Page 36 of The Forsaken Heir
He sighed, but not in an unkind way. “I mean, is this considered a big deal among the wolf shifters?”
He asked the question in such a blasé manner, that I was at a loss for words for a moment.
“Uh…I’m sorry, my lord?”
“Do your people consider this some type of weakness or disability?” Aurelius asked, cutting over his father. He looked furious, and it was all I could do not to cower before him.
“Of course,” I said, hating the plaintive sound in my voice. “All shifters do.”
Aurelius and his father exchanged a look, then Cassius turned back to me, a sad smile on his face.
“My dear girl, yes, it is usually a sad thing if a child is born without the ability to shift and access their animal body. But we dragons still value them as people and welcome them into our families and society. Othermatters can cause people to be shunned, sure,” he said, and I got the sense he was referring to Vincent and Raspion. “But that is typically a familial shortcoming rather than a societal one.
“Brielle, are you telling me your parents banished you simply because you had no inner wolf?” the king asked.
“Yes. They tucked me away out of sight and out of mind so my younger brother Bastien could be the new heir.” I stared at them in open-mouthed wonder. “You…you all don’t… There’s no disgust or anything? It’s, like,normal?”
“Of course, it is, Elle,” Aurelius said. The kindness and sorrow in his voice nearly made me cry. “What is disgusting is how your family treated you for something outside of your control. That is sickening.”
Cassius grunted and adjusted himself on his throne. “I don’t tend to verbally disparage other leaders, but I agree with my son. It’s pathetic and short-sighted to turn you out for this. If you were my daughter, you would be granted a place of privilege and respect as any other shifter in my family. Regardless of any other issues.”
This wasnotgoing at all like I’d anticipated. It wasn’t going badly, just strangely. I’d spent my entire life being told I was worthless and a detriment to my family. Now, here among people who weren’t even my own species, I was being treated like a victim of a crime. Even Karinius, the envoy, was looking at me with unmitigated sadness and pity. If my pride hadn’t been wounded, I’d have felt bitter about being pitied by anyone, but at the moment I was too lost to care.
“What happens now?” I asked in a small, childlike voice.
Aurelius cleared his throat, and straightened his shirt.
“If yourparents”—he spat the word like it tasted foul in his mouth—“don’t care about you, then you are free to go. The entire reason we kept you here was to make sure they knew you were safe before handing you over. I see no reason that you can’t return to your regular life.
“I would be happy to escort you back, if it pleases you.”
He was having a hard time meeting my eyes—at least that's how it seemed to me. Something about his agitation and the way he held himself made me think he was both horrified and embarrassed. It would have been nice to ask why, but now was not the time.
“That would be nice,” I finally managed. “My roommate, Delphine, will probably be worried sick. I guess I should be going home.”
“Of course,” Aurelius said, finally raising his eyes to mine.
I did need to go home. I had a life in the city. I had Delphine and all the people I knew at work, but something about Aurelius made me want to throw all that away and stay here. When I remembered how close we’d come to kissing the day before, my cheeks flushed, and I forced myself to break eye contact first.
Titus returned a moment later. “Your Majesty, the nobles are here to discuss the current state of the wellspring.”
“Damn,” Cassius said. “Show them in, I suppose.”
Over a dozen men and women glided into the room. Aurelius stepped forward, placing himself between me and the others, a subtle protective gesture that I appreciated.
A few of the nobles must have caught my scent because they glanced in my direction. Like wolves, dragons had elevated senses, though their sense of smell wasn’t quite as powerful as ours was. Everyone pinned me with their stares, and an uncomfortable feeling crept up my spine. Some appeared simply confused, while others irritated or hostile. One man in particular, who bore a striking resemblance to Vincent, wrinkled his nose in disgust before addressing Cassius.
“Your Majesty, why is this”—he swept a hand toward me—“muttsullying the royal halls of your home?”
Cassius rose to his full height and glared at the other man. His face was creased with all the lines and wrinkles you would associate with a person who smiled and laughed alot.Now,however, there was a dark and malevolent gleam in his eyes. For the first time, I felt truly afraid of the man.Thiswas the dragon king I’d heard so much about. The nobleman, having realized his misstep, paled and took a step backward.
“Benedictus,” Cassius snarled. “Is it always your custom to step intomyhome and denigrate and offendmyguests?” the king bellowed, rising up even taller, almost as if he was growing in size.
Benedictus quickly went down on one knee.
“My apologies, Your Majesty,” he said. “I did not know?—”
“You didn’t know this woman was a guest of theking?” Aurelius growled, taking a threatening step toward the other man. “She’s standing in the goddamned throne room. Who do youthinkshe was?”
