Chapter 42

It’s been seven days. Seven days without laying eyes on Roman.

I’m aware he’s nearby, given the fact that I’m still breathing, but he’s avoiding me.

Laura—that’s the witch’s name, I’ve learned—has informed me that Honora has filled him in on everything. But neither of them want to see me.

Right now, though, I’m sitting in front of the council again.

My fate is in the hands of a group of Alphas with an excess of testosterone.

“She technically killed the king without a duel, so she should be executed.”

“She’s stronger than the king. She burned down the entire house, she should wear the crown.”

“Why are we even discussing this? No offense, but you’re going to die anyway now that your mate is dead. Or did you use the spell?”

“She clearly doesn’t look sick, does she?”

“I still think we should execute her. We’ll have a duel among the Alphas for who is to be king.”

“You just want the crown for yourself. That’s not how things work.”

“As if you know anything. You’re the Alpha of the smallest pack here.”

I let out a sigh before standing up, slamming my hands on the table and sending two streams of fire along it.

They all stop talking and look at me.

“First off, Roman isn’t dead. Secondly, I’ll take the crown because the prince will be king and thirdly, stop acting like puppies who can’t control themselves.

“Yes, I killed the king. But I was kind of consumed by grief over my mate who was supposedly dead and didn’t really notice I was killing anyone.

“The jerk cheated, had his witch cast a spell to make him stronger. Are we done now?”

Alex is looking at me with a grin. His hand is holding Penelope’s.

She’s looking at me with pride, the face of a true warrior recognizing another.

The Alpha, aka jerk, who’s been advocating for my execution multiple times clears his throat.

“So the witch should die.” I slump back into my chair with a sigh.

“No one is going to die. It wasn’t her fault. She was blood bound by the king. She didn’t have a choice but to obey.” I’m growing more and more irritated with each passing second.

Jackson looks at me, making me feel uneasy.

“Someone has to be punished for what happened.” His words stun me. The other Alphas nod, except for Alex and Penelope. Alex rolls his eyes.

“For what should that person be punished exactly? No one except for the king got hurt and we all know that we wanted to get rid of that jerk anyway. Whoever caused his death did us a favor.”

I smile at him.

I’m glad he’s Penelope’s mate, he seems like a good guy. Unfortunately, jerk has something to say.

“Of course you’d say that, your mate is one of the possible punishers. Or did we forget that she hid a hunted wolf? She kept crucial information to herself for years and tried to make a deal to get the king killed. Have we all forgotten?”

Jackson shoots me a worried look. This is not going to happen.

Before I can respond, Alex is up from his chair. He leans over the table towards jerk.

I quickly pull back my flames, before he burns himself.

“If you touch my mate, I will rip your head off your body and feed it to the pigs.” This is going to escalate quickly. Penelope places a hand on Alex’s arm, trying to calm him.

Jerk slowly rises and gets in Alex’s face.

“The truth hurts, doesn’t it?” I use a gust of wind to push them both back into their chairs. Their angry faces are now directed at me.

“You...” I turn to jerk. “Will not make empty threats or I will consider you a threat. And you.”

I shift my gaze towards Alex. “Put your dick back, we believe it’s the biggest okay?! No need for this charade.” They both turn to speak but I raise my hands again.

“We all know you’re only saying all of this because you want the crown. If you want it, you can challenge me to a duel.”

I let a bit of fire flicker on my arms. Jerk looks annoyed but he doesn’t say anything more.

“We’re not going to punish anyone nor are we going on a witch hunt. The witch is under my protection, she belongs to me now. Just like the crown. The crown will be returned to Roman when the time is right.”

My voice is firm, steady, full of confidence. The Alphas slowly nod, except for, of course, jerk.

“No one has seen Roman, how can we be sure he’s still alive?” Everyone is silent. I don’t know what to do.

If they see Roman, they’ll know what went wrong and it might escalate. If they don’t see him, they might think he isn’t alive.

“Two weeks from now, on the full moon, the prince will be crowned. You will all see him at the coronation. Good day, gentlemen.” I practically sprint out of the room.

Footsteps follow me. Thinking it’s jerk, whose name I really need to learn, I turn around angrily. Instead, it’s Jackson, he looks lost, unsure of what to do. He holds out one hand.

“Katelynn...” I run into his arms. I hug him tightly and after a moment of hesitation, he hugs me back just as tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Baby Girl. I should have known you’re strong enough to handle the truth. We were afraid to lose you. You are and will always be our…”

“TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!” I pull away from Jackson. When I turn around, Alan is standing in the hallway, the guards behind him unsure of what to do.

Jackson grabs my shoulders and moves me behind him. The tension in the air is suffocating.

“She’s not your daughter. All those years you made everyone believe you were dead. Years of holding her when she was sick, cheering her on at every training, staying up late to help her study for school tests. You haven’t earned the title of being her father. I have!”

Alan lets out a growl. I spin around to face them. Jackson’s arms are outstretched, blocking my path.

“You’ve robbed her of the chance to know her real father, you traitor! The loss of her pup nearly destroyed my mate. Her own sister stole her baby.”

Jackson moves a step closer. His entire body is rigid with tension.

“Dad, please.” Both men turn to look at me and my heart shatters.

Shatters for the man who raised a pup as his own, only to lose her again.

Shatters for a father who never had the opportunity to raise his pup.

And here I stand.

Stuck in the middle, torn between two worlds.

The man who raised me and taught me everything I know, and the man who fought for me with such intensity.

“I love you both. What’s done is done. We can’t go back and change things. Right now, I need both my dads. Roman is... he is... we’re struggling.

“And I’ve just claimed a crown, without knowing how to wear it. I need both of you.” Jackson gives me a sad smile. Alan growls again.

“What kind of lies have you filled her head with?! You’re not her father and you never will be, no matter how many times you’ve snapped your fingers to have a servant bring her goddamn tissues!

“My Queen, I wish to file a motion to have this man executed for betrayal and attacking one of his own.”

Jackson and I both gasp in shock. I slowly turn my head to look at Jackson. The truth is written all over his face. He knows what I have to do.

“Guards...” my voice breaks into a sob. “Take this man to the cells. An investigation will begin.” Jackson cups my face in his hands. I look at him through a veil of tears.

“It’s okay, Baby Girl. I understand.” I shake my head, my heart shattering for the umpteenth time this month. Behind us, Alan screams as the guards drag him away.

“Katelynn! It wasn’t my fault. Think about your mother!” Jackson holds my face firmly, preventing me from looking at Alan. He struggles against the guards, but their combined strength is too much for him.

“I’ll take care of mom, dad.. I promise.. I’m so sorry.”