Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

“The Murphys vote in favor.”

King Ennis’s voice was weak but still carried through the room, an audible gasp from everyone on its heels, Erwan’s included. Of all the likely scenarios he could have imagined, this one hadn’t been on his Bingo card, as Rhene would say.

“King Ennis, you should⁠—”

One hand gesture from the king and Kerry shut up.

All the people in the room turned toward King Ennis, tracking his slow, deliberate movements. By the time he’d found his seat, he was panting, yet he looked healthier than he had before, especially for a man who supposedly hadn’t been feeling well this morning.

“My liege, I really don’t think you⁠—”

Alistair, too, was cut off with a single wave. Whatever the other leaders of the Murphy clan might’ve done to weaken the king’s power, he still yielded considerable influence if they were this respectful of him. Well, respectful maybe wasn’t the best word. Scared? Intimidated? Erwan didn’t know why they heeded his commands, but they did.

King Ennis took his time catching his breath, and it felt like the entire room collectively held its own. What on earth was going on? Why the sudden change of heart?

The king cleared his throat. “The Murphys vote in favor of acknowledging King Erwan as the legitimate heir to the Doyle throne and declare his father and uncle the usurpers.”

His first words hadn’t been a mistake, then. Holy crap, he was actually voting in favor! To say everyone was shocked was an understatement. Faces showed a mix of surprise, confusion, and, of course, pure fury on those of the Murphys, not to mention the rage in Cladhaire’s and Baoth’s expressions, which left Erwan cold.

“Thank you, King Ennis, for your vote. Could I ask you to elaborate on your reasons?” Gregor asked, voicing what everyone in the room wanted to know.

“Tynan will read a statement I have prepared. These are my words, not his,” the king said.

Tynan stood and unfolded a piece of paper from his pocket. “Over the last few years, my mind has been clouded, my body weak, and my heart heavy. Despite my visiting several doctors, no illness could ever be found. It’s only been in the last two weeks that I have seen a remarkable improvement in my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. This change came after Tynan begged me to allow him to install new magical wards for my protection. He suspected dark magic at work, and⁠—”

Another loud gasp traveled through the room, and Tynan looked up from his paper, aiming his gaze straight at the other Murphys. “And he was right. As soon as Tynan powered up the new protective spells, I started to feel better.”

Gods, was the man publicly accusing his advisers of poisoning him by using dark magic? It sure as hell sounded like it. Rhene took Erwan’s hand, and their eyes met for a moment. His mate was as shocked as Erwan was and with reason. Talk about an unexpected development.

“With that new mental clarity also came an acute awakening of my conscience, which, I will admit freely, has been slumbering far longer than my health. For too long, I have closed my eyes to the injustice and brutality in my clan, allowing actions that have brought unbearable shame upon the Murphy clan and my name.”

“He’s clearly not well,” Alistair said. “We cannot allow him to continue. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

The commander sounded weak, like he knew the game was up.

“King Ennis has the floor,” Gregor said. “We will allow him the courtesy of speaking without being interrupted.”

Tynan continued, “I have been uneasy with the moral failures of the leaders in my clan, but I was too cowardly to speak up, too scared to lose my position, my life, and what little influence I had left. That regret will burden my soul until the day I die. It’s too late to turn back time and undo the violence that has been unleashed, the abuse and inhuman practices, the horrific treatment of our precious omegas. I cannot change the past. But I can change the future and ensure that regardless of my fate, my clan will never commit these atrocities ever again.”

Tynan looked up, this time at his king.

King Ennis looked determined as he took over. “The Code gives me the power to give up my clan. And that is what I’m doing. The Murphy clan no longer exists. As of today, all its members are free to join whichever clan they choose. I will put my fate in the hands of the White Dragon and beg for his mercy. This is my final decision, made of my own free will, and I will allow anyone who so wishes to scan me and confirm these words are true.”

If his previous words about his health and how he suspected dark magic at work had stunned everyone, this statement had the opposite effect. As soon as he had finished, the room exploded. The Murphys were yelling, screaming, shouting at each other and their king. The others were talking in animated voices, debating the legal validity of what King Ennis had done and what it meant for their clan.

Erwan sat quietly, his hand still in Rhene’s, and let it all sink in. Of all the potential outcomes of this meeting, this was one he’d never expected. Never had King Ennis given any indication he was on their side, that he even so much as disagreed with what his leaders were doing. But out of the blue, he had taken a stand. A courageous, honorable stand.

No, it didn’t negate him closing his eyes all those years, not wanting to see what was going on. He’d made it clear he wasn’t expecting forgiveness for that, yet he’d still made the unimaginable call to disband his clan. The Murphys had just ceased to exist after thousands of years.

“Can he do that?” King Donál asked no one in particular, and everyone quieted. “Is he correct that the Code gives him this power?”

“It does,” Fergal said.

Alistair scoffed. “No offense, but I’m not sure you’re qualified to answer this question.”

Fergal shrugged. “I’m not sure of everyone’s expertise, but if someone else has a law degree with a specialization in dragon law, let them speak up. If not, I’m it.”

“You have a law degree?” The incredulity in Kerry’s voice was heavy.

“I do, and from a rather prestigious university. Also, I’ve lived a secluded life with little entertainment until I became king, so out of a combination of necessity and interest, I’ve studied every book in my father’s library.”

“I can confirm the king’s credentials,” Gregor said.

“Are you saying he can? The Code gives him this power?” Oscar asked.

Fergal nodded. “Section 12F of the Code states that a king can disband his clan, and once he has, it cannot be reinstated under the same name or the same ruler. So I’m sorry, gentlemen,” he said to the Murphy leaders, who were all clustered together, their faces still showing fury. “Your clan no longer exists, and you’re out of a job. Good luck with finding a new clan. At this time, the Fitzgeralds are not interested in taking in any of the Murphy alphas. The omegas are more than welcome, though.”

“The O’Connors aren’t interested in the alphas either,” King Donál immediately said. “We need omegas, not more alphas.”

Shit, what did Erwan do now? Should he offer to take in the alphas? But he didn’t want them in his clan. Not only because he’d have to watch his back for eternity but also because it would affect everyone else. The omegas would never feel safe again. No, he couldn’t do that. As much as he believed in forgiveness and second chances, those had to be earned.

He looked at Rhene, who shook his head. Good, they were on the same page. “The True Doyles are open to all omegas from any clan. We will only take alphas in after a strict vetting process to determine whether they will be a risk to the safety of our omegas, which is and always will be our priority.”

“We’ll take them in,” Cladhaire said, no doubt seeing an opportunity.

“You can’t,” Fergal said. “Your clan no longer exists. We voted to declare King Erwan the legitimate ruler, so as of now, he commands the Doyle clan. And you two are… Well, I guess you’re as much out of luck as the Murphy alphas.”

Cladhaire opened his mouth, then closed it again, his face turning red. “You can’t…”

Fergal shrugged. “Majority vote, all according to the Code. I’d say I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t mean it, so I won’t. Also, the Doyle castle and all its contents now belong to King Erwan, as do any remaining clan members.”

He owned the castle? What on earth was he going to do with that monstrosity? Sell it. Or better still, tear it down and let nature retake the land. The whole structure was an abomination anyway. If everything had gone according to plan, his mom and Lucia would have been rescued and safe at the ranch. There might be some guards and maids left, but Erwan had no clue. They’d do a headcount, see who wanted to come with them, and then they’d close shop and raze that hellhole to the ground.

“We all choose to go with the White Dragon,” Zacharias said.

Erwan had forgotten the omegas were still there. His head hurt from everything that had happened.

“No offense to you, King Fergal,” the omega added.

“None taken,” Fergal said. “I understand, and if I were you, I’d do the same. Smart choice.”

“How many of you are there?” Rhene asked Zacharias, practical as ever.

“Eight here, but we know omegas in the O’Connor clan who will want to come if they hear the news. And maybe some Murphy omegas who didn’t leave before? They’ll want to come now that their clan no longer exists.”

“And maybe some from my clan as well,” Fergal said. “I will give them the choice.”

“Are you crazy?” King Donál said. “You would give them the information that could make them leave?”

Fergal sighed. “You still don’t understand, do you? Omegas are people with free will, and they should be allowed to make their own choices. I want them to stay because it’s what they want, not because they think they have no other options or because I force them to.”

“B-but they could all leave.”

“Yes, and if they do, I couldn’t blame them. Life in our clan wasn’t a picnic. It may not have been as bad as with the Murphys, but it wasn’t good either, so I’d understand if they want out. In that case, all I can do is teach my clan to do better in the hopes of getting omegas back down the line.”

King Donál’s expression showed how he felt about that, but Erwan couldn’t have been prouder of Fergal.

Rhene bumped Erwan’s shoulder. “We need to talk to Sivney as soon as possible and make sure we’re ready to take all these omegas in.”

“Yeah, and talk to Servas. We’ll need more cabins.”

“Do we have enough land? If not, I can talk to Palani and see if we can build on Hayes land. I’m sure that would be fine.”

Erwan nodded. “We may have to if we want to prevent from building the cabins right next to each other. And let’s not forget about food supplies. We’ll need a lot more with so many more mouths to feed, so we should increase our food output and livestock.”

Rhene looked at Fergal. “Care to make an estimate of how many of your omegas we can expect?”

“I’d say ten? I think that’s a reasonable expectation.”

“And from the O’Connors?” Rhene asked Zacharias.

“Fifteen. And maybe another ten from the Murphys.”

Erwan did the math. “That’s thirty-five omegas in total. Let’s plan for that, and if it’s more or less, we’ll adjust.”

Zacharias’s mouth had dropped open. “You’re able to take in that many of us?”

“We’ll accept any omega who wants to come,” Erwan promised him. “I don’t care what we have to do to make that possible.”

Ow! A fierce pain stabbed his heart. What was that?

“Did you…?”

He couldn’t finish his sentence as a second shard pierced his insides so viciously he cried out in pain.

“Erwan!” Rhene held on to him as Erwan sagged against him. “What’s wrong? What’s happening?”

Everything faded to the background as if he heard and saw them through a frosted window. The pain was overwhelming, but on its heels came something far, far worse, an ice-cold clamp around his heart that froze the blood in his veins.

“Mom,” he choked out. “It’s my mom. I need to go home.”