymmetrical, with the front stopping at my knees and the back just brushing the floor with the lace-up platforms I wore. My hair had been weaved into an intricate crown on my head, where a brilliant silver tiara was placed.

“I have the final touch of your outfit. May I place it on you?”

I turned around and she came up behind me, placing the heavy cape on my shoulders and clasping the thick woven rope across my chest. From what I’d seen of it, my family’s crest was embroidered on the back of it, bold and proud for all to see that I was a Syrenlina.

“It’s time, Your Highness.”

I nodded and followed her out of the suite, where we met a palace guide who took us to the royal reception hall. The closer we got, the hotter I got. By the time we reached the doors, my heart was galloping so fast that I was sure even Mrs Burton could hear it. My nerves made me glad I’d decided to ask her to come along months ago.

The moment I’d finished unpacking after returning to New York in January, I’d beelined to Mrs. Burton’s office.

“Hello Natalia,” She’d greeted me warmly, “Happy New Year and a belated Merry Christmas. How was your last trip?”

I’d thought back to the excitement in my members’ voices as they’d told me all about how the news of Harry’s failed attempt to flirt and invite us to ally with the Lightwood Pack had spread like wildfire and smiled, “It was very productive.”

“That’s good to hear. What brings you to my office so soon after you’ve returned?”

“I want you to come with me to the Werewolf Palace.”

She blinked.

“The plan I told you about last year,” I continued, “the one for us to form an alliance with Werewolves by offering land that they may not have. I want to go as the envoy to propose this idea and I want you to come with me.”

“I’m flattered you want me to come, but an alliance like this needs the approval of the High Court. I’ll have to convince them before we can do this and it won’t be easy.”

“They have to listen to reason.” I insisted, “Besides Syrens who are Vampires’ natural prey and Vampire Hunters that were specifically made to hunt them, Werewolves are the only other species that’s had beef with Vampires. They might not be actively at war anymore, but there’s a long history of bad blood there. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Let’s make them our friends.”

She sighed, “Okay. I’ll do my best, Natalia.”

And so, for two months, she’d painstakingly explained to every member of the High Court why allying ourselves with Werewolves was a good idea. Many had been reluctant or repulsed initially, but she’d won over as many as she could. For the ones that proved stubborn, she’d added that if we succeeded, it would be a new group to benefit from, and if we failed, it would be no skin off our backs.

The fruits of her labour came when she was given the votes we needed at the meeting she’d called. A request for a Royal meeting was sent and, one week later, we were here, standing before the doors that separated us from the Royal Werewolves.

The guide entered the room, his bellowing voice echoing around the room as he introduced us, “Announcing Her Majesty, Natalia Avarielle Ember Syrenlina, Princess of the Syrens. Accompanied by the High Court Chancellor, Marianne Burton.”

The end of the introduction was my cue to move. I was supposed to glide in, looking every bit of the princess I apparently was, but my legs felt heavy. I hadn’t felt this disconnected from my body since the day I Uncovered.

Behind me, Mrs Burton placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, then gave me a gentle nudge that propelled my legs into action.

I walked through the doors, reminding myself to hold my head high. The room was oval-shaped, with low lighting from the flickering candle chandeliers. There was a long table that followed the shape of the room, with the King and Queen’s thrones at one end and another placed at another end with a smaller chair beside it.

Their silver eyes followed me as I approached, curious on the Queen’s part and perplexed on the King’s. The Queen’s silver dress flowed behind her as she stood from her throne, taking a few steps towards me.

“Welcome to the Palace of the Royal Werewolves, Princess Natalia of the Syrens.” Her eyes scanned my face and she smiled, “Though, I suspect you’ve been here before.”

I nodded, “Yes, I was here last year to register my pack, and a few months ago for the Winter Mate Ball.”

“I knew you smelled too familiar.” The King said from his throne, “You’re a Werewolf.”

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“And a Syren.”

“But a Werewolf nonetheless. And yet, you have not bowed.”

I lifted my chin higher, “I will not be bowing today, King Luna.”

He rested his cheek on his fist, “Then why did you bow when you came here all those months ago?”

“Back then, I was here as a Werewolf and subject. Today, I am here as a monarch and envoy of the Syrens.”

The room filled with silence as my gaze held his.

‘I am a Princess. I am a Princess. I am a Princess…’ I chanted in my head, willing myself not to look away.

Finally, he chuckled, “Very well, Princess of the Syrens. Today, we are equals. Please, take a seat.”

I held in a sigh as I sank into the throne and the Queen returned to hers.

“You’ll have to forgive my husband.” The Queen placed a hand over the King’s, “None of the monarchs we’ve been visited by have ever been Werewolf hybrids, so the rules on how to proceed are rather unclear. But I believe your logic of which side of you we acknowledge depending on the nature of our meeting works well.”

“Well, yes… It’s a tad unclear.” The King parroted, then shifted the conversation, “We’ve never been visited by Syrens. I wonder, what brings you here in this capacity?”

“I have come here in hopes that we can facilitate the beginning of what I believe will be a pleasant relationship.”

They both raised a brow.

“Our species have basically had zero interaction with each other.” The Queen said, “We have no idea what the nature of our relationship will be as we have no model for it.”

“It’s precisely because we have no model that I believe we can make it work. We can set an example of good relations.”

“Okay…” The King’s voice was still laced with scepticism, “We could set a good example, but why would we bother to undertake that in the first place? Your species isn’t exactly one held in high esteem.”

My mouth tensed. Someone had done his homework.

“Opinion is subjective.” I barely kept my tone measured, “Besides, I believe Syrens have more to offer than you might realise.”

The King opened his mouth to speak, when the Queen gently squeezed his hand, “We’re curious to hear what that might be.”

“Werewolves are facing a deforestation problem, I hear.”

“Go on…”

“You may have it under control for a while,” I continued, “but humans, being humans, will eventually either decimate or subdue every wooded area on the face of the Earth.”

“And you believe you can get them to stop?” The King quipped.

“I don’t have to. What I can do is offer Werewolves some space in our world.”

“Your world?”

Apparently, someone hadn’t done all his homework.

“Syrens have their own world.” I informed them, “Many generations ago, my ancestor created a world for us. And I can assure you, there is no deforestation issue there.”

From what I’d been told, many Syrens had an affinity for nature and the natural elements. Aside from two or three cities, many cities had been built with the incorporation of the natural landscape of the area. Even the capital city was partially woods and waterfalls.

The King and Queen were silent, communicating again, I assumed. Their faces were mostly unreadable, but something told me the Queen was gaining ground.

“If we were to take you up on this offer,” The King said slowly, “how would you propose we implement the idea?”

“Portions of land will be designated for Werewolf settlers. After constructions and provisions have been made, the news can be made public and packs that want to move will apply. The decision on whether or not to accept their application can be made after an audit of the pack’s history and conduct. Of course, economic exchange and stimulation will be encouraged between the settlers and the locals.”

In other words, taxes and barter.

“You’ve given this a lot of thought.” The Queen stated.

“Yes.” I nodded, glancing down at my hand with the crest and her bite marks, “I am a Syren, but I am also a Werewolf. I want us both to be prosperous and have a relationship that will make my very existence not seem unnatural or unwelcomed.”

“Very well. I can admire your desire to bring two parts of yourself together, and this deal will be helpful in the not-so-distant future. Let’s discuss it further.”

Hours passed as we went over the idea, right down to its skeletons. Of course, there would be an official agreement signed in the presence of an Enchantress to bind us to our major obligations, but the details were up to us.

After our meeting, the King and Queen bid me a pleasant farewell, and Mrs Burton and I were ready to return in under half as hour.

“Thank you for being with me.” I told her in the SUV taking us to the airport.

Her smile was warm, “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. You were born for this, Natalia.”

“Thank you.” I shook my head, “But I was so nervous. Having you there gave me some confidence.”

She placed a hand on mine, “I barely needed to say a word. You’re more capable than you give yourself credit for.”

“Okay.” I said, my voice small.

At the airport, we parted ways. She got on a flight back to the city while I made my way to my pack. Since it was still spring break, I wanted to spend the last few days of it with them and check on how things were progressing.

When I arrived, I was welcomed warmly by new faces. According to Timothy, after the mate ball, we’d gotten several join requests, but I was still surprised to see so many.

‘Looks like you caused a bit of a stir at the mate ball.’ Candy said as I was introduced to the new people.

When the introductions were over, Timothy followed me to my office for a progress report.

“Besides the influx of new members, how have things been going?” I asked him as we sank into our seats.

“They’ve been good- more than good, actually. Our produce has been coming along great and we’ve started getting settlers in the human side of town who are buying the local produce as well as the things we import and mark up. Also, our shop online is doing well. You were right about people and their love for mini figurines of plain ass shit, they’re selling better than some of my best work.” He huffed.

“And them?”

His face went hard and he nodded, “They sent another allegiance request yesterday.”

For two weeks after the mate ball, there’d been nothing but silence from the Lightwood Pack. I’d almost wondered if I’d overdone it and bruised their ego too much by facilitating eavesdroppers on Harry’s antics that night. My growing worry had abated when the first allegiance request had arrived.

Timothy had wanted to speed the process up and accept it the moment it appeared in our inboxes, but I’d stopped him, and I’d continued to stop him from accepting the three other requests that had come after.

“Accept it.”

His brows shot up, “You’re not fucking with me, are you?”

I chuckled, shaking my head, “I think it’s time we begin to welcome them.”

I’d wanted to keep ignoring their requests till the end of May, when I could invite them with ample time to spend toying with them, but I wasn’t sure if they’d persist for two more months. I wanted to give them the carrot before rolling the stick back out by making them wait for an invitation to our territory.

“Besides,” I pulled their request up on my computer and turned it to him with a grin, “fifth time’s the charm.”