Rival Rulers

@ castle.

"And what are you saying exactly then?" The King asked roughly. "That one of my head guards, a man who has been loyal to this family longer than you have been alive attacked you? That he put my guards, my guests, my daughter at risk? That is a serious accusation and one that you have no proof of. We don't just attack people here on a gut instinct! There needs to be undeniable evidence in order to take this seriously. And it is rather convenient that you would attack Nathaniel after he exposed the indecency occurring in my house! How can I take your word seriously if he exposed himself with something that you never released to us before and right after he angered you."

Alexandria's mother took a step forward, continuing on to stop her husband from speaking. "If you truly believe that this is the truth, then the matter will be investigated. But no further action will be taken until we have evidence. Especially as head guard, Nathaniel is in charge of many of the men who were protecting you that day. It is most likely that he heard the story from one of the survivors instead of being part of this conspiracy as you say. But, nonetheless, you are to keep your distance from Nathaniel. You may be our guest but we will not allow you to break our laws..." The Queen looked to her daughter for a moment before continuing. "Or our traditions. Punishment will be given if continue to do so. We will look the other way this time but do not test us."

The Queen then looked at Nathaniel. "While this matter is being investigated, you will be assigned to other duties and are to also keep your distance from Prince Dominic and Princess Alexandria." She looked to some of the guards who were in between Nathaniel and Dominic. "Escort Nathaniel to his room. He is dismissed for the rest of the day." Once Nathaniel and the other guards were gone, the Queen turned to one of her ladies in waiting and whispered, the lady bowed and hurried out of the room quickly.

"Release him." The King said once Nathaniel was long gone. Alexandria was then quick to shake off her father and head over to Dominic, wanting to calm him the best that she could. She hesitated slightly once she was at his side, knowing how furious Dominic was, but she pressed a hand onto his shoulder. "Please, calm down," Alexandria said softly. She then looked to the guards, who were still holding onto Dominic, hesitant to let him go. But Alexandria was quick to snap at them. "Release him! Are you disobeying the king's orders!" The guards were then quick to let go, but stayed close in case Dominic was going to snap.

Dominic was hardly listening to the King as he spoke, his attention focused on Nathaniel. He snarled at the man, having no desire to contain just how angry he was. It seemed that he may have been the only one that believed his theory at the moment but Nathaniel seemed afraid. Dominic turned his nose up at the stench of fear, a little smirk settling on his features. His eyes still locked with Nathaniel's, Dominic tilted his head to the side slightly as if to say he was on to the head guard. "He has spent his life protecting this family from wolves. Do you not think it is convenient he bring up something so minor? He's lucky that you can't hear his heart skip a beat time you speak. Aren't you, Nathaniel?"

His head twisted slowly toward the Queen and when he made eye contact, his eyes were no longer red but he still spoke with a certain level of fury. "As her mate, it is my duty to protect her. Until the guilty are caught, measures will be taken to ensure Alexandria's safety and comfort." He could feel several of the guards holding him, their grips tightening as he spoke. Dominic didn't waiver, straightening up even as the Queen turned toward Nathaniel.

It wasn't until Alexandria stepped forward and set a hand on his shoulder that Dominic visibly relaxed. His muscles were no longer tense, ready to pounce on Nathaniel if given the chance. The moment his arms were released, Dominic twisted and his arms looped around Alexandria's waist to pull her to his body. He buried his face against her stomach and did not care about the judgement that may have occurred. He ran his nose along her side, desperate to be wrapped in her scent. To know that she was safe. Only after several beats of silence did Dominic begin to stand. Even then, he refused to release his grip on her.

When he spoke this time around, his voice was directed to several of his men that had entered the room. "Elliot, Jeremy. The two of you are to stand guard in front of the princess' room throughout the evening. Throughout the day, Drystan, you are to accompany her if I am unable," Dominic paused, reaching up to brush a strand of Alexandria's hair behind her ear. "Michael and Grant, the two of you will keep an eye on Nathaniel until this is settled for good," as he spoke, he turned toward the human King and Queen. "If he is truly not guilty, he will respect it. He will understand why the princess' safety is top priority, he will graciously accept his actions being accounted for. Should this be a problem, sort it out amongst yourselves for I will not lose my mate tonight or any night in the coming days."

@ castle.

A gasp left Alexandria's lips as Nathaniel wrapped around his arms around her body and pulled her in. She looked down at Dominic, watching him bury his face into her stomach with wide eyes. Though it took her a few moments, Alexandria moved her hands down against his head, lightly running her fingers through his hair. While Alexandria was sure that her parents would not approve, it seemed more important to calm Dominic. Especially since she wanted Dominic not to lose it or break any of the rules.

Once Dominic moved onto his feet, she could feel him continue to keep his arm wrapped around her waist. Her eyes shifted up to him as she moved her own arm behind him, lightly pressing her hand against his back. It seemed he was able to move his thoughts onto other things besides attacking Nathanial, now commanding his men to protect her. Alexandria wasn't sure that all of this was necessary, and while she trusted Dominic's judgment, she wasn't entirely convinced that Nathanial was correct about Nathanial but he was currently on a roll. She looked up at Dominic worriedly as he brushed her hair behind her ear.

The King was visibly annoyed by what was occurring. He felt as though this was ridiculous and that Dominic was still being inappropriate with his daughter. But it seemed best to just let it be while emotions were running high among all. "Very well." He said as he motioned to the two guards meant to follow Nathanial. He didn't care if they were following the head guard about it. "But they are to only observe and I expect to be given any important details they may find." With that, the King turned to head out of the room, wanting to push this situation behind him.

Alexandria's mother looked to her daughter. "We will talk after lunch today." With that, she headed out of the room as well, following her husband.

Once they were gone and some of the guards and warriors were out of the room, Alexandria let out a sigh. She then looked at Dominic and his parents, concern, and confusion shining over her face. Though she was a bit more concerned about something else rather than the accusation, which Alexandria wasn't convinced of. "I am sorry," Alexandria apologized to the three of them. "That felt... harsh and chaotic." She then looked at Dominic. "But we do need to follow my parent's rules...We shouldn't have broken them just because of my nightmares. You didn't know but it was wrong of me to break them and let you do so as well. As for the law, Dominic you really shouldn't have attacked Nathanial."

Dominic could sense the King's annoyance only continuing to grow as he gave his orders but he didn't care. Certainly not now, of all times. At the moment, his top priority was ensuring Alexandria's safety. Not holding back to protect someone else's feelings. No, that didn't matter at all to him. And he was sure his parents understood because when he glanced toward them, seemingly having a silent conversation, all his father did was give the tiniest of nods. His approval had been given because his father understood what losing his mate in a violent manner would have done to Dominic.

It was only when Alexandria started speaking to him that he let out a huff of frustration, nearly growling despite himself. Despite her being his mate. He took a step away from her, shaking his head slowly. "I will not apologize for reacting to a threat against my mate's life. You may not see it but it's as clear as day to me - Nathaniel's heart was ready to beat out of his chest until it became clear that your father believed him more than I."

Dominic shook his head, grinding his teeth together. Her nightmares - but what about his? He'd hardly been able to sleep and had given up quite easily for all he could consider was the real possibility that the attack had gone sour. What if he hadn't been able to save Alexandria's life? What then? The thought alone was enough to make his stomach twist as a flare of anxiety rocketed through his system. Not for the first time, Dominic found himself relieved that Alexandria wasn't a wolf. That she wouldn't be able to smell his distress. His parents would but he hoped they wouldn't say a damned thing to him about it. He wouldn't know what to say to them if they did.

His gaze found Drystan, giving the wolf a firm nod of his head. "You need to eat. Keep your energy up so that you are able to heal," he paused, turning back to Alexandria. His gaze softened but just barely. "I have things that need to be tended to. I will see you later," he said, taking another step backward because he felt as if Alexandria wasn't as pleased with him as he would have hoped.

@ castle.

"Don't get angry with me," Alexandria told Dominic, folding her arms in front of herself as Dominic stepped away from her. She didn't like how he was now getting upset with her when she was just trying to be realistic. "I didn't ask you to apologize to them. I was just saying that we need to follow the rules and the laws. Just because you think differently doesn't mean you're right. And if you really think Nathanial is a part of what happened, fine but we have our way of handlings things here. You need to respect that. Though his heartbeat is hardly evidence. You attacked him, what were you expecting his heart to be doing? Nathanial was probably just glad that my father wasn't going to let you rip him to shreds."

Alexandria could feel her own heart speeding up a bit. She wasn't all that angry but she could already feel herself getting frustrated. The scene in the dining room had scared her and she was worried about Dominic. And, Alexandria really wanted to not get into trouble or arguments with her parents anymore. Why couldn't they just have a good time? As for Nathanial... well Alexandria didn't know what to think but she would keep her distance. How disappointing that a lovely night had transformed into such a horrid morning.

The princess stood up a bit straighter as Dominic suddenly said he had things to attend to. She knew he originally was going to spend the morning with her. Who knew if Dominic now wanted a break from her or was going to go snooping around Nathanial. Either way, Alexandria was feeling put out by his decision to go do something else. Though her annoyed-ness at this decision was definitely being pushed by her frustrations. "Don't tell me what to do. I'll eat if I want. And, fine, go do whatever you need but don't expect me to be waiting around here for you,"

As she took a few steps towards the door, she noticed that one of the wolves was quick to move behind her. Alexandria let out a small sigh, having already forgotten that she now had a wolf guard with her. Unfortunate since she wanted to be alone but now seem hardly the time to argue about it. "Come on, Drystan. Maybe we can find something to take our minds off of this morning's nonsense." Alexandria shot Dominic a sharp look before heading out with her guard in tow.

Under any other situation, Dominic would have cracked a grin at Alexandria telling him not to get angry with her. That little fire in her belly was what he thought would make her a good mate for him but he wasn't about to force her hand in a relationship. The very thought was enough to turn his stomach. Dominic simply raised an eyebrow as she continued on, gritting his teeth at the mention of following rules and Alexandria defending the man that could have been very well responsible for her death. "No. I'm talking before I even touched him. Before I even took a step toward him. Not after I nearly ripped his throat out. And for being involved in the attack that could have caused your death, or mine, he deserves it. In fact, he deserves worse. And will be getting worse once this is all finished."

Dominic didn't bother trying to hide what his intentions were when it came to Nathaniel. He would not give the man a warrior's death. No, it would be something much more painful and pathetic - perhaps poison. Watching the man grasp for his throat as he struggled to breathe would be all the justice that Dominic wanted.

His gaze softened only when she declared she wouldn't be told what to do. It wasn't that he was trying to order her around but damn it, she needed to eat to be able to continue healing. Didn't she understand that? Dominic huffed but remained silent, distinctly under the impression that even fi he told her that, Alexandria wouldn't care at all. He watched her leave the room, his brows pulled together but no other reaction coming from him.

It was only when they were left alone that Dominic turned toward his parents, his face turning hard as his back straightened. It was clear how angry and determined he was. Any wolf who's mate had been threatened would be the same and the trio knew that. "

"I want everyone on the case. Nathaniel is involved - there was always something off about him but I figured that it had something to do with the distrust he has for wolves..." Dominic sneered, shaking his head. "Now all I have to do is prove it. Once we do then this will all be over and we can figure out the next step." Dominic was quiet for a long moment, only choosing to speak up when his mother's gaze remained fixed on him without her so much as blinking. "With or without her. It is a decision only the princess can make. No one else will influence the decision. Ever."

@ castle.

Once Alexandria was far enough away from the room where Dominic wouldn't be able to sense her anymore, she started to slow down in her walk. She allowed her muscles to relax again, letting out a small whimper of pain as she untensed her injured shoulder. While the princess had been trying her best to be careful, it was a bit difficult not to move her shoulder at all throughout the day. Even without meaning to, it happened.

She stopped at one of the windows to the palace and glanced out, thinking about how she wanted to spend the day. Or at least her morning since she was expected to go see her mother in the afternoon. Another thing that Alexandria didn't want to do. And now that she was frustrated with her parents and Dominic, Alexandria really was craving some peace from all of them. The princess glanced back at Drystan, a small smile coming over her lips as she thought of an idea.

A morning out in the city. It would give her some time away from them all, and finally, Alexandria would be able to enjoy her home like she wanted to. Plus, this time she had her own wolf bodyguard to go with her, so it was probably safer than other times she went. Though should she really be going out? No. While Alexandria wasn't grounded- yet- she knew it would piss off her parents and Dominic, which was a plus right now. Amazing, a nice morning out while pissing off the people who were frustrating her. Damn, she was amazing at multi-tasking.

Alexandria turned to Drystan, smiling at him softly as she did so. "Drystan, we are going to spend our morning in the city. Ah, and before you tell Dominic where I am heading off to, don't. There is no reason for him to know what I am doing and where I am going. Especially now that I have you with me. Oh, and if you do tell him, I promise I will do everything in my power to lose you in the city and spend the morning alone. So you can either choose to keep your mouth shut until we get back and protect me or tell Dominic beforehand and me than making things extremely difficult." Alexandria offered him a small angry smile. Normally, she wouldn't be difficult but, quite simply, she was going to force a way to get what she wanted. And once Drystan agreed, Alexandria put on a small disguise before making her way into the city with Drystan in tow.

Dominic was feeling the weight of the situation more and more, the longer that time carried on. He was exhausted emotionally because all he could think about was the reality that he had figured out who the mole in the group was and not even his own parents had seemed like they wanted to blame him. It angered him because it was his mate! Did they not seem to understand that? Dominic was so focused on the safety of Alexandria that he would do just about anything that he could if it meant her being safe. He didn't care if that meant accusing Nathanial of being involved or not. He had been, Dominic trusted his gut. It wasn't something that he liked the thought of because he knew he was right or something. In fact, the thought alone was enough to make his stomach twist. How would he react if things were reversed? If one of his closest confidants had nearly caused his death?

Twisting around, Dominic stormed out of the dining room and started doing what he knew best. He started to survey any and everything because if he missed even the smallest of clues, it could be the end of everything. If he lost Alexandria... Dominic felt like he was going to be sick just thinking about it. The thought was enough to make him weak at his knees. Dominic shook his head, clearing his mind as much as he could.

When he finished walking around the house, Dominic decided that he needed something more. His instincts were itching, desperate to just give in to them. Dominic was wordless as he left the house, heading right for the perimeter of the property. The moment that he reached it, he shifted and started running to catch up to the closest wolf. It had been longer than he cared to admit so he was sure that he was going to indulge for longer than he usually did.

@ castle.

Alexandria managed to have a peaceful day in town despite everything that had occurred that morning. It seemed that Drystan didn't sound off the alarms as at no point did someone try to hunt her down and drag her back, which she appreciated. The two of them had some fun stopping at a bakery, doing some shopping and eventually sitting down for lunch. Though once the time had passed, the two of them slowly made their way back to the castle, although Alexandria was rather reluctant about it.

Once they arrived back to the castle, Alexandria made her way to see her mother. She was not all that excited about it but nonetheless, she went and had Drystan wait outside the door for her. While it had been a rather short conversation, it left Alexandria in a bad mood. Heading out of the room, she had a death grip on a bottle of sleeping medication that her mother gave her so she did 'not have to rely on spending the night with Dominic to sleep well'. Which to Alexandria made it rather clear that her mother just wanted Dominic out of her room and was not mainly concerned about her wellbeing.

This led Alexandria to convince Dystan to hide in the attic crawlspace with her for the rest of the day, skipping dinner until night came around. Once he left her side for the night, she asked him to be kind to her when he reported the day to Dominic.

---

--skipping to tonight--

Alexandria was shifting back and forth in bed, finding it impossible to sleep. She glanced up at the sleeping pills on her bedside table before her nose wrinkled up and she turned her back towards them. The truth was, she knew what she wanted. Alexandria knew what would help her sleep. Though it took her a while to convince herself to go despite that she was still upset about this morning. But once she managed to convince herself, Alexandria was on her feet, a robe wrapped around her tightly as she headed out of the room.

The guards that Dominic posted outside her room immediately started to follow her but Alexandria didn't care much. However, Alexandria did ask them to post back outside of her room if they heard someone coming, which they agreed to do to keep Alexandria's secret of not being in her own room. Although she would normally knock, Alexandria didn't want to create more noise than necessary and believing that Dominic would be able to hear her coming, she slid into the room and closed the door behind her. Though as she looked around inside, a frown dropped along her face, seeing that Dominic wasn't even in there.

The young woman turned, about to leave but her eyes drifted to the bed and then up at the clock. Surely Dominic would arrive soon? She could wait for him. She was sure that Dominic wouldn't mind. Sliding her robe off, Alexandria headed to the bed and laid down against the sheets. Though as she was getting comfortable, she noticed that one of Dominic's sweatshirt was laying on the bed. Reaching out, Alexandria pulled it to her but as it became close, she could smell Dominic's scent coming off of it which caused Alexandria to let out a small whimper. She held to the sweatshirt into her chest before eventually pulling it on over her pajama shirt, wearing and burying her face into Dominic's sweatshirt.

{I am so sorry!!! this wasn't in my alerts for some reason please yell at me if i'm missing others that you haven't posted to in the last 3 days because i thought iw as pretty close to caught up }

It had been nearly two hours before Dominic started for his room in the castle, his entire body exhausted. He was ready to head into his bed and curl up beneath the covers - he'd purposefully exhausted himself until he knew that he would be able to sleep because it seemed that not even Alexandria wanted anything to do with him. She'd stormed out of the dining room and he hadn't seen her since. The only reason that Dominic was even comfortable with that was that he trusted Drystan with his life. He knew that nothing would happen to her while Drystan was with her.

Each step that he took was enough to nearly make him groan, his body all but begging him to go to sleep. Dominic turned onto his hallway where both his room and the princess' room were contained. Dominic was so tired that he wasn't even paying any attention to the fact that Alexandria's room was empty. All he noticed was that the wolves were posted outside of the door as they were supposed to be. He gave them a stiff nod of his head before he moved to his room.

Dominic bit back a groan as he stepped inside, rubbing his sleep as he tried to find the energy to shower. He felt like he needed it, considering that he had been running the perimeter of the castle grounds for hours on end but Dominic was losing that battle before he even knew what was going on. His brows raised when he turned toward his bed, realizing that something wasn't quite right. Dominic stiffened when he realized it was Alexandria, laying in his bed. Oh.

This was wrong, as her parents had so kindly pointed out earlier in the day and yet, here she was. Dominic felt a desperate need to close the distance between them but he stayed rooted to his spot. He didn't want to make it worse, somehow. Dominic fingers twitched, aching to feel Alexandria close to him. To confirm that she was safe and that he didn't have anything that he needed to be concerned over. Instead, Dominic tilted his head to the side while swallowing around the lump that had formed in his throat.

"Y'sure that it's a good idea for you to be here?" Dominic asked. He was sure that he was being a bit harsh but all he could think about was the fact that no one had trusted him about his instincts. It had seemed that not even his parents really believed him. If Alexandria had died because he hadn't been able to protect her, Dominic could only imagine how much of a failure he would feel like. Worse than he already felt, surely.

He looked to the side, gritting his teeth together. "Someone could catch you," he pointed out dumbly.

@ castle.
( It is okay, it happens! And I think we are caught up? I will double-check though! ^_^)

By the time Dominic walked into the room, Alexandria was almost half-way asleep. Just being in Dominic's room made her feel better, knowing that at some time he would come. Plus the smell of him from the sweatshirt was soothing. Her face was buried inside of the hood, her body relaxed. Though it wasn't until she heard Dominic's voice that she realized that someone was in the room with her.

The woman turned, a light smile on her face until she registered his words. Her smile faltered for a moment before dropping completely. It seemed that Dominic wasn't as happy to see her as she had hoped for. Though she couldn't find it in herself to be too upset about it. This wasn't what she wanted, obviously, but they both had left the dining room upset. Alexandria just realized that she needed Dominic more than she was upset about the incident so she was willing to drop it temporarily. It seemed Dominic wasn't in the same place.

Slowly, Alexandria sat up in the bed, sliding to the edge so her feet were hanging out. As much as she wanted to stay with Dominic for her own sanity, she wouldn't force him to do so. "I don't know if it is a good idea," Alexandria told him softly before she glanced off to the side. "I just couldn't sleep and I feel better when you're close." Alexandria pushed the hood down from her head. After a moment of hesitation, Alexandria moved onto her feet. She really didn't want to leave. "I just wanted to see you but I shouldn't have assumed you wanted company."

Alexandria shifted slightly in the sweatshirt, thinking to take it off for a moment. Though with her shoulder it would be a long process and maybe it could be something to continue to calm her in her room. "And you are right, someone could catch us... I understand if you want to be alone. It's been a stressful day."

{thank you!!!}

Dominic had to resist the urge to close the distance between himself and Alexandria. Every fibre of his being was demanding it but he knew that it wasn't smart. It had already become clear to him that he wasn't trusted here and the very thought angered him. He wanted to lash out all over again because if these people knew anything about wolves, it was that a wolf would go to the ends of the Earth and back again if it meant protecting his or her mate. Even to him, it seemed that Alexandria was a bit skeptical.

"No. What I want is for the people responsible for nearly taking your life to be brought to justice," Dominic answered in a hard voice. He knew that he was being a lot, that he should probably tame it down especially considering he was speaking to Alexandria of all people but he felt as if the only people who believed him were himself and the man he now had it out for. Of course, the advisor would be aware of his guilt but he was well appreciated in this realm. Disposing of him would be easy but doing it properly, Dominic had to begrudgingly follow the laws of the land. Whether he wanted to or not.

Despite how exhausted he was, Dominic could feel another surge of anger swelling inside of him. He turned toward Alexandria, all hard edges and looking quite like the alpha that he would be one day. "I will respect your laws, only because it seems I would lose my head if I did not," he spoke lowly. he was tired and he hoped that somewhere along the line, Alexandria would realize and understand why he was as upset as he was over this all happening.

"But when it comes to light, that traitor will pay under my customs. Threatening the life of an alpha's mate..." Dominic trailed off, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end at the thought alone. "It's not something that is forgiveable. I only hope your family can accept that, we cannot waiver on such a thing."

It was all political talk and Dominic was exhausted but he wanted to make it clear to Alexandria that his opinion wasn't going to be changing.

@ castle.

As Dominic began to speak, Alexandria's body had immediately tensed up. She definitely had not realized the situation that she was getting herself into when she had come over for the night. Dominic was clearly more upset than she had thought he would be. As he spoke, Alexandria looked over him carefully. She was trying not to overreact or meet Dominic at his level. While she didn't fully understand how mates worked, Alexandria knew how important mates were. He was worried so he was acting out.

She took a moment to take a breath, trying to stay calm. Though as she was about to take a step forward and speak, Dominic was already opening that large, stupid mouth of his and insulting her country. Immediately Alexandria's demeanor changed. She felt put out by his words, especially as Alexandria felt as though she wasn't the cause of his frustrations. Why he wanted to bully her was beyond Alexandria but she was only willing to put up so much. Especially when Dominic started to speak like they were in a political discussion.

"Well, excuse my manners. I didn't realize I would be running into Prince Dominic tonight." Alexandria snapped back at him before offering a faux curtesy. "Let me make a couple of things clear for the prince. Afterward, feel free to set up an official royal appointment with me by contacting one of the advisors if you feel like it's a good idea for you to continue this. No one here is threatening the loss of your head so don't be so overdramatic. Secondly, you shouldn't need punishment as a reason to accept the laws of my country. This is my home and I would have hoped that you show respect to my country as I tried to show yours! And if you are able to prove that he is the traitor, then you can negotiate with the King and Queen over punishment."

Alexandria swiftly walked past Dominic, heading towards the door of the room. Though when she was in between him and the door, she stopped and turned back to him. "I understand that you are upset. I understand why you are upset. But Dominic, don't think for a moment that I am going to let you snap at me because of it. Everyone wants the traitors brought to justice but you actually need proof here and if you took a goddamn moment to try to understand humans. To understand how I live, you would understand why evidence is necessary." She let out a huff before starting to struggle to pull off Dominic's sweatshirt, no longer wanting to bring it with her. She had to rip it off her bad shoulder which hurt like a mother-fucker but Alexandria didn't have time to baby her wound. Once it was off, she threw it on the ground.

"I trust you, Dominic. But damn you're making it hard to be on your side."

If this hadn't been over such a heated situation, Dominic would have been proud of Alexandria for speaking her mind and defending herself. Even against him. That was important. But he was still so frustrated that all he could do was stare at her like she was crazy. Like all he could think about was the fact that Alexandria wasn't fully trusting him. Had this happened in his country, the offending person would have been locked away immediately. Not left to roam free, with the potential to pull off another attack. The thought churned his stomach even now, as he stood in front of Alexandria.

Dominic hadn't even been able to control the low growl that he let out when Alexandria stalked toward the front door. His eyes narrowed as he spun around to face her. He took a single step forward before he stopped, shaking his head. "No. In my country, this would have happened a whole lot differently. He would have been locked up until proof could be brought forward. If he was proved to be innocent, he'd be let go. But he'd be investigated thoroughly, contained throughout, so that he didn't have the chance to go off and pull another attack. Because it's not just him that's involved, if that's not clear!"

"You aren't a wolf so I get it. I do. But you don't have our senses. You can't tell when someone is lying. As easily as I can. I can hear their heartbeat, I get to listen to the way his heart leapt before I even accused him. He realized he'd been caught but as it turns out, that hasn't even cost him his freedom yet. Despite the fact that they nearly took the princess' life! And we don't know who else is out there, involved in this whole damn thing!" Dominic shouted toward the end, so beyond frustrated at this point.

"At least if he was in custody, we could interrogate him. Find out more about what the hell he was trying to do!" Dominic exclaimed. He threw his arms wide as if it would help show his point. "Who was involved so that we can prevent it from happening again! It may be your country but we should still be taking our customs into consideration too. But.." Dominic trailed off, shrugging again. "Doesn't matter, does it?"

@ castle.

Alexandria's body tensed up as Dominic let out a low growl, not appreciating the sound being pointed towards her. Even so, she listened to Dominic as he spoke. Though her uninjured hand reached up and started to rub her head. She was beginning to get a headache and Alexandria was beyond stressed. Of course, she was a bit angry but more than anything, Alexandria wish that this was not happening. She didn't understand why Dominic was taking this out on her.

"I don't know what you want me to do, Dominic." Alexandria said bluntly. "Here, it is innocent until proven guilty. I understand you are able to sense more but that isn't poof here. We can't rely on that. We need something solid to lock him up and start a trial. That is the law here. I am sorry but I can't change that. I may have responsibilities and say here but not over the law and decisions like that, that is my parents. My father is not going to budge on that,"

A tired sigh left Alexandria and her shoulders dropped a bit. She didn't want to be in this argument. "He is not in jail but despite our customs, he is suspended from his job and being watched. Your word was enough to ensure that he is never left alone, an eye kept on him. And I have agreed to stay away and have one of your guards follow me until this is resolved. I... I am conflicted on all of this. I trust your word but on the other hand, this is someone who has been protecting me for most of my life. It doesn't make sense to me. If he wanted me dead, he could have done so much more easily than this. Just one misstep and an accident could have happened to me that wouldn't have been his fault."

She glanced off to the side. "I don't want to have this argument anymore. I feel like you are yelling at me for something I can't control. I can't get him locked up for you. I can't prove he is guilty. There will be no convincing my father to move forward without evidence... I am already on too thin of ice and-" Alexandria stopped herself and let out a sigh. "I am sorry that this is causing so much stress for you. I wish I could help you or at least calm you down but it seems I can't."

With that, Alexandria turning her back to him and continued to the door. "Goodnight Dominic." With that, she headed back to her own room.

"He's trying to protect you from the big bad wolf, don't you get that? Don't you see that he's trying to end this alliance before it could even truly begin? If Nicholas ends it, he protects your entire kingdom from the threat he believes that I pose to you. That my people pose to you. Even if not a single hair on your head was harmed when you were in our country! Because I'd sooner die than let something happen to you!" Dominic exclaimed. He felt like they were going around in useless circles. There was no leeway in either direction and Dominic knew that without absolute proof, that Alexandria's family would not waver in their beliefs.

That thought blew his mind. Their princess, their daughter, nearly was killed but Dominic's instincts weren't being trusted. As far as he was concerned, what they had done had been pointless. Grinding his teeth together, Dominic didn't even say a thing as she left the door. Dominic felt like he was failing her and it was breaking him apart.

Dominic wanted to do more for her. He was supposed to do more because she was his mate but to him, it seemed as if he'd done nothing but cause her problems. Sinking down onto his bed, Dominic stared at the ceiling with his thoughts racing a mile a minute. He was exhausted and yet he couldn't convince himself to sleep.

The morning rolled around and eventually, Dominic dragged himself out of the bed long enough to take a shower. Once he was as presentable as he was going to get, Dominic started downstairs toward breakfast. He had no desire to eat but he knew he had to maintain their diplomacy while they were here.

Dominic stepped into the dining hall and wasn't the least bit surprised by the almost immediate silence that washed over the room. Whispers started pretty quickly but he paid them no mind as he took his seat. Dominic knew he looked horrible, he hadn't slept all night after running himself ragged but he couldn't bring himself to relax enough to sleep.

@ castle.

Once Alexandria had arrived back to her room, she immediately fell back into her bed. She was exhausted but still found it impossible to sleep. Not only did she have her fears of her dreams but now Dominic was also filling her thoughts. What was she suppose to do? Sleep was a terror but being awake, thinking of their current situation was no better. Everything that Dominic had said to her was weighing on her.

By the time that morning came, Alexandria had barely slept a wink. She still felt lost but was beginning to think what Dominic had said made sense. Still, she wasn't sure that he was right. There was a motive but was Dominic right. How could he be so sure off of a heartbeat? Was it even possible to be so assured based off of that. Based off of one situation.

Her eyes glanced over to the pill bottle, thinking she might be better off just taking a sleeping pill and sleeping for the rest of the day. Though, she knew it would only upset her parents more if she didn't at least join for breakfast. So, Alexandria took the time to get changed and headed down to breakfast. She was late but no one would say a word to her, Alexandria was sure.

When she entered the dining room, her eyes glanced around to see who was there. For a moment, Alexandria's eyes dropped to Dominic. He looked worse than her but... Alexandria didn't want another fight. She was worried but still, Alexandria headed to a chair away from him and sat down before getting her food.

Dominic's nostrils flared when Alexandria stepped into the room, his jaw clenched as he fought the urge to look toward her. Had she slept more than he had? Was this argument bothering her just as much as it was upsetting him? It wasn't something that he wanted - he didn't want Alexandria upset but it would have made him feel worse if Alexandria wasn't bothered in the least bit. His gaze was focused on the plate in front of him. It looked meagre compared to what Dominic would have normally eaten but he didn't have any desire to eat anything at the moment.

---

skipping~~

Each morning had been the same since the day that Dominic had accused Nicholas of being involved in the attack upon their arrival. Dominic sat at the dining table, his plate looking just as ridiculous as it had over the past few days. He looked even worse for wear because his nights had been much the same. Dominic hadn't really spoken to Alexandria since the day after he'd accused Nicholas of being involved. His nights, he ran the perimeter for hours on end until he passed out in his bed for a few hours at most.

Dominic was jsut about ready to stand up and leave, deciding the half-hour or so that he had been showing his face was more than enough. He hadn't spoken a single word because he was an odd mixture of exhausted and frustrated.

Out of nowhere, there was growling and yelling that came from down the hall. Before Dominic could think twice about it, he was on his feet and starting around the table to put himself between the doorway and the table. Except before he could get to the doorway, two wolves dragged a beaten and bloody man into the room. Their eyes glowed red, the hair raised over their arms and face as they snarled down at the man who could hardly move.

"Tell them," one growled, his voice dangerously low.

The man shuddered, groaning as the other wolf kicked him in the torso. "Now!"

"F-Father..." the man trailed off, coughing and wincing as he did. "Father sent me to meet with our allies. He intended to launch another attack," the man croaked, tossing his bag as far as he could - until it landed at Dominic's feet.

Dominic sneered as he knelt, not even glancing back at those behind him as he produced several papers that outlined the original assault and plans for another one in just a few days. The blood running through his body ran cold when he realized who the man at his feet was - Nicholas' son.

A low growl rumbled from his chest as Dominic stood straight, his eyes locking on the wolves closest to the door. "Get him in this room. Now!"

@ castle.

The last couple of days had been unpleasant for Alexandria. She had hoped that a lot of what was happening would have settled down but it only dragged on. At this point, she didn't care if Nicholas was found innocent or guilty. She just wanted it to be over. It was driving everyone around her mad. Her parents felt a particular way about it, Dominic was in a horrid mood. And she could tell that the rest of the castle had their own opinions on the matters.

She tried to take little steps to reach back out to Dominic but any attempt had failed. Mostly because she was too afraid to reach out to him when he was like this. Alexandria didn't want to be at the center of his yelling again. She had watched his mood each morning, hoping that, at some point, Dominic would calm down but that was never the case. It was upsetting as Alexandria felt that Dominic needed her and Alexandria definitely needed him. But to continuing the fighting seemed like a worse ideas as there was no clear ending.

Alexandria reached up and rubbed her forehead. She was too exhausted for this. Sleeping was a nightmare, especially with the pills, so she just didn't sleep. At least she was eating, which did not seem to be totally the same case for Dominic... Though when she was done, she headed out to her room to hide. At least he was spending some time outside and with others.

When she heard the growling and yelling from the hallway, Alexandria was on her feet, ready to run. Though what was actually occurring was soon clear as two wolves threw Nicholas' son on the ground and he started to speak. Her eyes were wide and she looked to her parents, hoping that this would mean that this mess could soon be brought to an end.

At this scene, the King and Queen started whispering to the people around them in a hurry. It seemed that they were ready to finally take action. With a motion, the papers that were on the floor were picked up and brought to them both. Soon enough, Nicholas was forced onto his knees in front of them all.

The King took one look at the tired Dominic and gave him a small nod to proceed to interrogate him (or to say whatever he wanted to say). It only seemed right after Dominic had put forth all of the work. Though the moment he was done, the king was going to command that Nicholas be imprisioned.

Dominic's entire demeanour changed, his eyes narrowed into thin slits as he glared at the men that were before him. He wanted to lash out and just rip Nicholas' throat out. He didn't care if he shed blood because as far as he was concerned, that was what the men deserved. It was only when Alexandria's father nodded that Dominic took a step forward. He knelt down in front of them, his voice coming out eerily calm. "You will tell us who else is involved with this. After that, you will be dealt with. As will your son," Dominic spat at Nicholas. His hands balled into tight fists and he had to fight the urge to lash out at her.

"Shame on you. To convince your own blood to go against country. You will die as a traitor, instead of the saviour that you wish you were. I hope that haunts you for the rest of your short life," Dominic's words were spat, not bothering to try and hide them from the people that surrounded them.

Dominic pushed to his feet, snarling at the duo before he turned for the door. The thoughts were racing around his mind and he wanted to lash out at someone - tell the humans how ridiculous they had been because low and behold, Dominic had been right the entire time but he knew that would do no good at all. He had to accept that there wasn't a good solution to this that he saw.

He would let his parents discuss the final punishments with Alexandria's parents because if it was up to him, Dominic would have everyone involved put to death without so much as a trial. They had tried to take his life and in the same breath, endangered Alexandria. Huffing, Dominic shoved his hands into his pockets and started for the gardens. He hoped that a walk through the area would help to calm him down.