Ayao #2
“Sit the fuck down and keep calm or lose your fucking heads,” Fraser warned, his tone of death. “It gets worse and it’s confirmed. So—do not test us right now.”
“Who?” one of the other Alphas asked after a few moments of quiet.
“Sunborough,” Darren answered. “Loraviel drugged—”
“No, he would never,” the Alpha of Sunborough rasped, his voice cutting through my heart. He was actually a really decent guy and I hated this was happening to him of all people.
“He did,” Darren declared. “He confessed. We got the location of where he bought it. He planned—”
The Alpha ignored him and looked past him to where Uncle was. “Dray? Tell me this isn’t true. Tell me—”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Darren roared, shocking all of us there and on the call. “I was Rhys’s brother-in-law, not some random businessman. Amelia’s brother, and now I’m the queen’s uncle and advisor and you just dismiss me to ask an Alpha?”
“No, please—wait,” the Alpha choked out. “It wasn’t—I didn’t mean—”
“We grew up together, Darren,” Uncle said quietly. “We’re not just allies. We’re—he wasn’t—the man is in shock his child did something so horrible.”
“Well, I’m in fucking shock that one of your asshole kids drugged my niece,” he threw right back. “But I didn’t take the little fucker’s head so—” He turned and let out a roar that was honestly impressive.
“I’m sorry, my friend, but it’s true,” Uncle said just to help instead of take over. “They raided the place he got it. The dealer confirmed selling it to Lori. He’s on camera—there and here at the castle. They have him on camera at the funeral feast as well to—”
“What does that have to do with yesterday?” the Alpha asked.
My mouth dropped open as we all got the full details.
Lori had apparently made a deal with one of the elders to drug Sagan and get Kole out of her life—keep drugging her to act like their dragons were just meant to mate and she couldn’t control herself around him.
That connection would be easy to push and the pressure to have a baby would be easy then.
And once she was pregnant, the elder would “take over.”
The elder who was a lackey for the former Elder Hardin who apparently was evil down to his core but never got his hands dirty enough. Probably wouldn’t this time.
Lori didn’t think “take over” meant kill Sagan once the baby was born, even saying there was no way to say it would be a boy and one child would automatically survive to be an adult.
I had a feeling the elders hoped it wouldn’t and would have enough power then to usurp the royal family, but Lori thought it was just to puppet and like… She needed it basically.
Wow. Fucking piece of shit.
“He will be charged and prosecuted for all of his crimes,” Sagan said once we all learned the truth and timeline. She simply stood and lifted her arm when people had a lot to say about that. I realized it was a remote she was holding and she hit play.
Lori. She was playing part of Lori’s confession for us and the Alphas.
And boy was he fucked in the head. He was annoyed that the “stupid bitch” figured it out, and was she some druggie whore who liked to play that she knew the drug? Also, who did she fuck last time she was in heat from her being drugged because that part really bothered him if it wasn’t Kole.
Sunborough’s Alpha looked like he was going to faint or just explode—maybe both. It was like he’d never seen that person before or he just learned dragons weren’t real. Nothing about this was funny and I just felt bad for him that he was so clueless about his son.
“He doesn’t even feel bad,” she bit out. “You want me to show leniency? Are you out of your mind? When I have sixteen more here that you forced on me? After I was drugged? You’re all…”
She launched the remote across the ballroom, getting impressive distance from where I heard the noise of it landing.
Darren answered a few questions before Sagan took back over and it was clear she meant business.
“Fine, but then I’m canceling the contest,” she said firmly.
“I am not risking my life because of your selfish, power-hungry, entitled, sexist, corrupt family members when you won’t even keep your word and punish them according to our laws.
It should be a death sentence since I’m queen, but I wasn’t even going to push that! ”
“You should. I would,” Maple seethed. “I’m angry that you aren’t and think it risks all of us.”
“I know that,” Sagan bit out. “But what do I do after? What happens after I’m the one all of Thovudin blames for the death of an Alpha’s son?
It won’t be deserved or fair. It will be my fault and then what?
” She scoffed when Maple argued. “I can’t even break up with a habitual cheater and not get blamed, Maple! ”
“Others won’t see it as a real coup attempt or rape potion like it is,” Fraser muttered. “They’ll make—we know how they forgive the Alphas and their sons everything. It’s gross.”
Sagan nodded and focused back on the call.
“You want to work something out quietly and not make this what it should be? Fine, I want out of this contest if you monsters won’t protect me.
Get the majority to back you and that the contest is over and it was a mistake to do this to me—publicly and loudly—or your son gets what he should. ”
She turned and walked out.
“Not what he should because he should fucking die,” Fraser seethed when she was gone.
“And what is wrong with all of you that you have children who think about women like this? I’m not even focused on this psycho.
I’ve watched some of the other introduction meals.
Talking all over their queen and mansplaining to her how ruling a nation works. It was disgusting.”
Wow, so at least I wasn’t the absolute worst introduction meal she’d had.
Wait, no, of course that was Lori’s… But I wasn’t second worst even then.
Sagan knew how to get what she wanted though because no one was willing to go in with the Alpha of Sunborough.
“It’s not even about this stupid fucking competition anymore, and fuck what were we thinking with this stupid,” Vex muttered, sounding just as tired and frustrated. “But he’s not even sorry or—”
“Oh, like your son is and keeps making it all worse?” someone else said and set off a bomb in the situation basically.
Wow, I needed popcorn for this shit.
Vex tried to defend Kole that cheating wasn’t drugging, but someone said emotionally abusing the queen was still fucking bad and they wouldn’t put it past Kole to have drugged her. I actually agreed with that. Kole was trash and had no limits.
Darren completely lost it and threw a table into a few others, making candidates jump to get out of the way. “You’re all fucking trash! None of you or your fucking families deserve her.” He stormed out of there and the silence was thick enough to choke everyone.
“I agree,” Onyx of all people said and looked disgusted. “What the fuck, Vex?”
“What? What did I do now and you’re calling me out—”
“You didn’t even ask if she was okay,” Onyx snapped.
“None of you did! You, Vex? You—I thought you really cared about her, but after all I’ve been—you cared your precious son might stand next to the next ruler.
” He shook his head. “I’m coming home and we’re having a family meeting.
Kole as well because—he might not survive it if he doesn’t fix this latest mess. ”
He walked out next and several of the candidates stared after him in shock, but it was clear his feelings were genuine.
That was beyond complicated since Kole was his nephew and… Wow.
Seriously, where was the popcorn?
I actually pulled out my phone and recorded a bit for Sagan.
Several Alphas immediately and genuinely asked if she was okay.
They were worried and didn’t even think about it because Darren and her family let her be at the meeting.
Of course she was upset and had been through another traumatic event, but they hadn’t worried about her health if she was there.
Logical, and everyone was in shock, so understandable. It sucked but… Understandable.
Even I was shocked and I thought Lori was a fucking twat. I’d never have thought he’d have the balls for this.
Not ever.
I kept recording audio because half the Alphas were pushing for even harsher punishments than normal after finding out the sexism was so bad in Thovudin.
They were worried about their female family members.
Someone had the balls to do this to the queen of all people and they were worried about their daughters and family.
Sunborough was resigned to the outcome, his defeated demeanor making me feel bad for him. He really was a good guy.
Just a shit father who raised a monster.
I saved the audio and thought to get it to Myriam later. I also had a thought that even if Sagan was drugged twice, it showed how fast the security handled even an inside job and how quickly they got the evidence. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than most thought was going on.
It would make anyone think twice about pulling any kind of shit. Especially when the Alphas were all on the side of punishing the culprit.
The next couple of days were crazy, but I managed to get some time alone Friday night to have my contraband cognac and toast my mother.
But nothing surprised me more than Sagan coming into my hiding area looking like she was escaping something—or someone—and ready to explode as well.
This place seriously is a whole different level of drama than even I’m used to growing up in such a fucked-up family.