Page 173 of Heart of the High King
Chapter 65
Although Aleksander would’ve preferred to keep Rafe to himself as he tried somehow to make up for six weeks of separation, there were things that had to be done. Cognizant that days were passing, he’d had no idea it was that long and wanted to slap his own arrogant face for not believing that he would be out for more than three days. Rafe was understandably traumatized, and he should’ve taken greater care to make sure he was protected while he slept. His mate’s assessment of his character was accurate—Rafe had loyally stood by his family and had trusted that they would adjust to his sexuality. What he got for that faithfulness was a brutal, harrowing experience he shouldn’t have survived.
It made sense that he was sensitive to family matters and wasn’t sure who to trust. Aleksander considered himself lucky that Rafe had not held any of himself away from him once he’d regained his lost hope. After everything he’d endured, it was fairly simple to figure out that it was going to take Rafe time to come to terms with his past and his new version of reality. His dragon was also still missing, and Aleksander believed Rafe hadn’t coped with that loss, as he’d never built the proper relationship with his beast. How his mate had the strength to get up each morning was a marvel to Aleksander, and he hadn’t exaggerated when he’d told him that he was his hero. As far as Aleksander was concerned, there was no greater example of dignity and fortitude than Rafe.
So knowing that the D’Vaires had distanced themselves while Aleksander was comatose pissed him off. Rafe required support, and their court should’ve provided that when he was in need of it most. Instead, one person under his roof had cut into Rafe with deep claws, and the others had shut him out of their lives, making him feel miserable and unwanted. When Aleksander emerged from the bathroom after wringing out his drenched clothing, he found Rafe standing there in jeans and a T-shirt.
“Have I told you how good you look?” Aleksander asked, walking over to take him in his arms.
“I hope I gained enough weight to make Dr. Suricata happy. I don’t want to get fat.”
“Considering how much you exercise, I wouldn’t worry about that.”
Rafe burrowed into Aleksander’s chest. “Why did you call a family meeting tonight?”
“I’m sorry, I’d rather spend it with you, but I don’t feel like this can wait.”
“What can’t wait?”
“Rafe, you’re their High King, and they hardly treated you with the respect you deserve.”
Straightening, Rafe frowned. “That’s ridiculous. I don’t want them genuflecting when I walk in the room or being anything other than themselves.”
Aleksander kissed his nose and let him go so he could grab his hand. “I’m not going to argue with you about this. You’re going to insist until the end of time that it’s my title and my family. That’s not reality.”
“Sander,” Rafe growled. Aleksander tugged him out of the room and down the hall. “There’s no reason to make a big deal about anything. You need to figure out what’s going on, so you can deal with issues.”
“I love you, but that’s not happening tonight.”
“Dammit, I knew I shouldn’t have said anything,” Rafe muttered.
“Of course you should have, I’m your best friend.”
They didn’t get a chance to say anything else since Aleksander was in no mood to carry on a private conversation with an audience. As he’d asked, the living room was full of D’Vaires, and they were silent as Aleksander stalked in with a reluctant Rafe trudging in behind him. If he let go of him, Aleksander was sure Rafe would take off, so he kept their palms locked, and they were forced to sit in unison. Rafe was wearing the scowl he loved, but Aleksander wasn’t going to give in to his desire to smile. Instead, his jaw flexed as he studied the men and women staring at them.
“I appreciate you adjusting your schedules for this impromptu meeting,” Aleksander said, cradling Rafe’s hand between his. “I want to assure you that Rafe has asked me not to speak on this topic. His opinion is that you should be free to treat him however you wish and that he is more my mate than High King. While I would love to respect his desire to not make a big deal of this, I am afraid I simply cannot.”
Taking a deep breath, Aleksander allowed the anger boiling in his veins to flow freely. “In 1369, Fate made me a king and since then, I have dedicated myself to doing whatever I could to give you the best lives possible. This dragon court became a sanctuary because Dra’Kaedan and Blodwen believed each person under our roof was so warm and caring that we could provide the perfect environment for those that are scarred or hurting. We’ve grown and we have even endured betrayal, which brought us closer. It strengthened our resolve, and we renewed our vow to make this a home where people could thrive.
“Since I was boy, I wanted a mate, though I hardly thought it was possible. Everyone is aware of my struggles and now knows that I hid my sexuality. No one was more surprised than me when Rafe walked through that front door. While some of you know why he suddenly stopped texting me and wound up in need of a sanctuary with only months to live, his appearance and demeanor when he arrived spoke of a man who’d been horribly victimized. Even if he were not your High King, I would’ve expected you to do whatever it took to give him a sense of security. I believed we were the type of family that would provide the nurturing Rafe needs as he comes to terms with everything that has happened to him in the past year or so.
“Instead, the fucking minute I go to sleep to provide his wolf with a mate, you treated him callously in defiance of his title and with no concern over what he might be feeling. When he called meetings, apparently there were no issues you felt he was worthy enough to resolve. If he walked into a room, it fell silent and D’Vaires scattered in the wind with none of you willing to engage him in conversation. It didn’t stop you from availing yourself of his expertise in weapons, but that was the only time you interacted with him as the weeks passed. And there is one of you that used words to strike at him and dig more scars into his already battered soul. Accusations were leveled at him, and he was even suspected of faking the extensive injuries that nearly robbed him of life.”
Aleksander rose, and Rafe had no choice but to do the same. “You are free to come to your own conclusions. You are free to like who you want, and you are free to your opinions. But allow me to remind you that this High Court belongs to me and to Rafe. If you find the prospect of giving him the respect that he damn well deserves impossible, then, by all means, let us know. I’d be happy to transfer you out of D’Vaire to wherever the fuck you want to go. I’ll even help you pack your fucking bags, because no one is going to treat my mate like shit.”
Without allowing anyone to say a word in complaint, Aleksander strode out of the great room with Rafe. When they got past the hall, Rafe tugged on his hand.
“Wait a second.”
“What?”
Rafe let go of him and scurried into the office. Digging into a drawer in his desk, he pulled out a folder. “Will you go back with me for a second?”
“Okay.”
They returned to a room full of people who still weren’t speaking. Aleksander refused to make eye contact with anyone and just focused on his mate, who was now flanked by two big wolves as he led them to the coffee table.
After slapping the folder down, Rafe stood and straightened his shoulders. “If you want to know what happened to me, it’s all in there. You can believe what you want.”
