Page 51 of Hidden Fate

The urgency had us jumping from the bed and rushing to the door.

That was when I heard the queen’s voice. I paused and turned around the bedroom, seeking the source. The burner phone lay on the end table next to Thorn’s side of the bed. Her voice wasn’t coming from there. So where was she?

Thorn and I raced into the living room, where Elliott had his laptop hooked up to the television so everyone could see what was going on.

The queen stood next to Drake, looking seriously into the camera. Her expression was full of sorrow, but she patted Drake’s arm lovingly as she said, “I know some are concerned about Drake taking over too quickly, but the circumstances are unprecedented. The king died before the prince was officially crowned as his heir. But please know we’re doing exactly what King Arman wanted, and we must make sure that things continue to go as King Arman planned by crowning my son to fulfill his legacy.”

“Thatbitch!” Elliott yelled, as Thorn’s feeling of betrayal prickled in my veins.

I blinked, hoping this was another nightmare. If it wasn’t, we could be attacked at any second.

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

Everyone was hereexcept for Peter, who must have been pouting upstairs in his room. The living room was silent as each person took in the severity of the situation. The queen had given a burner phone to Thorn via Uther. Either Uther had been in on it—which I doubted with his daughter here—or she’d screwed him over as well.

My stomach roiled. The queen was helping Drake weed out all the traitors, and we wereallin danger.

Betrayal, hurt, and anger—the conflicting emotions that swirled through Thorn whenever it came to his biological parents—overwhelmed our bond. All I could do was push my love toward him and take his hand, reminding him I was there.

The queen dropped her arm from Drake and stepped forward, staring straight into the camera. “I ask for you all to trust the process because my mate—your king—and I always strove to do the most important thing in our lives: protect our people.” A sad smile took over her face. “Please, be patient as we make the necessary changes to secure a better future for us all.”

Drake beamed in the background, the charismatic persona he somehow managed to achieve emanating from the screen. I hated this confident look more than his smug real one. Many people out there would fall for this persona and willingly trust him. Sometimes, a confident face or essence was all people needed to get behind someone without bothering to look under the surface.

“Thank you for listening.” The queen stepped back, returning to her place beside Drake.

“The queen looks nice,” Reece sighed from her spot on the couch. She was sitting with her rainbow-colored blanket over her legs. “It would be amazing to meet her one day. Maybe I could dress up like aprincess.”

I pressed my lips together, trying to keep the scowl from my face. Obviously, Uther and his thunder hadn’t told her everything. She was so young, but it also scared me. She was unaware of the threat the queen posed, and it broke my heart. It wasn’t my place to tell Uther how to handle his child, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t discuss it with him when he called…if he were ever able to again.

Drake glided to the forefront of the screen. His face contorted with what viewers would assume was worry and despair, and he placed a hand over his heart. “You heard my mother, the queen. These are unprecedented times, and we need to move quickly, especially with my brother at large. I must secure the throne before he attacks again and strips more people of their dragons.” He straightened his shoulders, looking straight into the camera like the queen had done. “I vow that I will hunt him down and take care of him and anyone who aids him. I miss my dear, sweet fiancée terribly and hope she’ll be returned home safely. Until then, I’ll remember every kiss we shared and believe there will be many more in our future.”

The memory of the one time he’d forced me to kiss him in front of the king and queen slammed into my brain, and I fought the urge to gag. I clutched my stomach, hoping the bile wouldn’t burn my throat. I’d tried to erase that horrible memory for so many reasons.

Thorn shivered with rage. His jaw clenched, and he rasped, “That prick is going to die.”

Reece’s eyes bulged, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach and shrank back on the couch. Kari and Chandra were beside her, and they scooted closer to her.

We weren’t used to having a small child here.Babe, you’re scaring Reece.

He flinched and pulled his attention away from the television and toward the little girl. He connected,It’s so damn hard to keep my head on straight when he talks about you like that.His neck corded.I want to jump through the television and kill him.

I leaned my head on his arm.That’s what he wants and why I need you to stay focused.

Does he think I don’t know about that kiss? And he’s still calling you his fucking fiancée?Thorn snarled, and Reece glanced fearfully in our direction again.

“Reece, that’s the man your daddy has to work for to protect you.” Kari bent so she was at eye level with the little girl. She continued to talk, but I had to calm Thorn down. Drake had pushed his buttons, which he’d likely intended in case we were watching.

I tugged my mate toward the front door. Saphira hurriedly opened it, guessing my intent. Thorn had a level head on his shoulders when it came to everything but me.

“We’ll be right back,” I informed everyone.

The late morning sun hovered about three-quarters of the way up in the sky. I faced my mate, cupping his cheek with my hand. “I want to forget that it happened, but Thorn, it did, and he will do anything he can to get a reaction from you. He wants you to act irrationally.”

His nostrils flared, but his breathing slowed at my touch. His face contorted with heartbreak. “I know, but that’s the thing. It works. How would you feel if another woman was acting that way about me? Claiming me in front of the world and making it clear I’d soon be hers?”

My stomach clenched, and my blood boiled. That would be worse than a nightmare. He wasn’t trying to be a possessive, jealous asshole, but we were mates, two parts of one soul, and hearing someone act like one half of us belonged to someone else was maddening. “Babe, I know. I’m not saying this is easy, and I hope you’d be having the same conversation with me if the roles were reversed.” I wasn’t judging him, but we didn’t have the luxury of reacting to emotion if we wanted to win.

Some of the tension released from his shoulders, and he pressed his forehead to mine. He chuckled humorlessly. “I would be.”

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