Shifter Royals 3: The Crown

by Leigh Walker

  “And one of them will forever have your heart,” Mira said. “Your Highness, will you call each young woman forward? I understand you have some words for each of them. And then afterwards—after you’ve chosen your bride—we shall have a ball to end all balls. Does that sound acceptable to you?”

  He flashed a smile at Mira. “A ball to celebrate our new beginning sounds wonderful to me, Mira. And of course, I want to honor each of these incredible women. Including my fiancé…that is, if she says yes.”

  My heart lurched at his words. Mira handed him the microphone and the cameras swarmed the king, catching every angle, every expression as he issued his final choice in the contest. The room was dead silent, as if everyone was holding their breath.

  Rhys took a deep breath before he spoke. “My ladies, each of you have brought dignity, honor, and joy to both the Realm and to me. I cannot underestimate how much you three have taught me. I am a better man, a better ruler, for the time I’ve spent with you. I am sorry to have to say goodbye to two of you today—but if you hear me out, perhaps there’s a way we can stay close. Lady Phillips, I know that you’ve recused yourself from the contest, and for that you have my utmost respect. But I would like to ask something of you. Will you come forward?”

  Dae stepped forward to the king.

  “Lady Phillips, you’ve impressed me from the time I met you for your poise, your conviction, and your honesty. I value both you and your talents. I would like to ask if you would consider accepting an Advisor position within my cabinet. My men will be needing assistance with our growing community, and I believe you’d be an incredible asset.” He smiled at her hopefully. “Lady Phillips, would you accept an appointment as Advisor to the Realm?”

  She grinned at him. “I’d be honored, Your Highness.” She curtsied and then stepped off to the side, where a production assistant was waiting.

  Rhys took another deep breath. “Lady Phillips, I have enjoyed every second of our time together. You are as kind, gentle, and generous a person as I may ever hope to meet. Thank you for coming here, and for spending time with me. I have cherished every moment.”

  My heart skittered in my chest.

  “I was also greatly impressed by the Children’s Center you designed,” Rhys continued. “I know you would be a great asset to my kingdom. So I must ask you, would you also accept an appointment as Advisor to the Realm? You would have special duties concerning the development of the Center, of course. There’s no one more qualified.” He looked at Joely hopefully.

  She took several wobbly steps forward. There were tears in her eyes as she said, “Your Highness, I am humbled by the offer. I wholeheartedly accept. I would also like to say, if I may… Congratulations, Your Highness.” She swept into a bow and joined Dae.

  “Thank you, Lady Phillips,” the werewolf king said, then turned to me. “That leaves me with one more position that I need to fill. Lady Layne, you have challenged me these last few weeks with your strong will, questionable choice of pets, and desire to control things around you—including me. But I have to say, these are the very qualifications that would make you an incredible leader—a strong conviction, a strong will, and a strong belief in yourself. I have gotten to know you quite well. I believe that you are loyal, honest, fair, and will stand up to fight for your convictions. That is why I must ask you, my lady: will you stay in the Realm and accept an appointment as Queen?”

  I stepped forward. “W-What are you asking me exactly, Your Highness?”

  “I am asking if you will marry me, Tamara, and be my queen.” Rhys smiled at me—a smile filled with hope. “Will you rule the Realm at my side?”

  I went and knelt before my werewolf. Rhys was my king, my best friend, my whole world. There was only one answer in my heart. I looked up at him and smiled—a smile filled with hope.

  “Yes, Your Highness. My answer is yes.”

  Epilogue

  The sun shone brightly in the gardens; it was the perfect morning for the ceremony. But we needed to be quick about it: today was a very busy day.

  I sighed as Blake bent over the gnomes once again, adjusting their accessories. “Quickly, Blake! If Rhys and Austin catch us out here we’re never going to hear the end of it.”

  Blake shot me a look. “I don’t care if they tease us—I want our babies to look perfect! It’s their special day, too!”

  With a final tweak of his bowtie, Blake released Beast. The gnome’s tongue lolled out at he panted happily. Blake beamed at her pet. “There we are, that’s a good boy! Mommy loves you so much!”

  Not to be outdone, I adjusted the mini-tiara on Elsa’s head. “You look lovely,” I cooed. “Mommy’s very proud of you. I can’t wait for your happily ever after!”

  There was snorting behind me and I whirled to glare at Duncan. “That’s enough out of you, wolf. I told you that if you couldn’t behave, you couldn’t attend!”

  “There now, calm down.” He gave me a glare, then slyly cocked his head in the direction of Shaye. She’d returned for the ceremony—my ceremony, not the gnome ceremony. Ever since she’d been back, Duncan couldn’t keep his eyes off of my friend. He probably didn’t want Shaye to see him in a bad light—Shaye loved all creatures, great and small.

  “Fine, but behave.” I cleared my throat. “Are all the witnesses ready?”

  “Yes, bloody yes.” Eve grabbed two flutes of champagne from a nearby server and handed one to Balkyn. “Let get this show on the road, shall we?”

  I gave my friend side-eye before counting the other witnesses. In addition to Duncan, Shaye, Eve and Balkyn, there was Dae, Joely, Thalia, Jenny, and of course my dearest Gwyneth. I beamed at them and they grinned back.

  I cleared my throat. “I’m so glad that you could join us this morning for a very special ceremony. Elsa and Beast are best friends and are in love. I owe Duncan a debt of gratitude for pointing that out.”

  Duncan bowed in response. He was going to need all the help he could get if he wanted Shaye to notice him.

  I wished Rhys was there, but I was being very strict about following superstitions. I wouldn’t let him see me until our ceremony, which was scheduled for later that morning. In fact, Rhys, Dallas and Austin were busy getting everything prepared. It was for the best; this way, they couldn’t make fun of us.

  The officiant appeared at the entrance to the garden. “Ah, here we are. Our lovely gnome couple is ready for their special day.” Blake and I had carefully interviewed several candidates to make sure the person who performed the ceremony wasn’t biased in any way toward gnomes. We’d found someone enthusiastic about the union.

  The smiling officiant joined us, then crouched down before Elsa and Beast. “Hello there. Are you ready?” he asked.

  Both Elsa and Beast looked at him with their big eyes.

  “I think that’s a yes.” He smiled at them warmly, then stood.

  “Welcome, welcome. We are gathered here today to honor the union between these two great friends. We have Elsa and Beast, two gnomes who have chosen each other as life partners. It’s not widely known, but when a gnome does take a mate, it is a lifetime commitment. So today we honor these two, and their commitment to each other.”

  Blake and I clutched each other’s hands while the officiant bent back down to get closer to the gnomes.

  “Now Beast, do you take Elsa as your mate for life? Will you honor her and protect her, and care for her in sickness and in health?”

  Beast quivered with excitement and spoke in singsong gibberish.

  “Excellent,” the officiant said. He turned to Elsa. “And do you Elsa take Beast as your mate for life? Will you honor and protect him, and care for him in sickness and in health?”

  Elsa cooed a bit and moved right next to Beast.

  “Ah, then it’s my honor to announce the following: in the power vested in me as an officiant of the Realm, I now pronounce you gnome and gnome, mates for life. Many blessings to you.”

  Everyone—even Eve—cheered.

&n
bsp; As an heiress, a socialite, and a member of the royal court, I had certainly thought of my wedding day before. Everything would be perfect: the flowers, the guest list, my dress, the menu. Back when I was a girl, I’d planned the event down to the last detail.

  But the funny thing about my actual wedding day? I didn’t give a fig about any of those things.

  I’d chosen the perfect dress. It was ivory silk with a form-fitting bodice and a full skirt with a long train. Giuliana had done my hair in loose waves and my makeup was tasteful and beautiful. The ceremony was to take place outside in the town square. I’d meet Rhys at the fountain with the tree in the middle, the water bubbling at its roots.

  Everything was perfect, and everyone was in attendance: my bridesmaids Eve, Blake, Gwyneth, Shaye, Joely, and Dae. Thalia, Giuliana, Nan, Jenny and even Maya were also guests. So were my parents and several of my childhood friends from Eleven. Mira Kinney, Rose and the rest of the crew were also present, filming every last second.

  Neither Jenny nor Rhys could believe I’d invited Maya. “Why not?” I’d asked. “It’s the perfect punishment!” I truly felt her attendance at our wedding was better than any prison sentence. Rhys had tried to veto me, but in the end, I won. Of course I did!

  In the spirit of keeping friends close and enemies even closer, I’d also urged Rhys to invite King and Queen Black. Austin had gone to see his father after the attack. Although King Black admitted to no wrongdoing, he balked when Austin told him that there was talk of secession for the North, as well as the Realm. Austin also told his father that Blake was pregnant. With an heir on the way, the royal family’s dynamics were changing. King Black had sworn to his son that he would leave the North and the Realm alone. We knew better than to trust him, but we also knew he didn’t want to go to war with his sons. With the support of the settlers clearly with Dallas and Austin, it was a war he couldn’t win.

  Things were still tense with His Highness, but his attendance at the wedding was an attempt at atonement. For the moment, everyone was on their best behavior. Rhys, Austin and Dallas were in talks about how to move forward with the king. I had my opinions, and of course I was letting Rhys know each and every one of them.

  If nothing else, King and Queen Black would appear in the final episode of The Realm: The Bachelor King. It gave us all the patina of harmony and getting along, even though that was quite far from the truth.

  Issues aside, the day was perfect, the sun was shining, and beautiful harp music floated toward me as I stepped onto the red carpet that would bring me to the fountain. But I cared about none of it, and I barely noticed how the sunlight reflected on my dress, or the smiling faces of the guests who’d come to wish us well.

  There was only one thing I cared about. He waited for me at the end of the carpet.

  My heart leapt when he came into view, and it was all I could do to keep from running down the aisle. Rhys. My werewolf king smiled at me, tears in his eyes. He looked handsome as ever in a ceremonial tunic, his hair back in a sleek bun.

  He reached for my hands as soon as I reached him. “My Tamara. You’re breathtaking.”

  I grinned at him. “I’m so happy, Your Highness.”

  The officiant—the same nice fellow who had married the gnomes—smiled broadly at us. “This is indeed a happy day.”

  He read us our vows, and we each repeated them faithfully. We both pledged to care for each other in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse.

  The officiant pronounced us husband and wife.

  Before he kissed me, I clutched Rhys’s hands. “I consider this an honor, Your Highness.”

  A smile of true happiness lit his face. “As do I, my lady. And I can’t wait to throw you over my shoulder and carry you up to the treehouse.”

  My face burned. “That sounds rather…amazing.”

  My werewolf chuckled as he bent and kissed me, softly, tenderly. He stroked my cheek when he pulled back. “And to think Tamara, this is only the beginning.”

  “The beginning of what?”

  “Us.” He grinned. “The beginning of us.”

  Also by Leigh Walker

  Vampire Royals

  The Pageant (Book #1)

  The Gala (Book #2)

  The Finale (Book #3)

  The North (Book #4)

  Shifter Royals

  The Realm (Book #1)

  The Uprising (Book #2)

  The Crown (Book #3)

  Vampire Kingdom Trilogy

  The Trade (Book #1)

  The Pact (Book #2)

  The Claim (Book #3)

  The Division Series

  Premonition (Book #1)

  Intuition (Book #2)

  Perception (Book #3)

  Divination (Book #4)

  Dear Reader

  Thank you so much for reading this book! It means everything to me!

  If you enjoyed The Crown, please consider leaving a review here: Amazon-The Crown. Short or long, reviews help other readers find books they’ll enjoy. This is a brand-new series, so your review means a lot!

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  xxoo

  Leigh Walker

  About the Author

  Leigh Walker lives in New Hampshire with her husband and their three children.

  In her pre-author life, Leigh had many different jobs. She worked in advertising at Boston Magazine and was a copy editor at Chadwick’s, the women’ fashion catalog. She was also a barback, waitress, barista, receptionist and lawyer. She has degrees from Suffolk University School of Law and the University of New Hampshire.

  Right now she’s doing what she loves most—being a full-time writer and sports-mom!

  Outside of writing and family, her priorities include maintaining a sense of humor, a steady caffeine intake, and a busy Netflix schedule that includes Grey's Anatomy, Cheer, and Chris Rock's "Tamborine."

  She loves to hear from readers! Email her at leigh@leighwalkerbooks.com, and sign up for her mailing list at www.leighwalkerbooks.com.

  www.leighwalkerbooks.com

  leigh@leighwalkerbooks.com