The Lonely King (Book 1 of the Shadows, Roses and Ice Trilogy)

Chapter Thirty-Two

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Amabelle's POV

My nerves were rattling me harder than the carriage was as we traveled up the narrow icy road to Alpha Lyall's pack—Dante's father's city. Grimacing, I cursed myself for even thinking that it belonged to the deranged ruler we were about to meet.

Dante was desperately trying to cover up how nervous he was, but it wasn't working. I could feel his leg periodically shake violently next to me until he visibly noticed it was happening. Following that he would stop and pinch his thumb. He also kept chewing at the inner corner of his cheek, gnawing like it was a hard piece of candy.

I closed my eyes, wishing I could take away how he was feeling. I wanted the strong, confident Dante who I knew and loved to be the version that walked through his father's city, in fact, we all needed him to be. Surely, his people would recognize him, therefore he had to be the powerful, charismatic Alpha he was before. Despite that, I couldn't imagine what he was feeling, knowing that after half a century he had lost his father's land to his greatest enemy. He was cursed to be a monster and when he finally broke it, he was surrounded by snakes in a garden, all of them waiting, calculating his next move. The world had moved on without them, which was more devastating than the curse itself.

Sliding my hand over his closed fist, the tension in his back lessened, causing him to lean against the seat. He gave me a glance, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"You can do this, love," I reminded him, squeezing my hands over his.

Sighing, he let the smile widen across his handsome face. "If he so much as threatens you or my people, I will kill him today."

Rolling my eyes, I grinned. "No, you won't—"

The smile vanished. "Yes. I will."

Gulping quietly, I leaned in a little closer to my mate. I knew he was telling the truth, he would fight anyone and everyone until his final breath all for me. All for the people he loved most. I understood that, and maybe it was dangerous to have that kind of passion for someone else, but all it did was make me less afraid of what we had to do. It reinforced the strength I already felt we had, like an iron sword being sharpened by a blacksmith.

Nevertheless, we had to stick to what Caius had instructed. Though I was still a little skeptical of trusting the immortal, I didn't have much of a choice. Neither did anyone else. Besides, if Caius was lying it wouldn't take long to find out. For now, we had determine the truth for ourselves, keeping Caius word of warning to heart.

"Play nice," I teased him and pecked his cheek.

Dante chuckled, lowering his lips near my ear. "You know how I play, mon amour."

"I certainly do," I replied, swallowing while butterflies danced about in my stomach.

Suddenly the carriage lurched to a stop, interrupting what was about to be a repeat of yesterday's events. The abrupt ceasing of our carriage made Dante and I look at each other suspiciously. Frantically, we made our way to the door and climbed out. As Dante helped me down to the snowy ground, I saw that we were standing in front of an enormously tall gated wall. The wall itself was built into the sides of the snowy mountain we were traveling up, like a natural barrier to the outside world. Clearly, the wall was intended to keep its people in and enemies out.

By the entrance of the gate stood several militants who had their weapons drawn. Clearly, they were not expecting guests, nor were they friendly to those unannounced. Surrounding us, the guards prowled around like a cage circling Dante and I. The lead guard drew closer,  prompting Xavier, who was still atop his horse, to stride in front of us like a shield.