Page 48 of Microburst

“I’m sorry.”

He covered his face and let out a wordless bellow. It took him another minute to calm down before scrubbing his face and looking up at me. “Family really fucking sucks.”

“Yeah, big time,” I agreed.

“Okay, moving on,” he grumbled as he stood. “To answer your earlier question, I would make them sign something that if the truth about Wilder gets leaked that they confess they all knew and begged you to handle it this way. I don’t trust one of them won’t use this to burn you or even Nevelyn and Jade Creek later.”

“Good. And?”

“He shouldn’t just get to walk away clean,” he chuffed, clearly annoyed at it. “Anyone else would be in the dungeon if they talked to you like that. He just fucking walked out of here and they’re hiding it. He lied and blew the chance for Nevelyn—forgive the phrasing.”

I sighed, but I knew what he meant. “Agreed. Thanks.”

He stopped me before we reached the door to enter the main castle where others would be around. “Anyone who remotely knows Thorn and has a brain would know he took this chance to get you on his side and get his position back. His uncle is fucking stupid to have sent him.”

Well, there was no point in even trying to deny it to him. “Honestly, if he wasn’t corrupt as fuck most wouldn’t do it. My position is too shaky to risk for one screwed-over guy who should have been Alpha over a decade ago and the now-Alpha is powerful and popular. His uncle probably thought to get Thorn locked in so hecouldn’ttake it over once I got more power.”

“Shit, I didn’t think of that. It would make him really dangerous.” Ayao adjusted his neck when I frowned. “The more popular you become, the more you could take him on and help Thorn. He’dwantyou weak, Sagan. He’d be a good ally then and you’re cornered with him.”

I nodded, not having thought of it exactly that way but knowing it would tie me to a snake if I didn’t get him out first. Ayao did me another solid, so I did the same when I was alone after breakfast and called his uncle.

“You’re wasting his potential,” I said in way of greeting.

“Good morning?” Dray sighed.

“If we don’t work out, you’re wasting his potential mating him as a stud horse for an alliance for the family,” I elaborated, continuing when he didn’t say anything. “He’d make a perfect Beta. He’s smart and he doesn’t want the position of Alpha. He should be your son’s right hand.”

“It’s complicated,” he mumbled.

“You mean your brother’s a fucking asshole,” I said plainly, not waiting for a response. “Here are my conditions that Ayao came up with and then go ahead with the plan.”

And then I told him exactly what Ayao had suggested and I agreed. I had a lot listed of Wilder’s punishment since he wouldn’t be in my dungeons and was saved the embarrassment and I was glad when Dray agreed.

Now if I could just trust it would get done as planned and Alphas didn’t try to pull a fast one on me later.

13

Thorn

Something was different with Sagan—shewas different… And I didn’t really think it was for the better. She was colder to everyone, cut off. It was like that royal perfect mask she’d worn when I’d first met her but even worse. It wasn’t her being perfect, but like she was just out of hope and resigned to… I wasn’t sure.

Her life?

That her life would suck?

She was cold when she called me on how I’d treated her. Not like she was hurt, but annoyed she had to explain it to me. And okay, fine, that was pretty fair but just… Not like her.

Maybe I didn’t know her as well as I thought, but even when she’d been really upset with me before and had to clue me in, she hadn’t been so cold. It felt like she was now the person the media had always called her.

But it was also more than that—or more than anything to do with me.

Monday was the announcement of Wilder being out of the “contest” for her, the Alpha of Nevelyn holding the press conference for it. He blamed the temple as planned and all of the Alphas and contestants signing on that they weren’t giving the temple power over Sagan.

Plus, more than that and it was a success. A huge success from the follow-up interviews and whatnot. There were a few bumps because nothing was perfect like Uncle taking a shot that the Alphas were glad to take auditing the temples off Sagan’s plate since she was so inexperienced and didn’t have help anymore because the elders were corrupt.

Right, because the temples in his area weren’t already his responsibility?

Asshole.