Chapter 3
THREE
LAUREL
I locked the door of my dressing room and staggered to the bathroom, kneeling over the toilet as I fought not to vomit.
I’d done my best not to watch the Blood Court match, but it had been impossible.
They’d put Brian against Dare, our most savage feral. The resulting images I’d seen on the screens had made me very glad I hadn’t eaten much this evening.
I didn’t even like Brian, but no one deserved to die like that.
Except, perhaps, my father.
When my stomach settled, I went back to my dressing room on shaky legs and changed my shoes. I finished the closing routine and locked up, eager to be home.
When I arrived at my villa, I changed into loose, comfy clothes. It was such a relief to be out of my show dress and away from everyone’s watchful eyes.
I cleaned off my makeup, revelling in the sensation of a fresh face, and dove into the blankets on the couch.
I didn’t ever feel safe enough to properly nest here, but I allowed myself to fuss with the fluffy pile until I was comfortable.
Muppet, my rescue cat, jumped up and started kneading my feet, and I gave him head scratches for a few minutes, murmuring nonsense affections to him.
He needed the encouragement; he was a bit insecure.
Eventually, I couldn’t put it off any longer.
I tucked my legs underneath me—sending Muppet scurrying away in a frightened tizzy—and pulled out the coaster I’d left with Prince Lucas’s pack.
I chewed on my lip as I transferred it to my laptop, then I put on my headphones and settled in to listen as Muppet crept back onto the couch.
The first part of their conversation was mundane, complaining about the moving company and settling into their apartment. I heard Prince get up to leave, and a little while later, I bit my lip as I heard the sharp crack of my hand hitting his face.
Yikes.
That sounded painful.
I paused the playback and rewound it so I could listen to it again, a smile tugging on my lips.
That had been a long time coming.
“You wanna know a secret?” I told Muppet, scratching his head. He started kneading my legs again, his purr rumbling in his chest. “I’m not sorry. He totally deserved it.”
I mean, I was probably going to be sorry tomorrow, when my father got his hands on me. But until then, I would enjoy my little victory.
I rewound it so I could listen again, and again.
It was proof that I still had some fight left in me. That my father hadn’t succeeded in making me a hollow shell.
I could still feel the spark, the little fire of anger burning inside of me.
I hadn’t felt this alive in years.
“I’m still a fighter,” I told Muppet, and he gave a little mrew of agreement as he moved to a better chin-scratching angle.
I took a breath and pressed play, ready to listen to the rest of the recording.
Dax had laughed, and Madison had given an amused snort. Leather creaked as Prince took his seat again.
“Shit, she got you good, Princess.” Dax chuckled.
“Fuck off,” Prince said, his voice sullen. “You know omegas are fucking crazy.”
“That just makes them more fun,” mused a deep voice that I figured was Madison’s.
“What did you do to piss her off?” Dax asked.
“I told her that her brother sucked my dick.” Prince's voice had lifted a bit in amusement.
“You didn’t.” Anger pulsed in Dax’s voice immediately.
“Relax, it was just a joke,” Prince said, his sullen tone returning. “She wasn’t supposed to take it seriously.”
Dax snorted. “Idiot. I’d say you got off easy.”
There was the sound of a lighter flicking, then a drag of air.
“What are you gonna do about it?” Madison asked. “You’re going to let that slide?”
“I’m leaving it this time. Thaddeus already told me he’ll take care of it tomorrow.”
Madison hummed in response.
“Trust me. When she’s ours, she won’t get away with shit like that.”
“Why do you never pick the easy ones?” Dax mused. “You definitely have a type.”
They all started laughing.
Theirs?
No. I was too useful as a duchess. Father wouldn't mate me off anytime soon. Right?
The conversation turned to the fights for the night, on speculating who would win. I switched off the recording and reviewed the transcript, fixing any errors.
It was hard to focus with the disgust and anger coiling through me.
Prince sounded so sure they were going to claim me.
I did a bit of digging into their backgrounds to see what else I could find. Looks like Dax and Madison had started with nothing, clawing their way up until they ruled their own little empire in Boston.
If Dax still had higher ambitions, it would explain why he’d added Prince to his pack.
Packing up was the only way to get an in with our family. I doubted they would have given him a second thought otherwise. If Dax was a Doberman and Madison a pit bull terrier, then Prince was…hmm.
What’s a dog that’s smug, annoying, and you just want to punch in the face?
I petted Muppet while I pondered before remembering my grandma Edwina’s little terror. Yeah, Prince was a chihuahua. For sure.
With a sigh, I stood and headed for my bedroom. Muppet chirped and trotted after me as I completed my nighttime routine and crawled into bed.
I stared at the ceiling in the dark, unable to stop my thoughts from racing, circling back to their conversation about mating me. If that was even a possibility, it was bad news.
I’d have packed up Muppet and run years ago if it wasn’t for Julius.
I couldn’t leave without knowing what had happened to him.
Everyone was so sure he was dead, but I know what I saw that day five years ago. My father had done his best to convince everyone I’d had a mental breakdown, but I still believed that the body they’d buried was not Jule.
I’d had to work hard to convince my father that I’d changed my mind, and I was terrified that if I dug too far too fast, he’d be quick to claim I was insane.
But I might be running out of time.
I calmed my nerves and sent a message to Soren Rosania’s assistant, requesting we move our meeting to this week.
Then, finally, I was able to fall asleep.