I’m the Crown Holder

Savannah

“What do you know about Jeremiah?”

The room gets sucked free of oxygen. It becomes hard to breathe for everyone but the two of us. Lucien and I lock horns, his eyes challenging me, mine warning him to back the hell off and pick up a different topic.

I don’t mess around when it comes to my family. If he plans on trashing my dad, he has another thing coming.

This isn’t a good conversation topic and he fucking knows it. He’s trying to bait me into a fight, I’m sure.

“Grave, I’m about to hurt some feelings, fair warning.”

I look at the man I have identifying traits to and go into battle mode. My shoulders straight and my posture firm.

My head held high, I make sure the light can catch the jewels on my metaphorical crown as well as the blood still dripping from my horns. I feel my fangs puncture my gums but not quite descend as of yet.

I’m ready for war.

My eyes on nothing but the pathetic heap of a man who so desperately wants me to crawl on my hands and knees out of his kingdom an inadvertently whimpering mess.

The fire in my eyes igniting with every day I’ve held their memories closer to the fiery pit of my broken soul.

“I know he was my dad. I know he banged your step-sister. I know you two were friends. Best friends at that. So chummy and keen on each other. I know he was the president of a club you were the vice president in.

“I know he loved me. I know I was his and will always be his daughter. I know I miss him.”

Lucien stiffens up like a steel rod just went up his asshole and fused to his spine. His eyes are freezing black vortexes from space to suck me in.

Good thing I know how to handle pissed-off childish bitches such as this excuse for an adult male.

“True,” the tech says.

“Lucien, with the utmost respect I can offer the father of my husband-to-be, don’t pull this trigger. I care about three things, don’t bring my family into this. That’s your beef, not the club’s, it has nothing to do with me being a Luna.

“Honestly, I don’t really care if after the trial you guys take one hundred percent lead on club Luna. Or whatever, the ONLY reason I’m here is for the man I care about. Passing or not won’t change that. I’m his for life. He’s my mate. Get fucking used to it.”

Everything is even more still, like that crazy feeling you get right before the storm breaks and makes landfall.

I can see the hurricane coming. The tornado is just swirling around and about to make touchdown. The blizzard is above us, ready to send the avalanche to cake us in its white powder.

I know this is coming. He will pull the trigger and I’ll slit his fucking throat and bathe in his blood like skin cream.

With or without the onlookers that are so patiently waiting to see what will pop off between a wimpy king and a powerful goddess.

A sinister smile creeps along his lips. His eyes flick to Damon, then to his other two boys before he comes back to me. I can see the hatred in his eyes.

It’s pooling from his every pore and he’s saturating in it. I can smell the vile hatred from this man like it’s his personal cologne.

I can see the devil rumor coming to life.

If I had to think of what it would be like to face the real-life devil, to look him in the eyes and fight for my life, this would be it.

“How is it that you found out that Grave is your biological father?”

This is a loaded question—I can tell by the tone. He is trying to lead me down a path to what kind of person he wants me to be, to show who it is he sees me as.

He better tread carefully.

“Darrion was arguing with Grams about behaving like a dickhead, and he said, ‘She isn’t his, take one look at her and you can tell.’ Right before Grams knocked him out with a frying pan.

“I didn’t let it go. After getting and giving head at the pizza place and waiting for everyone to go to sleep, I snuck out and went to see Grams, who was waiting for me.

“She gave me the letters and talked to me about my mom, about you, and Nina. I read the letters my mom sent to Nina and found it all out. Then, I blacked out.”

I see his mask slip, even if it was just for a second and only an inch, but I saw it.

“What else in the letters did you find?”

Again, he leads me down the path to show me as whatever it is he sees.

Maybe the daughter of a traitor, maybe some kind of sneaky rat, I don’t know, but whatever it is, I know he’s wrong.

“I found out that Grave was my biological father, that my mom cheated on him and ran off with my dad. That my dad wanted to be my biological father but the odds weren’t in his favor.

“That…Nina and my mom were the best of friends. That she was the godmother to your sons. That she gave Damon his middle name. That…she was scared and felt guilty. That…”

~She wasn’t in love with my dad like I thought.~

~That so much was a lie.~

~That she and my dad weren’t the people who I thought they were.~

“That she helped Nina while you were in jail, that she sent money and gave her something to help you get your sentence reduced. That they did turn on the club but for the right reasons.

“They did it to get the big time taken away so everyone only did small time. That she loved me.”

I can feel my angel find another rod, and it goes right up his asshole. The other two Henleys too. I don’t know why they’re getting so tense.

Lucien looks impassive, and that cannot be a good sign. Not in the slightest.

“What was that about Ellis giving my Nina?”

They are all suddenly breakable beings who have everything set on me. Their eyes like I just spit in their mother’s face and talked trash about her cooking.

I look around the room, confused, and even turn to see Damon looking just like the rest of the male species in the room.

~What’s happening?~

~What’s wrong?~

“Answer me, girl,” Lucien spits.

“In one of the letters, my mom said she gave Nina a gun with someone’s fingerprints to get your sentence reduced.”

And just like that, I lost everyone.

This dark cloud rolled over us and cast us into the darkness. I could feel the withdrawal of the room even with the bit of respect I’ve fought tooth and nail for.

The respect I’ve bled for, I was beaten for, I was shot for.

The respect I’ve earned.

Gone. Just like that.

“She doesn’t know. She had nothing to do with it.” Grave stands, his eyes on his alpha and making a point to come to my aid.

I look at my angel, who looks at the floor.

I can hear him so loudly fighting with himself and whatever he has going on.

Daxon looks broken-hearted, like I just let him down. Darrion looks just like Lucien, the emotionless mask like these boys’ favorite accessories.

“What don’t I know? What’s wrong?”

Grave moves from his chair. Pushing it in and tilting it to rest against the table. I’ve never seen that done, normally they just leave the room, but this seems significant.

He comes to my side and sets his hand on my shoulder.

~What’s going on?~

“See this?” Lucien looks far too pleased.

Like he just won the jackpot and I still can’t figure out what the fuck is going on.

~Why’s my angel not with me?~

Lucien points to me, his body is tense like steel.

“See why she can’t be a part of us? What she’s taken.”

Lucien looks to Damon.

“See who you’ve invited in your bed, boy?”

I rip the wires off and stand up too.

“Tell me what the fuck is wrong? I answered your questions with the only truth I know.”

Grave sticks to me, never letting me take a step that he hasn’t himself.

Lucien smiles, but his eyes show nothing but the heavy, brutal sadness I carry within my heart of hearts. The pain you always keep when you lose someone you love.

Damon has light in his eyes, not completely black. A midnight ocean of the sky that is beautiful to watch.

Lucien has a bright grey-green color that is beautiful in its own way but…something isn’t there.

It’s the light.

Lucien’s light is gone.

Damon braids his fingers into his dark hair and hauls back to punch the wooden side table he and his brothers sit at. The top board breaks, but he doesn’t stop.

He goes on a rampage and destroys the table even with his older brothers still sitting at it.

“Angel?” I go to his side, but Grave catches me by the elbow and shakes his head ~no~.

For whatever reason, I listen.

Focusing my anger on the bitch at the head seat, I let my fangs descend. My venom ready and eager to take this peasant king down.

“What is wrong?”

My eyes probably glowing red.

“Your rat of a mother got my Nina killed.”