Is it? Because every muscle on every king is tensed, ready to vault into action. Every queen darts their eyes, ready to demand a ceasefire.
A bloodbath is imminent.
“No,” but my dad leers at Axel, the veins in his neck straining, his eyes distant. Deadly. Decided. “We’reover.”
Calmly, he rises, taking Vale’s hand. Silently, she follows, her face twisting with concern as he pecks my cheek before turning to Loch. “Protect her,” he orders before he aims for the front door.
Shocked, I glance at Loch, who mirrors my reaction. I check Axel, who looks wounded. When I look at Nadine, she arches her brow, teaching me, so I shout, “Dad! Wait! You can’t just walk out.”
He halts with his broad back to us. Rage ripping across his muscles, fury huffing from his lungs, I can tell.
Vale tugs his hand, softly pleading, “Talk to her, my king.”
“Yeah, talk to me,” I echo Vale. “Shout at us. Scream and yell, but don’t you dare walk out on me. I didn’t walk out on you when you ripped my world apart, so you will turn around and speak to me with respect. Like a queen. Like your daughter. Now.”
“Respect?” Slowly, he pivots, his eyes ignited with ire. “As a woman, I respect you, Alena. As a queen, I will not raise my voice at you. But as a father, you’ve broken my heart becauserespect”—he whips his glare to Axel—“respect should’ve kept his fucking hands off my daughter!”
“I’m sorry.” Axel’s tone falls with his face.
“No.” But I won’t collapse. “No, we’renotsorry because we did nothing wrong.”
I turn my stare back to my dad, and something snaps. Something breaks free and isn’t going back.
“How does a woman win, Dad? You say you want to protect me when the greatest risk to me is men not respecting my body, my choice. So, I chose a man I trusted. One of the few at the time who was kind to me, while the rest were cruel.”
“He should’ve said NO to you,” Dad seethes at Axel.
But Vale swipes a tear away, explaining to him, “No, Axel tookcareof her. You don’t know how mean boys could be to us. How much they bullied her.”
Ruby implores, “Axel helped Alena, even if it meant losing you.” She appeals to my dad. “And isn’t that what a king does? He protects a queen at all costs?”
“Protecther”—Dad glares back at Axel—“notfuckher.”
“Okay, hang on.” Wren smiles. “We’re not buying this double standard. It’s okay for you to keep fucking Alena’s best friend, but Alena can’t fuck yoursonce? Crass, but accurate. Yes?”
Sire grins because Wren’s right.
Dad sucks his teeth, caught in the hypocrisy, but this goes deeper than that. I know what speaks to him.
“Dad.” He looks at the tears brimming in my eyes. “My mom fought for her country. She knew if a woman can’t control her body, she has no freedom at all. And she died for that freedom,myfreedom, and so will I.”
Slowly, Delphine claps. Wren and Ruby join her. Vale winks at me. Nadine nods. I feel the pride, too, but also my tears.
“Dad, I love you, and I know this is a shock. Trust me, I know how much it hurts. And for that, I’m sorry. You’re mad, but so was I about all the secrets you kept from me, but I forgave you. I forgave everyone becauseyoutaught me that.”
Loch rises, clasping my hand. “I’d say I forgive Axel, but I’ve come to realize there’s nothing to forgive about what happened that night. When Alena needed him, Axel wasthere. He protected her. It’s what we’d do for every queen in this room.”
I’m breathless, shocked at Loch’s change in sentiment, and so damn in love with him. He never fails to amaze me, to put his male ego aside and just love me. All of me.
“It’s how we survive,” Sire proclaims. “If I’m not here, protect Wren. Give her anything she needs. I only trust my kings to do it.”
Wren clasps his inked face. “But youarehere and not going anywhere again.”
“Angel.” He brushes his lips over hers. “I came too close to death to not know how I’ll live every day, loving you. And that means asking my kings to love you too.”
“And we do.” Jace rises beside Axel. “We love all of our queens, and if Alena had asked me, I would’ve done the same.”
Nick adds, “If my pole could fly a flag for a woman, it would rise to help every queen in this room.”
