Chaotic council meeting

For the first time, Amaya breathes out solace. This is the first time she is left secluded all by herself. No maids, no Lucan, just herself and a massive room.

That peace is interrupted when the door to her room opens and reveals Lauretta, the maid who tended to her injuries yesterday. She gives Amaya the regular bow of submission that always infuriates her. Amaya doesn't like the notion of being feted like a god, but no matter how many times, she instructs the maid to quit her cringy acknowledgment, she just ends up doing it again.

"The queen is here to see you," she announces and her uneasy smile doesn't go unseen.

Shortly, the door opens and the maid steps aside, revealing the queen. Due to Amaya's preceding withdrawal from the kingdom by her mother, she never got to see the queen. This is the first time she is seeing her and Amaya is slightly amazed by the resemblance her sons have to her. Her Brunette hair is just as dark as Lucan's, alongside the color of her eyes, but the fierceness they both radiate is nothing correlated to Lucan's. Lucan's eyes are intense, but nothing compared to his mother's. Even Amaya who fears no one appears slightly distorted by the look on the woman's face, but she tries her possible best to hide it.

The look on the queen's face doesn't hold approval at all, rather a look of contempt is noticeable on it. Probably she is angry Amaya doesn't show her due respect by coming down from the bed and giving the right acknowledgments to the queen of Santol.

Amaya exhibits no care concerning the look on her face. She won't bow to any member of the royal household because of how vastly she loathes all of them.

"You are Amaya aren't you?" She asks, walking into the room fully, filling the room with the strange aura Amaya can sense from where she lay.

"Yes, I am" Amaya sits up with an equal look of irritation on her face. Two can always play the game.

"Lucan's mate," she says in a mocking tone which boils Amaya's inner wolf, causing her not to respond.

"Honestly, I didn't expect someone like you to be his mate"

"What? you expected a pretty princess from a neighboring kingdom?" Amaya shoots at her angrily.

"I would have said no, but a queen never lies"

Amaya scoffs in annoyance. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be off your property once my leg heals"

"You seem to be getting it all wrong darling. I don't need you off my property. You are his mate and unfortunately, I can't change that. What I can do is modify you into a queen material since you are after all my son's mate"

"I don't need your modifications"

"You will comply sooner or later" she shrugs with certainty on her face, causing Amaya to scowl at her.

"Heal first," she says and turns to leave.

The moment she departs, the maid speaks. "Do you need anything milady?"

"No I don't and I have told you several times, my name is Amaya." She snaps angrily at the maid even though she knows her wish can never happen. The maid follows the ordinances of the king and not her which is eccentric because she is her maid, not his.

"It is forbidden. I must never call the future queen by her name" she adds further pissing Amaya off.

They keep calling her their future queen without the knowledge of Amaya's plans to run far away when she gets her legs wholly healed. When she set out from alandon to Santol to take the throne from the king, she didn't plan to rule beside his son. If it determines her to wait, then wait she shall, but that throne is hers.

******

Lucan successfully convinces Amaya to accompany him to the council meeting with the rules of not being allowed to do anything but observe.

Different council members submit their various opinions on the evolution of the Kingdom, but Amaya doesn't pick interest in anything they say because all their viewpoints contain a selfish motive one way or the other.

One of the council members finally says what she yearns to hear and she heeds with keen attention.

"Queen Monica has asked for increments of the people's taxes, but these people barely have any food to eat. They already struggle to pay their outstanding taxes. I don't think they will be able to adhere to this new rule my Lord" the old blonde man says then seats back down.

Looking at everybody's countenance at the table, Amaya infers she is the only one who agrees with what this man says. The heartlessness of the council members weakens her and induces her to wonder how long this neglect has been going on.

The questions were directed to Lucan, but his mother speaks up instead. "Sir Patrick. You do realize these taxes aren't for our consumption, but for the betterment of the people"

"Lies" Amaya shuns her, drawing the attention away from the queen to her. They all look at her in puzzlement. Most of them don't know her and paid no attention to her initially, but as soon as she said those words, the members all emerged with the same look of confusion on their faces. The reason for their confusion is, she is a woman and has no right to be at the council meeting although the queen was seated right there. The second reason is her audacity for her to call the queen a liar.

"Amaya" Lucan snarls at her to keep her mouth shut, but little does he know Amaya is as stubborn as a mule.

"That's a lie" she repeats In case any of them didn't hear her the first time. "The taxes previously paid by the people did nothing for their well-being and now you speak of increasing it" she scoffs. "For what? To hire a skilled goldsmith to make you suitable pendants to wear?"

The silence that promptly takes over after Amaya finished speaking her mind is immense. The queen has a look of fury on her face which Amaya is complacent about. Lucan also doesn't look too pleased, but he tries to hide it.

"This meeting has been called off" the queen finally says because the member's lips seem too heavy to be parted by words. "You may all leave" she adds and they all stand.

Amaya doesn't see her use anymore and tries to leave too, but the queen halts her. "Not you Amaya" she orders.

As much as Amaya wants to ignore her and leave anyway, she decides to comply and stay.

The moment the last person leaves the council hall, Amaya gulps. The look on both mother and son's faces holds fury. At that point, she regrets ever stepping on the queen like that.

"You little brat" Lucan's mother snarls at her with gritted teeth.

"I'll handle her, leave her to me," Lucan says to his mother, but his mother looks like she is ready to grab Amaya by the neck despite Lucan's order.

She turns to look at Lucan with a look of wrath on her face "Because she is your mate doesn't mean she has the right to talk like that in a council meeting" she turns back to look at Amaya who sits quietly on her seat with an unimpressed look on her face. "You filthy animal" Lucan's mother curse at her.

"You will not address my mate in such a manner!" Lucan voices out in an angry tone, taking his mother by surprise.

She walks to Lucan and whispers loud enough for Amaya to hear. " Then fix her before I do," she warns and finally leaves the hall in anger.

Amaya lets out a loud annoying laugh, clapping her hands in the process. "you must feel like a hero standing up to your mother when you stayed under her shadow at the council meeting" she mocks, but the look at Lucan's face show he didn't find her humorous at all.

He supports his head with his finger before he finally speaks. "Amaya, the reason I asked you to come to the council meeting with me was because I wanted you to understand the affairs of the kingdom and not talk rudely to my mother"

"Opps" Amaya exclaims dramatically. "I guess I slipped" she shrugs, not showing any sign of remorse. In her opinion, the queen deserves it.

"I will not let this slip Amaya," he says authoritatively, but that doesn't scare her a bit. The little self-reassurance she has is the question that runs through her mind. "What's the worse he can do"

"Starting from now, till I say otherwise you will be confined in your room" he speaks plainly, and Amaya doesn't take him seriously.

"You are joking" she leans back on her chair.

Lucan scoffs, getting up from his chair and walking towards her. She is confused but doesn't show it as she still leans on her seat in a relaxed way.

" Get up" he orders coldly. The venom in his voice doesn't fail to cause a cold shiver to run down her spine, but she doesn't do as he says.

As Lucan's patience runs thin, he grabs her forcefully by her wrist and jacks her from her seat. Before she can fight back, he sweeps her off her feet, over his shoulder as he walks out with her struggling to get down, hitting his back with her fist as hard as she can.

"Lucan put me down this minute" she yells at him when all her effort to get down proved fruitless.