Page 50 of Bonds of Pain
Breath rushes out of me on a heavy exhale. “I apologize for keeping you out of the loop. As you can imagine, I’ve been somewhat distracted.”
Leopold gives me a knowing smirk. “It’s always hardest to drag yourself away from the nest after that first heat. I assume your Omega met your expectations.”
“Exceeded them.” The words taste like a combination of triumph and dread, but I keep that hidden behind my veneer of the contented Alpha prince. The mask is all my father will expect to see and the only thing he will accept. “Maya is everything I could have wanted and more.”
“I’ve seen that for myself,” he murmurs. “You’ve chosen quiet the exceptional Omega.”
I imagine a dark hole at the center of my chest where I can stuff away all the useless emotions I feel. “Thank you.”
Leopold refills his glass, a calculated pause that sets my nerves on edge. “You’ve shown yourself to be quite something. Ander’s death continues to cast a pall over the palace, but wemust soldier on. Of all my sons, I think I’ve always known would grow to be the most like me.”
The words feel less like a compliment and more like a warning.
“I have always aimed to please you,” I reply, keeping my voice as even as possible. The mention of Ander has to be deliberate, and pretending I didn’t hear it will do more harm than good. “Speaking of Ander, I assume the investigation is proceeding favorably. I had my interview with your new Inquisitor just this morning.”
Leopold surprises me by giving a dismissive wave of his hand. “It wouldn’t do to allow anyone to think that the murder of a crowned prince can occur without an official response. Thane has uses in the palace beyond his investigative skills.”
It’s a struggle to keep my voice even. “Such as?”
“We can get into that later,” he replies dismissively.
My father takes a seat in one of a pair of high-backed chairs before the fireplace, settling himself comfortably as he studies me. Silence stretches for a beat, then two, until I have to fight not to fidget before that iron gaze. It reminds me of childhood, when I would get a rap on the knuckles for every twitch out of place.
Leopold straightens in his chair, a resolute look coming to his face as if he has finally come to some decision.
When he finally speaks again, his voice carries the weight of a royal decree.
“I’ve made my decision, Logan. You will be named my heir at the next council meeting.”
The words should bring only relief, confirmation that my extensively laid plans are finally bearing fruit. For a moment, I allow myself to savor the victory. The crown, the power, the legitimacy I’ve craved since childhood. All of it is within reach.
But that excitement is immediately tempered by the awareness that I haven’t yet won this game. As heir, scrutinywill follow me everywhere that I go. The strength of my position will lie wholly in my ability to maintain it. Challenges are to be expected. Any of my brothers has the right to demand a trial by combat. And that’s assuming they decide to stick to traditional channels for challenging my new position.
Simply being heir obviously wasn’t enough to save Ander.
But I let none of my thoughts show on my face.
“I’m honored, Your Majesty. I will serve Melilla well as regent.”
“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves,” he chides with a thin smile. “I still have some time left in me.”
I refuse to let myself so much as blink. “And I will serve you to the best of my ability.”
“I know you will.” He reaches for a tablet and taps a few keystrokes before holding it out for me. “Look at this and tell me what you see.”
It’s a map of the region overlaid with colored markers. At a glance, I recognize that pattern of troop movements on patrol. But the numbers are greater and more concentrated on strategic parts of the border than I would have expected.
“You’re mobilizing our forces,” I say, not hiding my surprise.
Leopold gives a single nod of acknowledgment. “Quietly.”
“Why?”
“The northern states have been in arrears in their taxes since the spring. In the south, a call has been put out for all able-bodied men to report for military service. I have reason to believe they are preparing for war.”
My fingers tighten on the tablet so I don’t shatter it against the wall. I take one step forward and now it’s a gigantic one right the fuck back. “How is this possible?”
He finally gestures for me to take the seat across from him. “Aside from the occasional border skirmish, our kingdom has experienced nearly two decades of peace. When I united whatused to be a loose collection of city-states under my banner, I made certain promises to the heads of the Great Houses to get the job done. Now those debts are coming due.”
