Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Rhene had wanted to protect his mate, but he didn’t need to. Erwan was handling things all on his own, wielding his magic with a power and ease that left the entire room stunned.

Baoth and Cladhaire stood frozen to the ground, unable to move, their eyes wide with fear.

“How is he…?” Alistair whispered. “He shouldn’t be able to. Not without his clan. Not against dragons that powerful.”

“He’s the White Dragon, and he’s found his calling. No one can lift a finger against him now, not when he has truth and honor on his side,” Fergal said.

“Are you calling us dishonorable?” Kerry’s voice was trembling with anger.

“Yes,” Erwan said calmly. “I am.”

“How dare you⁠—”

Erwan’s magic slipped, and Cladhaire and Baoth could move again, though they didn’t seem to make any attempts to do so. They looked as if they’d seen a ghost.

“You have a brothel here!” Erwan yelled it so loudly the entire camp must’ve heard it. “How dare you call yourself honorable when you have a fucking brothel right here in the camp?”

Oh fuck. This was not how it was supposed to go. But how could Rhene be angry with his mate for revealing their knowledge of the red tent when he had been fuming with fury as well? Erwan’s indignation was righteous, and Rhene could not and would not stop him.

Kerry crossed his arms. “I assume the reason you’re so upset is that your consort made good use of one of the whores this morning. From what I’ve been told, he fucked the poor omega for a good hour. Beat him up too. So maybe don’t lecture us when your so-called mate is doing the exact same thing.”

Erwan met Rhene’s gaze, trembling with panic. Yeah, he’d backed them into a corner there. Either Rhene would have to deny everything, which would risk Zacharias’s safety, or he would confirm it, thus losing his reputation.

“A brothel?” Gregor asked as if Kerry hadn’t even mentioned Rhene. “You’re saying there’s one in the camp?”

“It’s called the red tent, and apparently, it’s a regular occurrence. Every Council, another clan runs it. This year, it’s the Murphys.” Erwan pointed at Kerry and Alistair. “Except they didn’t have omegas, so the O’Connors supplied some.”

Oscar from the O’Connors held up his hands in defense. “Hold on. We only did it as a favor to the Murphys.”

“Does it matter?” Erwan asked. “The result is the same, isn’t it? Omegas are being forced to whore themselves out against their will.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Alistair waved his hand. “Omegas have no will. They’re our property to do with as we please. They’re worth less than half of what alphas are.”

“Not according to the Code,” Fergal said in a sharp tone. “In fact, the Code commands alphas to treat the omegas well since they’re weaker.”

“The Code was written centuries ago. It has evolved,” Kerry said. “You can’t expect us to stick to rules that were written in the early Middle Ages.”

“Why not?” Erwan asked, and the room grew quiet again. “Why can’t we? The Code is a moral law, teaching us what is right and honorable for dragons. That is timeless, and so are its principles for leading a clan. Why shouldn’t we still follow those moral guidelines when our ancestors did? It’s your generation that deviated from it. Your generation caused the Great Shame by breaking the ancient oath we swore to the wolf shifters. Your generation stood by as the wolves almost went extinct and, at best, did nothing and, at worst, helped those who plotted against the wolves. Your generation has brought us nothing but shame and dishonor, war and destruction, brutality and injustice.”

Erwan was glorious, radiating a confidence and strength Rhene had never seen from him. His words, spoken with such deep conviction, carried weight. Fergal had been right. The White Dragon had found his calling, and Rhene had never been more in awe of his mate.

Erwan spun around, pointing at the Murphys. “Twelve of their omegas left their clan. Did you all know that? Twelve. And you all know why.”

“They didn’t leave. You stole them,” Alistair snapped.

“We gave them a choice, and they chose freedom,” Rhene said. “All we did was offer them safety, a place to stay, and bread on their tables. That was enough to make them leave their clan and come to us. That was how low the bar was. We didn’t have to steal, bribe, or blackmail them. All we had to do was give them the choice. They chose us despite all the unknowns because nothing could be as horrific as staying in your clan. That’s the truth, and you know it.”

“Yet for all your pretty words, you still ended up in the red tent this morning and fucked an omega,” Kerry snarled.

“No, he didn’t.”

Rhene spun around. Zacharias stood there, his chin held high despite the bruise on his cheek and his split lip. And behind him, more omegas filed in, one after the other, until the meeting tent was packed.

How had they known to come? Oh, wait. Gregor. He must’ve somehow given them a signal.

“My name is Zacharias, and I can vouch for the character of King Erwan’s consort. I was assigned to him, but he didn’t have sex with me this morning.”

“Sheila said she saw the evidence herself,” Kerry protested.

“She saw what we wanted her to see.” Zacharias stood fearlessly. “Rhene Hightower did not have sex with me.”

He was smart not to say Rhene hadn’t touched him because, technically, he had. Just not in the sense most people would understand that phrasing.

“What’s the meaning of this?” King Donál asked, sounding downright panicked. “You have no right to be here.”

“We’re leaving our clans,” Zacharias said. “All of us. We’re following the White Dragon.”

“You can’t—” Kerry said.

“They can.” Fergal’s voice was loud and firm. “According to the Code, they have every right.”

“You can’t take all the omegas.” King Donál turned to Erwan. “How will our clans survive? They’re our only hope for offspring.”

“Maybe you should’ve considered that before deciding they were worthless and yours to do with as you pleased,” Erwan said. “Besides, you have zero chance of getting healthy eggs anyway. Dishonor comes at a price.”

Kerry scoffed. “I don’t see you with any hatchlings.”

Erwan raised his chin. “My brother Jermon just had four. All eggs survived.”

“I don’t believe a word of it. He’s mated to two wolves, one of them an alpha,” Alistair said derisively.

“His wolf omega had the four eggs,” Erwan said. “And before you claim that’s impossible, let me point out that magic is able to do things you can’t even dream of or imagine. It’s not limited by the boundaries you impose upon it.”

“Hold up.” King Donál raised a hand. “You’re saying the fertility problems we all have are related to what you call our dishonor?”

“They are. They started right after the Great Shame, didn’t they?”

King Donál scratched his beard. “Yeah, but that was the Doyles, not us.”

“But you stood by and let it happen,” Fergal said. “That’s what the O’Connors are known for, right? Never taking a stand, always staying out of things.”

“It’s not like the Fitzgeralds were any better,” Oscar snapped. “I didn’t recall your clan protesting either.”

“No, we didn’t. And I could say that wasn’t my decision because it wasn’t, but the shame of it rests on my shoulders regardless, and that’s something I’ll have to find a way to live with.”

Alistair snorted. “Always so dramatic. As if you’re better than the rest of us.”

“Can we focus on the real problem here?” King Donál sounded as whiney as a toddler. “They can’t take my omegas.” He turned to Zacharias. “You can’t just leave. We… We’ll treat you better. You won’t have to do the red tent anymore if you don’t want to. And it’s not like we’re as bad as the Murphys. Everyone knows they straight up abuse their omegas.”

“You gotta be fucking kidding me,” Zacharias said. “Are you for real? Do you really think we would ever believe one word coming out of your lying mouth?”

Oscar jumped up. “You can’t talk to your king like that!”

“He’s not my king anymore. I told you. We’re out. All of us. We choose to join the True Doyle clan, so the only one with authority over us is King Erwan.”

The omega had balls. To confront an alpha took guts in and of itself, but to do it in a room full of others? And to have it be his former king? Rhene could only imagine what Zacharias would bring to the clan and the pack once he was let off the leash.

“There is no True Doyle clan,” Cladhaire all but wailed. “There’s only one Doyle clan, and that’s mine.”

Zacharias barely spared him a glance. “You have no clan. There’s you and your brother, and that’s it. So if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not waste my time with you.”

Holy shit. Rhene fought against the laugh bubbling up inside him, but he lost that battle. The look of absolute shock on Cladhaire’s face was just too precious, as was the utter confusion on the faces of the others, as if they couldn’t believe what they were witnessing. No wonder. They must never have encountered an omega who spoke like that. And maybe if Rhene hadn’t grown so accustomed to Sivney, he would’ve felt the same way, but now he was cheering Zacharias on.

“You’re gonna fit right in with us,” he said, and Zacharias’s face broke open in a grin.

“Okay, let’s at least try to achieve some resemblance of order,” Gregor said, looking calm and collected as if nothing had happened. “Zacharias, before you can join the True Doyle clan, we need to formally confirm their legitimacy.”

“They have no⁠—”

A gesture from Gregor brought Alistair to silence. “We will follow procedure. Every clan will have two minutes to state their opinion, and then we’ll bring it to a vote. The Murphys have the floor for two minutes.”

“Not while the omegas are still here,” Kerry said.

“Your time has started, so if I were you, I’d make use of it,” Gregor said coolly.

“Right. Okay, then. The Murphys vote no to acknowledging the True Doyle clan. We haven’t seen any evidence of the charges. Where’s the proof that King Cladhaire threatened Erwan’s life, killed others, or used black magic? King Cladhaire has been a loyal member of our Dragon Council for many years, and we have never witnessed him doing anything that directly violates the Code.”

Kerry droned on and on, but Rhene had already tuned him out. The man was merely repeating himself, so he wouldn’t learn anything new anyway.

“Your time is up. King Cladhaire, you’re next.”

Cladhaire didn’t waste time protesting the presence of the dragon omegas but directly launched into a tirade. “Erwan has always been power-hungry. For as long as I can remember, he’s been trying to steal my throne, and my brother can attest to this.” Baoth gave a solemn nod. “He’s not content to wait his time but wants me gone, and he’s gone to great lengths to achieve that. It’s not me who’s power-hungry. It’s him. He’s let the honor of being the White Dragon go to his head.”

Rhene had never heard a bigger load of crap than that, and it cost him to hold his tongue when he wanted to do nothing more than beat the man to a pulp. The good news was that King Donál didn’t seem impressed either, frowning and raising his eyebrows a few times as Cladhaire went on.

“The Fitzgerald clan has the floor. King Fergal?”

“From where I stand, I can see three arguments—a moral one, a legal one, and a practical one. Let’s start with the latter. The Code states that the White Dragon is incapable of deceit. We have all seen the irrefutable evidence that King Erwan is the White Dragon. That means he could never do the things Cladhaire…pardon me, King Cladhaire is accusing him of.” Fergal looked around as if to make sure everyone was listening. They were, including King Donál, who had leaned forward and was paying close attention.

“The legal argument is that according to the Code, a crown prince has the right to rebel against his king if he has legitimate reasons to do so. King Erwan has told us his father wishes him harm, and we have seen proof of that. Moreover, Emma, the granddaughter of Seamus the Librarian, has signed papers stating that she was tortured and almost starved to death in the Doyle castle at the hands of the Doyle king. I find these accusations credible and more proof that Cladhaire…pardon me, King Cladhaire and his brother have used dark magic against her.”

Rhene pressed his lips together. Fergal was brilliant, his reasoning sound and logical, and the little slips where he “accidentally” forgot to use Cladhaire’s title were highly entertaining.

“That means that legally, he is within his full rights to have started the True Doyle clan. And last but not least, there’s a moral argument. The fact that twelve Murphy omegas voluntarily switched allegiance⁠—”

“They stole them!” Kerry shouted.

Gregor slammed the gavel down. “Quiet! King Fergal has the floor.”

“—to the True Doyle clan speaks volumes. And now we have more omegas following that example, all attracted to the innate goodness of the White Dragon and his clan.” Fergal’s face grew sad. “None of the four original clans are without blood on our hands. We have all failed the Code in too many ways to count. I have vowed to do what I can to make things right on our end, but the moral debt we owe the wolves and our omegas is high. That King Erwan has pledged his servitude to the wolves to pay off his debt tells me everything I need to know about him and his morals. He did what all of us should have done but didn’t. He had the courage we all lacked, and for that reason alone, I vote for his legitimacy.”

“Thank you. O’Connors, your turn.”

King Donál cleared his throat. “We’d like to hear King Erwan’s statement first if that’s okay.”

Of course they would. Rhene was starting to see what Fergal had meant when he’d said the O’Connors would never take a stand unless they had to. Even now, they were waiting as long as possible.

“King Erwan, we’d love to hear from you. You have two minutes.”

Wasn’t it crazy his mate had to argue the most important case of his life and do it in two minutes? Rhene held his breath.

“Thank you, Gregor.” Erwan rose. He spoke softly. “I didn’t know I was a white dragon until my father threatened my mate and I shifted on instinct. Even then, I didn’t know what it signified because my brothers and I had been raised without magic, none of us taught what it meant or how to use it. We weren’t trained in magic, not until the omegas who came to us from the Murphys started teaching us. What we did know was to be afraid of my father and uncle because they had powers and used them for evil. My mom…”

His voice cracked, and he took a moment to compose himself. Rhene’s heart broke for him, but Erwan had to finish this part on his own.

“My mom protected me for as long as I can remember. Every night, she’d weave her protective spells around me, keeping me safe. She was the one who taught me right from wrong, who encouraged me to follow my heart and my calling, who showed me how to trust the fire within me. It’s thanks to her that I am who I am today, and I can only hope I’m making her proud.”

He raised his head, his eyes sparkling with fire. “I’m not after power or a position. I would give anything not to have to do this, but I have no choice. When being confronted with such evil, I can’t ignore it and pretend it’s not my problem or responsibility. It is. It’s the responsibility of us all. We have turned our backs on our pact with the wolves. We have dishonored our Code and our ancestors. And regardless of what you decide today, I will do whatever is in my power to right that wrong and restore the moral integrity of my clan.”

When he sat down, Rhene had tears in his eyes, and he could barely refrain from kissing his mate until they both ran out of breath. He was so, so proud of him.

“Thank you for those powerful words.” Gregor had apparently given up on even attempting to sound impartial. Good for him. It was time to make a stand and stop pretending both sides were equal. “King Donál?”

The king of the O’Connors sat quietly, his brows furrowed and a deep thinking line on his forehead. Finally, he lifted his head. “Can I use my time to question King Erwan?”

He’d called him King Erwan. Did that mean something? Was he leaning toward supporting them?

“Absolutely,” Gregor said.

King Donál looked at Erwan. “You’re saying you never knew you were a white dragon? How is that even possible?”

“My shift when I turned sixteen was in the dark, so I never saw my color,” Erwan answered.

“But why didn’t you check?”

“I had no reason to expect I would show color since I wasn’t eighteen yet. I was unaware that dragons showed color at sixteen.”

“Hmm. And you were never trained in magic?”

Why was he asking that? Was he trying to find out how strong Erwan’s powers were?

“Not until recently.”

“So you have no idea what a white dragon can do.”

Erwan smiled. “I do now. My clan is gathered right now, united behind me, and I can feel their power inside me.”

“And his clan has power through him,” Rhene said. “I’d be happy to show you the footage of how one of our omegas took on five Murphy alphas and came out victoriously.”

“I’d like to see that, yes.”

Oh, if looks could kill, Rhene would long be dead by now, but he ignored the fury coming from Kerry and Alistair, took his phone out of his pocket, found the video, and held it up for King Donál to see. He pressed Play.

“I am Fallon of the Doyle clan!” Fallon’s voice rang out. “And I have truth and honor on my side. Reveal yourself!”

King Donál gasped, probably seeing the Murphy alphas appear out of nowhere after Fallon broke their cloaking spell.

The video played on.

“It’s not just me,” Fallon could be heard saying.

Then Dempsey. “I don’t see an army behind you, but even if you brought all the others, you’d still be powerless against us.”

Next came the part that always gave Rhene goosebumps, no matter how often he watched it—Fallon pulling power from every single clan member and taking a stand against the Murphys.

“What is he doing?” Colin asked in the video. “Dempsey, what the fuck is he doing? Are you sensing this?”

“He’s bluffing and using a boosting spell, but it won’t last. He’s not strong enough to keep that up for long.”

But it hadn’t been a boosting spell. It had been raw power fueled by the White Dragon, and seconds later, Fallon gave the command that would wake Erwan up. Rhene paused the video. “I take it you’ve seen enough?”

King Donál looked shaken. “I certainly have. Thank you.”

“Let’s take it to a vote,” Gregor announced.

“The Fitzgeralds vote in favor of acknowledging King Erwan as the legitimate heir to the Doyle throne and declare Cladhaire and Baoth the usurpers,” Fergal said.

“The Doyles vote no,” Cladhaire snapped.

“The O’Connors…” King Donál took a long, hard look at Erwan, then straightened his shoulders. “The O’Connors vote in favor of recognizing King Erwan as the legitimate ruler of the Doyles.”

Yes! Oh my god, they had two votes! Wait. What would happen now? It would be two against two, so neither side would have enough votes.

Kerry trembled with fury. “The Murphys⁠—”

A commotion made Rhene look up. King Ennis entered the meeting tent, looking determined as he shuffled in, leaning heavily on Tynan’s arm. “The Murphys vote in favor.”