Page 89 of Microburst

His brother had taken it in stride even if I’d seen the anger in his eyes. I was going to be the ruler of a more powerful country, so what could he really do?

And those guys who had beaten up a prince weren’t stupid enough to hold a grudge against the Heir of Thovudin. At least not publicly.

Olwen was always fair and had made it a point to say something in front of his father that I had helped him against some bullies without knowing what was going on. His brother had caught on that I had just helped another royal, not stepped into family business. That was probably what made him let it go, but not me.

Which was also why I would never forgive Vex for how he treated Onyx. There was no forgiveness for people who betrayed their family.

Ever.

I wasn’t sure what we were going to say next, but Treena came walking towards us briskly like she wasn’t trying to hurry but was absolutely trying to hurry.

She gave Makeda a half hug before greeting Olwen with a quick one too. “Lovely to see you both, but let’s drop the formalities. There’s a situation.” She glanced at me. “Rigel’s gone.”

I raised an eyebrow and couldn’t hide how I was swallowing down how much I wanted to toast to one less idiot in my castle. Then I saw Toni standing off to the side looking like she might faint and I swallowed a groan. “How bad?”

“It’s a cable show, so it’s allowed just about anything, going live now, and they didn’t promote it so no one could try to stop it, Your Majesty,” she said quickly.

“So really fucking bad,” someone muttered from behind me.

Pretty much.

I glanced over at the Alphas. “I’m not sure why you’re here, but my schedule is going to become even more chaotic it seems. Let’s just watch this train wreck in the dining hall and at least see what the kitchen can handle.” I didn’t give them time to respond, snorting when Olwen offered me his arm and accepting it.

And noting how Onyx was watching from close by, waiting for some sort of cue. I nodded that he could join us, Joris too, who had been weird with me. Mostly hesitant and there was a conversation needed there too. I knew that.

I knew that and I’d not been fair to him.

I knew that.

I just… There was only so much I could handle and not implode.

The intro had already played and I was focused on the host, something tickling my mind. I was getting more and more familiar with most of the media personalities in Thovudin by the day, but I felt like I should know Evan Blake’s name. It was just there, out of reach almost.

“Let’s get right into because everyone already knows you’re the Alpha of Selka’s son, Rigel, and until today, a prospective mating candidate of the queen,” Evan said, raising an eyebrow when Rigel snorted. “You weren’t?”

“Technically,” he drawled. “She was never going to consider me. She didn’t hide that she thought it was embarrassing that people thought I could be an option for her.”

“Well, that’s a lot to take in,” Evan admitted, tapping his pen. “But let’s back up and I want everyone to hear it clearly from you why you came on the show. You’re not being paid. This isn’t about money.”

“No, I want people to know the truth of what’s going on,” Rigel said firmly. “No scrubbed version or cleaned up anything later. People are valid to say they have a right to know aboutthe queen’s mating, no matter what she says, because she’s not just any woman, she’s our ruler.

“I’m not saying people get to choose for her, but my parents said that a lot of people had opinions and influence who her father mated. It’s childish of her to think the same wouldn’t apply to her. So it’s not fair that she says she needs to be treated like any other woman and not be pressured but then wants the prime candidates a ruler would get.”

“Does that even make sense?” Olwen asked under his breath.

“Don’t expect much intelligence,” Treena sighed. “Really not a sharp one.”

“Oh dear,” Makeda chuckled darkly.

“Right, but she didn’t choose any of you, so I would think that people are heavily influencing who she will possibly mate already,” Evan countered, but moved right on. “But you’re right that people do want to know the truth. Just to clarify, are you saying anything has been covered up?”

Rigel flinched. “The Lori thing really happened. Everyone was freaked out. I don’t know everything about Wilder or—we’re not friends. Even if some of us were cordial before this stupid competition, we weren’t after walking into that castle, so I don’t know what was going on in his mind. The temple thing was creepy. It freaked us all out, I know that.”

“So you were worried about people turning things around on you and wanted the record straight.”

Rigel relaxed. “Yes.Yes, exactly. People need to know how ridiculous it all is. I’m not getting dragged through the mud.”

“So there was conflict. That’s why you’re exiting the competition?”