Alpha Nocturne’s Contracted Mate by A E Randell
Chapter 222 You are Wrong
The murmurs in the council chamber had faded to an almost deafening silence as Ann and Lexi made their way to their allotted seats at the front of the room.
Although the Elders wouldn’t have noticed, as Ann took her seat, she picked up the minute details in Lexi’s body language that showed just how uncomfortable she was in this position, but she hid it well.
To the casual observer, she would still appear as the fiery and opinionated half-Daemon that people had heard so many whispers about lately.
“Thank you all for coming.” Ann’s voice cut across the chamber, echoing loudly above their heads. “It’s not as if we had much choice, your grace. If you could give us a little more notice…”
“Oh, it’s notice you want?” Ann smiled serenely although her eyes flashed with a dangerous light as Maeve simmered below the surface, “Perhaps if you had cleared the Rogues at the first instance then meetings wouldn’t have to be called so abruptly.”
The rustle of cloaks could be heard and awkward muttered apologies as they cleared their throats and waited for
Ann to continue.
“It brings me no delight in pulling you all up on your shortcomings whilst you managed the kingdom under my father’s rule, but it cannot be glossed over that the issues we face now are largely due to your incompetence. My father, as terrible as his reign was, was one man, there are close to a hundred of you Elders and you cannot tell me that not one of you could act to intervene.” Ann continued levelly as she cast her eyes over those gathered before her.
“As a result, we are currently facing attacks on two fronts..”
“We know this your Grace, and we have been working diligently to find a solution…”
“Have you?” Lexi snorted, her voice cold, “Because the attacks are still happening and people are still dying.”
“There has not been an attack since before Felix arrived. Well, not one where we suffered significant casualties. There is plenty of time to..” the elder sneered disdainfully, his dislike for Lexi clear in his tone.
“So, the head of the Alpha that took care of the town of Elwood that arrived, wrapped neatly, and presented to a current diplomatic guest…that’s all a lie? Perhaps the blood-soaked cloth it was wrapped in was all a dream as she unwrapped it over breakfast. Better yet… perhaps the inhabitants of Elwood are not in danger at all and are merely playing a game of hide and seek.” Ann sneered as she cut off the Elder that had raised his voice.
“I… we weren’t aware of…” He stuttered helplessly as he looked to his peers for support but found none as they sheepishly avoided his eyes.
“Yes.” Ann replied with an almost mocking smile, “There’s a lot that you aren’t aware of. If this has escaped your notice then perhaps the second attack within our own borders has also failed to register on your radar of interest?” The elder sat down and lowered his head under the intensity of her cool gaze and low murmurs began to ripple around the room.
“What happened?” A female voice rose in concern.
“When did this occur? Have we responded, your grace?” A male voice rose from somewhere towards the back.
As expected, the less senior Elders away from the front seats seemed to be amenable to working with her. It was those that had never truly been sat at the helm of the kingdom and had acted as they were supposed to in their positions, instead of seizing what little power they could for themselves.
Ann knew that she would have to eventually reshuffle the way that Elders were allocated their positions, seniority should not only be decided by the amount of time you have held the post, it should also take into account the diligence with which they conducted themselves in their roles too.
The blatant corruption would, however, take time to weed out. There was no quick fix available to her at the present time.
“It was close to a containment facility. They called for backup and notified us that the village was in trouble, fully anticipating an attack on their location at any time. Since they first radioed in, we have heard nothing, and have been unable to reach anyone there either.” Ann explained seriously.
The Elders were clearly thrown by this news, and the noise in the chamber rose higher until Lexi grew tired of the incessant ringing of their voices and shouted above them all for silence.
The noise dissipated almost instantly and with a satisfied smile, Lexi sat back, her eyes falling on those who still offered their disgruntled whispers.
“A rapid response team has already been sent to the containment facility and we have two teams being assembled as we speak to attend both sites. One will provide what backup they can and to the team already dispatched and the other will head in the opposite direction to the border and clear out the town, rescuing what survivors there may be.” Ann continued, her voice soft yet commanding.
“We would have been able to arrange this sooner if the numbers of our men hadn’t been cut so drastically.” Lexi seethed, “As it stands, we are pulling resources from Dark Moon and a few other allied packs in order to make the numbers up and ensure that our efforts are not hampered by a lack of numbers.”
A quiet scoff emanated from somewhere amongst the elders, and as one, people visibly stiffened, terrified that they would be accused of the hateful noise.
“And what the f**k would a filthy half-breed know about the numbers concerning the governance of a kingdom run by wolves. You have no place here.”
All eyes that were visible to Lexi and Ann were fixed on them. Even if they agreed with the statements, the Elders were smarter than to announce it so publicly after Linus had been imprisoned so quickly and the way that Cornelius was dealt with at the last meeting.
Whoever this was clearly had a death wish, and by the looks of the sweet smile that spread across Lexi’s face, she was more than happy to fulfill it for them.
“Come up here and say that to my face.” She purred, her eyes searching the crowd with interest. The sound of another scoff emanated from somewhere in the middle and a second voice joined the first. “Do you think we’re stupid? No. Announcing our opposition so openly will only end up with us imprisoned, or worse. We know what you Daemon’s are capable of and it will be a cold day in hell if you think that we won’t fight against this from the shadows.”
As soon as the last words fell, a group of about twenty Elders stood, all with their faces covered as they turned and silently made their way to the exit at the back of the room.
“Don’t think that we will let this go, your grace. As much as you have the right to sit on this throne, we also have the right to object to your choices. This is the true meaning of the Elder’s council, to act in the interests of the people, and in our opinion, no one who is not of our species can act in the best interests of the kingdom.” The voice rose once more as they filed out one by one.
“You are wrong,” Lexi seethed as she stood angrily from her chair, “I have lived in this kingdom since I was a baby, as have thousands of other hybrids! Who better is there to speak for them?”
A dark chuckle answered her fury.
“Perhaps you should have been killed when your mother was.. .it would have saved us all a great deal of trouble.” The voice purred as the figure stepped out of the room and the doors closed behind them.
“Guards! Stop them! Find them and bring them to me!” Ann roared as the guards leaped into action. She turned to her friend and reached for her arm.
“We’ll find them, Lexi, don’t worry.” she tried to reassure her but Lexi’s face was twisted in fury as she focused intently on the door.
“Oh, I’m not worried, Queenie. I’m planning all of the ways that I’m going to make them squeal just as soon as I get my hands on them.” She smiled as her eyes flared a brilliant red, casting an eerie glow across her face that made Ann’s stomach turn in anxiety.
She hoped desperately that this would not be the time that Lexi lost control of her abilities. It would be devastating for everyone involved, including herself.