Chapter Forty-Six
The room’s temperature dropped. Everyone stopped and stared at the two men, and not one person looked away. We were all watching this car accident as it happened. What did he just admit to? I tapped my fingers to my lips, still holding in my laugh, but then Nadine shot a glare at me and I lost it.
I keeled over and started laughing. Tears were streaming down my face as I popped back up, and I had to hold the stitch in my side. “What’s so fucking funny about this girl?” Thinius sneered, and I wiped the tears from my eyes.
“You really are fucking stupid.” I wiped my face some more and sighed while I shook my head.
“You would think with your age you have more intelligence, but here you are.” I waved my hand around and turned to face the crowd, then turned back.
“Admitting to rigging the contest for queen, in front of the king, who you are forcing to select a mate when he wants to wait for his Goddess given mate. You might as well just say that you all have banded behind his back to force him to bend to your will.” My smile dropped, and I brought an edge to my voice.
“It’s almost like you’re saying that you’re committing treason by usurping the crown and the power granted to the council by the king right in front of him.
” I took a step. “But you can’t be THAT stupid, can you? ”
“Yes, yes, I think he can be, in fact, that stupid.” Rowan’s voice was deadly.
“My king, that isn’t what I meant at all.” He waved his hands up in surrender.
“Then what did you mean? Explain it to me as if I am as stupid as you seem to think I am.” I heard him swallow from here.
“My king…” He looked around and settled his eyes on me.
“As your council members, we have an obligation to ensure the woman you mate with is the best of the best. We look at everything: rank, family, affluence, influence and how this woman will interact with not only us, but with our pack.” He pointed at me.
“Look at Amy.” I growled, but he continued.
“She is short-tempered. Her father was a traitor.” That did it.
I charged and grabbed him around his neck. “Say it again.” I squeezed. “I fucking dare you to say it again.”
Rowan came over and wrapped his hand around my wrist. “Let him go.” I snapped my eyes to his. My golden eyes burned and I can only assume hurt was reflected there because he recoiled a bit. “Please.”
I dropped Thinius onto the ground. “I’ll give Nina this one.” I dropped down next to the coughing man. “But just this one. Say anything about my father or mother again, and today will end with a mourning howl.” I stood and stomped away.
Rowan helped Thinius to his feet. “Why did you call Gavin a traitor?” His words were loud as he called the man out.
“My lord, he was the reason your father died.”
Rowan growled this time. “No, my father died because the council redirected his army last minute and his guards were betrayed.” He got in his face.
“But I find it interesting that you blamed Gavin when I was a child, so much so that I believed you. But Gavin was in his own pack, saving his family, and dealing with the loss of his men and women. He was nowhere near the royal pack.”
I settled back against the table. “Are we going to blame any wolf that protects his family instead of the king, even if he is over a thousand miles away? Can I blame you for the attack on my father’s pack that got him killed?
” There was a subtle twitch in Thinius’s eye that had my stomach clenching. He had something to do with it.
Rowan caught my eye and gave a tiny head shake. He was telling me to let it go for now, but he saw it too. I gave the slightest nod in agreement, then he turned back. “That isn’t fair.” Thinius puffed up his cheeks and crossed his arms. “I was nowhere near your father’s land.”
“Exactly.” I shook my head. “So keep my father’s name from your lips.”
“Anyway.” Rowan shook his head. “I want to go back to the fact that the council has already selected my mate.” He glowered.
“You don’t get to select my mate, Thinius.
No one does. You get to offer options, but I choose if I will even meet with them.
” Thinius eyes narrowed, but then he gave a tiny nod.
“Fine. This is done. She can continue this futile attempt at applications. The council knows they made the right selection. Let’s go girls.” He turned to leave, but I couldn’t let it end like this.
“Actually, I don’t think this is finished.
” Everyone turned to look at me and I looked down at my nails.
“According to the old laws, put in place by your father, a council member needs to take an oath to stay out of power struggles, pack issues, and remove themselves from rank structures all together. They’re also not allowed to use their aura or command on unranked wolves without their Alpha’s present and consent.
” I looked around. “The only Alphas here are not pack leaders. And he broke his vow.” I met his eyes and saw when I said the last words.
“The punishment for breaking this vow is expulsion from the council.”
I watched as my words hit, and he staggered. “No.”
The smile on my face was sweet as I took a step.
“Oh, yes.” I took another. “You see, my father, the one you said was lucky to be dead, he made sure I knew the rules. He made sure I was a dutiful wolf. One who followed the new laws, but protected those she cared about with knowledge of every law in play.” I let my smile turn into a shit-eating grin.
“And that includes the duties and oaths that the council took to ensure the safety and unity of our people.” I looked at Rowan.
“These people are a bunch of bullies. I wouldn’t be surprised if their entire family has become like this.
Bullying others all because of Thinius’s power and influence, because he allowed them to. ”
Rowan looked at them, and I watched the idea form in his mind. “Is this true?”
I snorted. “Rowan, do you think he is going to just admit it?”
Rowan focused on Thinius, and I watched sweat spring to his forehead.
“Thinius, do you allow your family to use your status as a council member, to bully or command others to do their bidding?” I felt the force of the command, but I was confused.
I didn’t understand why it took so much out of him to command Thinius.
I watched the man tremble, trying to evade telling the truth.
Blood trickled out of his mouth and I shook my head.
I slammed my aura out. “Thinius, I command you to answer the question and if you decide to bite your tongue instead of answering, I will invoke a Cath Báis, and make you watch as I pull Nina and Nadine apart, limb from limb.” I let my threat hang in the air. I meant every word of it.
“You wouldn’t.” Nadine’s eyes flashed with the first hint of worry, and I tilted my head and grinned.
“Oh I would. And I would take my time with it too.”
“You’re a monster.” She whispered, but I heard a few girls behind me giggle.
“I’m a monster?” I slapped my hand against my chest, feigning hurt.
“But I haven’t done anything. I have spent the last nine months dealing with your sister.
I have allowed her to bully me, take advantage of my kindness, and attack me.
Even you came here and tried to demand things from me while you mocked me and I have let it all roll off my shoulder.
But now, now I’ve decided to collect.” I turned my focus on Thinius.
“Make your decision. Either way, we will know the truth today.”
Nina shook, but she rallied. “How do you figure?”
I laughed. “Your family is so used to people falling in line, but you forget, there is always someone bigger, stronger, or more vicious. I just so happen to be all three. If Thinius here decides to cut out his tongue, then I will kill you two, anyway. And then I’ll start with your parents.
And then their parents. And I will command the truth from them one by one.
” I sucked my teeth. “One of them will fold. One of them will think their life is worth more than keeping Thinius here on the council.”
I watched as Thinius paled. “You wouldn’t.”
“But I would. My father taught me to put my king above all. Something you seem to forget. If you and the council have been playing games, and abusing your power, that puts our king in the line of fire. And that is something I won’t allow.”
I waited, cleaning my fingernails as everyone else digested my words. “She’s right.” A voice came from the crowd and then more and more murmurs of agreement.
I flicked my eyes to Rowan, and he was still struggling with his command. So I focused all of my aura on to Thinius. “Answer your king.” My command was thick with power, fully focused on him, and I watched as his power folded.
“Yes.” His voice was weak, and blood poured from his lips. I could see his wolf healing the serrated parts of his tongue, and I shook my head. Stupid man.
“What did you say?” Rowan’s voice dropped.
“Speak up for your king.” I turned to Toya, and I gave her a thumbs up when I saw her still recording. “I think he deserved the truth. And since you are always so loud with your opinion, your honesty should be just as loud.” I got a few more yeses from the crowd.
Every one was on pins and needles. You could feel the crowd surge a little closer to hear the next few sentences out of his mouth.
“Yes!” He screamed it and a look of defiance crossed his features.
“Yes, I allowed my family to use my name, my influence, to do what they needed to. If they needed to win a contract, I was called in to finalize it. If someone hurt someone, killed someone, I fixed it.”
I felt my eyes narrow, and so did Rowan’s. “Fixed it how?”
I watched him fight, but it was no use. “I did whatever I needed to.” Then he did something I never thought I would see.
He slammed his teeth together. I heard the crunch and winced.
He broke a couple teeth fighting my command.
But then he dropped to the ground and started to convulse.
His eyes flashed to his wolf’s, and I saw hatred in its eyes.
“You will regret this, pup.” His words sounded like his mouth was filled with rocks, and I knew something was wrong.
He convulsed more, and his eyes faded. The light that was just present vanished.
I walked closer and then dropped to my knees. Nina and Nadine started to scream as they realized the same thing I just did. I turned back to Rowan. “He’s dead.”
Rowan came over and dropped next to me. “What the fuck do you mean, he’s dead?”
I cracked open his jaw and hissed as his saliva dribbled past his lips. I yanked back my thumb and watched the skin bubble. “Fuck.” The smell of burned flesh and a small puff of smoke drifted from my thumb.
“What the hell is that?” Toya walked over and looked at my thumb, phone still recording in my hand.
“Silver.” Rowan and I answered at the same time.
“Why is there silver in his mouth?”
I grabbed his chin, keeping my fingers away from the dribble of saliva, and cracked his jaw open.
“Rowan, use your cellphone and shine it in here.” I looked into his mouth once the light was on and I could see the shattered remains of all his molars.
Silver was burning trails into the flesh of his mouth.
“He had fake teeth implanted with liquid silver.”
“What are you talking about? There is no liquid silver. That’s mercury, and it was a hoax.” Nadine sniffled, but I ignored her.
Rowan looked at me. “She is right.”
I shook my head. “These are tiny slivers of silver suspended in a liquid, most likely an oil. But it’s there. You can see the reflection of the tiny particles in the burns.” I tilted the head and let Rowan look inside of his mouth.
“Why would he do this?” Rowan looked at me, and for the first time I could see the lost teenager that had to take over as king far too young.
“Because he had a secret, he couldn’t let out. And he was willing to die to keep it.” I let his face fall and turned to Rowna. “Call and have someone clean this up. There are students here that are going to start freaking out soon.” I nodded to the crowd behind him.
He nodded and pulled out his phone. “I need you to come here and clean up after a body. No blood, but silver is present, so wear gloves.” He glanced up at the two women huddled together.
“Also, I want Thinius’s family pulled in for questioning.
” There was a pause. “All of them.” He hummed in agreement a few times and then stood.
“I will personally interview them.” Then he hung up.
“My king!” Nina called out, but he raised his hand and turned to me.
“I need you to keep this table open. But I will postpone the selection process until this is handled.” I nodded and he turned to address the women.
“Ladies, I know this is an ugly scene. But I really want all of you to continue to apply. I don’t want this to stop you from getting your chance at being queen.
I understand though, if this is too much for you.
” He bowed and then turned to Nadine and Nina.
“You two are obviously disqualified from applying. And Nadine, you are removed from your duties with the council from this moment on.”
“Please Rowan, don’t do this to me. I love you.” Nina begged, dropping to her knees.
Nadine paled further. “You can’t do this. I’m in line for my uncle’s seat on the council.” She shook her head in disbelief.
But Rowan just snorted. “I can do this. You are lucky that your family isn’t being cast out for being traitors.” Rowan wiped his face. “Yet.”
“Yet…” The threat hung on her lips. I saw panic flash in her eyes. “You can’t mean that.”
“But I do.” Rowan stepped closer to her.
“Your uncle has proven himself to be a coward and a traitor for taking his life instead of being honest. And that makes me feel like your clan is hiding something. If I find out what it is, all of you will be cast out to live as rogues.” The two women gasped, but Rowan focused on Nina.
“If you actually loved me, Nina, you wouldn’t have acted this way.
You have proven time and time again that you are self-centered and conniving.
Someone not worthy of being queen.” Rowan turned away, and the two women crumpled to the floor.