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Kerry droned on and on, but Rhene had already tuned him out. The man was merely repeating himself, so he wouldn’t learn anything new anyway.
“Your time is up. King Cladhaire, you’re next.”
Cladhaire didn’t waste time protesting the presence of the dragon omegas but directly launched into a tirade. “Erwan has always been power-hungry. For as long as I can remember, he’s been trying to steal my throne, and my brother can attest to this.” Baoth gave a solemn nod. “He’s not content to wait his time but wants me gone, and he’s gone to great lengths to achieve that. It’s not me who’s power-hungry. It’s him. He’s let the honor of being the White Dragon go to his head.”
Rhene had never heard a bigger load of crap than that, and it cost him to hold his tongue when he wanted to do nothing more than beat the man to a pulp. The good news was that King Donál didn’t seem impressed either, frowning and raising his eyebrows a few times as Cladhaire went on.
“The Fitzgerald clan has the floor. King Fergal?”
“From where I stand, I can see three arguments—a moral one, a legal one, and a practical one. Let’s start with the latter. The Code states that the White Dragon is incapable of deceit. We have all seen the irrefutable evidence that King Erwan is the White Dragon. That means he could never do the things Cladhaire…pardon me, King Cladhaire is accusing him of.” Fergal looked around as if to make sure everyone was listening. They were, including King Donál, who had leaned forward and was paying close attention.
“The legal argument is that according to the Code, a crown prince has the right to rebel against his king if he has legitimate reasons to do so. King Erwan has told us his father wishes him harm, and we have seen proof of that. Moreover, Emma, the granddaughter of Seamus the Librarian, has signed papers stating that she was tortured and almost starved to death in the Doyle castle at the hands of the Doyle king. I find these accusations credible and more proof that Cladhaire…pardon me, King Cladhaire and his brother have used dark magic against her.”
Rhene pressed his lips together. Fergal was brilliant, his reasoning sound and logical, and the little slips where he “accidentally” forgot to use Cladhaire’s title were highly entertaining.
“That means that legally, he is within his full rights to have started the True Doyle clan. And last but not least, there’s a moral argument. The fact that twelve Murphy omegas voluntarily switched allegiance?—”
“They stole them!” Kerry shouted.
Gregor slammed the gavel down. “Quiet! King Fergal has the floor.”
“—to the True Doyle clan speaks volumes. And now we have more omegas following that example, all attracted to the innate goodness of the White Dragon and his clan.” Fergal’s face grew sad. “None of the four original clans are without blood on our hands. We have all failed the Code in too many ways to count. I have vowed to do what I can to make things right on our end, but the moral debt we owe the wolves and our omegas is high. That King Erwan has pledged his servitude to the wolves to pay off his debt tells me everything I need to know about him and his morals. He did what all of us should have done but didn’t. He had the courage we all lacked, and for that reason alone, I vote for his legitimacy.”
“Thank you. O’Connors, your turn.”
King Donál cleared his throat. “We’d like to hear King Erwan’s statement first if that’s okay.”
Of course they would. Rhene was starting to see what Fergal had meant when he’d said the O’Connors would never take a stand unless they had to. Even now, they were waiting as long as possible.
“King Erwan, we’d love to hear from you. You have two minutes.”
Wasn’t it crazy his mate had to argue the most important case of his life and do it in two minutes? Rhene held his breath.
“Thank you, Gregor.” Erwan rose. He spoke softly. “I didn’t know I was a white dragon until my father threatened my mate and I shifted on instinct. Even then, I didn’t know what it signified because my brothers and I had been raised without magic, none of us taught what it meant or how to use it. We weren’t trained in magic, not until the omegas who came to us from the Murphys started teaching us. What we did know was to be afraid of my father and uncle because they had powers and used them for evil. My mom…”
His voice cracked, and he took a moment to compose himself. Rhene’s heart broke for him, but Erwan had to finish this part on his own.
“My mom protected me for as long as I can remember. Every night, she’d weave her protective spells around me, keeping me safe. She was the one who taught me right from wrong, who encouraged me to follow my heart and my calling, who showed me how to trust the fire within me. It’s thanks to her that I am who I am today, and I can only hope I’m making her proud.”
He raised his head, his eyes sparkling with fire. “I’m not after power or a position. I would give anything not to have to do this, but I have no choice. When being confronted with such evil, I can’t ignore it and pretend it’s not my problem or responsibility. It is. It’s the responsibility of us all. We have turned our backs on our pact with the wolves. We have dishonored our Code and our ancestors. And regardless of what you decide today, I will do whatever is in my power to right that wrong and restore the moral integrity of my clan.”
When he sat down, Rhene had tears in his eyes, and he could barely refrain from kissing his mate until they both ran out of breath. He was so, so proud of him.
“Thank you for those powerful words.” Gregor had apparently given up on even attempting to sound impartial. Good for him. It was time to make a stand and stop pretending both sides were equal. “King Donál?”
The king of the O’Connors sat quietly, his brows furrowed and a deep thinking line on his forehead. Finally, he lifted his head. “Can I use my time to question King Erwan?”
He’d called him King Erwan. Did that mean something? Was he leaning toward supporting them?
“Absolutely,” Gregor said.
King Donál looked at Erwan. “You’re saying you never knew you were a white dragon? How is that even possible?”
“My shift when I turned sixteen was in the dark, so I never saw my color,” Erwan answered.
“But why didn’t you check?”
“I had no reason to expect I would show color since I wasn’t eighteen yet. I was unaware that dragons showed color at sixteen.”
