Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
LOGAN
I pace the length of the empty receiving room, replaying the interview with the Inquisitor in my mind.
There was something off about that damn doctor, something in his eyes when he questioned me about Ander.
Like a predator who’s caught the scent of blood but is deliberately circling wide to keep his prey from bolting.
“Designation genetics specialist,” I mutter, pouring myself a drink. The amber liquid burns down my throat, steadying my nerves. “Makes perfect fucking sense for someone investigating a murder.”
Under different circumstances, most notably actual innocence, I might demand an explanation for Thane’s presence in the palace.
The royal guard has an established inquisitorial squad, and Sionis Thane has never been part of it.
Why bring in this virtual stranger to conduct an investigation at such a high level?
Unless my father knows something that he isn’t saying.
The Inquisitor asked all the expected questions, yet seemed disinterested in the answers. What disturbs me most is the lack of reassurance that I’m not a suspect. Thane seemed too assured, too calculated, as if he already knew everything that he needed to know.
As if he already knows the truth.
But that can’t be the case, otherwise I’d already have been dragged in front of a military tribunal, stripped of my title and potentially executed.
My father has made a habit of turning a blind eye to the violent squabbles between his sons, but making a public spectacle of it is something else entirely.
The true crime has always been getting caught.
But there is no evidence. I made certain of it.
Memories from the night I killed Ander always seem to linger in the back of my mind.
His shocked expression when my blade slid between his ribs.
The way Cillian trembled behind me, still bruised from my brother’s assault.
Coming out of the haze of rage, to find I’d claimed my guard and left a crime scene in the wake of a mindless, violent rut.
The careful disposal of the weapon. The staged scene.
Footsteps in the hallway outside draw me from my reverie.
I straighten my jacket and adjust my sleeves just as the throne room doors are thrown open.
It’s been thirty minutes since I received his summons, but I keep the annoyance off my face as my father sweeps into the room, flanked by guards.
His tardiness is just another way of reminding me of my place.
The perfunctory bow I offer is ignored as he breezes past me to the sideboard to prepare himself a drink. With a lazy flick of his hand, the guards retreat and the doors slam shut again with a loud slam.
“You requested my presence, Your Majesty,” I say, following him while maintaining a careful distance.
He finally turns to look at me, gaze calculating over the rim of the drink he brings to his lips. I know that look. It’s the same one he has used to intimidate diplomats and foreign leaders for decades.
“I know your secret, Logan.”
I force my face to remain neutral even as my heart pounds against my ribs.
When I reach for my own glass, ice clinks against my teeth as I realize I’d already drained it.
The king’s lips twist in a sardonic smile as I set the glass back down on a nearby table.
“What secret could I possibly keep from you, father?”
He raises a gray-haired eyebrow. “Is that why I had to hear second-hand that you finally bonded your Omega during a recent heat? Or did you think you could disappear for three days straight without the staff noticing?”
Breath rushes out of me on a heavy exhale. “I apologize for keeping you out of the loop. As you can imagine, I’ve been somewhat distracted.”
Leopold gives me a knowing smirk. “It’s always hardest to drag yourself away from the nest after that first heat. I assume your Omega met your expectations.”
“Exceeded them.” The words taste like a combination of triumph and dread, but I keep that hidden behind my veneer of the contented Alpha prince. The mask is all my father will expect to see and the only thing he will accept. “Maya is everything I could have wanted and more.”
“I’ve seen that for myself,” he murmurs. “You’ve chosen quiet the exceptional Omega.”
I imagine a dark hole at the center of my chest where I can stuff away all the useless emotions I feel. “Thank you.”
Leopold refills his glass, a calculated pause that sets my nerves on edge. “You’ve shown yourself to be quite something. Ander’s death continues to cast a pall over the palace, but we must soldier on. Of all my sons, I think I’ve always known would grow to be the most like me.”
The words feel less like a compliment and more like a warning.
“I have always aimed to please you,” I reply, keeping my voice as even as possible.
The mention of Ander has to be deliberate, and pretending I didn’t hear it will do more harm than good.
“Speaking of Ander, I assume the investigation is proceeding favorably. I had my interview with your new Inquisitor just this morning.”
Leopold surprises me by giving a dismissive wave of his hand. “It wouldn’t do to allow anyone to think that the murder of a crowned prince can occur without an official response. Thane has uses in the palace beyond his investigative skills.”
It’s a struggle to keep my voice even. “Such as?”
“We can get into that later,” he replies dismissively.
My father takes a seat in one of a pair of high-backed chairs before the fireplace, settling himself comfortably as he studies me.
Silence stretches for a beat, then two, until I have to fight not to fidget before that iron gaze.
It reminds me of childhood, when I would get a rap on the knuckles for every twitch out of place.
Leopold straightens in his chair, a resolute look coming to his face as if he has finally come to some decision.
When he finally speaks again, his voice carries the weight of a royal decree.
“I’ve made my decision, Logan. You will be named my heir at the next council meeting.”
The words should bring only relief, confirmation that my extensively laid plans are finally bearing fruit. For a moment, I allow myself to savor the victory. The crown, the power, the legitimacy I’ve craved since childhood. All of it is within reach.
But that excitement is immediately tempered by the awareness that I haven’t yet won this game.
As heir, scrutiny will follow me everywhere that I go.
The strength of my position will lie wholly in my ability to maintain it.
Challenges are to be expected. Any of my brothers has the right to demand a trial by combat.
And that’s assuming they decide to stick to traditional channels for challenging my new position.
Simply being heir obviously wasn’t enough to save Ander.
But I let none of my thoughts show on my face.
“I’m honored, Your Majesty. I will serve Melilla well as regent.”
“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves,” he chides with a thin smile. “I still have some time left in me.”
I refuse to let myself so much as blink. “And I will serve you to the best of my ability.”
“I know you will.” He reaches for a tablet and taps a few keystrokes before holding it out for me. “Look at this and tell me what you see.”
It’s a map of the region overlaid with colored markers. At a glance, I recognize that pattern of troop movements on patrol. But the numbers are greater and more concentrated on strategic parts of the border than I would have expected.
“You’re mobilizing our forces,” I say, not hiding my surprise.
Leopold gives a single nod of acknowledgment. “Quietly.”
“Why?”
“The northern states have been in arrears in their taxes since the spring. In the south, a call has been put out for all able-bodied men to report for military service. I have reason to believe they are preparing for war.”
My fingers tighten on the tablet so I don’t shatter it against the wall. I take one step forward and now it’s a gigantic one right the fuck back. “How is this possible?”
He finally gestures for me to take the seat across from him.
“Aside from the occasional border skirmish, our kingdom has experienced nearly two decades of peace. When I united what used to be a loose collection of city-states under my banner, I made certain promises to the heads of the Great Houses to get the job done. Now those debts are coming due.”
When he doesn’t continue, I’m forced to ask. “What did you offer them?”
“Omegas, of course.” He makes the devastating pronouncement with all the gravity as a comment about the weather. “Enough for every Alpha of status in the realm.”
I nearly choke on a shocked laugh. “We don’t have anywhere near that many, not even if you conquered the entire continent.”
“I established the Enclave thinking that would be a solution to the problem. Foolish of me, I know. Unfortunately, there isn’t some hidden cadre of Omegas concealing their designation in our population.
” Leopold picks up his empty glass and twirls it between his fingers, watching the light catch in its facets and grooves.
He is lost in contemplation for only a moment before his face hardens with the resolve.
“No, the problem is biological in nature. There is no amount of force or compulsion that will allow us to overcome it.”
“Do you have a plan to address the situation?” I ask.
Leopold’s lips curl into a knowing smile. “I believe that question should be directed at you, my son. After all, you’re to be my heir. I expect to hear your strategies sooner rather than later if you hope to maintain that position for long.”
The implied threat isn’t lost on me. My father has never been one to tolerate weakness, and the title of heir can be stripped away as easily as it was bestowed.