I take advantage of his stunned silence to push on to my next argument. “I’m also begging you not to arrest me. Not because I don’t deserve that. I do. I know I do. But because Bazzi needs his mother and this kingdom needs a queen. And I’m ready to take over as the queen I should have been from the start. No more distractions. Whatever it takes, whatever you want me to do to prove I’m the she-wolf for the job, I’ll do it. But please don’t punish my uncles. They did their time and they deserve this trip. And Rafes I’m sorry…”
I look up at him, meaning every word that comes out of my mouth next. “I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to you. And I’m really sorry that I put you in this position.”
Silence. Everyone stares at me stunned. Probably because I’ve never apologized for anything in my life.
I was, if not raised, heavily influenced by Leroy Greenwolf, a great-grandfather who would do anything to get and stay on top. He never apologized for even the most heinous of his crimes, which included murder, drugs, gun trafficking, and if the rumors were correct, triggering his own daughter’s heat so that she could mate with the King of Alaska.
He’d been an amazing great-grandfather and a trailblazing king. But he’d never apologized, and he taught me that apologies were only something for the weak.
Maybe that’s why I fell so hard for Damianos. He reminded me of the great-grandfather who’d been an asshole to everyone else, but a total softie with his twin grandbabies. Maybe I’d thought our fating would, if not erase, heal the dragon king’s worst qualities. Like it had with Leroy.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong. I know that now.
“Tell me what I have to do, President Nightwolf,” I say, calling my cousin by his proper title without any derision whatsoever. “Whatever it takes to prove I’ve grown up and I’m ready to be the queen this kingdom deserves, I’ll do it.”
Rafes stares at me like everyone else. Boggled by my unexpected and total acquiescence.
He tries to speak…cuts off.
Tries to speak again. “Ola…”
He breaks off again and rubs at his forehead. I can tell he’s struggling with how to deal with this new, less brash version of me.
Nobody was ready for me to finally grow up. Most of all me.
But now I vow to him, “I’m totally serious. Just tell me what to do.”
Rafes regards me, his shocked expression much softer than his presidential one. But then his face becomes hard again and he opens his mouth to say—
A piercing shrill cuts into the room. We all turn as one to face the curious sight of the ringing red wall phone. The one that only rings if there’s an emergency some place where no one has biosystems.
Like Yellow Wolf Mountain.
I look to my uncles and they look at me.
And I guess, I’m still the head queen in charge, no matter what Rafes threatened because nobody tries to stop me when I go to answer the phone.
“Hello?” I say, carefully into the phone.
“Hello, ma’am, would you be as kind as to pass the line to Ola, The Alpha Queen of North Dakota?”
I lift an eyebrow. Whoever this is sounds official AF. “Speaking,” I answer. “Who’s this?”
“This is Clark Netherwolf, ma’am.”
I’ve never heard of him. “And you are...?”
“I’m the Wolf Force Marine President Nightwolf assigned to oversee the gatehouse after the last…” There’s a significant pause before he seems to decide on the word, “incident.”
“Oh, hello…” I slide an annoyed glance toward Rafes.
Okay, I guess we’re not quite fully in kumbaya territory yet. Irritation creeps right back in that Rafes would take advantage of my absence to appoint one of his men to the gatehouse. Matter of fact, I’m surprised this soldier decided to call me about whatever emergency is happening at the gate instead of reporting in directly to Rafes—
A sudden realization cuts my peeved thoughts short. “Wait, wait, wait, hold up,” I say to the Marine on the other side of the phone. “Did someone…did someone come through the gate?” I ask, standing up straighter.
“Yes,” Clark answers.
And in the next moment, I understand why Clark called the emergency line and asked to speak with me instead of straight snitching to his commander-in-chief.
“Damianos Drákon would like you and your son to meet him at the gatehouse. Alone.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Even if we find this male unarmed, he is extremely dangerous.”
At the bottom of the Yellow Wolf Mountain, I watch Rafes command his troops.
The only weapon I have on me is Bazzi, standing at my feet in winged wolf form.
But Rafes and his squad of soldiers are all armed to the teeth.
They’ve got propulsion handguns at the ready, and railguns strapped to their backs just in case that’s not enough. There’s even a small nuke tank sitting behind them.