A Court of Shadows and Secrets (ACOTAR FANFIC)

Chapter 40

"YOU. MATED. MY. DAUGHTER?!?!" He roared grabbing Azriel by the throat.

In the blink of an eye, Kali was up grabbing her father by the wrist. It nearly snapped under her fingers as she wrenched the High Lord from her mate.

"And to think, you looked offended when I worried about telling you I had a mate... Do not touch him Rhysand." The heiress growled, and the room darkened around them as she stood in front of Azriel.  

"She is a child, Azriel. Your future High Lady! How dare you!" Rhysand ignored his daughter, drowning in his own instinctual rage. 

He was a newly mated male, meaning every single primal urge was swirling around within him, including the desire to protect one's offspring. He didn't see Alya as a woman, he saw her as a little girl that he was supposed to defend. 

As if she was no more than the fledgling he had first held the day she was born. 

He had failed his son, his sister, and his mother... he refused to let anything happen to his daughter. 

"She is not a child, Rhys. In fact, she raised YOUR mate if I recall." Azriel growled back. He understood that Rhysand felt protective of his daughter, but no one, not even his high lord, would be little his mate in front of him.

"Leave," Kali ordered. 

The rest of the inner circle obeyed, giving them some space, though Feyre hesitated to leave her sister and her mate alone. 

"Kali-"

"Relax, little star. It's not as if my relationship with my father can get any worse." Kali teased, a sly mischievous smile slipping onto her face. Feyre quieted the comment that wanted to escape her lips, of how alike Kali looked to her father at that moment. 

Feyre nodded leaving the room. 

Kali released Rhysand's arm, moving to check that Azriel's throat hadn't been bruised. As her fingers delicately brushed the skin of his neck an animalistic growl came from the High Lord. 

"Alya... Come here, sweetheart." Rhysand ordered trying desperately not to rip his daughter out of the shadow singer's reach. 

"Fuck off, Rhysand," Kali growled back. 

"Alya, go to him, his instincts won't calm down until you do," Azriel asked her quietly, ignoring the impulse to run his thumb across her cheek as he'd grown so accustomed to. 

She looked at him, her violet eyes glowing bright with annoyance before nodding and moving towards her father. 

The moment she left Azriel's side, Rhysand took her into his arms. He held her close against him, trying to allow her scent to calm his crazed mind. 

He knew it wasn't Azriel's fault. Neither was it Alya's. 

If anything he should be thanking the cauldron that Alya had another reason to stay in the night court. 

He knew Azriel, knew him better than anyone. The shadow singer would choose death over harming his mate in any way. 

But he couldn't accept it. 

He just got his daughter back and now she is under another male's protection, she doesn't need him. He had been trying so hard to establish a bond with her, he had been so heartbroken when she didn't tell him about her mate, and what's the first thing he does when he finds out? He turned her fears into truth. He validated her every worry. 

It hurt that the Mother brought Alya to the night court, not for him but for her mate. 

It hurt that she so easily cared for Cassian, Mor, Amren, and Azriel. 

It hurt when he saw her interacting with the Archerons, so playful and alive. 

It hurt that every time he looked into her eyes he saw nothing but hatred looking back. 

He relished the feeling of his little girl in his embrace, ignoring Azriel's presence entirely. 

Kali Archeron on the other hand was having a wildly unpleasant experience. 

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She gave an awkward look over her shoulder towards Azriel, cursing him for getting her into this situation. Her arms were pinned uncomfortably at her sides as she refused to return Rhysand's embrace. 

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Rhysand's face was buried in her hair, she made a face of discomfort as she felt him taking in her scent. She felt like an egg that a mother hen was protecting by engulfing her. His wings curled around them, blocking her view of Azriel. 

She continued to count in her mind

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One minute that was all she would give him.

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60!

The seconds turned to a minute as Kali began to pull away, "Alright that's enough."

A low growl vibrated through Rhysand's chest, which she was now held firmly against. 

"That's enough Rhysand." She grit her teeth, trying to not rip his arms straight from his body. 

He held her tighter, the massive height difference becoming more apparent as he practically curled in on himself to bury his face in her neck and hold her closer. 

"OK GET THE FUCK OFF!" Kali exploded, throwing his arms off her and escaping the cacoon of wings he had created. 

Rhysand released yet another animalistic growl lunging to pull his daughter back into the safety of his arms. 

"Cauldron! You growl like the fucking spring bitch! Clearly, Feyre has a type: needy mutts! Get off! You're like a petulant child!" Kali roared in annoyance as she continues to bat his outstretched hands away from herself. 

She walked to Azriel, curling up into his side. She smirked as she saw his jaw clench, knowing that another man's scent on his mate bothered him even though it was her father's. 

"Azriel is my mate, Rhysand. You have about as much say in the matter as we do, which is none at all. Touch him, and I will treat you as any other threat to my mate, with complete and utter annihilation. Do you understand?" Kali threatened. Her stance was one of an Illyrian Warrior, not some princess of the night court.

That sliver of trust, the little glint of faith that she held for her father, like a single sparkle of glitter hidden amongst a beach of sand, died as she took Azriel's hand and left Rhysand alone.