Serael did not get nervous. From birth she was trained to be a fierce warrior who took down enemies larger then herself. Even when she no longer had the backing of her pride did she worry. She knew that she would bounce back and find herself in an even better position. However things quickly changed when she met Imanu. For once she had someone else to care for and make sure he didn't get harmed. Even then she wasn't nervous. It was a task she was up for.

It was only now, walking toward her Sovereign and mate that she felt her stomach twisting.

When she saw Ezrasia, she sitting proudly, surveying the land. There was a regalness to her look, Serael had to give her that. She imagined that Ezrasia had been thinking about how she would look as a ruler for a long time. In the back of her mind she thought about the old ruler of their pride, Ezra's father and how she always looked at him with resentment.

As she approached, Ezrasia turned to look at her. Her serious eyes softened when she saw who it was.

“Serael, it is lovely to see you. It was starting to get lonely without someone by my side.” Ezrasia said. She got up, went to Serael and gently nuzzled against her. “It's been far too long since we have had alone time. But we have made great progress increasing the size of the pride.”

Serael smiled as her mate gave her affection. It did wonders calming her nerves. Ezrasia loved her and would hopefully listen to what she had to say and not get angry.

“Yes Ezra. You have been building the pride up at a steady pace. In time I believe it will flourish.” Serael said. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for what she came here for. “With the pride growing, we will be expect to help with the next generation. It would be a good idea if I found a suitable male to help us make cubs.”

Ezrasia looked at her carefully and then nodded.

“You have a point, though I believe it is too soon. When we have cubs I want them to be born into a pride that is prosperous, where they will be able to grow up healthy and strong.” Ezrasia explained. “Once our pride is sustainable, I promise I will personally seek out a male for you. One who is strong, listens to orders.”

The nerves came back to Serael. She had a feeling Ezrasia already had a lion in mind. Her mate had been eyeing the slave lion Malaika for a while now. His master would hopefully be unwilling to share him, but if Serael wanted him, she would do everything in her power to get him.

“My love, I actually have someone in mind.” Serael responded in a sweet tone. “What about Imanu. I know he isn't exactly the largest or strongest lion, but he has told me that he has warrior lions in his bloodline. Plus he had been blessed with sight. At night he has had the occasional dream of future events. You know how much value seers are. You father had a fond-”

“Yes he was fascinated by seers.” Ezrasia stepped away from Serael, her expression changing drastically. “I have found that most seers are not worth their value, especially Imanu. He has not provided any information about his visions. Usually he can't even remember what he saw.”

“I know, I know. But Ezra, imagine if the cubs had the ability to see? They could be trained at a young age and taught how to use their abilities.” Serael explained. “They would be a great asset to the pride.”
“I would rather have warriors for my potential heirs then ones who might be able to have special abilities.” Ezrasia said with a mildly irritated tone. She let out a sigh. “I know that you have a soft spot for Imanu, one that I will never understand, but you need to understand that your loyalty is to me. You are my consort, the one I picked to be my mate and to raise my cubs. I cannot have a male give us weak cubs just because you think he's cute.”

Serael was speechless. She knew that it was going to be a hard case to sell, but she didn't think Ezra would keep shutting her down like this.

“Ezra please just think about it.” Serael pleaded.

Ezrasia shook her head no.

“Imagine how it would look for the royal cubs to have a father who was a weak little slave? They would be a joke. No one would take them seriously.” Ezrasia continued. “If you must have a slave it will be Malaika. Ideally though I will find some outsider who is the perfect match. Someone we will never meet again, who will never be in our pride.”

“You think an outsider would be better then someone who has been around the pride since the beginning?” Serael said in disbelief. “The pride would hate that. They would think that you look down on all the males in the pride.”

“And if I picked a weak slave you don't think they would see that as an insult?” Ezrasia retorted. The two glared at each other in silence, both thinking about how they should move forward on the conversation. Serael didn't even consider an absolute no to be an option. She should have known Ezra's hatred of Imanu would cloud her judgment.

“Serael, you are my love. There is a lot I would do just to see you happy, but I cannot allow weakness into my pride, into my family just to make you happy. If you continue to insist on Imanu getting you pregnant, I will have no choice but to pick him as the sacrifice to the spirits.” Ezra said, breaking the silence.

Serael growled at her.

“Don't you dare threaten him. You might be the sovereign of the pride, but I will let you harm him. When I became your consort you swore to me you would never kill him out of jealousy.” Serael said.

“It wouldn't be out of jealousy Serael. It would be to keep our pride strong and remind you where you stand. The choice is yours. Visit him only when you need blood. If you want him to continue is pampered lifestyle, you will keep your distance.” Ezrasia threatened.

Serael held back the urge to fight. It would accomplish nothing other then endangering Imanu.

“Alright Ezra you win for now. When you are ready for me to have cubs I would like to talk about it more. As your consort it is my right to be involved in picking out the lion. If you truly care about me, you will allow me to have the final say.” Serael picked her words carefully, not wanting to ignite her mate's anger.

“I want you to be happy Serael. I would never pick a male you disliked and I would never force you to bare cubs if it is something you do not want. My only rule is that the male we pick must be able to produce cubs that are worthy of being royalty in the pride.” Ezrasia said. “We work well together and when it is time to pick I am certain we will find the right male.”

“Of course Ezra.” Serael gave Ezra a gentle kiss and nuzzled against her. “We will do what's best for our pride.”

With the conversation done, Serael left Ezrasia. Her mind was racing as she thought about her options. She knew she could not mention it to Imanu, at least not yet. There had to be away to convince Ezra to allow Imanu to be the father. She couldn't stand the thought of being with any other lion physically. The bright side was that she had time to think of a plan. She decided to go hunting to ease her thoughts.

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