~ROWAN
"Hold on. What the fuck is going on here? How do you know Nyssa?" Henry snapped, and his voice was filled with so much bite that I dragged my attention away from my mate to meet his gaze.
"Of course I know Nyssa. It is only natural for me to recognise and acknowledge my mate, is it not?"
"What?!" Henry exclaimed, and the temperature in the room dropped immediately. His eyes turned cold at my words, and his entire body was rigid as he turned to face Nyssa.
"What the hell is he talking about?" he snapped, and my mate flinched at how harsh he was.
"You will speak with respect in my house, Henry," I stated firmly.
His eyes were murderous as he met my gaze, and I wondered if he was reacting this badly because of the mate bond between Nyssa and I, or because of the unending, long term enmity between us.
"State your business," I said as I took a seat at the end of the table, gesturing for them to sit down too.
I listened as Henry explained what happened to their Pack and the type of help they needed. By the time he was done, I already knew what I had to do.
Still, I remained silent for a long moment, drawing out the tension.
When Henry could no longer take it, he spoke again.
"Are you going to help us or not? You already made us waste our time by making us wait for days. If you want to make a decision, you need to do it now!"
My eyes narrowed at his words. "Are you trying to tell me what to do?"
His jaw ticked. His hands curled into fists on the table. His eyes widened with rage just the tiniest bit.
Henry was pissed. But I was the one with the power.
"My apologies," he finally managed to say. I leaned forward as I responded.
"That was your second warning. Do not make me remind you again that you are in the presence of a King. You will respect yourself, if you want to be treated like an honourable guest."
My gaze never watered from his as I spoke, and the way he was visibly struggling to contain his rage made me smile.
I turned back to face Nyssa who had been silent all along.
"I will help your Pack. It will be my utmost pleasure to offer you assistance in any way I can, but my help is going to be dependent on your response."
Startled, Nyssa looked between me and Henry before meeting my gaze again.
"Me?"
"Yes. You. I will help your Pack on one condition. You have to accept the mate bond between us. If you do that, you will not be able to go back to your Pack. You will remain here with me, and after our mating ceremony, you will be recognised as the Luna. The future of your Pack depends on you."
Stunned silence met my words.
Nyssa's mouth opened and close as she tried to speak, but no words came out. I had caught her by surprise, and anticipation filled my veins as I waited for her response.
Before she could say anything though, Henry flared up.
"Absolutely fucking not! I don't know what you think you are playing at, or what this mate bullshit is, but Nyssa will not agree to anything! She is not your mate, and she most definitely will not be staying behind with you. What the fuck were you even thinking?" he snapped, throwing all caution to the wind.
My expression didn't waver as I spoke.
"And who are you to decide for her?"I asked.
Henry pushed his chair back and stood up. "I am her Alpha, and I decide what is best for my Pack members."
I nodded.
"I see. And does you duty include rejecting Nyssa's mate on her behalf?"
Henry didn't miss a beat before responding. "Yes. Because I know that she is not your mate. She can't be."
"And why do you think that?"
"Because she has never met you before in her life. And even if you guys somehow met, she would have told me."
Henry smiled at this point, and it was so glaringly obvious that he was in love with Nyssa.
My stomach flipped at the realisation.
"Are you in love with Nyssa, Henry?" I asked, deciding to hash everything out now once and for all.
Henry flushed red at my question, and his words sputtered as he tried to speak.
His reaction only solidified my suspicions, and hot possessiveness made my hands curl into fists.
I turned back to face Nyssa.
"Are you in a relationship with him? Are you guys in love?"
Nyssa was silent for a long while before she responded. Henry's lips parted as he tried to speak, but I stopped him with a glance.
She was silent for a long while, and the longer her silence was drawn out, the thicker the tension was.
When she eventually spoke, she picked her words carefully.
"Henry and I were in a relationship for a long time. I have known him all my life, and yes, we were in love."
An ugly feeling pooled in my stomach, and Henry's expression morped into one of smugness.
Nyssa wasn't done though. She stood up and met Henry's gaze before turning back to face me.
"But we are no longer together. Yesterday, before the attack, Henry publicly renounced me and proclaimed another woman as his fiancée. He ended things between us before the entire pack, and right now, as I stand before you, there is nothing between us. He has no claim over me, therefore, he has no right to make my decisions for me."
Henry's face fell, and he turned to face her with incredulity etched on his face.
"What are you doing, Nys? You can't possibly be thinking about accepting his proposal, are you?"
When she said nothing, his face hardened with anger.
"Don't be stupid, Nyssa. You can't be his mate. I still love you, and you know it."
Nyssa ignored him completely, her gaze trained on me.
"I will accept the mate bond between us and stay here with you to rule as the Luna."
My lips stretched into a smile and I was about to respond, but her next words stopped me.
"But… I have a condition."