Page 89 of Ruler

“That woman right there.” He points straight at me. “That’s my wife. Anyone who’s laid a finger on her, or as much as looked at her in a wrong way will die. Everyone who hasn’t offered her their allegiance tonight will die.”

It sounds like everyone is taking a collective breath.

“B-but… forgive me, Ruler. But she can’t be both your wife and the Drákon Leader.”

I look at the Drákon guard who spoke up. It’s one of the ones who stood up for me.

“I’m not going to be the next Leader.” There’s so much finality in my voice there can be no doubts. Inclining my head in Morgana’s direction, I add, “She is. Alexander the Great picked her as his successor.”

As one, the guards fall to their knees.

“All hail Morgana Drákon. All hail the new Drákon Leader.”

Chapter 27

Kai

Nereid’sheartbreakingcriesarekeeping all of us awake.

It’s been a couple of weeks since we put an end to the Tribunal. Afterwards, we stuck around for a week, which Liam and Gus spent most of in the Kronos hospital. Meanwhile, Nereid made a few appearances to assist Morgana in cleaning house and asserting her dominance as the new Drákon Leader. For all that time, my wife held herself together for the most part, but now that we’re back home, she’s unconsolable.

All the heartbreak, loss, lies, and manipulation she’s been through is more than most have to face in a lifetime, and she faced most of it within just a few days. Fuck, all that has altered something inside her, and whatever is left, is nothing more than the shell of the woman I married last summer.

She barely gets out of bed, rarely eats, and she doesn’t care about anything. For some reason, the event she’s beyond fixated on is the miscarriage, so she keeps looking at baby stuff online, wanting to talk about how we could have decorated the nursery. I can’t say I get it, but I don’t have to. It’s obvious she’s doing her best to deal in her own way.

“I can’t fucking take it,” Liam sighs.

This is the first time while knowing him, I’ve heard him sound so defeated. And fuck, it’s exactly how I feel.

Nodding is the only agreement I give him. “We wouldn’t have to fucking sit out here if someone had kept their mouth shut,” I sneer in Gus’ direction.

Thanks to the fucker’s big mouth, Nereid kicked us out of the bedroom and now we’re sitting outside the door, leaning against it so we can hear if she calls for any of us. In her defense, this is the first time she’s asked us to leave her alone. Something that might not seem like much, but we all know it’s a big deal for Cia to allow us to see her completely break down.

“All I did was suggest she stop looking at that shit,” Gus replies solemnly.

I scoff. “Yeah, and did that seem like the right thing to fucking do?” Inhaling deeply, I try to calm myself before I punch him.Again.“She’s coping the best she can. Neither of us can truly say we know what she’s going through, so why the fuck should we get a say in what she needs?”

“Just shut up, both of you,” Liam spits. “I don’t fucking care about any petty shit. All I care about is her. My agápi.”

He’s right, annoyingly so.

Fuck this. Nothing is going to get solved or get better by sitting out here. I push off the floor, ignoring the low, disapproving whispers, and walk back into the bedroom.

“I said I want to be alone.” The hoarse whisper breaks my fucking heart.

“You were,” I say like I’m benevolent for giving her time.

After stripping down to my boxers, I climb into the bed where she’s curled into a ball while hugging a stuffed dragon she had Gus retrieve from Nikolaos’ old property.

“Who’s that?” I ask, putting my hand on top of the toy.

“Heracles,” she whispers. Then she clears her throat and hugs the dragon closer. “I think I was five when Dad bought him for me.”

Despite her small body shaking, there are no tears.

“I always knew I was going to have kids one day, and I saved him so I could give it to them. But I’ve ruined him now.”

Releasing her grip on the stuffed dragon, she shows me a tear in the seam of one of the arms.

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