Page 91 of Moon Kissed

“Hell yeah we were,” the girls crowed, laughing and slapping hands.

“Yes, we were”—the gaiety bleached out of my voice—“and that’s what we’re going to do. Starting today— No, starting now, you’re looking at your future clan leaders.” I pointed to five of the girls.

“Your future alpha council.” I swept over Ava, Melisent, Elizabella, and Tulisa. “And your new queen.” My hands came down on me, forming the crown destined for my head. “You may bow.”

“Hmmph! Hmm! Fhpp!”

They all uselessly sounded off. More than a few tried to use their powers, and were harshly punished by my secret metal wolf friend hiding in the audience. I wasn’t going to reveal them, or my many other hidden allies yet. It’s good for a girl to have secrets.

“I understand your apprehension,” I called. “From your side, this all sounds bad, and no doubt I didn’t help with all that sycophantic worm stuff, but believe me, no one wants to oppress you. Just the opposite. I want to free you.

“All your lives there have been four classes and the twenty-feet-high barbed-wire fence between them. Your life and the path it takes was decided for you from the moment you were born, but not anymore. From this point on you can be anything you want to be. All that approved-job-list shit is done,” I announced, wrinkling Tracy’s brow. “I mean, all of the positions of power will be taken by the epsilons, but otherwise, whatever your dream is—go for it with everything you have. No one is going to tell you that you can’t have it.

“Which brings me to my next announcement. What do you do if someone in our new world does tell you that you can’t have it? What if you work your whole life to afford your dream home, and then some alpha thief comes along and forces you to give it up? Not to worry,” I said, falling in beside Ava and the others. “Because the epsilons are now the law, and we’re not letting that shit slide anymore. Alpha, beta, or omega—everyone is treated the same and no one is above your law.

“Yes, I said your law, because in my new, harsh, and nonnegotiable system of law, the victims decide the punishment.” I smiled wide. “Which brings us back to Holly, Nia, and Hall. They were three of seven people who committed a crime so heinous, so disgusting, they’re down in hell thanking their killer for not doing worse.”

Huge, darting eyes among the crowd looked everywhere for an exit, but they were going nowhere.

“One of their many victims decided their punishment, and if anything should happen to you, you’ll do the same. Believe me, ladies, your fates will think twice about destroying your last and only connection to your mother when they know you can have them beaten to hell and back for it. Oh! Speaking of which. Ava, would you mind?”

Ava was on him before I finished my sentence. She punched Orion dead in the nose, spurting blood all over his face and her knuckles. I watched dispassionately as she kicked, punched, broke his glasses, and pummeled him into a bloody mass of bruises and fractured bones.

Orion slumped over unconscious—only the chains held him upright.

“Thank you, Ava,” I chirped, reaching out for her hand. “Gods, it’s been so hard pretending I hate you over the last few weeks. So hard, I can’t believe anyone bought it. You are simply too amazing.”

She beamed. “Ahh, thank you, Daze. If you thought it was hard for you, it was unbearable for me. Love you.”

“Love you more,” I cried, hugging her tight.

Releasing her, I turned back to them. “Now, I’m going to open the floor to questions and discussions, but before I do, I’ll remind you of the nonnegotiable part of this coup. This is happening whether you like it or not, but to help you like it, I’ll let you know that I’ve spent the last few weeks—going on months—collecting every bit of information and dirt on all of you.”

I whirled around. “Kitty, I know what you keep in the bottom drawer of your nightstand.

“Tracy, I know the part you played in your sister’s heart getting ripped out over her breakup with Nia,” I carried on. “Would you like her to know too?”

Tracy was even stiller than the chains allowed. She just looked at me, chin trembling.

“So to sum it up, it doesn’t matter that I’ve lost my blackmail, because I have blackmail on all of you.” I flapped and the gags disappeared from their mouths.

A wall of shouting, screeching, and carrying on bowled me over. “One at a time, please and thank you.”

“You can’t do this,” Andre shouted. “You can’t just—just—come in here and announce you’re our fucking queen. The alpha council is in charge. They’ll stop you!”

“The alpha council didn’t stop me the entire year I was out on my vacation. The alpha council didn’t stop me when I came back andannouncedI was Corvin Academy’s new student. The alpha council isn’t here stopping me now.” I smiled mirthlessly. “All the alpha council wants is for me to complete my bonds and bring about the greatest generation of super wolves. What do you think they care about more? That oryou?”

He bristled at the way I said you. He should’ve because I loaded the word heavy with scorn. “They care about staying inpower,” Andre gritted. “They care about keeping their power a lot more than the next generation getting it.”

“Very true,” I replied, inclining my head. “Which is why when my fates stupidly ordered me to tell Lucia to delete the video of me shifting and proving to the mundane world that werewolves exist, she released it immediately.”

“What?!”

“What are you saying?!”

“But the first law!”

“First law broken,” I sang. “Right now, the alpha council is scrambling to prepare for the fae’s coming attack, because they will attack. I bet as we speak, they’re gathering the clans and the clan alphas, prepping for a fight that’s about to become a war.” I snorted. “And we haven’t even gotten to how the mundanes are going to react to discovering werewolves are real. The hunting parties will be out in full force all around the world.

---