Page 76 of The Forgotten Princess

Of course he’s right. I just dread sitting through trial after trial. No doubt his followers will try to get out of joining King Hastings at Supernatural Island. And I will be able to see through every single one of their lies.

“Since I’m technically a member of the Alpha Council, does that mean I’ll get a say in who is guilty?” I ask.

Damian nods. “Yes.”

I let out a breath of relief. “Good. Because I can read their emotions. I will not let us listen to sob stories that are false.”

Damian furrows his brows, then grins. “You know, I think having a dark fae on the trial is going to be a good thing. You’ll be able to tell who is genuine and who is blowing hot air.”

“But can’t most shifters tell if somebody is lying?” I ask.

He nods. “But there are limitations. And some people excel at lying. Some people are so delusional that they convince themselves that their lies are true. Sorting out the liars can be difficult. You will make it easier.”

The pilot says something, but it’s too low for me to hear. Devin and Damian heard though.

“We’re about to land.” Devin eyes my seatbelt, which I never took off. “Let’s go get your friend, Kai.”

“Do you think he’ll come to Shifter Academy?” I ask, feeling hopeful.

Devin shrugs. “If he wants, but he should probably have time to recover.”

“But next year, maybe some dark fae can attend?”

“Most definitely,” Devin answers.

“They won’t be bullied like I was, right?”

“Absolutely not.” Devin’s eyes harden. “Nobody will dare bully the dark fae—not after what they’ve been through.”

“We’ll make sure of it,” Damian assures me.

That causes me to relax.

Once our plane lands, we take off toward the house where King Hastings was staying. My stomach sinks as I realize I recognize the place. It’s one of Kai’s dad’s vacation homes. I’ve been here a few times with Nico and Kai. We always had fun here because our dads were usually somewhere else when we visited.

I take comfort in the fact that King Hastings can’t do anything like this again. And all of his followers will soon be following.

When we get to the house, I see Kai sitting on the couch. He has a blanket wrapped around him, but he’s bloodied and bruised. When I see him, I sprint toward him.

“Kai, are you okay?” I drop to my knees in front of him, tears rolling down my cheeks.

He grabs ahold of my hand. “I’m okay, Tori. I promise. I look way worse than I feel.”

Still, I don’t miss the way he winces when he adjusts his position.

“King Hastings was arrested, along with my dad,” Kai says, unable to stop his grin. He winces at the pain from the grin, but he still doesn’t stop smiling. “The Alpha Council got here just in time. In a few hours, I was going to be executed.”

“What about the lion shifter?” I ask. “Did they get him too?”

“Yes, along with all the other prisoners,” Kai answers.

Devin comes up beside me and kneels with me.

Kai nods at Devin, abruptly pulling his hand from mine. “Alpha.”

Devin smirks. “I can feel your emotions through Tori. I know you don’t mean anything romantic by the touch. It feels more… familial. So you don’t have to pull away on my account.”

Kai raises an eyebrow at me. “Interesting. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to have a wolf shifter mate too. Next year, Nico and I can attend that school of yours.”

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