Page 91 of The Forsaken Heir
“I did,” I lied. “Sure did. A lot has happened, and I didn’t get a chance to respond. I’m sorry, little brother.”
Looking relieved, he said, “I can’t wait for you to meet her, she’s?—”
“Lord Laurent,” Sasha interrupted, “I really must ask that you let our honored guests get freshened up. They need time to rest. They’ve had a long trip here.”
Freddy glared at Sasha, but he nodded, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
“I’ll see you later?” he asked, giving me another hug.
“Most definitely,” I said.
After he backed away, Sasha swept a hand toward the door. “Make yourselves at home.”
Aurelius grunted a reply and led me and the others inside. Once the door to the outer corridor was closed, he turned to Octavian.
“Check it. All of it.”
“Understood, Your Highness,” Octavian said, leading his men on a sweep through the master suite, the three bunkrooms, the small den, and the kitchenette stocked with food and drink to enjoy.
Rasp pulled a pack of high-end cheese from the fridge and held it up. “What are the odds it’s poisoned?”
“Low,” Aurelius said. “Our senses of taste and smell are as good as wolves. We’d smell it before we ate any. But just in case, I’ll have the men check it.”
Once the guards were confident we weren’t in any immediate danger, I collapsed onto the couch in the den.
“You want to take a nap?” Aurelius asked.
“I’d love one, but that’s not going to happen. I’m too anxious.”
He nodded and sat beside me. “This should all be over tomorrow.”
“I hope so.” I glanced out the window at the trees and mountains in the distance.
We were out here, basically on an island, with no help in sight. The only thing that gave me a bit of hope was that not everyone thought I was lying or some disgusting thing to be wiped away. All I could do was pray that this ceremony went off without a hitch, so we could put this all behind us.
The servants came to gather us at dusk. Octavian and the security team had been taking turns to watch the doors and windows, but as of yet they’d seen nothing. When Rasp answered the door, a small unfamiliar woman stood there, looking up at him with fearful eyes.
“Uh…my lord, it’s time. I’m to show you to the conservatory.”
“Got it,” Rasp said, and turned to the rest of us. “It’s go time.”
Standing, I took Aurelius’s hand, and together we followed the woman. The manor was eerily silent as we made our way to the stairs. I assumed everyone was in attendance to watch the spectacle of a fae ritual.
The conservatory was situated on the rooftop. The greenhouse-style room held a myriad of indoor plants, and it was where my parents preferred to host gatherings and cocktail parties. They’dhad the room added decades ago as an extravagant showcase. It was no wonder they were holding the ceremony there.
Unlike my childhood school, the conservatory actually lookedbiggernow that I was an adult. The glass walls stretched nearly thirty yards down the roof, using up nearly a third of the entire length of the mansion. A contingent of the local wolf families stood to the right, and to the left, seats for us and the rest of Aurelius’s entourage. My family sat on a raised platform overlooking two ornate chairs in the middle of the crowd.
Bastien, as the rightful heir, sat center, with my father at his right, and my mother at his left. It appeared dear old dad had already ceded most of the control of the pack to my brother, from the looks of it. The rest of my immediate family and extended family sat in rows behind them.
As we took our seats, I tried to catch my mother and father’s eye, but they and the rest of my family ignored me. Even Sophia, Aunt Collette, and Freddy kept their eyes averted. Perhaps they’d been instructed to be aloof toward me? I hoped that was it. It would have broken my heart to think our earlier reunions had been false.
Bastien stood once we were all seated and addressed the crowd.
“Good evening, honored guests,” he said, though he looked on at the wolves as he said this. “We are here tonight, to prove once and for all that this”—he pointed at me—“thingis not what she says she is.”
Aurelius stiffened, but I put a hand on his arm, stopping him from speaking up.
“When this ceremony is over, it will be shown, once and for all, that my dearly loved sister is no longer with us.” He placed a hand on his heart when he mentioned me.
