I move my eyes over every face in the room, slowly taking a draw from my drink, letting the burn of the whiskey flow down my throat.
“I thought I made it clear,” I say to the room, “That my wife is off limits.”
Someone fidgets. Another clears their throat.
“What are you talking about, Farrow?” Hank scoffs, throwing up a hand, “You called an emergency meeting for that little wife of yours?”
Stefan smirks at his side. I’d really like to take a knife to that damn cocky smile and cut it right off his face.
Accidents happen all the time, if only I could figure out a way of taking out half this room without raising suspicion.
I don’t want to outright say what has been dug up on my wife, but I know one of these vultures went behind my back.
“I have it on good authority someone in this room dug into her past,” I tell them, omitting the details as I scan their faces. The trouble is, every single man in this room is a trained liar, their poker faces strong so I can’t expect to find the guilty party based on their expressions. “I called this meeting as a warning.”
“A warning?” Iwan pipes in, “And what warning is that, exactly?”
“That when I find out who disobeyed my direct orders, they will be dealt with.”
“Are you threatening the council?” Iwan snaps incredulously, standing as he raises his voice, “We are your backbone, boy, and we don’t take kindly to threats.”
I simply stare at him with boredom, “No threats. Onlypromises. To disobey my command is as good as treason in my eyes and the only rightful punishment is death.”
Silence falls as Iwan goes red in the face, “Savor that seat while you’re in it,” He lowers his tone, “It won’t be long before someone throws you off it.”
“Is that a threat? With witnesses too.” I tut with a smirk, “How sloppy of you, Iwan.”
I click my fingers and Sebastian stands, moving toward him.
“I have been on this council for seventeen years!” He swats Sebastian’s hands away but pales when Dean and Killian enter. “What are you going to do, Malakai!?”
“Escort you off the premises, of course, you’re clearly not feeling like yourself, Iwan. Get some rest.” I give him a wink for good measure, taking great pleasure in watching my men haul him out of the room. I have no patience to deal with his level of hate this evening. Especially not when my mind is picturing my wife in that slinky little dress grinding up against some fuck in a night club.
“Things are going to change,” I tell the room, “The old traditions, the old rules, you can kiss them goodbye.”
Everyone starts to argue all at once, talking over each other with raised voices, all directed at me of course. I look toward my grandfather who has remained silent throughout, but he gives me the smallest of nods, like he approves so I look back to the men aroundmy table.
I don’t blink, don’t talk as I lift my whiskey glass and take a casual sip, draining it before I throw the glass at the wall. It shatters on impact, raining shards of glass over the men closest.
“It is not up for discussion.” I roar, “and if you don’t fucking like it, get the fuck out of my council meeting and kiss your lives goodbye.”
Silence falls quickly.
“And as I said before, when I find out which one of you fucked with my wife, you’ll be answering to me. So, I suggest you make your amends now. It’s only a matter of time.”
Chapter Twenty-six
The drinks spill over the rims of the glasses as I shove my way back through the pulsing crowd on the dance floor, the dark lighting with the flashing strobes making it hard to see exactly where I’m going.
I finally push out of it, finding Willow in the booth I had left her in. She grins at me and accepts her drink.
“It seems kind of like bad karma to celebrate someone’s death,” I cringe.
She shrugs, “It seemed like bad karma when he leaked your sex tape.”
“True,” I agree, sucking up my drink through the red straw when my cell buzzes in my purse.
Pulling it out I see a text from an unknown number.
