Page 36 of Dewpoint
“Fine, I deserve it, but not the shoulder again and not publicly,” he grumbled, sounding actually apologetic. “Sorry.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say, “Good boy,” but even I knew that would be over the line.
He’d still deserved it.
I explained everything and could practically hear the wheels turning in his mind.
“How do you want to play this?” he finally asked.
“I just changed my answer with that being your response,” I said honestly, the pressure that had built in my chest subsiding some. “Now I want you to have the win. You built this with Father, and you received a lot of bad press for trying to throw me under the bus when other Alphas accepted they misbehaved. Take this win as us moving forward and you…”
“Thank you for not saying it,” he mumbled.
“But don’ttake over,” I warned him. “I’m willing to frame this as I knew this was your shining glory with Father and I respect the past and myelders’ wisdomwhen they’re not corrupt and are wise. Not that I cannot handle being queen or issues inmy area. We both know I can handle this.” I chuffed when he didn’t say anything.
He sighed. “I’m not saying you can’t. I just don’t know you can. I’ve not seen either way. Ithinkyou could, but I have no proof. It wasn’t dismissive or negative, but—I might be an egotistical asshole, but I’m also pragmatic and—I don’t knowyou could handle this mess or even well. I don’t think a lot of Alphas could, so it’s not your sex or age.”
“Fair,” I accepted. It was complicated after all. “Also, given your expertise with police corruption and that Jade Creek is now always ranked the top police force, I would like you or one of your Betas running point with maybe Fraser or Darren to help select a new police chief—either from Nerthus or not.”
He chuckled darkly. “I change my answer. Yes, you could have handled this. Smart. Very smart. Make it clear they get on your train or the train will run them over. There are always more options, and you’re not as limited as people think. Rhys taught you well.”
It was hard not to snort, but I curbed it and thanked him for the praise. Or maybe pulling his head out of his ass?
Both. Probably both.
9
Thorn
“You’re a fucking moron and you deserve this,”my dragon said in my mind for the hundredth time as I stared at the ceiling of my hotel room.
I handled it badly, but I’m not wrong.
“You are. You’re letting your pride blind you. Your rage at the past and—we should be better than a title and not hurt our mate over—”
She’s not our mate.
“She should be!”
I growled and shot to my feet. It was beyond ridiculous that my dragon already wanted Sagan as our mate. He wasn’t listening to me that no sane man would want to share their mate, but in a shocking turn of events, he didn’t care.
I didn’t believe him though and he would in the end. Then I’d have my heart invested and it would be a disaster because he wouldn’t accept the relationship I wanted as a man.
“You’re stupid. It’s better to not be with her and let many men near her to hurt her? Have her? Have them in her bed that should be our place and—”
Just thinking of it made me chuff and grab my wallet to leave the hotel room and do… Anything else until I could get back into the castle and have a chance to talk to Sagan. I wouldn’t everwant to be a prince, but I couldn’t stand I’d hurt her. I was stupid and my head had hurt from after the potion.
I’d been all over after waking with her in my arms and how much I’d loved it—howrightit had felt and how much that had scared me.
I’d fucked up.
I’d more than fucked up and I hated what I’d done. That broken, distant look in her eyes would haunt me, and then when she snapped out of it and the coldness she showed everyone else—the emotional armor she wore foreveryone elsecame back into place and I lost getting to see the real Sagan… It was like losing warmth I didn’t know was possible.
But no matter how harsh it came out, it was what I felt. I didn’t want to beoneof her mates when I was meant to be Alpha. It would be different if things were different and… If things were different. If my uncle wasn’t horrible for the area I loved so much. If he wasn’t a blight on Starhaven.
If I would be her only mate and I knew someone else would take care of Starhaven instead. That would be different.
“You’re selfish and don’t deserve her if you feel that way when she never asked for any of this and don’t care about what she suffers,”my dragon reamed me.
