Page 36 of Savage Prince

“But if you had, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Ford says. “I can’t get through to Layla or Catherine. Or even Alexander or Natalie.”

There’s a shuffling sound and then Trevor continues in a whisper, “Yeah, they took all the Variant and Variant sympathizers’ phones. They’re under house arrest in the Variant dorm until the ceremony tomorrow to induct Hammer Zion as the new head of the university.”

I curse silently through my teeth as Ford’s expression darkens. “And what happens then? Once Hammer is in control?”

“You know him, don’t you? You know how fucking awful he is,” Trevor says. “I can hear it in your voice.”

“I do,” Ford says. “And I think we can get rid of him, but I’ll need your help to plan the best way to do it. Can I call you again in a couple days? Will you be my person on the inside to help take back the school?”

“Absolutely,” Trevor says. “I hate what’s happening. And so do a lot of other people. Even the brotherhood guys. If you can get rid of Hammer and Beck and a few other key players, I don’t think it will be that hard to get things back to normal. But there is one thing…”

“What’s that?” Ford asks as I begin to pace, unable to help myself any longer.

“The ceremony tomorrow night,” Trevor says. “Hammer’s going to execute President Benoit.”

I grind to a stop on the carpet, my stomach bottoming out.

He’s going to kill my mother. I’m not a fan of my mother, not by a long shot, but I don’t want her dead.

“Hammer says she violated his pack’s laws and made a fool out of him and has to pay the price,” Trevor continues. “I think Beck’s dad tried to change his mind. He told him murdering people is only going to bring heat the brotherhood doesn’t need as they’re transitioning leadership, but Hammer’s crazy. He doesn’t care how many laws he breaks or if this goes farther than Lost Moon. It’s almost like he wants a war.”

“He probably does,” Ford says. “What time is the ceremony?”

“Sunset. Around eight-thirty p.m.” There’s another shuffling sound then, “I have to go. I’m supposed to be on guard duty in ten minutes. But I can talk later if you want. I’m off at midnight, and I want to help.”

“Thanks,” Ford says. “We’ll reach out if we need to. And we’ll do our best to get help before it’s too late for the president.”

“Thanks,” Trevor says. “Please try. I don’t want anyone to die. I never wanted that. This has all gotten totally out of control.”

Ford assures him again that we’re all on the same page before ending the call and clearing the browser history. Then he swivels in his chair, turning back to me with a less than optimistic expression. “I guess we’re going to have to talk Maxim Thorn into helping us over the phone. There’s no time for a trip to New York.”

“Guess so,” I say, the knot in my stomach tightening. “While he’s still grieving his dead sister.”

“Hopefully that will make him more inclined to help someone else save their relative’s life before it’s too late,” Ford says, rising from the chair.

“Why?” I ask. “Why does he want to kill her? What laws has she violated?”

“I don’t know. Unless maybe Hammer didn’t know she was alive, either.”

I frown. “But surely, he did. It’s not like she was hiding out somewhere under a false identity. Her maiden name’s been in the Lost Moon directory for years.”

“But you didn’t see it,” Ford says. “Because you never thought to look. What if Hammer never thought to look, either. You know he’s not a big fan of higher education, especially at a school for pack rejects and misfits.”

I cross my arms over my chest, willing my churning stomach to calm down. “You’re right. Maybe he didn’t know she was alive.”

“Or just didn’t know where she was.”

“And if she ran off and left him with a baby without sorting out custody or getting a divorce first, thatwouldviolate pack law,” I finish with a sigh. “And wound his fragile Alpha pride.”

“It would also invalidate his marriage to all the women he married after her,” he says. “If Coralie is still alive and they never divorced, then they’re still legally married.”

“Which means she still has a claim to the Zion throne,” I say, a suspicion pricking at the back of my mind. “Do you think that’s why she did it? So she could come back and take over someday?”

Ford frowns. “I don’t know. I don’t know her well enough to say for sure, but she seems pretty entrenched at Lost Moon. She seems like more of an academic than a pack leader.”

“But Hammer won’t care.” I dig a fist into my mid-section, wishing I’d skipped that apple. “He’ll want to eliminate the threat to his power as quickly and efficiently as possible. I’m actually surprised he didn’t execute us. It would have been cleaner with no risk of pissed off kids coming back to haunt him if they ever broke free of their cages.”

“Yeah,” Ford says, resting a hand on my back. “I guess he likes us more than he likes your mother.”

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