Rowan frowned as Rhett trailed his fingers up my arms, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind them. “I’ve been tasked with getting more of the supernaturals on our side. Basically, the Supernatural Council wants to ensure that not everyone is siding with the dragons because that will turn into tyranny. We want to avoid that.”
“So what does that have to do with us?” Damien asked, crossing his arms.
Rowan pushed out another ragged breath and pointed at Damien and Rhett. “I need you both to go to the Demon Capital, and I need you to speak with the demon council and get them on our side.”
“When?” My heart dropped into my stomach. I didn’t want to split up my mates.
Rhett continued rubbing my arm, providing some comfort.
“This weekend. They’ll be back Sunday night, and they won’t miss any classes,” Rowan said.
“Why now?” Alister’s gaze met mine, and he frowned.
“The big territories are already part of the Supernatural Council, but one is rumored to have separated and joined with the dragons. The Supernatural Council wants to ensure that this isn’t the case for everyone. We need to figure out where everybody stands.”
“We’ll go.” Rhett sighed.
Damien let out a growl.
“No subsets have picked a side yet that we know of,” Rowan explained.
“I’m going, too.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized I had said them, but I did want to go. Something inside me was screaming that I had to go with them. I was afraid something would happen to them.
“No.” Rowan’s answer was immediate.
“What do you mean, no?” I shifted in Rhett’s lap to face Rowan as frustration rippled through me.
“You aren’t going.” Scales formed on his cheek before fading, and his jaw ticked.
What?I wasn’t asking him. I was telling them that I was going. Approval from them wasn’t something I thought I’d have to fight for.
“It’smydecision. These are my mates going to the Demon Capital. I let you make decisions for me all the time, and I don’t disagree with them because you have my best interests at heart. All of you do, and I know that.” I turned to sweep my gaze over the rest of my mates.
Thorn shook his head, frost coating his fists as he clutched them at his sides. “I don’t like the idea of you being in a different territory.”
Alister bared his fangs as his red eyes glowed. “I don’t like it either.”
Rhett’s gaze was trained on me with something else swimming inside of it, but he didn’t say anything.
Shadows swirled around Damien as his gaze leveled on mine.
“None of us are comfortable with you going.” Smoke poofed out of Rowan’s nostrils and clouded around me.
I understood that they were worried, but what about what I wanted?
Rage bubbled inside me, and I slipped off Rhett’s lap and walked toward Rowan.
Even sitting in his chair, he was taller than me. But I didn’t back down. I stared daggers into his fiery eyes. “You cannot make decisions for me without my consent. It’s not fair, and I wouldn’t do it to you.” Tears gathered in my eyes, causing Rowan’s form to swim in my vision.
“Wren,” Thorn murmured.
Rowan let out a sigh and ran his hand through his lengthy red hair in a quick jerk of motion. “It’s not safe for you to leave academy grounds.”
I couldn’t help laughing, as sarcastic as it was. With a large sweep of my arm, I said, “You think I’m safe here? I was shot by a human that wasn’t even fully human.” My voice wavered, and I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. “I’m not safe anywhere until the war ends.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but I kept talking as the courage and anger coursed through me.
I’d always been the one to compromise. My whole life had been that way. I knew he meant well, but I couldn’t push down something I wanted to do so badly just to placate him. They had to understand I had the power to make decisions too.
