Chapter 11
Onyx
Kole came stomping back towards us bitching about Thorn Blount and how unreasonable Sagan was being… Meaning he’d chased after her when we’d explicitly told him not to.
My fist flew before I’d even made the decision. I knocked the little shit on his ass, and once his shock wore off, rage filled his eyes.
And he wanted the fight just as much as I did.
Unfortunately, my brother was fast and moved between us. “Enough.” He chuffed at Kole. “Enough. I told you to leave Sagan alone and you went after—come with me. Now.”
I smirked at Kole. Now he’d done it. My brother was pissed and that wasn’t good for anyone who liked breathing.
Vex led us to a meeting room, and the moment the door was closed, he lifted Kole off his feet and roared in his face. Excellent.
Finally, finally he was doing something about the spoiled, pompous asshat.
“Let me explain,” Kole grumbled, sounding like a sullen five-year-old who got caught stealing cookies instead of the adult man before us.
“You lied to us both,” Vex snarled as he tossed Kole. He was careful about it, and I wondered if it was to protect his stupid son or the expensive furniture in the meeting room.
I honestly thought the latter because nothing would make the situation worse right then except having to explain that our family destroyed a room in the castle.
“Look, I was coming here, but then something came up and—”
“What was her name?” I drawled, ready when Kole came at me.
Vex shoved Kole back and jabbed his finger in Kole’s chest. “Enough. Fucking use your words or I will break you.” Then he turned that finger on me. “Stop poking him and making this worse.”
I blinked at my brother and then curled my upper lip.
“You have such a blind spot for him it’s gross, Vex.
Truly.” I felt better when Vex lost some of his anger and frowned.
“The moment I stepped onto campus all I heard were rumors of him and his sexcapades. How this is the first time Sagan has caught him is honestly the shocking part.”
Vex’s eyes went too wide before he slowly turned back to Kole. “You cannot be so stupid as to cheat on the fucking princess. Tell me you aren’t that stupid?”
“No,” Kole bit out, shooting me a death look. “There—I went into heat and she was a million miles away. We’re never by each other because of her schooling and constant travel.”
That satisfied Vex, but I was disgusted. Assholes like Kole blamed dragons going into heat for any urge or desire to fuck. It was grotesque and why other species looked down on dragons so much.
I swallowed a smirk and decided to play this out. “Yeah, that’s fair. I’m sure Sagan had to do the same given—”
“She’d never fucking cheat on me,” Kole snapped. “I’d kill anyone who touched what’s mine, and she’d never be stupid enough to cheat on me.”
“Great son you raised, Vex,” I drawled. “It’s fine for him and cheating for her. Fucking douche.”
“He’s right,” Vex agreed when Kole bitched at me. “And about all your fucking bullshit. You—what is going on with you? You love Sagan and this is how you treat her?”
Horror filled me when I caught something flash in Kole’s eyes before he schooled it. It was there for only a second, but it was there. I saw it.
Amusement.
Kole was amused Vex had that opinion, and there was only one reason he would feel that way.
He’d never loved Sagan. His feelings had always been bullshit.
“Look, I know I’ve tripped up and we’re both under a lot of pressure,” Kole said, trying to smooth things over. “I’ll get my shit together and fix it. She’s under too much stress and grieving, and now this stupid competition—it’s all too much for her and she’s overreacting.”
“No, she’s not,” Vex and I growled together.
Kole brushed us off and went into a ramble about how Sagan was basically wrapped around his finger and this whole competition was just a front to appease the elders and Alphas. That he had it all in the bag and not to worry.
The more he talked, the higher my blood pressure rose. Honestly, it wasn’t just my dragon chuffing, but my eye was fucking twitching.
“Oh yeah, so in the bag she told Vex publicly to submit another candidate,” I drawled.
“She was being petty and letting her hurt that she thought I was with another woman get the best of her.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. Vex looking at Kole as if he was stupid set me off all over again.
“Do you even know your own girlfriend?” I asked Kole, honestly wondering how dumb he was.
“She’s known as having the best poker face in the nation.
‘The mask that never cracks’ is what the media refers to her as all of the time.
She kept perfect composure during her parents’ funeral and a fucking coup, but you think she was throwing a fit? ”
“I raised a moron,” Vex grumbled, shaking his head.
He couldn’t even hide his disappointment in Kole.
“Apparently, the only reason you’ve dated her this long is because you aren’t around her often.
Apparently, I know her better than you because that wasn’t her throwing a fit.
She was making it clear your ass is being pushed out the door. ”
Kole scoffed at us. “It was just—”
Vex grabbed him by the front of his jacket and chuffed in his face.
“No, it wasn’t, and you fucking humiliated our family and area.
So you get your shit together and treat our queen as she deserves or end it.
I won’t have you ruining the alliance we have, Kole.
I won’t risk that. Not even for you. Hear me or I will put someone else in as a prospective mating candidate. ”
“You’re my dad,” he whispered, betrayal all over his face.
“I’m also Alpha of Applerest and a loyal subject of my future queen. You’re a shit son if you force me to choose when you should be a better man and understand you’re completely wrong here. Completely. I’ve never been more disappointed in you.”
He shoved away from Vex and his nostrils flared like he was feeling too much and couldn’t deal with it all. “I can’t believe you’re not even on my side when they’re going to throw sixteen men at her and ruin everything I’ve worked for.”
I moved faster than Vex could stop and launched Kole across the room.
“She’s not a fucking project you’ve invested time into so you could become prince, Kole!
She’s a person. A woman you’re supposed to love and want to mate.
You’re—” I spun away before I went for him again and saw that Vex heard the same thing I did.
Maybe this was finally pulling back the curtain for him that Kole wasn’t just a bit bratty but still a good kid. He wasn’t. Kole was a fucking asshole who honestly didn’t have any redeeming qualities from what I ever saw.
Why was she even with such a damn loser?
“You cannot let him represent our family, Vex. You can’t. It will blow all the goodwill—”
“I’m not a fucking sports player that can be traded out,” Kole snapped as he jumped to his feet. “She loves me and I’m in her bed.”
I snorted but kept Vex’s gaze. “She’s not stupid. She’ll see how he doesn’t love her and just wants to be prince. Now that they’re around each other, she’ll see and—”
And that was when Kole made the final mistake and stepped right into my trap. He grabbed my arm and tried to spin me to face him, yanking himself forward instead because he didn’t have the strength to move me.
“She won’t see anything,” Kole growled. “I know how to behave and handle Sagan. I’ll be prince and knock all of those other fuckers out of the running.”
“You disgust me,” Vex bit out, barely controlling his dragon. “Get out of here before I fucking end you. I’m—get out, Kole.”
I smirked at Kole as horror filled his face and he realized what he’d admitted in his anger. I snorted when retribution filled his eyes and then he stormed out of there.
At least he had enough self-preservation to know when not to push his father and risk being dismembered.
“You cannot do this to Sagan,” I muttered when we were alone. “You can’t, Vex. He doesn’t deserve her and this is about more than Kole. She’s going to be—you saw the madness in that meeting. A fucking coup attempt? You know there’s more that we don’t even know about.”
“I know, Onyx,” he snapped and then let out a shaky breath. “I know, okay? Give me a fucking minute to deal with the fact my son is a fucking…”
I moved my hand to his shoulder and squeezed it as Vex moved his hand over his face.
“He’s still got a chance. He’s lost his way and—get him away from whoever is whispering this shit in his ear maybe.
Those friends? I don’t know them, but all he cares about—you can still save him, Vex.
Time to be a dad or he won’t even be able to inherit. ”
“What a fucking mess,” he rasped and turned away. “I don’t even know what to do.”
“I want to be the candidate.” I didn’t flinch when he turned and gave me a dirty look.
His annoyance drained away and the shock that bloomed would have been almost amusing if the topic wasn’t so serious.
“I’ve never asked you for anything, Brother.
I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked of me. No matter how over the line.”
He flinched. “I did—”
“What was best for you and your position. I know. And I loved you enough to do it. Leave home when my dragon was growing too strong even though I was a kid? Done. You were the oldest and it was your spot. Travel and find my own way like a fucking outcast so no one even looked at me like a contender for Alpha? I did it without bitching.”
“You can’t be serious,” he whispered, studying me. Then he flinched. “You want her.”
“Yes,” I confessed, hoping my brother loved me as much as I loved him.
I swallowed loudly. “Before I should have. She was—she probably doesn’t even remember meeting me when I was teaching, but I always planned to—my dragon only wants…
” I let out a slow breath. “Please, Vex. Please give me the one chance I have to make myself whole after all I’ve done for you. ”
“Kole—”