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Healer Rhea's POV

Rhea had sent word before her hunt for a proper infirmary, to Colton, as they were meant to go to visit the Holy Knot Church. Even now, as she was traveling back, with her wrist now bandaged properly and her carriage filled with so many lingering thoughts that made the small wooden vehicle even more crowded than it was.

Currently in between both Ray and Clive, while sharing leg room with the two Enforcers who hadn't dared stayed at the castle. Though they weren't pouting, still, they were silent like the males beside her.

"Ray—"

"It's awful, Rhea...We changed one hell for another. He was impaled by a rod!" She already had a migraine, and this certainly wasn't helping. Not when she was waiting to return to her room to start the diagnosed tonic.

"Irene told me they hardly looked..." Clive whispered, and Rhea could only lean onto the young lad's shoulder, remaining silent as her mind was swirling on what to do.

"I'm at a loss...I didn't think things were like this." She whispered, and both wolves felt guilty once more—They knew the truth of her title, and it was painful to see Rhea's eyes turning to every bit of her former Kingdom, only to be reminded of the downfalls.

The loss of consistency.

"Will that Healer face charges?" Ray demanded, and Marrow shrugged his shoulders. "Given that Rhea was involved, I believe the King won't hesitate to put that Healer in his place." That was a start, but it did not solve the problem.

While Rhea wanted to work in the infirmary, there truly weren't enough hours in the day for all that she wanted to get done, but hiring members would be better than nothing—Or at least those who are eager to learn on the correct path.

Her exhaustion was taking the better of her, so much so that Clive had twisted his body and opened his arms to take Rhea in fully—Surgery to that extent brought out far too much adrenaline into her system, not to mention the argument that followed throughout.

In addition to last night, something that she was still stewing about.
However, their arrival had marked some attention, as Rhea had been given a proper title amongst the rest of the humans in the castle.

There was a combination of thankful smiles between both high-ranked and the maids of the castle that offered her smiles and brightened auras. Though she couldn't offer anything more in that regard, as she was very exhausted.

"We'll get Charles settled, Rhea—No worries," Ray mentioned, nicking his head for Clive to offer his arm. It was decided that he would escort her to her rooms, then would task Irene to take care of their Lady.

It wasn't much work, not when Irene was prepared for Rhea's early night routine. A quick wash and dressing in a nightgown, but Irene did not want to leave the apartments—Not when both Ray and Clive would be bringing different messages.

Not to mention that Charles' workmates had written to Rhea in pure thanks.

Then again, the handmaiden knew that they were going to have an early morning in heading to the church. And she could only imagine what the two males would think when they finally understand what was happening.

Or the wolf that was invited.

Irene had taken to cleaning her Lady's gowns, making sure they were wrinkle-free and nitpicking the combination of sashes—Or pairing the proper cloak to match.

She had heard awhile ago that the King was planning to gift her a new wardrobe. Irene knew that the King would follow through with this, given that she had been working for Rhea for months, regardless if she had only just arrived at the castle.

The knock on the door was light, as though cautious—Leaving Irene to open the door in her Lady's favor and peeked to see who it might be, yet when King Romulus had stood on the other side of the door, Irene hurried into a bow.

"Is there any chance that Rhea is awake, Irene?"

"I'm sorry sir, but she hardly made it through her meal and bathe. The tonic she was given had her fall straight asleep, it was a tiring day for her..." She admitted, and Romulus sighed—If Irene was to stay the entire night, he would not be allowed in.

Not without being caught.

"Keep me posted on her recovery, I do not need my council member falling ill." He had tried to make it as dutiful as possible, but even Irene could sniff out the lie. Though she didn't speak a word against him and simply bowed her head further, confirming that she would, as well as wishing him a good night.

It was now the second night in a row that Romulus looked hopelessly up to his ceiling.
How was it that he managed any sleep when Rhea was not close by?

He wished, quite plainly, that he was a pup seeking for her attention and guidance—But even now he was meant to uphold his father's legacy, the one that she had claimed was all because of her being deemed a coward.

No, the female in the other room was not at all a coward.

His body ached at the thought of wanting to go and visit her, whether he shifted into his beast or not—He wanted her touch.
It was purely primal, but gods forbid that he suffers through another night.

Romulus stewed over what needed to be done, but ultimately he was wondering if Rhea would be present tomorrow after all...

Even now, as he was trudging along to his dining hall to enjoy the Kingdom's finest, a bundle of notes was already—It seems that Wilhelm wasn't too eager to start the day, as he was taking off this morning in preparation.

He was considering inviting Rhea here for breakfast but thought against it. The female had lost a full day in preparing for the meeting—One he hoped wouldn't be a disappointing debate.

Speaking of Rhea, the Lady had escorted her males—In addition to Colton, who expressed his interest in learning more about the human culture.
And what better way to start than by being a part of an underground mass ceremony?

It was worrying, to say the least, but upon coming into this side of the human dwellings, Colton was starting to see the picture Rhea was painting for him.

Not to mention the poor state of their church.

Even now, as he bent forward with his hands interlocked before him, he felt the peace and prosperity that the seances brought to the people. And he couldn't believe that something as innocent as this was at fault for being considered illegal.

Not to mention that the trust was undoubtedly lacking, no one person held their hood at their shoulders beside the priest—But nobody in good conscious would out the lovely man.

Rhea felt as though she was gifted a new set of lungs, ones that would destroy the bundle of spoiled well-privileged males awaiting the council meeting. Oh, she couldn't wait.

But she felt relieved to have this moment of tranquility, even when the bells chimed off into the distance to call upon the next hour, Rhea didn't fret at all.

Instead, she enjoyed the carriage ride through the town's traffic and closed her eyes, hand holding tightly in Ray's as even he felt the tranquility of it all.

"I haven't been to a mass since I was a boy." Clive cheered, and that had caught Ray's attention outright with a scoff. "You're still a boy."

"The King doesn't think so!" He reminded, and now it was Rhea's turn to laugh.
"The King is also blinded—Hmm." Ray teased, and she rolled her eyes. Only for Colton's eyes to start to bulge out of his skull.

"King Romulus fancies you?" The wolf choked, and Rhea's eyes turned to her newly found friend as she wasn't sure how to answer a question like that. And she allowed a laugh to escape her lips before she could truly think of what it meant.
"Fancies me? Goodness, I think I'm too old to think about those titles." She teased, and while Colton's face did turn bright red, all the way to the tips of his ears, it wasn't such an odd assumption.

Hadn't his father said something of the sort?

Colton had turned methodically quiet, but Rhea truly couldn't fathom that explanation at the moment and instead hurried to her meeting which had been well on her way—Though evidently, when she entered, she caught sight of the other humans sporting rather velvety robes...Same as herself.

"Lady Rhea, I do hope you're in good health or have an excuse for your tardiness?" Romulus chided, and she had only given him a smile as the males followed in after her.
"I apologize, my King, the traffic is terrible—I would have walked but I might have arrived just as things were packing up." Truly, she was prepared for any comeback, and then some.

"To summarize the last conversation, Lady Rhea, we've discussed the widespread syllabus for education throughout the kingdom." Rhea had just sat down before she turned to look over toward Wilhelm, and Romulus nearly sneered at the smile she had given the male.

"Throughout the Kingdom?...What about the packs?"

"The outer territories weren't on the agenda today, Lady Rhea." Councilman Morris had offered, and she turned to a frown. "Then I ask this, what was the last time the territories were at all thought of in these meetings besides anything I've said." She allowed the males beside her to think on this question, but it had ended with a scoff from Mithwell.

"Sir, I don't know why we're continuing to humor this female. She has no business holding a chair beside us!"

"Ah, Mithwell, I almost forgot about you—My King, I would like to file a complaint against Mariah."
"My the goddess, my daughter has done nothing—"

"On the contrary, she has taken a hand to my help. And from my memory, that means she owes me a favor. Be careful, Mithwell, I have a creative mind." The anger in the male flared, so much so that Rhea smiled and beamed at the rest of the males that were staring at her in awe.

"Since I have the floor for the moment, Tenson, it's your turn. Do you know what I did for you yesterday?" She asked, and the male beside her looked bewildered. But he hadn't an answer that stuck to being plausible.

"I found that your factory is fairly close to the castle, but three of your workers had rushed into the Infirmary—Only to be denied help from their status as being human. I performed his surgery, but I found some interesting insights about your factories. So I believe I have earned another favor." Romulus couldn't tear his gaze away from Rhea, not when her scent was off and she was reigning her designed terror over the rest.

"I'll see to it that the males are well taken care of."

"Oh we're far past that, they're my males now...Granted, Charles will have a matching cane to mine. You get facilities in order, Tenson, or so help me goddess—We are barely at odds with the wolves, show some worth to our own kind." She hissed, but it was much easier when the person she was targeting was beside her than across the room.

"My King, please—The entire room does not care for the words of a lowlife female from the territories," Ganon spoke, rising to his feet, as though his words were all the persuasion he needed. But now it prompted Romulus to be able to speak.

Though, funny enough, Rhea had been in the room no less than an accounted four minutes before the males of the room had started to grow uncomfortable.

"I have never seen a room full of grown males, wolves included, be afraid of a small female. Had I known that she would test all your patience as you've tested mine, I would have brought her earlier...Rhea's favor from Mariah is decreed—As is Tenson's. Have you anything more, Lady Rhea? Or can we continue with the scheduled voting?" She thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"I'll give the males a break for the moment being." She said with a slight bow of the head, taking a sip from her water pouch—The last thing she needed was the males in the room to poison her.

There had been a few debates, but nothing worth interest in her account. Armies were one aspect she was well determined to stay clear of, and the Master of Arms, Drex, seemed thankful for her silence.

As though he was holding his breath the entire time.

As the scheduled aspects had slowly come to a close, each council member was given the opportunity to present something to the floor—And none had been bothered to do any extensive research, so when Rhea's name had been called, a collective group of those surrounding her had groaned.

"I'm sure you all have such busy lives outside of this room, so I'll make this quick. I attended a fair not too long ago to explore the Kingdom, and I noticed something rather odd. Nobleman Edmund, could you explain to me why there are no churches in the Kingdom for us to congregate to?" She so plainly asked, and Edmund had stiffened in his chair.

Ah, so he was indeed at the mass.

"The human churches are forbidden, Lady Rhea." Her hand went to her chest with great sympathy. "Indeed? Yet the territories have seemingly more advanced sentiments among our religion. My previous Alpha in fact made us a church to find peace and tranquility. But all that is left here is enclosed buildings." Now that had earned her a demanding growl.

"How dare you suggest that we promote another religion—! By the goddess, this is blasphemy!" Morris cried out, and Rhea tilted her head to the side. "Oh? So are you saying humans and wolves are not equal?" She shot back, and the male had quickly taken hold of his tongue.

"Let me remind you of where you are standing, wolf. Your chair was made by humans, that table, and by gods be those clothes as well. If you were half as considerate as you pretend to be, you'd realize that our religions are not far off from one another. While we don't see the Moon Goddess as the main deity, we recognize her, and respect her. What type of respect is shown when you cannot value what is under the same moonlight?" The humans, Wilhelm included, had gawked towards Rhea—Not in demand, but in shock, in pure and undivided shock.

"Th-that is not the same!" Morris attempted once more, and she simply shrugged her shoulder. "Then tell me, wolves of this room, can you smell the Sage on me?... Why do you think I was late for this meeting? I bet every human in this room right now attended the same service as I—Yet we are not allowed to show our faces, why?" She allowed a pause, but the males beside her had all stilled. Ray had even gripped her wrist to get her attention.

This was not a part of the plan.

"We do not trust one another, we cannot think about the backlash it will bring. The church is run down, cluttered, and in short supply of necessary ceremonial equipment. This is a disgrace to our kind, Morris, whether you believe in our religion or not. It's about respect." She finalized, turning to her papers before smiling at the head advisor.

"Besides, you are all missing Wilhelm's wonderful singing voice." She commented, allowing her hands to lock in front of her as she leaned forward—Waiting—Hoping for someone to make their stance known.

But not one did.

"Better poison her fucking drink the next time we have a meeting," Morris grumbled, but it was about time another had struck the mark. "Ah, yes, threatening a fellow council member, I do believe that is another favor! Grand, I'll add it to my list." Now that had been the end of it all as the male had risen to his feet.

"I demand retribution! Sir, this female is crazed! She does not belong in this meeting." The smile never left Rhea's demeanor, and so Romulus had taken a quick glance over to his right—To where Wilhelm was stationed, and he caught the blush the male was sporting.

One he was trying to hide from the crowd.

"You're right, this is getting out of hand. And I do not like repeating myself, but you are all acting like pups. I asked Lady Rhea here to seek change, and yet all that has been done is denouncing her character. Lady Rhea, you have three favors to ask for—Mariah is underage, though I'm sure her father would be more than happy to take her place?" Rhea's eyes were already pinpointed to Mithwell, and so she nodded.

"I would be willing to make that exception..." She allowed, and the male grumbled his agreement to the mention. Given that he didn't want his daughter—Which played a role that her father had taught her very early on.

A male had a few weaknesses—

A lover—whether that is a mistress, wife, or somewhere in between.

Children—As a parent's love would elect a defense to one's family..

Money— Strip the male of his funds, what is he?

Power or Title—It's as devastating as money.

It depended on the male to which fell where, but Rhea had a handle that he had some morals when it came to his own family.

"And since I missed the terms of the standards among the educational fields, I want you all to know I will be looking into standardized testing. Please do make an effort next time to counter me, I don't want to be bored." As she had sat back, she could already see that there were already words of defense, but it was much too late and she had dragged things too far.

But three of nine members of those surrounding her were in debt, and that debt would be cashed in at the same time—To sway the vote of her union to the King, and damn it, Romulus seemed unable to stop himself from grinning with pride.

If she had to take an estimated guess, she would think that Kieran would give her a vote, as well as Damian and Welsh—The two human councilmen that were ever so silent.

The temptation of Drex was only in the aspect that she was not too familiar with the movements of soldiers or training, but once she reclaimed the throne, then perhaps it would give her a clause to look into it more.

As the room started to clear, and Ray helped her to her feet and waited for her foot that had a record of falling asleep—An unexpected visitor had come forth with a much more friendly smile than she could have ever admitted to seeing on him.

"Lady Rhea, would you be free to speak for a moment?" The offer itself hadn't startled her, but from Wilhelm, it most certainly did.

"Of course...Just give me a moment, my leg is acting up." She explained, and a flash of worry crossed over the Advisor's face. But sure enough, the phantom aches had subsided and she began her walk towards the exit with him by her side.

Though she did feel fairly guilty for leaving both of her males in the presence of the King. As if they hadn't already suffered enough.

"I must admit, you've taken me by surprise, Lady Rhea."

"Oh? Hopefully as a good surprise, though I'm not sure if you'd be alone if you'd admit to saying it was a bad one."

"Refreshing, to say the least. How is your wrist?" Rhea had taken to looking at the damned thing, now nicely bandaged and on the path to mending—Even if it was agitating to get there.

"Better, though I do enjoy aggravating a few wolves along the way. I hope the King did not mind."

"Oh, no. I thought he gives you too much leeway in the beginning, I must say he was getting bored with the normal babbles that court has to offer. Standardized testing, I cannot wait to see what that brings." Rhea smirked and allowed a bit more distance to come from them and the halls, and when she took to standing in a secluded window, she turned towards Wilhelm.

"I have it under good authority that Lady Mariah isn't as academically intelligent as her father boasts about."

"Oh? And you've decided to target Mithwell's family for that reason? Or because of the incident with your handmaid?"

"Money and titles do not mean everything. If you judged me on my income, then I wouldn't be here." It was simply put, and with the man's silence, she knew that even he believed it to be true.

"It was a beautiful service this morning...I donate a good portion to its upkeep, though the outside is in a state of deterioration. Nothing can be done without the wolves causing an outrage." Rhea hummed, knowing that it was the truth.

"I asked the Priest if there was anything they needed, it seems like they are working with the humans in the Kingdom. There is something worse going on here, Wilhelm. And I'm not sure who to trust."
"I believe in the words of the gods and goddesses."

"As do the wolves in a different concept, that does not warrant much trust. Though I'm sure you cannot feel that trustworthy of me either..." The Head Advisor had smiled lightly, realizing that he was absolutely wrong about this young female.

"What do you think about the King?"

"Depends, are you looking in the aspect of an Advisor or a female? He is quite handsome." His brows narrowed, almost appalled.
"You find the King handsome?"
"Either you are blind or lying, I can't decide." Rhea withheld her snort, as she didn't want to give Wilhelm the wrong impression of not taking this conversation seriously enough.

"Was I wrong to assume you were involved with your assistant?" A sly smile picked up as she continued her walk and Wilhelm followed after her. His initial question going unanswered as she steered him in another light.

"What is your place on human and wolf relations?"
"Goddess, if you could sway the King to even look at a female, then perhaps there is hope for this Kingdom. He is waiting for his mate, and it is a pointless endeavor. Not many wolves stick to that trend anymore."
"That isn't true, at least not in the territories pack." It was useful knowledge, and Rhea slowed her steps as she started to feel the ache. She had been far too active these last few days and it was no catching up to her.

"I believe it to be a beautiful bond, and I respect the King and his ability to stick to seeking them out. I fell out of a horrible courtship with an Alpha."

"Your previous Alpha?" Rhea nodded, but even then she couldn't feel anything more than disappointment. "So you know how difficult it is to speak with an Alpha..."

"If you mean being able to work with a stubborn Alpha, yes. And it doesn't hurt that King Romulus is understanding of my situation. Perhaps it is a wolf's mentality to help those who've suffered, but he was very free in allowing me to decide the status of the Infirmary downstairs. It's a barbaric practice to not provide medical attention to someone in need." The conversation had taken a sharp turn, in Rhea's hope to push away the mention of how she truly thinks of the King.

"I apologize, Wilhelm...I am feeling light on my feet and didn't get much of a breakfast in. Perhaps next week we can share a carriage." She hadn't left it open for much more than that, but even he could see the growing strain on her face so he encouraged her to do just that and have a good day.

One, for the first time to him, had returned the reply as earnestly as possible. 

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Date: 07/01/23

Time: 5:50

Words: 4112

Author's Note:

And that is it for Saturday's update. Of course, they were a few of the longer chapters this story has to offer.

We're already up to 54 chapters!
I want to say there is a total of 80 chapters, but I don't know if my math is correct at the moment from my original word document to what I have edited thus far. 

Anywhoooo, I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!