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“It’s because you never thought you’d be queen.” Devin laces our fingers together under the table. “You grew up thinking Oliver would take over the throne. And you never dared to imagine or dream of anything different.”
He’s not wrong.
My whole life has been planned for me. And anything outside of what King Hastings wanted felt like a fantasy. I didn’t even allow myself to think about it because it didn’t matter. What my father wanted always happened.
“I want Nico to have a choice,” I admit to Devin. “I want him to feel as free as I do right now. He’s only a little bit younger than I am, but he’s never gotten to truly live his life.”
“Do you think he’ll want to move to Alaska with us?”
My heart swells at his question. When I first met Devin, I never imagined he’d be willing to allow my brother to move to pack land. Then again, when we first met, I thought he would reject me completely.
“I hope he will.” I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “If I’m going to take over as queen, I need him by my side. And if Nico is going to take over as king, I imagine he’ll want my help. But do you think it’s possible for a dark fae to rule from pack land?”
Devin nods. “Yes. Dark fae have been alienated for far too long. When we defeat King Hastings, it’s important for the dark fae to know that things have changed. What better way to do that than to allow them to mingle with other supernaturals?”
The thought of supernaturals mingling together with dark fae is so inconceivable, it’s hard to even imagine it. I know it’s what’s right. It’s just been drilled into me for so long that it’s not ‘proper.’
“Will the wolf shifters really accept the dark fae after everything my father has done?” I ask. “He was so cruel to them. Won’t they hate us? Because I keep thinking about Jenna and how much she hated me because of what King Hastings did to her parents.”
“No.” Devin squeezes my hand. “Things are different now—the wolf shifters have seen the man that King Hastings is. They’ve also seenyou, the real you. You stood up to yourkingto defend me. The pack won’t forget that. They will give the dark fae a chance because of you.”
He has so much confidence in me. I only wish I could have confidence in myself like that.
I glance at the clock and see that it’s five minutes until one o’clock. Kai is scheduled to be executed at one. My heart aches when I think about my brother’s friend. He’s more than that—in the time I’ve known him, Kai has also become my friend.
Tears well up in my eyes, so I turn my head away from Devin, not wanting him to see. He always gets so upset when I’m sad, but there is nothing he can do about this. There is no way that we can save Kai. If there was a way, we would have already.
I turn when I hear footsteps coming into the kitchen. Damian walks in, giving his phone to Devin. I glance over, curious about what he’s trying to show us. My heart races when I see my father’s face on the screen.
King Hastings looksangry. His face is bright red and his entire body is tense as he addresses the camera.
“Late last night, Kailor Davenport escaped from dark fae custody.” His voice is low as he addresses the camera. His eyes are darker than I’ve ever seen them before. “We have reviewed security footage, but it is unclear how it happened. What we do know is that he wasn’t working alone.”
Nico.
Ithadto be Nico. There is no way he would let his friend die.
“If anybody has any information that can help up find the traitor, I ask that you come forward. Anybody who helps capture Kailor will be rewarded substantially,” he says. “This is not a win for the rebels, and this is not a win for Victoria Hastings.”
When I hear him mention my name, my breath gets caught in my throat.
Wow—hereallyhates me. I’ve always known it, but I don’t think I realized just how deep his hatred is.
“Kai is okay,” I say, once the video comes to an end. “He got away.”
Devin smiles. “Yeah, he is.”
Damian takes his phone back. “He got away, but he’s far from okay. King Hastings has every spare dark fae looking for Kai. Right now, he looks like a fool, but he knows it. He’s starting to get desperate.”
“My father being desperate is not a good thing,” I tell him. “I’ve seen him get out of some insane things in my life when he’s desperate. It’s like he can hyper focus. He’s resourceful.”
Damian rubs at the scruff on his jaw. “Yes, but he is also out of options. The Alpha Council isn’t going to stand for much more. They’ve been wanting to do something about him for years, but we’ve always been under the impression that the dark fae don’t want change.”
“We’ve been desperate for it,” I admit. “Some like what my father does but definitely not the majority.”
“Do you really think the Alpha Council will help?” I look at Damian, trying not to feel too hopeful. I don’t want to be let down.
“I don’t know,” he answers. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
