Knightly
“That’s a very interesting proposal, Knight,” Savage clears his throat.
It’s been a very long time since we’ve been in the same room. The two of us don’t really know where we stand outside of our fathers‘ opinions about what we should do about the other. He only agreed to this meeting because I called a temporary cease- fire signed in my blood.
“It solves every economic issue we have right now. I have the means to correct this and keep Arnold back from being an asshole. Not all rogues are going to like being forced into the packlands. Your perfect criminal record will skyrocket within the next couple of years. We’ve seen this happen before,”
“I’m just supposed to overlook everything you’ve done to my family?” he scoffs.
“Look, asshole, you sent two fucking strike teams to my house knowing my mate was going to shift on the full moon. My pups could have been there. Don’t play the victim, you bitch. You’ve done just as much damage to my family. So, get off your fucking high horse, prince dumb ass. I’m offering you a way out,
“I don’t want to be the fucking king to a bunch of preppy alpha pussies crying out for handouts. I don’t even want to be this. I have a family that I need to protect. This is the only way without having to give my father what he wants. I’m calling it quits and it’s up to you to decide whether you want a war or not. Make me say yes to my father, and I will start with the people around you. I will slowly eat away at everything around you until you fucking beg me to kill you,”
“You’re choosing to make a threat,” he smirks.
“It’s a promise,” I stand up. I take my jacket off the back of the armchair and start for the door.
“How do we solve this without spilling any blood? Arnold has been working his entire life for this shit, and he’s not going to let it go because you have a sliver of a conscience compared to him. He still has all the power over you,”
“Arnold stopped mattering when I had to leave my pregnant mate alone and nearly lost my daughter. Fuck him,” I turn around to face this kid. “I don’t know what you want me to say. You know this is a sure thing,”
“Kill him,” he shrugs. “Bring me his head,”
“Motherfucker. And if I want your father’s head in return? You gonna give me that?”
“My father isn’t like yours,”
“Right. Because he’s never ruined any lives. Do you want to ask Perry what happened to her parents? Maybe you can tell the Wolfes what really happened to their mother in the trenches. Why don’t we talk about the arranged marriages that created the fucking
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Hellion Triads? Fuck you, Savage. They’re the same person. The only difference is that my father has never lied about being a good person. You have until the next full moon to decide,”
I get to the door and stop when an alarm goes off. King Dumb Ass stands and walks out first. I follow behind him.
“What’s going on?” he asks. The former King and his mate come down the stairs, demanding to know what’s going on.
My blood runs cold when a guard starts coming down the stairs with my mate in handcuffs following behind him.
“What the fuck?” I growl, stepping forward. Savage holds his arm out, stopping me. Let my mate go right now,”
He looks back at me and then at her.
“What’s going on?” he demands.
11
“A fire was started in the display room, my king. We found her trying to jump off the balcony. We think she might have tossed whatever she used to start the fire. We have the lower–level guards looking for it now,”
“None of that happened. I was looking for the restroom. I smelled smoke and opened the door to find a fire. I ran to the balcony to let the smoke out before it got worse and the alarms went off. I got scared I was going to be blamed, and then this big fuck came out of nowhere and did just that. Please, I haven’t even used the restroom,” Phoebe wiggles around with her legs crossed. “Knight, help,”
“Let her go,” I growl at the guard. The King nods, and the guard uncuffs her, and she runs to me, wrapping her arms around my waist.
“I really have to go, please,”
“In my office,” Savage points back the way we came.
“Thank you, Mister,” she takes his hand in both of hers and shakes it rapidly before scrambling to his office.
“What’s going on? Where’s Phoebe?”
I turn around to find my father, Perry, Jonas, the twins, and Melody Savage coming towards us.
“You were supposed to be watching her,” I growl.
“She had to use the restroom, Nathan. You want me to wipe her ass, too?” he shouts back.
“Pop–pop,” Ayrie scolds him.
“She was gone for about four minutes, Knight. What’s going on?” Perry asks.
“Someone started a fire, and they’re blaming Phoebe for it. She’s in the restroom,” I
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explain. My father scoffs in the only way he knows how.
“You got a problem, Knightly?” the former King growls at him. I hate them both. Savage and I would benefit from taking their heads.
“You really think that fucking twink would come here to start a fire with her kids around? Admit it, King Dipshit. This is one of your little bullshit ass accusations because she’s Nathan’s mate,”
“You want to run that by me again, b-”
“Daddy,” Melody Savage runs over to him. “You be nice. That’s my best friend’s Pop- pop. Her mommy made her outfit. I want one. Don’t be mean,”
“Mel-” she cuts him off with a high–pitched scream.
“Ayrie?” Phoebe runs out of the office.
“Mommy!” Ayrie lets go of Perry’s hand and runs over to her. Phoebe kneels in front of her and immediately inspects her for wounds.
“Are you okay? Why did you scream?” she demands worriedly.
“It wasn’t me, Silly. It was Mel. Her dad is being mean to Pop–Pop,” Ayrie points back at my father.
“Get the fuck out of my palace,” Savage groans.
“We were leaving anyway,” I say, picking up Aizen when he comes closer to me. Phoebe takes Ayrie.
“Wait,” Melody stops her and runs over to Savage. She takes his hand and leads him a little closer to my mate. “I want pretty dresses like that too, Bubs. She said her mommy makes them,”
“We’ll talk about it later,” he lifts her up.
“But, King brother, I really like her. She’s my friend. I’ve always wanted a pretty princess friend. I never had one before. I’m the only princess here,”
The former Queen takes her from him, and as she’s being taken away, she starts to cry and howl about how they never let her have anything she wants.
I motion the others to leave with us. Ayrie wraps her arms around Phoebe and rests her head on her shoulder without taking her eyes
off me.
“Never do that to me, or you won’t have any pretty princess friends either,” I warn her.
“I don’t need pretty princess friends, Daddy. There can only be pretty princess Ayrie. Aizen and me made a pact,” she smiles sweetly.
“Yup. Only one annoying Ayrie. No more,” he nods. “Those are the rules agreed up and on,”
“Upon,” Perry corrects him. She smirks at me, giving me a silent I told you so. “It’s just one word, sweetie,”
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We drop everyone off at Perry’s and head back to the airport.
“What happened?” I ask.
“I started a fire in the display room at the palace, Phoebe holds out her phone for me. She fucking took pictures. “They were my designs. She even forged my stitch. She used forest moss green instead of a dark emerald string,”
“You could have gotten hurt,” I glare at her.
“She did a great job,” my father places a torch on my lap as he excuses himself into the back room. “She can follow orders. Alpha Rizen is a good girl,”
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