B+Bs: To Stand In A Beast's World

60. Didn't Miss You

As expected, Winston had no trouble taking the throne. After he accomplished that much, he organized the guards for a deep clean of the castle.

While defeating the male who was claiming the position of king was easy, regaining loyalties wasn't. Rosa had her mate occupying the throne, making her the current wolf and tiger queen. Well, former tiger queen.

Winston was two days into his new role and almost done with the cleaning of the castle when his disgruntled niece let herself in. The displacement of her new title sparked her ire, but Winston did not blink in the face of it.

"How dare you, Winston! You run off only to crawl back and take what's mine?"

Winston's expression did not change in the face of his angered niece. "I've won the throne the same way the past tiger kings have. The same way your mate did."

Rosa didn't want to hear logic. "You coward! Why is it you? Why did you survive and not my father?"

He was lucky mostly, but also more prepared. Thanks to the crystals he entrusted to the eagle, Winston still lived. And with Harvey and Grace's help, he made a full recovery. His luck and the support of his family helped make up for where his strength lacked.

Winston did not have to answer as his mate did that for him.

"Rosa," I said in a voice reserved for the scolding of children. "Maybe you should ask why your father didn't survive instead of name-calling others. War isn't pretty, but throwing around blame when you were not present isn't either."

"You! You wanted this, didn't you? That's why he lived and my father didn't. You schemed against him." Rosa seethed.

Winston was surprised to see his mate here so quickly. He was supposed to send word after he took care of these matters.

"Rosa. Your father died honorably defending the city. And as the current tiger queen, I ask that stop smearing both your father's and my mate's reputations. It's unbecoming."

"You don't get to tell me what to do, I'm the wolf queen now." Rosa's anger was stoked, but her haughtiness shined through it.

"Oh, let me change the way I said that. Don't badmouth my mate in our castle. Insist and you will be seen out the door." I had no reason to play around anymore. I had enough strength on my side that I didn't need to kiss anyone's ass.

"You can't do that!"

I wish she'd stop shouting. "Oh, but I can."

A grumpy Curtis let himself in and blocked off Rosa's path. The males around went on high alert, but I walked up calmly.

"Curtis, could you please send these ones out?"

Curtis smiled, happy to have finally been given a request that suited his tastes.

"Another feral? What is wrong with you?" Rosa's voice shook with both disdain and fear as she took in the four marks on his neck.

In response, Rosa's mates and some of the tigers still loyal to her growled. Winston stood up and released his pressure, trying his best not to include Grace in his range.

The beasts cowed, and Rosa hissed. "Why? Why are you all being cowards?"

"They aren't cowardly for wanting to live another day," I said. "Now go and cool your head."

Rosa did not take the order well, but the combined ferocity of the feral and Winston was scaring her.

To make my position of power clear—because this girl was lacking the ability to discern her loss—I had Muir step around with Harvey, carrying my cubs in his arms. All eyes gazed upon the stripes of the three tetra-marked males present.