Chapter 17 #2
“Please don’t cry,” he breathed. “I’ll handle Vex and explain. I’ll make it clear that his blind spot for Kole was part of the problem. Kole’s brother covering for him.”
“What?”
Onyx sighed. “You busted Kole about not being here during the funeral and his brother tried to help cover for him. We only found out at the meeting. They’re both lying little shits and…”
“What a mess. I should never—this is why the royal family stays away from Alpha families.”
“Yes, and why your father didn’t want this match—made it clear you wouldn’t mate any Alpha family,” he said sadly.
“What?” I gasped.
“You didn’t know?”
I let out a bitter chuckle. “No, why should I know that? I was only their daughter.”
“Shit, this wasn’t how you should have found out.”
“Found out what exactly?” I pushed when he didn’t answer.
“That your father made it clear to Vex a couple of months ago that the relationship was over and a statement would be written up so to get on board and handle Kole’s reaction or Vex wouldn’t like the mess,” he answered.
“I have to go,” I mumbled and hung up.
I stared at the phone for several moments but didn’t see anything. Finally, I tossed it to the side and lay on my bed staring at the ceiling. How could no one tell me that?
Honestly, I didn’t blame Vex. He would have assumed I knew. Probably that I’d fought against Father thinking I cared for Kole.
But why hadn’t Father or Mother told me they didn’t like my relationship with Kole? I would have ended it. My feelings were lukewarm at best and…
I really was just a pawn they moved around as it benefited them, not a daughter they loved.
That thought broke another piece inside of me and I responded back to Kole saying that he needed training in royal protocols and a reality check.
If I needed to loop in his father I would, but he was being beyond ridiculous and I was tired of it.
I didn’t date children and I was going to be queen, so act like the partner to one or I would end things.
I let out a slow breath and then told him that of course he could have friends over since he was my guest but only if he followed the rules of the castle and stopped acting out. I had piles of issues all over and I couldn’t deal with his tantrums.
Basically, I pushed every button I could knowing it would piss him off more and more, but also that my responses gave him nowhere to go.
Asking why he wasn’t more understanding of what I was going through and where the loving Kole I’d first gone out with was.
It was manipulative as fuck for me to do and I hated it.
But it was needed in case he showed the texts to anyone… And I was pretty sure he would. So I played the game I hated.
I played him when I had always promised myself that my relationships were the one area I would not be fake Princess Sagan and simply just Sagan.
So much for that fantasy.
The next day, I was in a foul mood. It started off with the high priest of the capital’s temple starting more trouble with me.
He pretty much refused to officiate the ceremony unless it was run by the elders—especially Elder Hardin as was tradition.
It was clear he was in Hardin’s pocket and I wasn’t going to allow it.
But now I had a problem because there were only so many people I could kick out or have issues with before it looked like I was the issue.
No matter how valid and right I was.
Awesome.
Myriam had also managed to get her hands on a potion to induce a dragon’s heat. It was a recreational drug basically, but I hadn’t even talked to Thorn since our encounter in the lounge. That whole situation wasn’t awkward, especially given what his situation was and we hadn’t spoken.
So awesome again.
Treena and I were discussing how to handle it—if I even should with him or if it was just too much before my head exploded when I heard something that might finally push me over the edge.
“It’s all fake and completely meant to placate the other Alphas because they’re upset I’m going to be her mate,” Kole said flippantly from one of the lounges off the ballroom.
Right off the main hallway where anyone could have heard him.
Where we easily heard him.
I stopped dead and fisted my hands while Treena’s eyes went too wide.
“I heard it’s real from one of my other friends and you’re in hot water,” a female voice said with a chuckle.
“Did you know he was inviting other women over?” Treena asked quietly.
“No, he said his buddies from school, but I don’t care about that,” I replied at the same volume.
“No, but others will when they know your relationship isn’t great,” she worried. And she was right.
Kole snorted. “Please, they fell for it then. Sagan has to do this because the elders tricked her and started this whole mess. We’ll be mated before next year. It’s done. She’s been in love with me for years now.”
I was moving towards the door before I even realized it. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but it wasn’t good.
Kill him. Maybe fucking kill him for telling people about what the elders had done.
“I know you said it was love at first sight, but you’re not even engaged,” a man pushed, clearly wanting gossip.
“Because we’re young. Now everything’s changed,” Kole replied, his tone defensive.
“And it was. She fell for me at first sight. She never went out with anyone, but the moment she saw me and I asked, she was hooked. I’ll leak about the competition and what happened and that will be the end of it. Done and done and we’ll mate.”
I opened my mouth to blast him but Treena was faster… By bursting out laughing.
She was laughing so hard that she actually leaned into me and it cut through my blinding rage. Her laugh was always so magical and full of life that it was honestly contagious.
Even to me who rarely laughed. I at least calmed down and smirked. Which honestly made me wonder if that was why she’d reacted that way instead of something else.
Could she have known I’d been about to go over the line and saved me from myself? Probably. That seemed like something Treena would do.
“You seriously never told him?” she gasped, bursting out laughing all over again when I looked at her like a deer in headlights.
“Told me what?” Kole demanded as he got to his feet.
I couldn’t get my mouth to work. I thought she was laughing because he sounded ridiculous and knew I would end it over this. I never imagined she would out me.
“Maybe this isn’t—” I started to say, but she waved me off.
“You were a bet, idiot,” she informed Kole with a huge grin.
“Sagan lost a bet with me and the punishment was she had to accept the next one who asked her out.
There was no love at first sight. I was tired of men constantly annoying us by asking her out—tripping all over themselves to ask her out, so I made it the terms of a bet that she had to accept a date.
“Everyone knew she didn’t date and that was part of why it never stopped.
You just said it. She never did. It was the ultimate challenge for all of you small-minded fools.
It was exhausting. So I won something—I forget, a grade or test and she had to accept a date.
Any date. You just happened to be the next fool who asked. ”
As if that wasn’t enough to unleash on him, she actually snorted and shook her head as she looked him over with pity.
Oh. Fuck.
Sure enough, his face turned red so fast that I was worried steam would actually come out of his ears as he chuffed. Rage poured off of him as he focused on me. “Tell me this isn’t true. Tell me the dog who follows you around is—”
I was in front of him in a flash, knocking his legs out from under him so he landed hard on his ass. “You ever speak to or about her like that again and I will do more than knock you down so you can kneel and apologize, Kole Conley. She is Princess Treena Corbett, heir to the Bodach throne.”
“Sorry,” he bit out, knowing at least he could lose his fucking head.
Treena muttered something under her breath that I couldn’t make out, but I was pretty sure I heard “dog” and I could only guess she was saying he was the actual dog in the room. Yeah, he was.
And I decided to make things clear with witnesses. This had gone far enough and there was no coming back now.
“Yes, it’s true,” I told him with a half shrug as his eyes went wide. I leaned in, rage pouring off me as well. “And I regret ever accepting. We’re done.”
“What?” he breathed, his eyes going too wide. “You can’t end things with me.”
I stood back up and scrunched up my eyebrows.
“Of course I can.” I gestured to his friends.
“You just lied to a bunch of people in my home that this whole thing is fake and we’re going to be mated before the year is out.
That you’re going to leak it to everyone and what the elders did.
Are you insane? I’m not staying with you or—”
“It’s the right thing to do, and if you had any sense you would see that,” he yelled as he rolled to his feet. “If you weren’t so selfish and cared about what I thought or listened to me ever.”
“Why would I?” I asked him. “Why would I listen to someone who does nothing but throw fits and treats me like you do? Honestly, I was going to end this months ago, but I didn’t care enough to fly out to see you and do it face-to-face. I figured when I saw you next but—”
I saw his hand coming and was going to let him.
I was going to let him strike me with witnesses to put the final nail in the coffin.
But a hand was suddenly there to grab his wrist at the last second. I swallowed a gasp as Benson wrenched Kole’s arm behind his back and pulled him away from me.
“Secure the princesses,” he ordered. “This one goes to the dungeon before going to court for the capital crime of—”
“Stop,” I interjected before the guards could all escalate this.
“Just stop.” I let out a slow breath when everyone froze.
I met Benson’s gaze. “I made it physical first. Let him go. I’m not a hypocrite that would hide behind that law or being a royal after I started it. ” I nodded when he still hesitated.
“As you wish, Your Highness,” he bit out and released Kole with a shove away from me.
I held Kole’s pissed-off gaze. “However, I knocked you down back to reality when you’ve elevated yourself again and again and lost your head. You were going to bitch-slap me trying to get me in line and use violence against me when I ended things. That won’t be forgotten. Ever.”
I turned to his guests and ignored when Kole snapped that we weren’t done and he wasn’t accepting a breakup. I handled things the best I could, but then Benson practically dragged me off after giving orders to the other guards.
I waved Treena off and followed him so there wasn’t another scene but didn’t hide that I wasn’t thrilled with him either. He led me down one hallway and then a few more until I was completely turned around.
He spun on his heel and squared off with me. “Why do you let him treat you like that?”
I blinked at him for several moments before I snorted. “Why do you care?” I let out a heavy breath. “No, seriously, why do you care?” I shoved him away when he leaned in closer. “Like you’ve treated me any better?”
“That’s not fair at all,” he growled. “I’ve never disrespected you.”
“That’s debatable,” I argued.
“I’ve never treated you as beneath me and a prize.”
That was fair and I gave a swift nod. “But you did make it damn clear that you don’t care about me personally, so don’t pretend like you do now. You drew the firm line between us, so don’t you dare try to cross it.”
“I never said I didn’t care about you. I said I couldn’t care about you like that, Sagan. Stop punishing me for it.”
I turned my face like he’d slapped me and shoved him away from me rougher than I should have. “Yeah, you treat me any better.”
“That came out harsher than I meant,” he whispered. “I’m sorry. I am. I don’t—it’s not fair that you compared me to Kole. I was never mean to you. I’m allowed to have my feelings or say I don’t want more than being your friend.”
I blinked back tears but still forced myself to meet his gaze.
“And I’m allowed to say that I can’t just be friends with you then.
It’s not punishing you.” I snorted and took a step away from him.
“We weren’t even friends. You and others say we grew up together, but I was never here. We barely know each other.”
“That’s not true,” he whispered, seeming genuinely hurt.
“You didn’t want me. You don’t get to decide we can still be friends after rejecting me. You don’t get to act like the good guy and that you’ll save me from my shitty relationship or anything else.” I hated that my voice cracked and turned away from him. “Just do your job so I can do mine.”
“I can’t. Not if you let people treat you like that. I can’t protect you if you let yourself be a doormat to—”
“Oh, fuck you,” I choked out. “Fuck you, Benson. You know nothing.” I shook my head and stepped away from him. “You want to pretend we’re friends when you don’t even like me as a person. Seriously, you’re just as bad.”
Then I stormed up to him and shoved my finger in his chest and let out what I’d been feeling for a while.
“If you’d been stronger and done your duty instead of letting the elders pull the shit on me that they did, maybe I wouldn’t be trapped into having seventeen fucking suitors and several mates. So yeah, you’re just—”
“I know!” he shouted, chuffing and barely controlling his dragon. He reached for me, but I smacked his hand away. “I know, Sagan. I know it’s my fault. I know your parents and the gods will punish me for failing. I’m trying to not make more mistakes like letting your lover abuse you!”
Shit. Now I felt bad.
Almost.
Mostly.
Fine, I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t all his fault, but he should have done better after my parents died. That was true but the elders probably would have found another way to do the same thing.
They were smart after all. I mean, it hadn’t all gone their way, but… I still expected more trouble from them after all.
“Have some faith in me. I know you don’t believe in me at all, but apparently my parents actually did, so try. Just a bit.”
I left it at that and walked away before I said something I couldn’t take back. Or he did.