He did a double take and winced. “I apologize. Not the queen. Of course not.” But then he adjusted his neck and ground his jaw. “I have to ask though about a video leaked to the media involving the queen and—”
“Be very careful what you ask next, Alpha,” I warned in a cold tone. “There’s not much goodwill left between us after what’s happened. Onyx and the help he’s giving the royal family is about the only reason—be careful. I’ve been in meetings all morning.”
Darren snorted and glanced at his watch. “It’s not even morning anymore and I’m starving. Lunch is two hours late so we didn’t hold others up. The first was at six-thirty because you’re too nice and like to keep on schedule even with this police chief madness.”
“I understand,” Vex said but then chuffed, listening to someone off camera. “But it involves the queen. A video of her speaking with Elira.”
I sighed and tossed my pen down, not having to fake being annoyed. “Oh, this should be good.”
“So you don’t know about the video, Your Majesty?” he asked me.
“Alpha, I know of lots you don’t and you—I don’t answer to you and I have tons of security recordings of us. I don’tleakthings though, so stop dancing around and spit it out before you annoy me more than I already am with you and your son.”
Treena and Darren both looked at me with equal parts that they were impressed and like they’d never seen me before.
Fair, but like… I was beyond overwhelmed.Beyondoverloaded so enough already.
“I apologize,” he grumbled when the other Alphas on the call snickered or chuckled.
Yeah, I wasn’t a fan of him doing this with others on. Seriously, nice fuckingallyI had.
It was hard to keep my mask of calm in place as he told me that the video of Elira’s and my interaction that Benson recorded in the castle hallway was leaked. The one where she admitted she had a sexual relationship with the high priest.
“I knew of the video,” I confirmed for everyone on the call. “It wasnotleaked by me. That is not how I wanted to handle the situation with the high priest. No, I will not tell you who recorded it. I know it was passed around the castle in defense of me and that—you don’t need to know more.”
“People were upset a conwoman fooled so many and painted Sagan in a bad light for so long,” Darren defended but then snorted. “I wanted to leak it, but she thought she came off petty in the video.”
“I wasn’t exactly very royal or—I get chastised enough,” I drawled.
“Who?” a different Alpha asked someone off camera and nodded. “It was Joris Visser. He just released a statement that it was him and he found out about it after getting to know some of the castle staff and learning the truth.”
I felt the proverbial knife in my back like it was an actual and physical wound. “This meeting is over. We handled what we needed to anyways. Have a nice weekend.”
I ended the call while the others wished me well, but Vex noticeably still wanted to talk. Yeah, well… Fuck off. I didn’t carethat his son was stuck with Elira after they got caught fucking—cheatingon me and now this made her look bad.
Oh no, boo fucking hoo.
“Give him a chance,” Treena whispered, on her phone and obviously already trying to find out what was going on. Her eyes went wide. “Bold. Wow, I’m swooning for you.”
“Can you fucking tell me?” I snapped and then apologized when she gave me a hurt look. I knew she was stressed too, but the teasing from her lately about my love interests had annoyed me.
She, Myriam, and Velle had all laid into me last night about how Prince Olwen had always liked me and I was the only idiot who hadn’t known it. That the very attractive prince would have dated and mated me in a heartbeat if I’d ever shown interest.
And they’d gone a bit too far. Fine, I was clueless, but… No one liked to be mocked or told they were that stupid.
A bit from Treena who was my best friend was fine. Myriam and I were now friends, so okay. Velle and I hated each other and I understood that she was actually trying to be friendly with me, but I wasdrowningand didn’t need teasing.
I needed support and understanding.
She shared her screen to the one we’d been looking at for the meeting and I simply blinked as I read. I swallowed loudly and really hoped this was what it seemed like and not what I’d first felt.
Could one of them really be on my side like this instead of ready to hurt me?
The statement was clear and simple. Joris was very active at the temples in Wildcairn and even around Thovudin. He was known as being devout to the gods and the example of how Alpha families needed to give time to and work with the temples.
So, he was beyond distressed when the high priest had blatantly lied the day before that he was involved in anything todo with my possible mating. Joris had been at the meeting and the high priest had nothing to do with it. He had heard the high priest had treated me like a child but brushed it off as sometimes things like that happened with our elders.
He now regretted that. He now understood it wasn’t simply the man had known me as a child or the high priest had tried to guide me when I was experiencing something traumatic, but the high priest had lost his way. That thehigh priesthad fallen out with the gods and chosen this fake, self-proclaimed adopted daughter of the royal family conwoman over the queen.
