Page 46 of Wanted
Instead of finding Travis Cross, I bumped into Aram. “Ah. It’s you. Come to my office. I want to discuss some things concerning the anniversary.”
It took me a while to get what he was talking about. Once we were in his office, I viewed the various posters with the number seventy in different designs. The Katantian logo graced each poster. 2018 marked the seventieth year of Katantia. My great-grandfather, King Wraith I, had purchased the land from a bankrupt and crumbling British royal right after returning from the war.
Our great-grandfather achieved incredible things. Every year, on Katantia’s creation day, we were shown photographs of what Katantia looked like when King Wraith I and the first Queen stepped into this land. My grandfather had just been born. He was a mere baby. There was an iconic photograph of my great-grandparents, grandfather, and their dog in front of the only house that once existed on this land. The dog died a couple of years later, and we never saw domesticated animals on Katantia ever again. To me, it seemed eerie, knowing that some years later, that house would be demolished and replaced by the palace as we knew it today.
“We’re close to getting your pathetic sister back,” Aram revealed, sitting down at his majestic desk. I didn’t believe him. There was something phony about the way he said these words. “On New Year’s Eve, I plan on hosting a big celebration for the year 2018. It’s going to make up for the lost wedding party.”
I noticed that Felicita wasn’t around. Completely ignoring his anniversary plans, I asked, “Where’s she?”
“She’s licking the pussies of whores that have come in for questioning. Kamila has quite a variety of friends. It will be lovely to question all of them,” Aram responded, shifting in his royal seat. He had shaved his face today, and he looked even younger than usual like there were no troubles in his world. My father was fifty-seven years old, and he was as self-absorbed as ever. “It’s quite a pleasant sight. I’ve got a camera team on them.”
I cocked my head. I didn’t want to know what exactly Aram had Felicita doing after all.
“Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about was your future girlfriend and potential wife. You need to replace Kamila right away. It will appear as if you’re in control,” Aram advised me. This wasn’t my father speaking. This was the egocentric king who wanted Kamila all for himself once she returned. He didn’t move a finger. His hands were folded on the desk, and his gaze was on mine. “Kamila doesn’t deserve the ring on her finger after what she has done.”
Only I should judge that. Kamila was my sister, and I still loved her. I had things to discuss with her, but that didn’t mean that I would leave her hanging when she returned.
“And Mandy doesn’t deserve you if she doesn’t want to become your Katantian whore,” Aram continued. He hit me exactly where it hurt. “Women spread their legs and gape their mouths at the drop of your name, son. You can do better.”
“Don’t,” I warned him, regretting the statement after it left my mouth. I didn’t need my father to know another one of my weaknesses.
I could get into deep trouble if I physically damaged the King of Katantia, even if I was his son.
“Weston, she left you.” Aram enjoyed this. The devilish smirk on his face revealed that he had plans with me. I could see it in his gleaming eyes. “Both of them did, actually. You’re a Wraith, son. Honor your name. Do not let these sluts treat you this way. You leave women. They have no right to abandon you.”
“I took Mandy to the airport. It was a mutual decision,” I reminded Aram. “And your daughter isn’t a slut. She’s a princess.”
“I know who she is better than you. You had a taste of her pussy, yet you didn’t chain her to you. Foolishly, you sent the girl away,” Aram reminded me. He mimicked me atrociously. “She manipulated you. Something’s wrong in your head, Weston. You need to treat your problem. What type of a Katantian are you?”
I asked myself the same question.
“Mandy Rawlins is below you.” I remembered how I told Mandy that I was the bad guy. “Do you really want to own trash? Wraith men own valuable objects. Look at my grandmother, my mother, and your mother. My grandmother charmed ten thousand men to get us this palace. Grandfather knew exactly what he was investing in when he married his object. My mother was spiteful in her later years, and she certainly wasn’t a good mother, but she was a good whore for the kingdom.”
Grandmother was an exceptional woman that was tired of my father’s bullshit. She was the only family member that was there for us after mom died.
“And your mother? She didn’t want all of this at first. It took some convincing. She only agreed to marry me once Kamila was in her belly. Together, we took over the throne that was rightfully mine. She thrived next to me.” Until she didn’t. Something changed in my mother. She never went back to being the Queen that my father wanted her to be.
Aram went on, “They were jewels. The men in Katantia envied us because of them. They wanted our women’s holes, their captivating faces, and our power. This palace didn’t build itself, Weston. Mandy Rawlins doesn’t have the beauty to be around us. She’s just another silly girl, abandoned by her rich daddy. She looked so lost, son. She doesn’t deserve the life that we can provide for your future object.”
I envisioned Mandy unraveling beneath me while I fucked her. She was enthralling to me. I missed every cell of her body. She hadn’t been around for long, but she’d left a lasting impression. Those eyes of hers held my future.
I’d convince her that she was born to be mine. We could do whatever the fuck we wanted.
“What type of Katantian ideal are you if you can’t land the most divine woman out there? Besides, Mandy didn’t grow up on our principles. I observed the tedious girl. You need an object that will satisfy your needs and understand that she is your possession. You have to breed. Our family needs to grow,” Aram urged me.
“I’ve talked to Aris about this. He’s taking the necessary precautions,” Aram informed me. I doubted that my brother would allow Aram to dictate when he would have children with his wife. “I’m looking forward to seeing Valentina pregnant. My son will enjoy her pregnancies a lot.”
“What do you want from me?” I asked, annoyed. I hadn’t taken a seat. I stood in front of his desk, letting him know I wasn’t here to stay. I wanted out of the room. I had to find Travis. Aram had ordered the murder, but Travis had eventually killed my mother and Mandy’s mother. We had both suffered because of that filth.
“I’ll take you to the room I have Felicita in,” Aram said, standing up. We began a journey away from his office. The palace guards watched us like hawks as we passed by them. On Aram’s floor, we had privacy that wasn’t there on the other floors where our politicians and lobbyists mingled. “Weston, must I remind you of how I got the throne? I won it by having my children. Your mother was exhausted after four years of constant pregnancies. It takes hard work to get where I’m at.”
Not this talk again. I ran my fingers through my hair. I responded, “No, you mustn’t.”
“Then prove that you remember the story,” Aram challenged me.
“Great-grandfather took over again the throne in 1987 because of grandfather’s assassination. You and your brother had one year to compete for the throne. You clearly had the advantage of having a daughter and a son already. When your brother failed to marry and present offspring, and you added another son to your family, me, the throne was yours in 1988,” I told him, bored. I was close to exploding. I needed out. “Did I miss anything important?”
“Yes,” Aram said, sharply. “My brother vanished from Katantia because he was ashamed. He committed suicide soon after I became king, and Katantia began to prosper because of me. That’s what disappointing sons do. Do you want to be a disappointment, Weston?”
