Measured steps should have calmed me down for I could have concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Unfortunately, my hands were so shaky they took up all my attention. Where was I going to put them? Was it custom to have them out of sight? Maybe behind my back? But then I would look like a guard. Stiff and stuck up. Or was I supposed to just let them hang from my shoulders?

"You needn't worry so much, leiirin. Just be yourself and you'll be fine," a deep voice whispered next to me, belonging to an awfully tall male whose stoic and sure presence made me fall into a shadow next to him that I wasn't sure I could come out of.

I refused to meet his gaze, one I could feel bore into me from my side.

"Sure, I bet you say that to everyone," I muttered, regretting the words leaving my mouth the second they became audible.

Reagan, who did not grow angry at my comment but rather seemed slightly amused, let a chuckle fill the short silence. It was a nice sound, one I enjoyed hearing.

"There are not many people that have the honour to stand before the queen, so no, I do not say that to everyone."

Shock lined my expression. "What do you mean, not many people see the queen? Doesn't she speak to those who follow her?" I looked at him and nearly lost myself in those golden reflections of his soul that gazed back at me.

"No. In our culture, the queen is the backbone of the throne. The king is who sits on the throne for everyone to see."

"So, that means in your culture, the queen is nothing but decoration?"

I was mortified when Reagan opened the door just before I finished my sentence to the throne room.

An icy silence slammed towards us, and my words echoed painfully loud through the massively large built throne-room. The ceiling was curved on the top, as far as I could see, and consisted of glass. Clouds moved above us as the sun's light bounced from the marble floors to the walls.

Then my sight landed on a transcendently beautiful woman with dark, curly hair flowing down on both sides of her face, reaching all the way to her hips. Her posture was firm. She sat on the throne like she had been doing it since she was born. Her pale face made her golden eyes shine in an impossible vibrance, contrasting her dark hair. She reminded me of Reagan. The Queen was mesmerizingly beautiful, and my breath got caught in my throat, staring at her completely dumbstruck.

"If that were true, my job would be so blissfully easy," she mused, her voice as smooth as silk as it travelled towards us like an enchanting song.

"I apologise. I'm not yet familiar with your customs."

My voice sounded much more controlled and calmer than I was on the inside. Her eyes grew a tiny bit larger at hearing me speak, which made me wonder if it would have been better not to say anything at all.

"Well, there's time for that. Now, my son," she said, turning to look at Reagan next to me.

"You've been gone quite a while. I expect your journey has been successful?"

Reagan didn't move. "I'm not sure. There is quite a bit we must talk about. First, I would like to introduce my promised, Catherine Black. She's from Everett Valley, along with her two brothers, Reece and Emmet. Her pack is with her as well."

Reagan turned to the entrance doors, which were open, and ushered the rest of my pack inside. They all reluctantly walked in, heads turning to inspect the sight of the throne room. We were all a stark contrast to what everything else looked like. Where we were modest, our surroundings were lavish. We wore baggy, colourless clothing, whereas the folk here were draped in shades of blue and green and red I had never seen. Though the guards and those outside had not worn any traditional clothes as we were, the Queen wore a gown that spilled over her throne and was probably 5 meters long. She wore a white dress that hugged her figure on the top and was loose at her hips, making her body look incredibly slim. It was covered in golden lace. The only thing traditional about her was the crown that sat on her head. It was intricate and delicate, quite like its wearer, and held exactly four gemstones in place. I realised quickly that each gemstone was in the exact colour of her four son's eyes.

"It is very nice to meet you," the Queen said airily, her interest already leaving.

For a moment, the Queen was still and she closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. "Leizer will escort them all to their respective chambers. Their stay, however, cannot remain undecided for long."

I wondered what that meant, undecided, and hoped Reagan would ask. Reagan, however, remained quiet and instead seemed to wait for something.

"I have called upon the Sentinels and we shall be expecting the first battalion to arrive," she announced, speaking of matters I felt greatly uncomfortable witnessing. I would expect this to be a subject reserved for selected ears, not anyone. I may have been Reagan's promised but I still found it strange that she was open enough to share this with the rest of us. "You've involved them already?" Reagan questioned. With Sentinels, she meant shifters. Why did they need shifters? Battalion... That sounded strategic. What was a battalion? When the Queen looked up at her eldest son, she nodded slightly, and I presumed that was her official dismissal for Reagan, who turned around and motioned for all of us to leave the throne room.

Stiff next to him, I wondered what the Queen must have thought about all of us, coming in like that and sticking out like multiple sore thumbs. I'd certainly felt out of place.

Oh, to all the gods--she's Reagan's mother! It only then dawned on me that I had just met my promised's mother.

Realising that made me even more nervous than I was before, which Reagan caught on to, unfortunately, although the emotional exchange between the both of us was restricted to the intense feelings. I wasn't ready to allow any more in and the intense ones needed to much effort to suppress.

As soon as the doors behind us fell into the lock and a loud click went through the scarcely visited halls, my breath returned, and I inhaled for what seemed like the first time since we'd arrived here. A lot of my pack members were looking around, unsure of what to do.

Jaxxon quickly filled the silence. "Where we gonna' go now?" he asked, voicing a question I'd been wondering myself.

Were we going to stay here? And if we would, what would we even do? Was there anything to do? Growing anxious at what the future should look like, I also came to realise that we'd set out into an unknown world without even really knowing what it was we wanted to find. Or, if we found a home, what our jobs would be after that. In Everett Valley, the jobs were given to those who wanted more than the four walls they were born into. Enough people had wanted jobs and were assigned those that best fit their skill set that there hadn't been any shortages. Everett Valley had been run well in that regard.

But now? I didn't even get far enough to have my skill set properly analyzed. Now I was left wandering a world without any footsteps to help guide my way and no knowledge of all the paths one could take. Was I strategic enough to work someplace that valued a coordinating personality? Or would I be successful trying my hand in baking and cooking?

That thought let me shudder. No, that might be more fitting for Reece.

Standing in a kitchen all day didn't seem like my type of thing.

And then I thought––well, what was my thing?

Fidgeting, I hadn't realised that Reagan hadn't continued walking and therefore everyone was still just standing around. I looked up then and found that he'd already been staring at me, watching me.

"What?" I barked, a little sharper than intended. It was strange having someone watch me the way he did, as if he was trying to learn everything about me that he could without asking any questions. I wondered if that was his intent, or if he was just puzzled by me and thought I was more annoying than anything else. I wondered what the Queen meant with calling the Sentinels and why she was in need of shifters. Why had Reagan questioned that?

He was unfazed by my tone and averted his stare a few breaths later.

"I'll have someone show you your living quarters. This afternoon, you'll all be assessed. After that, we'll discuss how to move forward," Reagan said and caused the rest of the pack to stir.

"What will you four be doing?" Jaxxon inquired.

Curious to see how Reagan took such an inquisitive nature, I watched his body language change from being somewhat stiff to stiffening even more. It only confirmed my assumption. Maybe it wasn't so much the question itself but more being questioned that he didn't like.

When he didn't answer, Ryker searched Reagan's eyes for permission and said, "We've got business to attend to."

Though it was vague, it was enough to keep any further questions at bay.

I expected Reece wasn't very happy about being forced to just accept and follow instructions. When I felt his concern and a hint of annoyance, I moved away from Reagan, who turned away from me at the same time, and stood next to Reece. It was my way of offering him my support without saying anything.

"Wait here," Ryker said and then the four Thrakos brothers detached themselves from our group and walked down the wide hallway. The hallway ended and offered passage either left or right. They took a left turn and disappeared out of sight. With them, their emotional signatures pulled away and the Promised Bond grew colder as Reagan's warmth diminished. Even if I wasn't entirely aware of it all of the time when he was near, his absence was something I always felt.

That was something I had to get used to.