The nights I stayed up with my mate because her nightmares wouldn’t let her sleep and the times August couldn’t tolerate being away from me because he was afraid of being hunted again play in my head.
I breathe through the pain in my heart when I remember the night Harvey broke down in front of me after finding outabout his parents and calling himself an orphan. I remember promising Dean to get his daughter back before he died of heartbreak.
She did that. Theydid all that.
To think they did these horrible things and planned all these elaborate schemes to hurt their family disgusts me.
“How. Could. You?”
“Because it was supposed to be ours! It was our idea to combine the kingdoms! The Tetrad kingdom wasmy baby, and they took it! It wasn’t supposed to be four individual dynasties pretending to be one in front of the world. I wanted all four of the kingdoms ruled by one.Conquer above all.”
My sperm donor exclaims as if anything he said would ever justify his actions. The way he thinks of his kingdom ashis babygrates on my nerves because I’m a testament to how he treated hisactualbaby.
“You didn’t even want the throne. You forced a teenager to take over your responsibilities because you were too busy roaming the world,” Khatri hisses beside me.
The woman I am ashamed to call my mother chuckles manically, and for the first time, I regret that they weren’t around much. Maybe then, I would’ve seen their true colors sooner.
“That’s where you’re wrong. We were busy destroying the other Horsemen one by one. Once they were all out of the way, we were ready to take what was always rightfully ours.”
I’m speechless by her logic. She is admitting to doing everything a leader takes an oath not to do.
“Oh, don’t look so glum, son, you can have it all after us. The Tetrad kingdom is yours. At least it was before you walked in with that abomination and took her as your mate.”
I throw my head back and laugh. I can’t control it anymore. After weeks of grief, a burst of genuine laughter escapes me because everything they say is just plainstupid.
Their logic is flawed, their intentions are malicious, and their so-called hard work to destroy their kingdom is revolting.
Shaking my head in utter disbelief, I watch them wait for me to open the cell like they assume I would. After everything they just revealed, they deserve to rot here.
“You ruined my kingdom from within, but I have faith I can mend it again. You were treacherous to the throne, but I can be lenient and order a quick death as a thank you for birthing me.But you hurt my mate. You destroyed her childhood. You’re the reason for her nightmares. Your actions pushed me to risk my bond to ensure her safety.”
I tuck my hands in my pockets, so I’m not triggered to raise them and take a step back. “You hurt my sweetheart, and I can never forgive you for that. I won’t touch you because I don’t want that weighing on my conscience, but I know people who will happily do that on my behalf.”
Turning to the footsteps, I watch Harvey and Hazel stomp toward the cell with anger and disgust rolling off of them. Every prisoner in the dungeon goes still. Shocked that their previous leader and his queen were about to be treated exactly like traitors should be.
When the soul twins enter the cell, I turn my back on my parents and don’t look back. “Keep them alive. I know a father desperate for revenge, and I won’t deny him that.”
Walking away from the dungeon, I feel the weight of my responsibilities slowly slip off my shoulders. Yes, it took us more time to flush out the silent enemies than I expected, but in the end, my kingdom is once again a safe home for my mate.
Now, I can finally beg her for forgiveness.
By the time I reach the Horseman castle, warm rays of sunshine are peaking through the blanket of dark clouds that have swallowed the realm whole since the day my mate left.
I’m arranging my office while thinking of ways to make it up to my mate when the door bangs open. I’m tired of patching the dents on my wall because my family doesn’t understand the concept of knocking— or how to open a door like a normal person.
“Okay, I have good news and bad news, which do you want first.” Hazel slumps in a chair, brushing her wet hair behind her shoulders. I’m assuming she came straight here after cleaning up the blood that belonged to my folks.Don’t even want to dwell on that.
I collapse in my chair, drained from another night of work without any rest. “Good news, please. I want to hear that at least one thing is going according to plan.”
“Your folks would need more than plastic surgery to fix their faces.”
Who’s going to tell her the difference between good news and good newsfor her?
“Now the bad news: a couple of warriors posted near the portal that leads to the human realm caught a warlock trying to pass through. The fact that he didn’t turn to ash on entry doesn’t raise much of an alarm, but it’s an issue anyway. He’s sitting in Khatri’s office as we speak.”
Groaning, I throw my head back and curse my luck. It’s Okay. My grand apology will have to wait another day.
Forgive me for wasting another day, sweetheart.
