23
Darren
I lost my mind when I heard Sagan was attacked while flying. I almost went right after her, but Maple reminded me that the goal could be to get all of us out of the castle so to trust Sagan. Plus, that was probably why Belinda had shot out of there with the ancients a bit ago so to wait.
I’d never hugged anyone harder than when Sagan had come back safe—blood on her but safe.
“I’m fine, I promise,” she whispered, hugging me back.
But she wasn’t. I could hear it in her voice, and she knew this was going to be a mess beyond something she might be able to handle. Killing an elder—no matter what they’d done—would be a shitstorm.
And it was. I hated to leave, but there was something I needed to handle face to face, but while I didn’t think it would go the way I wanted it to… One could always hope.
Father simply raised an eyebrow when I walked into Sunday night family dinner at the main branch compound. “I didn’t know you were finally pretending to be a Gurren instead of the royal family’s lackey.”
People froze, having heard his criticism of my becoming Sagan’s advisor and maybe even forbidding it, but nothing like this.
“How many drinks have you had, old man?” I threw right back, snorting when rage filled his eyes.
“Lackey? I have a position akin to the Alphas and a government title they have to use and you call your son who saved your ass a lackey. Just when I didn’t think you could be any more pathetic or small. ”
“Darren!” Mother gasped, but I ignored her, focused completely on Father.
“How dare you!” he blasted as he stood. “Listen here, boy, you will—”
“No, you listen here,” I demanded, my voice cold and deadly. “I’m taking over and our family is reversing our position on being related to the royal family—on a lot.”
Father snorted. “You can’t take over. You’re delusional.”
I smiled evilly at him. “You sure about that? Are you absolutely sure about that, old man? You sure you have everything in order while you’ve been drinking and whoring—bragging how much you accomplished while anyone with a brain knows it’s me?
” I snorted when he turned red so fast steam about came out of his ears.
“I know—”
“I know you’re a prideful fool, and I’m done letting you hold the rest of us to your bullshit.
” I moved forward and slammed my fist on the table.
“Your granddaughter was attacked yesterday by a fucking elder family. Their whole fucking family came after her because she doesn’t have enough people backing her and you are the reason for that.
“You lie that—I’m done with it. I’m calling a family meeting and we’re hashing this out.
As the eldest son, I can. I’m challenging you for the position of head of the family.
” I glanced all around at the people there, mostly at our elders.
“There are truths you need to know and it’s time for the people here to see reason before we lose another family member. ”
“She’s not a member of our family,” Father snapped.
“Are you so stupid you don’t know how biology works?
” I asked. “She’s Amelia’s daughter. Who was your daughter.
That doesn’t change because of who she mated.
You acknowledge other family after their surnames change.
This is your pride and I’m ending this. I should have years ago.
” I pointed at him. “You have an obligation to call the meeting. Do it!”
He ground his jaw but then calmed down. “I understand you’re upset, Son, but you forget that if you do this and I keep my position then you’re out. You can never be head of the family. I’ll forgive this outburst and—”
“I don’t want your fucking forgiveness,” I snapped. “I have nothing to be forgiven for from you. And I know the risks. I just also know a lot more than you do and—call the meeting. I want it official.”
“Traitor,” he hissed.
“No, you are, and I’m done letting the rest of us have to deal with that.” I stared him down. “Within the week. That’s the rules of the family charter. Call it now. When?”
He smirked at me. “Fine, Friday night.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, because I don’t fly around enough. Having me fly back right after the Alpha meetings will be too much. You really are the pettiest, most pathetic man ever. It’s honestly mortifying to be your son.”
People gasped, but I ignored them and left, chuffing as he shouted threats after me that he would cut me off like he did Amelia and I would regret challenging him. No, I regretted not doing it sooner.
I regretted a lot, but throwing down now to help Sagan wasn’t something to regret.
I handled what else I needed to at home and then flew right back to the castle, glad the runway was fixed there because that helped a lot.
I had one of my managers working with Ayao on how to purchase planes and going over all the information we still had from when my companies had just done all the legwork.
He really was a sharp one. Anger issues from family drama, but… I knew that well.
But he couldn’t give Sagan what she needed. He saw it all as a business deal of alliances and what the tradeoffs would be. Unfortunately, that was life, but I wanted more for her.
She deserved more than that, especially after all she’d been through—all she would suffer as the leader of a fucked-up nation like Thovudin.
I handled work but also dodged phone calls from members of my family trying to get insight into the meeting and more. Dozens from my mother trying to talk me out of my decision before things “went too far.”
Things had long since gone too far, and a part of me hated her for how she allowed Father to behave all of these years. Allowing him to treat her that way and showing others in the family it was acceptable.
It wasn’t acceptable. He had at least five mistresses at any given time and wasted so much of our family’s money on them—covering them up and keeping his image as what the world thought was perfect. It was disgusting.
He was disgusting.
So are you for not having stood up to him sooner. For Mother and Amelia.
To say I wasn’t in the best of moods was an understatement, and honestly I was looking for a reason to just pound someone. I was that close to snapping and blowing my lid on lots.
A throat cleared next to me at lunch during the second day of the Alpha meetings. I ground my jaw when I saw it was the Alpha of Emberward—Berlinger’s father.
“Funny thing about the kids, huh?” he muttered as he reached for a steak. “It will be nice to have such an accomplished in-law. I’ll have to pick your brain about our investments.”
I froze in putting back the serving spoon, ignoring when something dripped off of it and onto the tablecloth. My brain disconnected for several seconds as I tried to absorb what he’d just said.
Then it was like it plugged back in and I slowly looked at him, not hiding how fucking stupid I thought he was.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll start planning out the mating ceremony because their dragons flirted a bit.
Right after your mate apologizes for how she’s treated Sagan, the shit she’s talked about her, and the fact she stole from the castle. ”
He opened his mouth as he glanced around, looking horrified I brought that up around others.
Well, he’d started it.
“And they’re not kids,” I continued. “One is Queen of Thovudin and your boss. I am not a financial consultant, nor could you afford my hourly rate to review your investments.” I snorted as I eyed him over.
“I thought your family should have been exempt considering you’re thieves, and you have the balls to—seriously, the audacity. ”
“Fine, I jumped the gun a bit, but clearly there’s—”
“There’s nothing,” I sighed and faced him fully.
“Yes, it’s not common dragons behave like that when meeting, but it doesn’t remotely result in a mating.
Normally a fling and whatever. Great. We’re more than our dragons and—I don’t even remember Berlinger’s resume, so clearly it wasn’t one that stood out.
So you think he gets in because of his dragon’s connection? ”
I snorted and walked away before I said more. I went right to Maple and Fraser who had been watching the whole thing with frowns.
“Every time we get rid of one, another becomes a problem,” she muttered as she sat.
“The parents are, but Berg seems like a good guy,” Fraser said under his breath. “He seems to want to be here about as much as Sagan wants them here.”
I grunted that I heard them as I took my seat now that Maple had sat. I took too big of a bite and stared down the Alpha who was still staring at me looking pissed. He really was a fucking putz. I understood why people called him the backwoods Alpha or whatever. He was just… Fucking moron.
No shade on Emberward, but it was mostly rural. One big city and it was the smallest of the big cities in the nation. And the area was ranked lowest always in everything. Education. Income. Health—everything.
It always seemed stuck in the past and unwilling to progress into the way life was now. And I didn’t mean the extra sexist ways compared to the rest of the nation but yeah, that too.
“I have to leave early,” I reminded them. “Make sure none of them do anything to her, yeah? They’re being extra big fuckers given what she did and pushed the meeting. The dates are set for the rest and—just watch them.”
“Of course,” Fraser muttered, studying me closely.
Maple reached over and covered my hand with hers. “Are you okay, Darren? You can talk to us too.”
I let out a slow breath and met her worried gaze. “It’s family stuff I should have handled long ago and I can’t forgive myself for waiting until now.” I felt better when they both snorted, fully understanding that regret.
Fully understanding it.
“Go handle what you need to, Brother,” Fraser said quietly. “We’ve got things here and we’ll call you if anything happens. I promise. We can record the rest—we’re all stretched too thin. Rest on the flight and handle it for good.”