Sansa Stark had always known it was a terrible idea to allow Santana off on her own, everyone knew of her reputation, but Santana did seem to want peace. At least she had made that assumption based on what Santana had told her but now she was wondering if the panther was some sort of spy that the clan heads had sent to ensure there was a war. "I thought I was clear that you were only meant to look into their military strength, not try and assassinate the youngest princess."

"She slipped," Santana insisted. "I was doing exactly what you asked me, and if I hadn't how would I have found out that the youngest princesses are hybrids." This seems to take all the wind out of Sansa's sails, and she can't help but grin, dumb wolves. "I don't know what kind of hybrid she is, but I did see her naked, it's probably something impressive."

"That can't be I don't smell, beast from them." Drogo interrupts.

"No one said that they were half-beastkin, she's definitely something. Maybe it's because I'm a rabbit, and I have a good sense of when they're in danger, but I have the urge to flee whenever I'm in the room with any member of that family, well not the king, he's dangerous but he doesn't make me want to run. They make me want to run, and hide. It's the same feeling that I have while being in a room with a bunch of predator beastkin, but when I feel their eyes on me—" He shuddered hard.

"She really did slip, I mean it was because I surprised her, but I'm pretty sure that she knows who I am now so I'm going to go talk to her," Santana informs the group stretching her back out, before working on her legs. She had found out where her mate slept and had planned to head there to see if they could finally have their chat.

"Humans don't have mate bonds Santana, even if she's a hybrid and even if she has whatever passes off as a core, she is still human. They choose who they mate with for a multitude of reasons, and she's imperial having concubines is to be expected. She has quite the reputation after all. We should send word to all clan heads to present all eligible beastkin, and start discussions about tying our two people together through marriage. As head of the northern clan of wolves, I will be nominating myself."

"I thought that the goal was to avoid a war Sansa, everyone around you ends up dead," Santana sneers, glaring at the dumb wolf. She was a twice mated, twice widowed wolf, even her best friend had died, and she had never had any children. There wasn't a benefit to putting your name forward only to be humiliated. "There are no other eligible primes, she's royalty, only a prime will do. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go and see her. I'm sure she has questions."

Before Sansa can complain, she hops onto the window sill and falls backwards transforming into her kitten form, she would need to be careful, security had increased around the castle, but she knew exactly where to find her mate's bedroom and she knew how not to be spotted. Getting in shouldn't be a problem.

~ O ~

"Are you thinking assassin?" Quinn questions Nyssa.

Nyssa cleared her throat, the palace had been abuzz with the news that Charlie had been found unconscious in the bath's. "I mean it wouldn't be that difficult to help your twin to her death Quinn while making it look like an accident, Frannie and Brittany both have plans on the books to eliminate her, and make it look like an accident."

Quinn rubbed her eyes and stared at Nyssa, "Frannie and Brittany want to kill Charlie? I mean I know she's annoying and she has no concept of etiquette—but killing her seems extreme."

Nyssa stared at Quinn for a moment, "You don't have a plan to take the throne if your twin proves to be an incompetent ruler?"

"My father has yet to make the official announcement about who the heir is, he's only putting it off because Charlie hasn't gotten married yet. With that said, if I wanted the throne all I would need to do is ask for it. I don't need to kill her for it. Brittany doesn't want the throne either. No one thinks it's a good idea to put Frannie on the throne Nyssa. Frannie just wants the treasury so she could care less about the actual ruling. Charlie doesn't want the throne, but she doesn't have anyone else she can pawn it off too."

"So you don't have a plan?"

Quinn raised a brow, "I just told you my plan, tell Charlie that I want the throne. I'm not going to ask you to murder my twin Nyssa."

Nyssa nodded, Quinn didn't have a plan. She also wouldn't have to ask, Frannie would ask Talia and that would be all. Well at least she hoped, it was a toss up who would win that fight. "It's unlikely that it was an assassin, it's far more likely that a maid came in, and Charlie attempted to woo them while naked, and slipped and cracked her head open."

"Far more likely," Quinn agreed. "The investigation into my sparrows?"

"Nothing, there is nothing out of the ordinary."

Quinn's eyes narrowed, "But?"

"All Sparrows go through my father's training. There are a few Sparrows who are too clean, some are just like that but we're looking for deliberation, unfortunately now that they know that we're watching. Still—Talia and my father are doing a very—thorough review."

Quinn leaned back in her chair, "While we sort out who is hiding this information from us, I've decided that we need to follow the money. Frannie has taken a look at the Viscount's ledger, she's looking for any financial transactions that don't make any sense, then she'll take stock of everything that we confiscated from the Viscount's properties. She's still upset that we plan on turning that all into coin and giving it to the Beastkin as reparations. I would like to believe that my dear older sister would do the right thing when confronted with a treasure such as a beastkin core, but Frannie really doesn't care about anything other than having the shiniest things."

"Should I investigate Frannie?"

Quinn hesitates, it would be an escalation of sorts, and Frannie would probably see it as a declaration of war or something equally ridiculous. "If Frannie finds nothing then we look into her and those surrounding her, I doubt it's Frannie, there's a part of her that still wants the throne. Her heavy-handed attempt at the talks showed that she wants to show our father that she's capable."

"Understood, we'll proceed with extreme caution."

~ O ~

Santana's tail swished as she slowly made her way to her mate's room, making sure to keep to the shadows. She smiles to herself, tonight was going to be the night, they would mate and then perhaps afterword she could ask all the questions that she had, and then they could have more sex at some point find some food and then more mating. She lets out a low purr as she gets a whiff of her mate, which meant that she was getting closer. She needed to stake her claim now before Sansa did something stupid and her mate was dumb so she might think that being with Sansa was a good idea and not a death sentence. She huffs as she slowly approaches Charlie's door, the hallway to it was quiet and she slowly begins to shift into her human form as she rests her hand on the door handle only for the door to swing open and for her to be pulled inside. Before she can gather herself she's slammed up against the wall nearest to the door which is quickly closed, and a dagger flashes in front of her.

"Why does the Beastkin delegation want me dead?" Charlie demands, holding the dagger inches away from Santana's neck, her voice filled with determination.

Santana blinks slowly and waits as she decides to transform fully, as the fur that she kept around her body starts to recede revealing that once again she was naked and she watches as her mate's eyes widen and she drops the dagger and immediately backs away.

"Why are you naked?" Charlie yells immediately covering up her eyes, to give the beastkin some modesty.

Santana tilts her head, unsure why her mate still hadn't put it together, and smirks mostly to herself. "Is it the fact that I am a beastkin that you find so repulsive that you can't look at me?" Santana questions reaching for Charlie's arm only to watch her mate practically jump out of her skin and trip to get away from her. If she hadn't realized that her mate was prone to panic at new situations she would be offended.

"You're naked, and I don't know why an assassin would be naked other than to throw me off!" Charlie manages to sputter out as she tries to figure out how to make her escape. She could feel the heat in her hands and already know that she's a bright tomato red. The back of her leg hits her weapons trunk that's near her bed, maybe she could—before she can finish her thoughts a body collides with her, tripping her and causing her to land on her bed, her body underneath the beastkin.

Santana gently grabs one of Charlie's hands and gently pulls it off her face, and places it on one of her breasts, and grins as Charlie reflexively squeezes and her eyes snap open. "Who said I was an assassin?"

Charlie glanced down at her hand and then back at Santana's face, before her mind went completely blank. She didn't understand what was going on. Beautiful women didn't want to sleep with her; they were always more interested in Quinn, but here was one of the most beautiful women that she had ever seen who seemed to be seducing her and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why, and right now she felt incredibly light headed. Santana's scent was intoxicating to her, this was probably some poison or something, and the beastkin were trying to take advantage of her, or something. "I—you tried to kill me in the baths!" Charlie insists.

"I'm not an assassin," Santana explains and smiles as Charlie props herself up by her elbows and stares at her face. Santana leans back and immediately grins, "Your body seems to understand what's about to—" Before Santana can finish her thought and latch on, her mate wriggles herself free and practically vaults off the bed and makes a beeline to her balcony. "—happen." Santana watches, unsure if she should be amused or not as Charlie opens the doors to her balcony and continues running before hopping onto the balcony ledge and jumping down. Santana blinked; they were on the third floor. Without moving off the bed, she hears a loud thump and some swearing before the sound of her mate dragging herself away. It's almost enough to cause her to roll her eyes, but instead Santana looks around. She supposed now would be the perfect time to learn more information about her mate, at some point Charlie would have to return and at that point she would simply explain all of this to Charlie, with clothes on and then take her clothes off and then they could mate.