Page 63 of Fire and Fate
More gasps from the army. I can see confusion on many faces, soldiers trying to reconcile what I'm saying with whatever lies they've been fed. My father's expression darkens, his jaw clenching.
"We have much to discuss," he says, his voice tight with forced control. "Come home with me now and we'll talk about this privately. This doesn't need to be a public spectacle."
A sharp, bitter laugh tumbles from my lips. "They owe you nothing, Father. And a conversation is better than you ever thought it might be. Better than you deserve, honestly, considering you've been sending warriors to kill them for years."
"Stop being difficult and come home," he orders, his Alpha command bleeding into his words. "This is ridiculous, Kaia. You're embarrassing yourself and the kingdom."
The command washes over me but doesn't take hold. I'm not fully wolf, I realize. The dragon blood from my mother protects me from Alpha compulsion, just like it always protected me fromthe worst of his control. "No," I say firmly. "You lied to me my entire life! I had so many questions about my mother, about why I couldn't shift, about my magic. And you never gave me real answers. You let me think something was wrong with me when really I'm exactly what I'm supposed to be. Half dragon, half wolf, and completely done with your manipulation."
My father twists around suddenly to look at his cousin Margot, who's been sitting silently on her horse throughout this exchange. "You," he snarls. "You corroborated that Beta's story. You said that Kaia was dead, told me to trust you and that we'd handle it properly. Why? You just wanted the throne! You wanted me to think my daughter was gone so you could position yourself as heir!"
Margot's face has gone pale but her expression is defiant. "I was only doing what needed to be done to grab the power your line never should have held in the first place! The throne should be mine by right of blood, not yours. Your father stole it from my branch of the family decades ago through manipulation and murder. I was just taking back what belonged to me!"
My father's face goes purple with rage. He pulls his sword fully from its sheath, the metal singing as it clears the scabbard. Before anyone can react, before Margot can even raise her hands to defend herself, he rushes forward.
The blade slices across her chest in one brutal motion. Blood sprays across the grass. Margot makes a horrible gurgling sound, her hands coming up to clutch at the wound. Then she's falling, tumbling off her horse and hitting the ground with a sickening thud.
Absolute silence falls over the valley. Even Zara has gone still in her dragon form, shocked by the sudden violence. I watch in horror as Margot's blood pools beneath her, spreading across the dirt. Her body twitches once, twice, then goes completely still.
My father just killed his own cousin. His heir. The woman who was supposed to rule after him if I didn't. He cut her down without hesitation, without trial, without mercy.
I move on instinct, rushing to Solace who's still frozen near Zara. I help her to her feet, pulling her back toward the safety of Zara's massive form. Solace is trembling, her eyes fixed on Margot's body with an expression I can't read. Horror, yes, but also recognition. This is what my father is. This is what he's always been, just hidden behind royal civility.
"Let us talk," my father says, turning back to face me. His sword is still drawn, Margot's blood dripping from the blade. His voice is calm now, controlled, like he didn't just murder someone in cold blood. "Clearly we have things to discuss, misunderstandings to clear up. Come inside with me, sit down properly, and we can resolve this like civilized people."
I stare at him, disgust rising in my throat. "I don't want to talk to a man who would strike down his own family like that. I understand that what she did must have been wrong, that she lied and manipulated. But you have no respect for life or your people. You just killed her without trial, without giving her a chance to defend herself or face proper justice. That's not leadership. That's tyranny."
"She was a traitor," my father says flatly. "Traitors get executed. That's how power is maintained."
"By fear?" I challenge. "By showing everyone that you'll kill anyone who crosses you, even family? That's not how you maintain power, Father. That's how you ensure everyone around you lives in constant terror, waiting for the moment you decide they're expendable too."
"I kept Valoria safe and prosperous for decades," he argues. "I made the hard decisions that others wouldn't make. That's what being king requires. You're too soft to understand that, tooinfluenced by these beasts who've clearly been filling your head with lies."
"They haven't lied to me about anything," I shoot back. "They told me the truth about my mother, about what you did to her. They showed me what healthy bonds look like, what it means to be valued rather than controlled. They gave me more honesty in a few days than you gave me in twenty-three years."
My father's expression hardens. "You're confused. Clearly your heat has affected your judgment. Once you're home, once you're away from their influence, you'll see things clearly again."
"I want nothing to do with Valoria," I say, the words coming out stronger than I feel. "I get that this is complicated, that there are political implications. But I am not even sure I want to return. This place, Embrath, these people, they feel more like home than Valoria ever did."
Gasps ripple through the Valorian soldiers again. I can see shock on many faces, confusion on others. Some of them look almost sympathetic, like they're starting to understand that this isn't the simple rescue mission they thought they were on.
"You're mydaughter," my father says, his voice dropping dangerously low. "My blood. My heir. You don't get to just decide you're done with Valoria. That's not how this works."
"That's exactly how this works," I counter. "I'm not your property, Father. I'm a person with my own will, my own choices. And I'm choosing to stay here with people who actually care about me rather than what I represent."
"Those marks on your skin," my father says, his eyes tracking over the visible claiming marks. "They forced you, didn't they? Took advantage of your heat, claimed you against your will. That's why you're defending them. Some kind of twisted bond magic making you think you want this."
"No one forced anything," I say firmly. "I consented to every moment. I wanted this bond, wanted these mates. They askedpermission before every touch, gave me the choice to refuse at any point. That's more respect than any of the Alphas you tried to force on me ever showed."
"This isn't over," he says. "I came here for what's owed to me. My daughter, the riches I deserve, justice for the lies you've spread about my wife. And I'm not leaving until I get satisfaction."
"Then you're going to be waiting a very long time," I say. "Because I'm not going anywhere."
35 – Alessia
Everyone is on edge, weapons drawn, magic swirling through the clearing. One wrong move and this entire situation will explode into violence that will leave bodies on both sides. I need to de-escalate this before someone attacks, before the dragons get hurt, before someone tries to strike at Zara while she's focused on protecting Kaia and Solace.
But I will not allow this disrespect to continue. King Frederik has violated every rule of diplomacy, every standard of decency. He murdered his own cousin in front of witnesses, threatened my mates, and continues to demand things he has no right to claim. Something needs to shift, needs to break this stalemate before blood is spilled.
