Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Erwan felt rested after a good night’s sleep, and he was in a good mood despite the whole situation. He was worried about his mom, but there was nothing he could do until they were able to communicate with home, so he tried to let go of that.

He’d shared breakfast with Fergal, getting to know the man better, and they got along well. It turned out Fergal had been raised somewhat in isolation, so they had that in common. His hadn’t been as complete as Erwan’s, but he had missed out on a lot as well.

All Erwan’s joy and hope evaporated when Rhene stomped into the tent, his face so tight with fury Erwan took a step back. Gregor, who’d been sitting nearby, pretending to read, jumped up in a defensive stance.

“Do you know about the red tent?” Rhene snapped at Fergal.

“The what?”

“The red tent.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“You were here before, Gregor said. Five years ago. Did you not see the red tent?”

“I wasn’t allowed to set foot outside of our tent other than to attend meetings. My father had grown suspicious of the others and didn’t trust them. He wanted to keep me safe.”

Some tension left Rhene as he dragged a shaky hand through his hair. “And no one in your clan has mentioned it? None of the omegas?”

Fergal shook his head. “They don’t trust me enough to talk to me yet. It’s been a slow process to get them to see I’m different from my father. But what is it?”

Rhene clenched his teeth. “It’s a brothel. Right here in the camp.”

A wave of dizziness came over Erwan. He’d heard that wrong, right? He had to have.

“What?” Fergal looked as stunned as Erwan felt.

“At the north end of the camp is a red tent where you can walk in and have sex with an omega. They even ask for your preferences. Needless to say, those omegas are not there voluntarily. Apparently, at each Dragon Council, another clan runs the red tent. This year, it’s the Murphys, but they were short on omegas, so the O’Connors were nice enough to supply some. The first omega they gave me was like a zombie, completely dead inside. The second one had a lot of fight left in him, and I was told I had the honor of breaking him in.”

Erwan’s stomach upturned, and he grabbed the first item next to him—a wastebasket—and threw up in it, emptying his stomach until nothing was left. Rhene rubbed his back. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have sprung this on you like that.”

Erwan wiped his mouth, accepted the wet wipe Gregor handed him with gratitude, and cleaned his hands and his mouth. Yuck, the aftertaste was awful.

“You okay?” Rhene asked.

Erwan leaned against him, resting his head on Rhene’s shoulder. “No, I’m not okay. None of this is okay. How can they do this? How can they treat their omegas like this?”

Rhene kissed his forehead. “I know, darling. I know.”

They stood like that until Erwan had calmed a little. He let go of his mate and looked at the others. Fergal was as pale as a sheet, and Gregor radiated the same fury Rhene had. “You’re telling me they’re running a brothel right here at the camp?” he said in a low, almost menacing tone.

“Yeah. And it’s common knowledge, apparently, because four other guys told me about it, informing me they’d be stopping by later. Including two of your clan.”

“The fuck they will,” Fergal snapped.

Gregor put a hand on his arm. “I’ll take care of it.” He turned to Rhene. “What did you do?”

“I talked to Zacharias, the omega assigned to me, and told him he and anyone else he could convince could join the True Doyle clan by nightfall. I gave him my word we’d get them out of there.”

Gregor and Fergal nodded at the same time. “We will,” Gregor said.

“Zacharias said that if anyone suspected what we’d been up to, they’d punish and might even kill him, so he told me to roughen him up a little.” Rhene’s voice broke. “It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, hitting a defenseless omega on purpose.”

“Oh, baby,” Erwan said, and now it was his time to console his mate. “That must’ve been awful but necessary to keep up the ruse a little longer.”

Rhene met his eyes, and he looked heartbroken. “He told me to jack off so we could make it look real. I’m so sorry. I never wanted to⁠—”

Erwan placed his fingers against Rhene’s lips. “You have nothing to apologize for. That was what you had to do to keep him and the others safe. You did the right thing.”

Rhene’s body relaxed, and he hung his head. “I know, but I felt like I was abusing him. He took it all without complaint, kept telling me he’d survived much worse…”

Rhene didn’t have to say that had only made it ten times worse.

Fergal raised his chin, his eyes blazing with fire. “We will set those omegas free and burn that place down to the ground, if only symbolically.”

And with those words, Erwan knew they’d found a true ally.

“It’s time to head to the meeting,” Gregor said. He looked at Rhene. “Can you keep your temper in check there?”

Rhene nodded. “I swear.”

“Okay. You guys go on ahead. I have one thing to take care of, and then I’ll follow you.” Gregor took Fergal’s chin and brought his face close. “Proud of you,” he said softly, kissed him on his mouth, and walked out, leaving Fergal staring after him.

As they made their way to the meeting tent, Erwan’s heart was heavy. How could people treat others like this? What kind of sick person would do this and think it was okay? That poor omega, being forced to do this. The gods only knew what would’ve happened had some other alpha walked in instead of Rhene.

In the middle of the tent, a horseshoe table had been set up, with chairs around it, and every man sitting at it turned toward them as they walked in.

“Kings and commanders only,” Alistair said, none too friendly. “No consorts.”

Erwan raised his chin. “He’s my commander.”

Alistair opened his mouth, then closed it again. If looks could kill, Erwan would’ve perished on the spot.

“There’s nothing in the Code that says the man can’t be his consort and his commander,” Fergal said pleasantly.

“At least it’s clear whose side you’re on.”

“What an interesting comment. I thought we were here to examine the validity of the evidence for King Erwan’s claim to be the True Doyle king. One could argue I’m on the side of the truth, but that might be a little too philosophical for your taste.”

Erwan walked to two empty chairs and sat in one without asking permission. Rhene was rubbing off on him, and in the best way.

“Let’s see that supposed proof, then,” Alistair said.

“Excuse me, Commander. We have a protocol to follow,” Gregor said as he walked in, his voice flat as a pancake. “If you’ll allow me to formally open the meeting, we can proceed.”

They were off to a good start, weren’t they? Two minutes in, and they’d already pissed off the entire room. And Erwan didn’t think things would get better.

“Excuse me,” Rhene said. “Where is King Ennis?”

“The king is unwell, so I have taken his place,” Kerry said.

“I thought this meeting was kings and commanders only, as Alistair informed us. Since you’re neither king nor the commander of the Murphys, it leaves me wondering why you’re here.”

Erwan put a hand over his mouth to hide his grin. Leave it to his mate to seek confrontation right out the gate.

“You should stay quiet,” Kerry snapped. “You have no right to speak here.”

Rhene leaned forward. “You keep contradicting yourself. If I, as Erwan’s commander, have no right to speak, then why does Alistair? If this meeting is for kings and commanders only, why are you here? It seems you’re going to great lengths to keep me out of here, which raises the question of why.”

“You’re a wolf,” Alistair spat out. “You have no right mingling in dragon business. The whole relationship between you and Erwan is an abomination.”

“King Erwan.” Rhene’s voice was sharp as a whip. “I couldn’t care less what you think of my relationship with my mate, but you will address him with the honor and respect attached to his position.”

“Despite the hostile delivery of his remarks, Alistair brings up a good point,” Oscar, the commander of the O’Connors, said. Fergal and Gregor had gone over all the names of the attendees with Erwan and Rhene, which made things a hell of a lot easier. At least now they knew who they were dealing with.

“And what point is that?” Gregor asked.

“He’s a wolf. He’s not a dragon. I’m not sure I feel comfortable discussing dragon business in front of him. For all we know, he could betray us.”

That was rich, coming from the O’Connors, but Erwan held his tongue.

“The Code does not forbid it.” Gregor’s tone left little room for discussion. “So neither do we. Let’s start this meeting.” He brought the gavel down on the table. “The meeting is opened. The primary purpose of today’s meeting in closed quarters is to determine the validity of the claims of King Erwan, who has challenged King Cladhaire to the rights to the throne of the Doyle clan.”

“There is no validity,” Cladhaire immediately said.

Gregor held up a finger. “King Cladhaire, let me make it crystal clear that I will not tolerate interruptions. The Fitzgeralds are chairing this meeting, and as such, you will yield to our authority. When it’s not your time to speak, you will hold your tongue.”

Oh, that was as good as a declaration of war. Gregor had better be careful going forward because he had just gained an enemy.

“King Erwan, we request to see proof of your claims.”

“You’ve already seen the proof,” Rhene said calmly.

They had talked until late into the night, trying to come up with a strategy, and finally had decided to attempt to turn the tables. All Erwan could do was hope it would work out.

“What do you mean?” Alistair asked.

“He shifted in front of everyone yesterday. He’s the White Dragon and, as such, incapable of deceit. You know this to be true.”

A hushed silence fell over the room, and judging by the surprised faces, no one had expected them to run this defense. Not unreasonable, since it had taken Erwan and Rhene hours to come up with. And in all fairness, it was a bit of a desperate move but a necessary one. Sadly, the hard, irrefutable evidence they had for their claims was razor-thin.

Kerry recovered first. “That’s indirect evidence. Where’s the proof?”

“You want to see proof? How’s this for proof?” Erwan pulled the prints from his pocket and threw them onto the table. They slid right in front of Alistair. Erwan couldn’t have positioned them better if he’d tried.

“What’s that?” King Donál of the O’Connors asked, leaning so far forward that his nose all but touched the table.

Erwan waited with his answer, too focused on Alistair and Kerry as they bent over and looked at the pictures Erwan had so helpfully printed for them. They both paled.

“That, King Donál, is proof the Murphys tried to abduct me.” Erwan had been determined to stay calm, but he couldn’t prevent his voice from trembling with anger. “They came as thieves in the night, cloaked in dark magic, putting a spell on my mate and me.”

King Donál’s gasp was real, and even though Fergal and Gregor had already seen the pictures, they pretended to be just as shocked. The complete lack of reaction from Cladhaire and Baoth only confirmed they’d been aware of the incident. Not that Erwan was surprised. So far, they’d had a hand in every attempt on his life, so why would this one be an exception?

“This is a fabrication,” Kerry said. “A despicable lie in an obvious move to discredit us.”

“Is it?” Rhene crossed his arms. “We also have video from our security cameras.”

Alistair waved his hand. “That in itself proves it’s a fake. We would never have allowed ourselves to be caught on camera. Our magic is way too strong for that.”

“Oh, we both know better. Your magic was too strong initially, and you did a great job cloaking yourself…until an omega unmasked you and ordered you to show yourself. Which, by the way, is evident in the camera footage, where you show up from one second to the next, looking stunned. It even includes audio of your exchange with him.”

“All lies. No omega could ever be strong enough to resist our magic. Not even from one alpha, let alone five.”

“Five, you say? That’s interesting because the pictures on the table only show four, as one of you stood just outside of the camera angle. How did you know there were five?”

The first cracks in Alistair’s confidence had appeared. “I didn’t… I was just… It doesn’t matter. My remark stands. One omega cannot defeat multiple alphas.”

“What bothers you more?” Rhene asked, his voice cold as ice. “That you and your cronies got overpowered by an omega? Or that it was an omega who came from your clan? One you have abused for years and years, not once even considering he might have magical abilities.”

Kerry threw up his hands. “That shows how little you know. Omegas don’t have magical abilities. They may have some whispers of magic, but that’s it.”

“I don’t know about that. I’ve discovered that some omegas in my clan have surprising talents in that area.” Fergal scratched his beard. “But, of course, I’ve only been king for two months, so it’s not like I know what I’m talking about.”

Baoth—what was he doing here? He wasn’t a commander, and he sure as fuck wasn’t a king—scoffed. “Omegas have no power. Their only purpose in life is to take care of alphas. Fulfill their every need. That’s it.”

Once again, the O’Connors kept their mouths shut. Erwan was dismayed to see Fergal had been right in his guess that they would abstain from taking a stand on anything. Cowards.

“Even if we did make an attempt to extract Prince Erwan from the wolf pack, and I’m not saying we did, but hypothetically speaking, we would’ve only done so out of concern for his well-being,” Kerry said.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? “My well-being?”

“Surely, you can’t expect us to believe you were there of your own free will and not under the influence of wolf magic. After all, our reports showed you were not only sleeping with another alpha but also submitting to him, allowing him to alpha-claim you, as the wolves call it. No dragon prince would ever choose that without being influenced in some way. And let us not mention the crazy rumor that your clan, though I am hesitant to call it that, has pledged servitude to the wolves. Dragons don’t serve wolves. We’re not equals.”

And there it was, the dirty tactics Erwan thought he’d been prepared for. Yet his cheeks heated at the mention of him accepting Rhene’s alpha claim, of him submitting himself to Rhene’s authority. He had, and it wasn’t something he should be ashamed of. Still, it stung to be painted like this, like a weakling, like he had to have been influenced unduly to make these choices. No alpha dragon would ever choose that life for himself, but Erwan had.

He had a choice now. He could let himself be bullied into feeling ashamed, or he could take a stand and be proud of the man he had become. The choice was easy, even if his insides churned. He took Rhene’s hand, and as soon as he felt his mate’s touch, calm washed over him.

“You’re correct, Kerry. We’re not equal to the wolves. They have honor. We do not. Not anymore.”

A gasp traveled through the room, but Gregor held up his finger. “Let King Erwan speak.”

“We made a blood pact with the wolves, a sacred, eternal alliance. And we broke it. We betrayed them in their hour of need, and that shame and dishonor are on us. So yes, to restore our honor, I did pledge servitude to the wolves. According to the Code, we owe them fifty months of service, and the True Doyle clan will fulfill that debt. If you think that’s shameful, it only proves how far you have sunk, how big the gap is between you and your ancestors who wrote the Code.”

Kerry jumped up and slammed his fist on the table. “Nobody speaks to me like that!”

Fergal flicked a piece of lint from his pants. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he just did.”

“It’s an affront to my honor. To all our honor!” Baoth said.

It was like a switch was flipped inside Erwan. A red haze clouded his vision, and everything came from far away, as if through a mist. “You don’t get to lecture me about honor!”

His heartbeat thundered in his ears, drowning out other sounds. “You tried to kill me. My own uncle, together with the man who sired me. You wanted me out of the way, just like you murdered my grandfather. And you dare talk to me about honor? The word has no meaning for you. You have no honor, no decency, not even a shred of humanity and kindness. You’re a monster.”

His uncle waved his arm, flinging magic at him, but before it could hit, Erwan raised his hands, blocking the spell, and then another one and another one and one from Cladhaire until Erwan whispered one word.

“Reo.”

Freeze.