Chapter 208

Charles

I waited and watched the emotions rolling across her face. Her lips trembled. She stared back at me, likely trying to figure out if I was bluffing, but it had been years since she had been able to read my expression. I didn’t even feel her reaching for me to try and get a glimpse into what I was thinking.

The bond was there, but it was completely unresponsive. Decaying, if not dead, in all the ways that mattered.

She pressed her lips together the way she did when she was trapped in a lie and had no answer for it. Looking back, I realized that I had seen that look on her face more often than not. It felt good to put her in a hot seat she and I both knew would benefit me. This wasn't about punishment, not yet, at least. I needed the answers to figure out what her father and the Council might be planning aside from the Choosing.

The whole thing reeked of their involvement. I settled back in my chair, watching her grow more nervous by the second. She shifted in place and glanced around before darting her gaze away. Guilt. Worry. And a growing sense of fear. She knew she was caught, yet I knew Tessa well enough to know that this wasn't going to end so easily. She'd always been one for pushing my buttons. She was never one to just give in when she was caught.

The smile, fake and brittle, was exactly the one I expected. I almost laughed at how predictable she was and how my younger self couldn’t see through her the way I could now. It was almost insulting.

"I can see that you're clearly in a mood, Charles, but to accuse me of something like that is a bit beneath you.”

“Are you denying any involvement?”

“Of course, why would I—”

Her lie died on her lips as her gaze met mine. She must have seen the anger, the lack of belief, and the teetering sense of self-control I had left when it came to her and her father's games. She must have seen how very little she mattered to me now. All the color drained out of her face.

Tessa froze. Her smile faltered.

“Now, who's playing coy?” I asked.

The smile snapped back into place. "Since you cut me off, you should know that I wouldn't have—”

I opened the file, glanced over the records, and smiled. George clearly needed a raise and a lot of time off. Her bank records were there, as were her father's. Every single record I needed, including the ones for the clan, was included. Some of the amounts were sketchy, but the amounts I needed were all highlighted in bright ink.

“That I suppose we have a different problem, and you should be filing for fraud as the Northclaw Law Firm has charged you quite a bit of money over the past few months.” Her eyes grew wide. “I'll be sure to do a thorough audit on all the Clan accounts, given the circumstances.”

“Charles—”

I closed the file and glared at her. “Do you think it wise to continue to piss me off? Do you think making an enemy out of me is a good idea, considering your father's volatile nature? The nature of the Clans?”

A flicker of anger sparked in her eyes before flickering out into disdain.

"Don't you dare threaten me, Charles! I am your mate, the future Queen of the Clans!”

“Once,” I said low and controlled. “Once, you could have been Queen, but no longer. That hasn’t been a possibility in decades.”

She sneered at me. “And what is your plan? You’d rather the Blackwoods line come to an end? You have no children. I would know if you did, and I won’t be giving you a single one without some significant changes in my treatment.” She sat back, her expression smug and vicious. It was as if she didn’t even care that Ivan was there. That would serve me well later. “And what difference does it make what I choose to do with my money? When have you cared about werewolves anyway? They're less than dirt as far as I'm concerned, and Devin has no reason to listen to or heed their laws. They don’t apply to him.” She scoffed. “He was raised a Blackwoods. To think he would be going to jail in the States would be ridiculous.”

I blinked at her, a little stunned at her stance, yet not. Tessa had always thought more of herself than she should.

“You honestly think that?”

“I am Lady Redwood. Your mate and future Queen. I'm above all lycans, let alone a few werewolves. As far as I'm concerned, attempting to even pretend to treat them as equals is ridiculous and is going to get you killed.”

So, an assassination plot was lined up. I swept my gaze over her. It would likely happen sometime after she claimed she was pregnant with my child. Interesting that her father let her in on the plot and incredibly dumb of him.

“It's beneath you. It's beneath me, and I won't lower myself. Devin committed no crimes, as far as I'm concerned. It's their fault if they can't keep track of their own money. Why should he be punished for their lack of oversight?”

That sounded as if she knew something about how exactly Devin got away with it. I took note to look into that later.

She laughed. “After everything that the lycans have done for the States, I consider it basic payment. Restitution, even. My only regret is that he didn't spend it better.”

I stared at her. The woman before me, radiating entitlement and venomous prejudice, was some hollow, empty version of the young woman I’d once loved. It felt...impossible that we were mates. Fated by the Goddess to be together when we were so fundamentally different, so utterly incompatible? How had I ever thought we were compatible?

"You overestimate your position, Tessa," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "And you sound insane. For now, you stand accused of treason with intentions to kill the reigning king—”

Fury contorted her features. “What—”

“You'll be held in contempt of the Clans and under maximum security until I see fit to try you in court. You will have no visitors, and you will be held in the dungeons here with no hope of bail. You will be given the bare minimum needed to keep you alive until I have decided whether or not to execute you or not.”

She went pale and jumped to her feet, backing away from the desk. “You can’t–”

“I certainly hope this trip was worth it. Ivan, make sure to have her marked as a criminal and put her in the worst possible dungeon you possibly can find.” I smiled at him. “One not even fit for a traitor.”

“Charles, you—”

“It will be as you say, Your Majesty.”

Ivan moved towards her. His partner, another one of George’s little fledglings, came in. She was a young woman with deep honey-colored eyes. She grabbed Tessa quickly and wrestled her into handcuffs with swift, unerring movements. Tessa continued to plead, but I wasn’t listening to her.

“No! No! Get your hands off me! Charles! Charles–” She shrieked in agony as the brand was seared into her skin.

I watched on, feeling nothing but relief. Having her marked was just a bit of karma, but it served more than that purpose: it eliminated her eligibility for the Choosing as a Queen had to be above reproach, and the change in her status would be visible to her father, sending a very clear message to the administration of the Redwood Clan.

Her father and whoever else he was enlisting in this plan would have to figure out whether or not it was worth it to try and get her out. They’d be busy trying to figure that out, and while they did, I would have time to focus on the bigger picture. The rest of the Elders wouldn't waste time. Those who knew about Tessa and I’s relationship would be jumping for joy. They'd move swiftly to propose new candidates. As soon as they started suggesting the other candidates, I'd have a better idea of what the Elders' overall plan was.

Those who didn't would start eyeing the Redwood clan for weaknesses and the perfect moment to attack, keeping Tessa’s father and his allies spinning while I got to the bottom of this and the issue with Astarte.

I hated it, but there was no getting around the fact that I would have to go back to the castle. It was the only place I could do a more in-depth investigation.

With a sigh, I reached for my phone. Even though Grace and I were fighting, or something like fighting, I didn't want to be away from her for as long as I feared I would be. I wasn't even sure how I was going to explain the situation, but I'd find some way to do it. Telling her the truth was exactly what she needed, even if she didn’t like it, and it was the right thing to do.