Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 114617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
A slow smirk stretched my lips. “Oh, Eddy-baby, my threats always have teeth. Let me tell you what happens now. Since you ripped up the check I so generously gave you, I’m going to grant you your wish. I’ll contact the alpha council and tell them I’m being threatened. Someone very dangerous and very serious will kill me unless I give them two million dollars.”
A vein started jumping in his forehead.
“Now, Sunella and the council will already be suspicious of you when you suddenly show up with exactly that amount to free your sister, but then when you start spouting crazy conspiracy theories against their sweet and rehabilitated high priestess, I’ll be forced to tell them you were the one threatening my life for money and more. When I stopped giving you more...” I shrugged. “You resorted to making up lies about me. You even released the video of my shifting to force me into a corner and under your thumb.”
Edric goggled at me, jaw hanging. “You can’t be serious. Sweet and rehabilitated? You just took over the academy! If they didn’t know you were none of those fucking things before, they do now that all the alphas you threw over the gates ran and told them you pulled a coup. You did! I was chained up, and not fucking keeping you under my thumb.”
My smile went nowhere. “Exactly. All the alphas that I freely let leave without laying a finger on their heads. And then after they did, I ousted a corrupt headmistress, gave all the staff raises, and once again didn’t hurt any of the students, because even if I had to give in to you, I refused to hurt anyone.”
“But you did hurt a student. You killed Nia! Plus, you forced Dagem out,” he sputtered. “You bribed her. You’ve been bragging about being the new queen of Wolf Nation to everyone who’ll listen!”
“A joke,” I breezed. “I’m not the queen, but what I am is the high priestess, and in my capacity as high priestess and mother wolf, I saved Corvin Academy from a corrupt headmistress, and several staff and students who were a danger to the others. I’m a hero, Eddy, and anyone who says differently while they’re reeking of the stink of extorting the alpha council, isn’t going to sound too convincing from their jail cell.”
Edric shook his head, dropping hard on his ass. “You’re a monster.”
I lifted my shoulders. “I call it the Villain era for a reason. So, are we good now? Do we understand each other?”
“Why are you doing this?” His whisper wasn’t enough of one to slip past my ears. “All of this for revenge?”
I sobered, smile vanishing. “No, Edric. Not for revenge.” I sent a word through the bond. Just one word.
He gazed at me, expression softening. “Okay, I’ll give you that. As reasons go... that’s a good one.” Edric got to his feet. “But promise me something?”
“No.”
“Stubborn, nightmare of a woman,” he muttered. “Give me a chance to think of another way.”
“There is no other way.”
“You think that because you’re crazy,” Edric dropped without a trace of joking. “But there’s always another way. There has to be.”
“Edric.” I pointed at my face. “This isn’t crazy. It’s serious. People who know about Destiny have a nasty habit of dying.”
“Because you keep killing them.”
“Because it’s a secret that wasn’t supposed to get out until it was too late for anyone to stop! But I know, and now it’s war. A war that has no good sides, because on both sides there will be blood, pain, and collateral damage,” I said. “You have to listen to me, I’m trying to save your life.”
He paused, considering me. “Okay. Then, I’ll agree not to tell anyone about Destiny, if you agree not to make another move on your psycho, madwoman plan until I’ve thought of another way to stop it.”
“You know what? Just for that psycho dig, you’ve got to sweeten the pot. If you want me to hold back while you waste time coming up with a useless alternative plan, you’ll have to do it while hanging off my arm.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means holding hands in public, feeding me off your plate, passionate kisses in detention hall, and telling the world we’re bonded.” I beamed in his eyes. “Tomorrow, I introduce my loyal queen consort to the whole school.”
“Why?” he barked. “Why would you want that?”
“Uhh, duh, keep up. It’s so when I tell everyone you forced me to do things for you, and then turned on me when I stopped, they’ll believe it.” I patted his sallow cheeks. “Also, it’ll piss Badr, Nyx, Orion, and Paxton off like nothing else. Your little brotherhood will be done for good.”
“Monster,” he whispered.
“Villain, baby.” I brushed past, climbing the steps for a bed worthy of the queen I am. “Get it right.”