Chapter 359: Chapter 359: How Are You Feeling?

Eve woke the next morning to pleasant soreness in muscles that had been thoroughly worked the night before.

She stretched carefully, feeling the pull in her thighs and the lingering sensitivity between her legs. Beside her, Damian was already awake, propped up on one elbow watching her with dark, satisfied eyes.

"Morning," he said, his voice still rough with sleep. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got thoroughly ravaged by three werewolves," Eve said, wincing slightly as she sat up. "Which is accurate."

"Any regrets?"

"About last night? Never." Eve leaned over and kissed him. "About having to sit through another full day of Conclave sessions while barely able to walk? Maybe a few."

Damian’s laugh was low and warm. "You’ll be fine. And if anyone asks why you’re moving carefully, just tell them you had a vigorous workout."

"Technically true."

Damon appeared with coffee and what looked like pain medication. "Thought you might need these. And before you protest....it is strong. Takes the edge off the soreness without dulling anything important."

Eve accepted both gratefully. "You’ve done this before."

"Taken care of our mate after thoroughly fucking her senseless? Yes. Multiple times." Damon settled on the bed beside her. "We’re getting quite good at the aftercare part."

"I appreciate it." Eve sipped her coffee. "What time is the session?"

"Two hours. Plenty of time for breakfast and a bath if you want." Silas emerged from the bathroom, already dressed in formal Court attire. "I took the liberty of preparing the bath. Hot water, salts that should help with muscle soreness."

"You’re perfect," Eve said, meaning it.

"I know." Silas’s smile was warm. "Now come on. Let’s get you ready to be Queen again."

***

The second day of Conclave sessions focused on financial allocations.

Boring but necessary, determining how resources would be distributed under the new structure, ensuring smaller factions received adequate support for implementation.

Eve sat on the throne listening to budget proposals and funding requests, and tried very hard not to think about the fact that she could still feel phantom touches from last night every time she shifted position.

Damian had been right, though. The lingering sensation of being thoroughly claimed actually made the tedious discussions more bearable. Every time some faction leader droned on about allocation percentages, Eve could focus on the pleasant ache in her muscles and remember exactly how she’d earned it.

"Your Majesty?" Astrid’s voice pulled Eve back to the present. "Did you have thoughts on the proposed education funding distribution?"

Eve refocused immediately. "Yes. I think we should weight the distribution toward territories with larger populations of newly integrated groups. They’ll need more resources to bring everyone up to speed on the new governance structures."

"Agreed. Though that does raise the question of oversight...."

The discussion continued, and Eve participated fully, but part of her attention was on the undercurrents in the room.

Several faction leaders kept shooting glances at her mates. Not subtle ones. Assessing. Calculating.

Eve recognized the look. They were trying to figure out the power dynamics. Wondering if the Blackwood Alphas had undue influence over the Queen. If decisions were being made in private that affected public policy.

It was both insulting and predictable.

During the mid-morning break, Eve pulled Astrid aside.

"Can I ask you something?" Eve kept her voice low. "Honestly?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

"The other faction leaders. Some of them keep looking at my mates like they’re trying to calculate whether I’m actually making my own decisions or if I’m being influenced." Eve paused. "Am I imagining that?"

Astrid’s expression turned sympathetic. "You’re not imagining it. Some of the more traditional leaders are... uncomfortable with the idea of a mated Queen. They think having mates creates conflicts of interest."

"That’s ridiculous. Half the faction leaders here are mated—"

"But they’re not Queens. The precedent for a ruling Seraphim monarch with active mate bonds is limited. Your ancestors mostly ruled alone or with consorts who had no real political power." Astrid paused. "You’re changing that dynamic. Some people find it threatening."

Eve felt irritation spike. "So what am I supposed to do? Pretend my mates don’t exist? Make decisions that hurt the Blackwood pack just to prove I’m impartial?"

"No. You’re supposed to do exactly what you’re doing, make fair decisions based on merit, consult with your mates when their expertise is relevant, and ignore anyone who suggests your bond makes you weak." Astrid smiled. "For what it’s worth, I think having mates who genuinely support you makes you stronger. Not weaker. But you’ll have to prove that to the skeptics over time."

"Great. Another thing to prove."

"Welcome to being a revolutionary monarch. Nothing about this was ever going to be easy."

***

The afternoon session was more contentious.

They were discussing enforcement mechanisms for the new accountability measures, and opinions varied wildly on how much authority should rest with local leadership versus the Conclave.

"We can’t have the Conclave micromanaging every minor dispute," Corvus argued. "Local leaders need autonomy to address issues within their own territories."

"Agreed," Eve said. "But we also need clear escalation protocols for when local resolution fails. The whole point of the reform was to prevent unchecked authority."

"With respect, Your Majesty, it sounds like you’re advocating for centralized control...."

"I’m advocating for balance." Eve’s voice carried clear authority. "Local autonomy within clear parameters, with Conclave oversight for significant issues. That’s not centralization. It’s accountability."

"But who defines ’significant’?" Another faction leader....a fae named Oleander.....interjected. "That’s dangerously subjective."

"Then we create objective criteria," Silas said, speaking for the first time that session. "Establish thresholds based on impact scope, affected population size, resource allocation. Make it measurable."

The room turned to look at him. Silas met their gazes calmly, unbothered by the attention.

"The Blackwood pack uses tiered decision-making," Silas continued. "Minor issues handled at the individual level, moderate issues requiring Beta approval, significant issues escalated to Alpha authority. It’s not perfect, but it provides clear guidelines that minimize subjective interpretation."

"Could that model be adapted for Conclave use?" Astrid asked, genuine interest in her voice.

"Easily. You’d need to define your tiers and assign authority appropriately, but the basic framework translates well."