Ethan.
I chased Ethan down the hall. I noticed the shift in her mood when Isadora and Keenan joined us but she had played it down and kept a brave face until Isadora spoke to her.
“Aurora! Aurora wait up.” I caught up with her and grabbed her wrist causing her and Arne to stop abruptly. I looked down at Arne to see him already looking up at me. “Sorry kiddo, this would only take a minute.”
Aurora sucked in a deep breath and turned to Arne, “Hurry up straight to the room, I'll be right behind you.” Arne nodded before running out of the hallway. “I have to be right behind my son.”
“He is on royal grounds, nothing will happen to him.”
“You are so sure about that.” She retorted and slipped her hands off my grip to cross it.
I inched closer to her, my brows furrowing with concern. “Aurora, has anything happened to Arne before? With his Father maybe? I do understand that he is your son but you are overly protective of him especially whenever his father is mentioned.”
“No!” She said firmly.
“No what, Aurora?”
“You said you were not going to prey, Ethan, and it's exactly what you are doing now.”
“Yes, I said so but the way you act anytime he is brought up has me concerned. Is he a deadbeat? Was he…was he abusive.”
“Don't!” She raised a finger to me, “don't Ethan. Don't you ever ask me that question again!” I wanted to take her hands, ask her to look at me and assure her that she could trust me but, the hurt clearly written on her face broke my heart. It killed me to see she was broken and there was nothing I could do about it.
Forcing down spittle, I nodded. “Okay.” I may not have known who Arne’s father was or what he did but I was certain about one thing. He was a bloody idiot.
“Goodnight,” she whispered before following the path Arne had. My first curled into themselves. Aurora and I had been good before Isadora ruined it. And though I still would have asked about Arne's father again, Isadora didn't have the right to do it thr way she did. Turning on my heels, I stormed back into the dinning room.
“Isadora,” I pointed to her as I walked up to stand in from of her, “you are banned from being within a seven foot radius of this place. The palace and it's environs, I mean. Pick up your things and remove yourself from this place before I have the guards do it for you.”
I could see the surprise on everyone's face. I never lashed out, my actions always come after careful calculations but following Isadora’s action, I didn't need to think twice before doing the needful. Finally putting her in her place.
“You can't do that!” She snapped.
“I can. I can tell every member of this pack what and what not to do and that includes you.”
“That is bullshit! You can't say that to her.” Keenan banged both hands on the table.
I gracefully occupied my seat but didn't touch my plate. “You are free to join her if you can't deal with it.”
“You can't do that to me either! My ancestors have served the throne for generations.”
“I'm glad you said your ancestors and not you. Guards!” Both Keenan and Isadora was boiling with rage, everybody could see that clearly but that didn't cut it out for the punishment I had in mind for them.
Over the years, I have been carefully calculating my vengeance; the betrayal, the heartache, the pains they caused me was not something I could easily forgive and I have been waiting for a slip-up from one or both of them to give them back that they had given to me and maybe, today was the beginning of it.
“This is bullshit! Absolute bullshit,” Keenan kept cursing. I picked up my glass and refilled it with wine.
“Do you know what happens when you speak like that to your king, Keenan? You would be beheaded for speaking against your king. I am very certain you wouldn't want that for yourself.” I raised a brow at him and took a sip of my wine.
“Don't fucking touch me!” He yelled at the guards who approached him.
“My Queen, I am very certain that guy can see that Ethan here is making a very poor decision. He can't ban me from this place, he can ban us.” Isadora cried.
“You would refer to him as your Alpha, your King, Your Majesty. Call him Ethan again and your tongue would be taken away from you.” Father spoke for the first time that night to everyone’s surprise considering he had been behaving uninterested in our discussion throughout the night. “And no, the decision he made tonight is in no way wrong. You, Isadora has been nothing but a nuisance since Aurora arrived at this pack, I don't know if you forgot she is your sister or if you intentionally behave the way you do because she is your sister. But whatever the reason is, the bottom line is that he doesn't want you anywhere near the palace and I don't want you anywhere near Aurora from today henceforth. Since you have decided not to acknowledge that she is your sister and treat her accordingly, I suppose we should take away the privilege from you.”
“I-”
“You wouldn't say anything, Isadora,” Mother cut her short before the words could leave her mouth. “I should have listened when I was told not to invite you to dinner. You would leave this place effective immediately and you would do as you have been told. If we get news that you cane close to this palace or Aurora, both her and at her office, you would have us to contend with.”
“This is fucking bullshit!” Keenan’s chair scrapped against the floor as he jerked up and tossed his napkin on the table, “We would leave, we didn't want to me her anyway! And fuck you and your cowardly ass, Ethan.”
I raised a finger to stop the guard that made to hold him. He could say all he wanted but that was all they would ever be, empty words.
“I never even wanted to be anywhere close to that bitch anyway.” With that, Isadora stood up and stormed off behind Keenan.