And, if her Chimera heritage were to be leaked, our kind would hunt her to the ends of the earth. As the fae heir, her heritage no longer mattered. She was accepted by her people despite her genetics or mixed blood—something I don’t think I could have given her, regardless of how much I wanted to. She could turn into a Chimera in the middle of the street, and neither I, nor the Lords, could do a thing about it unless we wanted to start a war with the fae.
Clever, cunning Cernunnos. I had to shake my head at the genius of it. The bastard was never one to pass up an opportunity. With Evie and I on shaky ground and Lugh in town keeping Tess captive, now was the perfect time to force her hand.
And I’d nudged her along by being an absolute dick.
Horror brimmed in Simone’s eyes. “I never knew you to be so cruel,” she said after a long moment. Judgment brimmed in her voice. “Never have I seen you treat someone you loved so poorly.” She bared her teeth. “I am ashamed of you.”
Garrett appeared from around the corner, his eyes narrowing as he scented the fury surrounding my Omega. When he reached us, he shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at both of us.
“I’ve obviously missed something,” he drawled, eyes lingering on Simone. “Are you okay?”
I snorted. “Since when do you inquire about Simone’s wellbeing before my own?”
Those amber eyes slid my way. “Since you became someone few of us recognize,Lord.”
The emphasis on my title made shame slam through my veins. But anger brimmed there, too. “Should I be questioning your loyalty?”
Simone’s harsh laugh made me still.
But Garrett had always been calm and cool. “I wonder if we should be questioning yours.”
I blinked in surprise before fury boiled my blood.
Garrett kept speaking. “You introduced Evie as our new lady. You gave her a portion of your property. She stayed over at the Keep for days at a time, and you asked her to marry you. The shifters were looking forward to new energy and a new future. Maybe we didn’t all accept her, but we would have. I believe that much. She’s beautiful, powerful, and well-connected.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Christ, Caelan. She’s the heir to the godsdamned fae throne.”
Simone cleared her throat. “No longer the heir.”
Garrett’s attention snapped to Simone. “What happened?”
A small smile curved her lips. “She accepted the throne.”
He sucked in a breath. “Shit.” Garrett blinked a few times before he laughed. “Can’t say I expected that ending.” He waved a hand. “I’ve never seen someone commit such a colossal fuck up before.”
He was not speaking of Evie.
Garrett laughed again and returned his attention to me. “How does it feel to know you’ve let kinghood pass you by? To know you let someone so powerful who loved you so much slip right through your fingers?”
But Simone didn’t allow me to speak. “He’s asked Rachel to be his bride.”
Garrett snorted, but when he realized Simone was serious, his jaw dropped. “No fucking way.”
Simone nodded, a sad smile on her lips.
He scrubbed a hand over his jaw and eyed Simone, thoughtfully, before jerking his head to the left.
Simone nodded, and they both walked off, leaving me standing there alone, a feeling of dread churning in my stomach. Rachel straightened and began walking over. I shook my head once, sharp, and the shifter hesitated.
Less than a minute later, my Omega and Second returned, wearing equally grim expressions.
I crossed my arms over my chest and waited.
They exchanged looks. “We resign,” they said as one.
My stomach fell to my feet. “Excuse me?”
“You heard us,” Garrett said. “We resign. You are not the Lord we signed up to serve. We certainly did not sign up to have someone like Rachel lead us into the future.”
I was screaming inside my head, beating against the walls of the mental prison I was trapped inside.
