Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 114617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
I ground my teeth, frustration leaking growls through my lips. Why couldn’t Edric understand this? Why couldn’t he see what I was trying to do? Normally it wouldn’t matter, but Edric saw into my mind. He saw everything.
He saw Destiny and what Wolf Nation would become if I didn’t stop it. He saw the horrors coming... and he still didn’t agree with me.
If he didn’t, no one would. No one would claim me the hero. The savior. Until the end of time, my people and beyond would see me as what I’ve come to see myself—that I’m the villain.
A stray thought crossed the bond. Too quick for Edric to stop.
My brows shot up. “So that’s why you suddenly decided to be roomies. You want to watch me at night, so you can follow me to my project out in the woods.”
“We have to get rid of it.”
“You’re real cute with that we.” Together we rounded the corner, heading straight for the pumping bass. “It’s the most important ingredient in the only weapon we have against the alphas and betas. It’s not going anywhere.”
“You can’t forcibly mute thousands of people!”
I dismissed that entirely. “They can learn to sign like Wind communities have. It’s not a big deal.”
“Of course it’s a big deal. Look, if it’s people like Mason who are using their power to hurt others, then yes, they should lose it. But you can’t take away the voice of every alpha and every beta. Most are good people.”
“Then why would a good person want the power to gaslight people, or bend them to their will?” I shot back. “Why should anyone have that power? For decades, they have, and this is the society they created. One with alphas and betas on top, and everyone else on the ground with their boots on their throats.”
“I agree,” he thought, surprising me. “The power to command and persuade are incredibly easy powers to abuse, and many have. But only those ‘many’ deserve to lose that power. Not their whole voice, and not every alpha and beta. Figure out a way to get rid of the power and the power only, and then only use that weapon on the guilty.”
My head was shaking before he finished. “If there was a way to take away just the power, don’t you think the thousands of oppressed omegas would’ve made that happen at some time over the centuries? We’re dealing with gods here. Luame and her mate gave the power, they’d have to take it away.”
“Then I suggest you get to praying, girl, because once I find out where you’re hiding that patch, I’m burning it to ash.”
“You’re the worst, most annoying fucking person ever born! You do know that, right?”
Smirking at me, Edric tossed me a wink.
We rounded the final corner and came up on large, ornate double doors. It was that day that I found out Corvin Academy had a ballroom. I assumed it was fancily over-the-top like everything in the castle. Stepping inside, I discovered I was wrong. Fancily over-the-top didn’t begin to cover it.
Nia took my theme and ran so far off the field with it, she crossed oceans.
Golden chandeliers twinkled under purple accent lights, raining plum radiance down on the guests. Tables surrounded the dance floor, topped with golden cloth and sweet-smelling purple flowers. Nestled among the flowers were crown centerpieces.
As good as the room looked, it didn’t top the great-looking people. I had no idea how everyone was able to pull together tuxes, robes, and gowns so fast, but they made it happen in a big way.
All the ladies were gorgeous in their swaying tulle and stiff updos, and the guys were handsome in their tight, shadow-eating dark tuxes. But none of them looked as good as us.
In the end I ditched the Valentino and draped myself in a bloodred off-the-shoulder ballgown with a plunging neckline, diamond-crusted bodice, and a matching ruby tiara. My irritating asshole of a Prince Charming stood by my side—poured into his skintight tux and making me dizzy on his spicy-scent black pepper cologne with notes of cedar and cinnamon.
The crowd parted for us as we swept in, appreciative looks and wolf whistles coming in from all sides. I bore it with a smirk as I crossed to the other end of the dance floor and what awaited me on the raised platform beside the deejay—my throne. They all looked at us, and applauded.
“Whoo, yeah, Queen Daciana!”
“If this is what your reign is going to be like,” Andre crowed, already drunk off his ass and snuggled up to Melisent, “then sign me up!”
“She’s kept her word so far,” Raquelle called. She held tight to Nia’s hand. “I’ll give her a chance for now.”
All over the party it went. Some begrudging comments, some complimentary, some drunken ramblings—but all of them pledged support for me, their queen.