Marcus nodded. “He was a stickler for them.”
Evan took a deep breath in. “And the code answers he mailed out every month.” He wiped his face. “We thought it was overkill, but Garith agreed with him.” He patted Yarrow’s shoulder. “We are fine.”
Yarrow nodded, and slowly the air in the room cleared. Their arrogance surged back into their demeanor. He turned to me and forced a smile. “You had us, but we have contingencies built in for exactly this kind of scenario.”
I still played dumb. I raised my hands. “Look, I am only relaying what I know. Vince and his ranked wolves are jailed or dead. Verity is dead. Garith…whoever that is, is dead.”
Marcus, who was still seated, leaned closer to the desk. “You are saying you don’t know who Garith is?” He raised his eyebrow. I saw all the men sniffing the air, trying to discern whether or not I was lying.
Nix turned to face Megan. She walked over slowly and nudged her.You okay?
Megan scoffed.I might be lying here, but our scent won’t shift.
Nix snorted at Megan’s tone.Never thought that it would.She turned to me.How do you want to play this?
We have to stall until everything is ready. So, playing dumb is the move. Plus, I can see the frustration already bubbling under the surface.I smirked, and I saw their faces tighten.They really don’t like that I’m not afraid of them.
Nix and Megan both chuffed a laugh.Most fragile men don’t.Nix pushed closer, so she was just under the surface, just in case.Now…let’s push some buttons.
I opened my hands in mock surrender. “Gentlemen. I am almost twenty-two. I spent almost all of my life in school. I am barely out of university. So unless he went to my school or was a part of Oakenfang or Silvermoon, I have no idea who you are talking about.”
Theo stood and leaned against the door. “He was part of Silvermoon, years ago.” He offered as he scanned the room.
Why is he standing on the door?Nix’s ears twitched.
“Is there anyone in the pack house?” Theo continued. “I want to be able to talk freely, but I don’t want to be overheard.”
Megan’s ear twitched.This is the perfect chance.
Erubus ran out of the trees, sliding to a stop to lick Megan before he ran to Nix.Everyone is in place. Their guards are gathering people. The Omegas are already outside.
Nix growled.They want to slaughter everyone while we are in here, fucking cowards.
I snorted.Tell Rowan we are ready. I’m putting up a block so mind-links won’t work for anyone in here. If he needs us, you will have to come over the bridge.Erubus nodded and left. I turned my attention back to the council. “My father installed a sound shield. If you like, I can activate it, but you won’t be able to hear out either.” I offered with a smile.
“Why wouldn’t we be able to hear out?” Evan looked skeptical, but I just shrugged.
“Science isn’t magic.” I shrugged as Megan snorted again. “It’s only able to block all sounds, not pick and choose what it does. It’s kinda an all-or-nothing kind of deal.” I opened my top drawer and allowed the men to see a button and dial, strategically placed to look like a control panel, but in reality it was just odds and ends I put in there for this exact moment. “It’s up to you.”
I saw all of them look at each other, and I could see the silent conversation going on. They all came to the same conclusion. They were mind-linking. If something went wrong, their guards could let them know, and vice versa. If I did anything, they could call for backup. Yarrow nodded once. “Do it.”
Silas walked closer to me, and Nix’s hackles went up, releasing a soft growl. He stopped for a second, and he bowed his head to the side, showing his jugular. A very submissive move. “I apologize for approaching you so suddenly. I know that you have no reason to trust me. Specifically, because I came with the restof them.” He nodded to the others on the other side of the desk. “But I cannot and will not be aligned with them. Not anymore.” I just smiled as I pressed the button and Megan released the spell that sealed off the room, and a second to stop any noise from coming in.
Evan growled. “Old friend, I need you to think of the bigger picture before you make a decision that you might regret.”
Silas snorted. “If I had thought before I made decisions I regretted, then I would have stayed home. I wouldn’t have come here to follow you all blindly into a mutiny against our king.”
Theo grew red in the face as he screamed. “He’s not our king. He is a Lycan, not a wolf. The Goddess made a mistake when making Lycans. We are just correcting her mistake.”
I think he realized his mistake because his mouth snapped shut. Silas stumbled back against the wall. “First you go against the King. But now you are openly going against the Goddess?”
“What did you mean, Theo? You are correcting the mistake of creating Lycans?” My voice was low, and I could feel my body go quiet and still. Nix was quiet, but on edge.
Silas paled. I think his brain finally caught up with what Theo said. “Tell me you spoke out of anger.” He pushed off the wall and looked at all the members one at a time. “Tell me Theo is just angry.” The others stayed quiet, but Silas shook his head. “Please tell me you had nothing to do with what happened twenty years ago.” He begged, but the others stayed silent.
“They can’t do that without lying, Silas.” I looked at him and watched the truth hit him. He paled and stumbled back against the wall.
“He was our friend.” He shook his head. “He was a good man, a good king, and his wife…” He trailed off, and I could see he was reliving some memory. “She was pregnant.” His soft voice cut out at the end.
