d on the door and entered wit

me Minister Taube said, smiling widely.

d; hardly a boy. “Your Exc

Take a seat.” Royce sat down and looked at the prime mi

y I’ve asked you to come,” Ta

lk all day if he was given

s a babbling fool, except a fool wouldn’t remain t

qually sharp instincts, contrary t

we known each o

Excellency.” Taube

e that’s life. It seems only yesterday yo

him and that was why he annoyed him on purpose, testing

y of his growing influence and power in the Senate; he would have to have been a fool not to be, es

e Royce a little, which was a normal enough reaction, but that day the

g them duller something he usually didn’t mind at all, but now he would have liked to be

ad by relying on his instincts.

e point eventually. A

imatum the Galactic Council had given us,” Taube sai

again. You’re one of the few senators who u

nothing. Ta

omatic marriage between a prominent member of the Senate and someone from Pelugia’s nobility. To my surpris

lose to the border between Pelugia and Kadar, he had alw

s that I must choose a beta to represent

he prime minister lo

ow better than anyone how ravaged Kadar is by this nev

s mother’s red-rimmed, fearful eyes every time Royce’s yo

in the house so close to the border that it

rded, but security guards woul

cky that the Pelugia-Kadar border was very long and al

ut peace, if it held this time, coul

family. What was one more? Royce’s

r Excellency.” Tau

didate I could think of who is a beta and is high-profile enough to marry

yce cut him of

Haydn Schaefer?

only one prince since King Stefan’s eldest son died.” He co

aydn?” Royce barely suppressed an instinctive growl, already reg

ames. His reputation preceded him, eve

l. The Death Brin

se any objections to marrying the prince

onally handsome, and athletic, and by all accoun

Pelugian army was able to secure six K

such a fine specimen of an alpha. The problem wa

hat his presentation documents had been falsified not

looked down at his hands. He found his fingers clenched so hard his knuckles stood out

d publicity, and meant to convince the hesitating senators that the peace would be

nation didn’t change anything. R

phas was unheard of for a reason, and it wasn

er alphas. It was very rare and taboo, but such things happened. The

out trying to establish dominance over their partner, and such rar

sible for countless deaths in his country and Royce already dislik

im to defer to his alpha husband or at least the traditionalists

an alpha was supposed to mate only an omega an

le alpha and a male beta a waste since they

oyce said. “From everything I’ve heard of him, h

Royce almost laughed. It was kind of ironic. If Haydn Schaefer liked a challenge, he was

to his feet. “When is the weddi