Page 143 of Rogue Alpha Prince
But I don’t mind Claudia coming after me. I’m smart enough to know I could use a friendly buffer right now.
“The inn?” I propose. “I barely ate anything, and you could have some drinks if you want. You have money, right?”
Atlas laughs at me, “What would you do if Cain didn’t ask me to go after you?”
I roll my eyes at him and bind my arm with Claudia’s.
“I missed you at lunch today,” she says, while Atlas leads us into the town through the back gate.
“Well, Alpha took me on a date.”
“No! For real?! He never took anyone on a date!”
“Yeah, he’s a prince. How many royal she-wolfs do you have here for him to date?”
Her enthusiasm falls immediately, and I suddenly feel like a classist dick.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter, “I just meant—”
“No, it’s okay, I know we are not worthy of him. How was it? The date?” she tries to go back on the cheerful track with a smile.
I sigh, and start telling her dry facts about the date, while Atlas leads us to the Inn. I hope. By the absent way his eyes look, Cain could be just mind-linking him instructions to take me for torture or something. Especially with the full moon, is the inn even open tonight?
“I’ll go order a pizza at the counter. It will be quicker,” Atlas says, while Claudia and I are getting seated in one of the cozy booths that are filling with people wanting to prolong their full moon celebrations.
“Thanks, can you—” Claudia tries to ask, but he interrupts her with his hand.
“I know what you want,” he states unpleasantly, and walks away.
Claudia rolls her eyes at his back.
“I hope you don’t mind that I keep trying to intervene in your job’s rules,” I say, trying to stir the conversation close enough to the topic of their laws that would allow me to ask some questions.
“Of course not, you are a great friend and even better Luna.” She smiles at me.
I narrow my eyes trying to gauge how honest she is.
“So, what’s the deal with blood written and regular books?” I decide to get straight to the point, while Atlas is far enough away to not hear us, with all the music and chatting in the dimly lit restaurant.
“Well, some of our laws are non-negotiable. They are written with the blood of our kings in this old creepy book. No one can change them unless the new King makes a change to the book. With the deceased King’s blood of course. But even then, the book allows him to make only one change.”
I stare at her, wondering if I should voice my skepticism towards any magic while I’m a shapeshifter werewolf. The book doesn’tallowthem?Maybe it’s just a legend. Or a weird tradition?
“And the regular book?” I prompt her.
“Oh, it has allother pack laws registered inside. You know, the more modern ones… Or should I say, the ones that are currently needed.”
“Okay, so what kind of laws are in the creepy blood book, then?”
“Well, I don’t know all of them, it’s not a piece of common knowledge, but there is one everyone knows. The one that makes King alpha-command his adult kids to kill each other until only the strongest one remains.”
“Wait, they get compelled?” Now I feel like a true dick for always talking about it as if it was some popular sporting event.
“Yup, and it is as horrible as it sounds. I was already working at the castle when the Alpha Prince and his baby sister were the only ones left. King compelled them to fight at Princess Edana’s 18th birthday celebration. She didn’t have a chance, and everyone knew that, but she had to give everything in her anyway because of the compulsion. The problem was, so did the Alpha. She sobbed the whole time. She was trained by our Alpha since she was a toddler, so it wasn’t that quick. I don’t know what was worse to watch—Princess, knowing the whole time her life was about to end; or Alpha’s tears falling down his face while he was cutting his baby sister's throat.”
I’m taken aback by Claudia admitting publicly her arrogant Alphacried.Before I comment on it bitterly, I realize he is that self-confident, isn’t he? My own eyes are watery at this point, because fuck, that was sad, and I almost jump when Atlas suddenly scoots to me into the booth.
“Are you talking about Princess Edana? It was the first and last time I ever cried.”
