Page 6 of Retrograde

Of course he had to ruin it with a warning, but… It was better than what my own dad would say.

The next morning, every prospective candidate was called to the ballroom for a call with all the Alphas and they were to attend.

Or the contest was being called off for security reasons.

Needless to say, they all attended. Some were already there because of the elder cases—or had been in Nerthus checking out the elders’ residences that were now Sagan’s.

The amount of migraines she had was actually ridiculous and I didn’t envy her either.

Her Uncle Darren had flown in early just for this and was clearly on a warpath. Prince Fraser and Princess Maple were already at the castle and were so close to Sagan that one of them was touching her at all times.

Was something going on with her dragon? An aftereffect of the drug?

I hoped not. I hoped these bastards really didn’t break her.

“Yesterday, one of the prospective mating candidates drugged the queen during the introduction meal,” Darren started with a bang. Three of the Alphas on camera immediately stood and had a lot to say.

Because they were the three who had family with introductions yesterday.

“Sit the fuck down and keep calm or lose your fucking heads,” Fraser warned, his tone of death. “It gets worse and it’s confirmed. So—do not test us right now.”

“Who?” one of the other Alphas asked after a few moments of quiet.

“Sunborough,” Darren answered. “Loraviel drugged—”

“No, he would never,” the Alpha of Sunborough rasped, his voice cutting through my heart. He was actually a really decent guy and I hated this was happening to him of all people.

“Hedid,” Darren declared. “He confessed. We got the location of where he bought it. He planned—”

The Alpha ignored him and looked past him to where Uncle was. “Dray? Tell me this isn’t true. Tell me—”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Darren roared, shocking all of us there and on the call. “I was Rhys’s brother-in-law, not some random businessman. Amelia’sbrother, and now I’m the queen’s uncle andadvisorand you just dismiss me to ask an Alpha?”

“No, please—wait,” the Alpha choked out. “It wasn’t—I didn’t mean—”

“We grew up together, Darren,” Uncle said quietly. “We’re not just allies. We’re—he wasn’t—the man is in shock his child did something so horrible.”

“Well, I’m in fucking shock that one of your asshole kids drugged myniece,” he threw right back. “But I didn’t take the little fucker’s head so—” He turned and let out a roar that was honestly impressive.

“I’m sorry, my friend, but it’s true,” Uncle said just to help instead of take over. “They raided the place he got it. The dealer confirmed selling it to Lori. He’s on camera—there and here at the castle. They have him on camera at the funeral feast as well to—”

“What does that have to do with yesterday?” the Alpha asked.

My mouth dropped open as we all got the full details. Lori had apparently made a deal with one of the elders to drug Sagan and get Kole out of her life—keep drugging her to act like their dragons were just meant to mate and she couldn’t control herself around him. That connection would be easy to push and the pressure to have a baby would be easy then.

And once she was pregnant, the elder would “take over.”

The elder who was a lackey for the former Elder Hardin who apparently was evil down to his core but never got his hands dirty enough. Probably wouldn’t this time.

Lori didn’t think “take over” meant kill Sagan once the baby was born, even saying there was no way to say it would be a boy and one child would automatically survive to be an adult. I had a feeling the elders hoped it wouldn’t and would have enough power then to usurp the royal family, but Lori thought it was just to puppet and like… She needed it basically.

Wow. Fucking piece of shit.

“He will be charged and prosecuted for all of his crimes,” Sagan said once we all learned the truth and timeline. She simply stood and lifted her arm when people had a lot to say about that. I realized it was a remote she was holding and she hit play.

Lori. She was playing part of Lori’s confession for us and the Alphas.

And boy was he fucked in the head. He wasannoyedthat the “stupid bitch” figured it out, and was she some druggie whore who liked to play that she knew the drug? Also, who did she fuck last time she was in heat from her being drugged because that part really bothered him if it wasn’t Kole.