Chapter 128: Kael’s Proposal
The great hall was packed.
Every noble who could fit had squeezed onto the benches. The gallery above overflowed with servants, merchants, and common citizens who had somehow obtained passes. Torchlight flickered against the stone walls. The air hummed with anticipation.
No one knew why they had been summoned.
Seren stood beside the thrones, flanked by Aeron and Theron. Kael was supposed to be on her other side, but he had disappeared an hour ago. Theron claimed ignorance. Aeron’s face was unreadable.
The doors at the far end of the hall swung open.
Kael walked in alone.
He wore his formal armour; polished, dark, unforgiving. His sword hung at his hip. His boots rang against the stone. Behind him, a train of servants carried nothing. He came empty-handed.
The crowd parted.
Kael walked to the centre of the floor and stopped. Then, before the entire court, before the nobles who had fought him and the servants who feared him and the family who loved him, he knelt.
Seren’s breath caught.
"Kael..."
"Let me speak." His voice was rough, but steady. "I am not good with words. I never have been. I am a soldier. I fight. I protect. I kill when I must and spare when I can."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a small velvet box.
"But I am also your mate. Your protector. Your husband, if you’ll have me. Not because the bond requires it. Not because politics demands it. Because I want the world to know that you are mine, and I am yours."
He opened the box.
Inside was a ring of northern silver, simple and elegant. But the stone; the stone was dark red, almost black, flecked with something that glittered in the torchlight.
"This stone came from the battlefield," Kael said. "The place where Magnus nearly killed you. Where you nearly killed him. Where I thought, I was going to lose you." His voice cracked. "I carried it in my pocket for months. I didn’t know why. Now I do."
He held out the ring.
"Seren Ashwood. Queen of wolves. Mate of my heart. Will you marry me?"
The hall was silent.
Seren’s tears fell before she could stop them. She stepped down from the dais and knelt before him, her hands covering his.
"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, yes, yes."
Kael slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.
The court erupted...but not in cheers, but rather in surprises!
***
"I believe I was next."
Theron’s voice cut through the noise. He had descended from the dais and now stood behind Kael, holding his own velvet box.
"Theron..." Seren started.
"You didn’t think I’d let him have all the fun, did you?" Theron knelt beside his brother, his smile warm, his eyes bright. "I am not a soldier. I am a spy. A liar. A manipulator. I have spent my life pretending to be things I am not."
He opened his box.
Inside was a ring of white gold, set with a pale blue stone that matched Seren’s eyes.
"But I never pretended with you. From the first moment I saw you; frightened, defiant, holding a tray of medicine to be delivered...I knew you were different. You saw through my masks. You loved me anyway."
He held out the ring.
"I am not asking because the bond requires it. I am asking because I cannot imagine my life without you in it. Marry me, Seren. Not just Kael. Not just Aeron. *Me*."
Seren was weeping openly now. "Yes. Yes, of course, yes."
Theron slid the ring onto her finger beside Kael’s. The silver and white gold gleamed together.
The court was no longer silent. Some nobles cheered. Others looked horrified. A few whispered frantically to their neighbours.
***
"I suppose I should have gone first."
Aeron had joined them. He did not kneel. Instead, he stood before Seren and took her hands in his.
"I am the eldest. The cold one. The prince who kept you prisoner when I should have protected you." His voice was quiet, meant only for her. "I have made many mistakes. The greatest would be letting you leave this hall without knowing how much I love you."
He pressed a small box into her palm.
She opened it with trembling fingers.
Inside was a ring of black steel, set with a diamond the size of her thumbnail. It was severe, beautiful, utterly Aeron.
"I have never been good at saying what I feel," he said. "So, I will say this: you are my mate. My queen. My heart. I do not ask because I have to. I ask because I want to spend every day of the rest of my life proving that I am worthy of you."
He knelt.
"Marry me, Seren."
She laughed through her tears. "You’re all insane."
"Is that a, yes?"
"It’s a yes. For all of you. Always."
Aeron slid the ring onto her finger. Three rings now: silver, white gold, black steel...glittering in the light.
***
The court didn’t know what to do.
Some nobles applauded. Others stormed out. Lady Ashworth sat frozen, her hand over her mouth. Lord Pemberton was cheering loudly, though he looked confused about whether he was supposed to. Lady Sera watched from the back of the hall, her expression unreadable; but her lips twitched, just slightly, toward a smile.
Lysa was sobbing in the gallery.
"I told you," she said to no one in particular. "I told her they were in love."
Seren turned to face the court. Three rings on her finger. Three princes standing behind her. Three mates who had just proposed to her in front of everyone who mattered.
"My lords and ladies," she said, her voice steady despite her tears. "I accept."
The hall exploded.
Some cheered. Some wept. Some simply stared.
At the back, Lady Sera finally allowed herself to smile.
***
That night, Seren sat in the royal chambers, staring at her hand.
Three rings. Three promises. Three wolves who had chosen her, not because the bond demanded it, but because they wanted to.
Kael lay on the bed, watching her. "You’ve been staring at your hand for almost an hour."
"I’m memorizing."
"Memorizing what?"
"This moment." She held up her hand, letting the rings catch the firelight. "I never thought I would have one of these. Let alone three."
Theron appeared beside her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Get used to it. You’re going to have them forever."
"Forever is a long time."
"We’re counting on it."
Aeron stood by the window, his back to them. But his voice was warm. "The wedding will be in three weeks.
Aeron turned. His eyes found hers. "You’re really going to marry us."
"I’m really going to marry you." She stood and walked to him, taking his hands. "All three of you. In front of the whole kingdom. And then we’re going to rule together, and fight together, and grow old together."
"I don’t grow old. I’m a prince."
"Princes get wrinkles."
"I will age gracefully."
Kael snorted. "You’ll age like sour milk."
"Better than you’ll age like spoiled meat."
Seren laughed. The bond hummed with warmth.
Three weeks until the wedding. Three weeks until she became queen in truth.
She touched the locket at her throat.
*The girl in the portrait would never believe this.*
But the woman wearing the crown was just getting started.
