More Than Just Baser Instincts.

"When two lions mate, the cub generally prefers to spend his time in lion form. The second he learns how to shift, it's rare to see him as a human baby except when he's sleeping. So when the child doesn't transform, it raises some concern.

"You never transformed, but that was because your mother kept the secret hidden so well that not even your lion counterpart knew it existed—but it did exist. Christine..." He shook his head before sighing. "No one knows why it happens, but sometimes a baby never finds that middle ground with her lion; so it just...goes away. Christine never shifted, never really connected with her counterpart, so it left."

"But my mother said that Gerald is her mate!"

"I'm getting to it," Tiberius murmured, taking Rory from my arms and placing him safely in the nearby crib before returning to the bed. He slipped the pillow up farther before leaning back against it and looking over at me as he resumed talking.

"When Gerald was eighteen, he was all set to take over as lead male—but he needed his mate to do that. Relations were tense between the Northern Sector and the Western Sector, so the lead pair had come to have a meeting with Gerald's parents. They brought their daughter, Giselle, along. She, too, needed her mate to take up her position as lead. The idea was to have the two mate each other, as a political arrangement.

"Gerald agreed half-heartedly, for Giselle was a cold woman, one who told him to expect one cub out of obligation alone. Christine was a family friend, so he tried to confide in her. But her only advice was that she thought the sanctity of mate should not be sullied. He needed some air, so he went into the forests and scavenged around for a bit, hunting small game to take his mind off of it. But he met a rogue Barbary lion, Maela. Maela immediately noted him, purring and otherwise seducing him into approaching her. But to find his mate—and have it be a rogue... The timing was just awful.

"Christine went after him, and she was shocked with what she found: the two lions roaring and screaming at each other. Maela wanted Gerald to run away with her—and if he wouldn't, she would leave. She absolutely refused to be a lead female with him. Christine ran back to beg Gerald's parents to reconsider. They..." Tiberius closed his eyes. "They were outraged, and they ran to the forest at once. Maela and Gerald separated immediately, but his father jumped at the poor rogue. Gerald tried to jump in the way, but Christine lunged and knocked him out of the way. Maela dropped to the ground, her throat having been punctured by vicious incisors...

"Gerald was broken, and he shoved Christine off of him to run to Maela's side. But she was already gone, and she had transformed into her human form. He turned to scream at Christine, that he should be dead. But... Christine was no longer there. In her place stood Maela's lion. No one knows how or why it happened, but the general story is that Maela couldn't stand to be torn from him so quickly, so she shoved her lion form to Christine. Not having a lion already, it accepted it readily. Christine felt the mate bond immediately. Gerald tried to deny her—because Maela had given him such a terrible ultimatum—but he saw no real choice. His lion was lovesick. He took Christine as his mate, so of course relations with the Western Sector went sour, eventually leading us to war.

"But Gerald is still bitter about Maela, I think. He loves Christine—he does—but he hates the lion inside her, because she refused to rule at his side. So he's constantly fighting with his love for Christine, a dear friend, and his hatred for a woman who did not truly want him, even though Fate said she would. That kind of betrayal is not something one can ignore so easily."

I stared at Tiberius for a moment, stunned and struck dumb and mute. He offered a sad smile, and I shook my head.

"But not all mates are like that. Quince would never—!"

"But Maela did, and that's all that matters to Gerald. He hates the whole idea of mates, Elaine, because of his. You won't be able to change his mind on this. If you really want to free this land..." Tiberius reached over and caught my hand. "You'll have to kill your father."

I choked on my breath, but Tiberius had already slipped out of the room. Yes, I had known that I would have to kill him. But the whole idea of ending a life... I didn't know that I could do it. It would have been a whole lot easier if my father had just been a born-Tyrant, but he was a broken man!

Rory began crying, and my body reacted without a thought. He quieted once I cradled him gently to my chest. My heart began to ache.

I had to kill him; it was the only option.

"Elaine?" A gentle knock followed, and I looked to my sister with tear-filled eyes. "Tiberius says that he told you about Maela..." I nodded, quiet. "I know it makes him sound justified...but he has done so much wrong. I want to see my cubs again, Elaine. Please, you have to help us."

"I know," I whispered, my voice breaking.

"And you want to see Quince again, right?"

I smiled sadly; of course I wanted to, but it would never happen. It couldn't.

"I'll do what I must. I swear that you will see your cubs again."

The brightest smile formed on her sad lips, and the genuine peace found there made my heart ache.

"Thank you, Elaine. You... You're an angel," she whispered, slipping out of the door.

If only I knew how to help her. My eyes drifted to the stack of political texts that Tiberius had fetched for me. The ways of impeachment here were not yet known to me, so I grabbed a book at random and scanned through the contents. The first few books were merely rules and regulations from days of old, but one had been scribed for my father's reign.

Impeachment was not listed, but there were related matters. It would make sense that my father would not want to broadcast this information, so I had to dive farther into the text.

"Breaking the Bloodline." My eyes widened. Surely this was what impeaching would be known as in this society. I focused my full attention on the words beneath my finger as I scanned them rigorously. A shaky breath slipped past me.

"Elaine." The sound was followed by three sharp knocks on the door.

I threw the book under my pillow and looked to my father. My palms were sweaty, and my heart was racing against my chest; but he didn't seem to notice, for he wore a small smile.

"Gather Tiberius and come to the dining hall. It's time for dinner." But then he frowned. "Are you feeling well?"

"Just...a little winded from the trek here, I guess," I lied. "I'll be down in a minute."

He smiled slightly, accepting the lie as truth, before he left me alone once more.

My eyes drifted to the pillow, and I pushed it aside. The book lay open, its pages taunting me still. The way to break the bloodlines, to impeach a lead pair...

The only way to change the rule...

"A challenge, where the winner gains the title and the loser gains eternal rest."

I swallowed a harsh breath, one that caused a sharp pain throughout my entire body. Was I ready to die for these people? Or could I just run away with Rory and beg Quince to take me back? My sister and Leonard would die here, never to see their cub...

But I would have my family back.

My heart sunk into my stomach.

I had to make a choice, and I had to make it soon.