Page 41 of Undertow
10
Sagan
I was going to apologize, but then Kole went to stand and luckily his father caught him in time to keep him seated. He waspissedand that made me… Petty.
There was honestly no other word for it besides petty.
I met the Alpha’s gaze and let him see the truth in my next words. “There’s no front-runner. Honestly, I was thinking Alpha Vex should send another candidate so he’s not handicapped and I’m fair.”
“What are you talking about, Sagan?” Kole demanded.
“What did you do now?” the man on the other side of Alpha Vex snarled. He looked vaguely familiar, clearly a family member, but I couldn’t tell much past the full beard and mountain man look.
“Nothing! She’s just grieving and—” Kole defended.
“Nothing?” I chuckled darkly, meeting Kole’s eyes. “Actually, that’s pretty accurate. You’ve done nothing. I lose myparentsand you don’t even fly here until the night before the funeral.”
“What?” Alpha Vex and that man chuffed, Kole’s father continuing. “You told us you were here and—”
“Oh, that’s interesting because I was told you needed him and it was business,” I purred. “Now add lying to your list of sins.”
“Whatsins?” he seethed, pissed I was calling him out like this.
It just made me pettier even if I hated to air all of this. I started ticking off my fingers. “Throwing a fit when you arrived that I wasn’t waiting around to greet you likeyouwere coming home to take over the monarchy.”
The man on the other side of Alpha Vex reached around the Alpha and cracked Kole upside the head so fast that I was shocked.
“You might want to wait, there’s more,” I whispered, blinking at him.
“I would prefer the list in private, Your Highness,” Alpha Vex said, clearing his throat.
I gave him a sad look. “No, I’m sorry. I respect you and normally would keep it quiet, but there’s a mess and I won’t be blamed for it.”
“It also protects her so the next fool doesn’tact like a fool,” Maple added, her voice tight. “We’re always blamed as being too sensitive or spoiled princesses. We’re not. We’re just pressured to accept unacceptable behavior as women.”
I gave a slight nod. “He threw a fit about his accommodations. He’s tried to involve himself in the castle’s security and wants to be looped in like Benson. He laid into Raquel.” I met Kole’s pissed gaze. “And my favorite is hearing from the castle staff that you had a woman in your room instead of being at my parents’ funeral feast with me.”
There was a good thirty seconds where no one seemed to know what to say or do before both that man and Alpha Vex went for Kole.
“Wait your turn, Onyx,” the Alpha snapped. “He’s my kid.”
Onyx? This was Kole’s uncle? He wasn’t very involved with the family and—I was pretty shocked to see him attend something like this.
“Hold on, I can explain!” Kole roared when he finally got free and darted around some tables. He used the back of his arm to wipe blood off his face as he looked at me. “It was your damnsister, Sagan. Chill out.”
That wasn’t the right way to handle this and his father lunged for him again. Two other Alphas finally stepped in and restrained Vex, others doing the same for Onyx.
“Enough!” I shouted when everyone was talking at once. I pointed to their table and made it clear the three men had better sit their asses down and behave.
Treena snorted when they did, all seething mad, but they did it.
Yeah, well, I was going to be queen for a reason. Plus, they were my allies.
Awesome allies right then though, right?
“I am an only child,” I said firmly as I glanced around the room. “Thisinsanityof elevating—enough. Enough is enough.” I met Kole’s upset gaze and let him see how furious I was. “She’s not my sister. I’mdonewith this, and the next person to speak such nonsense, I will challenge for the honor of the family. And you will not walk away from it.”
Mouths were hanging open as I glanced around.
