Page 18 of The Chosen Fae

"She suffocated me, and I was trying to get Maeve off me before she killed me."

The guys didn't say anything to her or Maeve and carried Maeve out of the room. Rune guessed then that they were taking her to medical to check out her wounds.

Rune was afraid she would be in so much trouble. She didn't think she would ever be able to get to sleep after the horror she had experienced. Plus, she thought they might come at any time to grab her and send her home. But she finally fell asleep, exhausted from the late hour and what she'd gone through.

When she finally woke the next morning, she realized Maeve hadn't returned to bed. Rune thought she would be bandaged up and dropped back off in the room. But her bed was empty.

Had she gotten worse during the night? Despite what Maeve had tried to do to her, Rune hoped not. Maybe they'd put her in another room because the two of them didn't get along.

But Rune still figured she was going home.

Rune got dressed and packed her chest, and then a female staff member knocked on the door and called out, "Your advisor wants to see you."

Rune opened the door, and the fae smiled at her. "Then you can eat breakfast."

"And be sent home?" Rune asked.

The woman shook her head.

Rune didn't know if that meant she wasn't being sent home or that the woman couldn't believe what she'd done to Maeve.

When Rune knocked at Ondine's door, she said, "Come in, Rune."

Rune opened the door, went inside, and shut it.

Ondine was leaning back in her chair, considering her. "Take a seat."

Rune sat on one of the comfortable chairs, nervous that she might end up staying but be punished for what had happened last night.

"About last night⁠—"

"Maeve tried to suffocate me," Rune explained. She wasn't going to cover for her.

"Right. We have it all on video."

And they let it happen? What was wrong with these people?

"I'm sorry. No one was monitoring your room when Maeve attacked you. We have all the video recordings. We checked them over after we heard Maeve screaming and saw that you had cut her with your sword."

"I didn't have any other way to stop her."

"I agree. We certainly would have intervened and removed her from the game. I'm sorry you had to experience this, but I'm glad you were able to use your special sword to stop Maeve."

"I didn't realize the sword had that kind of power."

"None of us did."

"Will Maeve be back in the game then?"

"No. Not only because she tried to kill you, but also because her leg and arm are still paralyzed, and she can't use them for a few days. She tried to eliminate you permanently. But you eliminated her in a way that would let her live out her life knowing what she did, and that she was thrown out of the program because of her own traitorous actions. If you are to rule a pack, you can’t kill off the members, or you won’t have anyone to command."

Rune still couldn't believe that they had security videos monitoring the rooms but hadn't seen what was going on when Maeve was trying to kill her.

"For your information, the people responsible for monitoring the videos have been reprimanded and sent home without pay. It won't happen again."

Well, that was good.

"The video will be shared at the morning meal so that everyone will know why Maeve was eliminated from the program and maybe even why you are a dangerous fae to target. Maeve will watch it with her family at home, under her pack's care. That's all. Go have your breakfast. Oh, and you won't be having another roommate since the number of females is uneven. So for now, you have a private room."