115: Ada's POV

“Are you okay?” Phoenix whispered in my ear as we walked down the hall of Castle Oberon.

I gave a curt nod, keeping my eyes focused on Darius’s broad back. They were leading me to a newly renovated office space — something that Phoenix had designed in any second of downtime he had. He had just told us all about it, stating he’d wanted to surprise us with a space that was ‘just for us.’ The need for us to discuss my father had apparently opened up the perfect opportunity for him to show it to us.

He poked my side, and I jolted, “Are you *actually* okay?”

A small shrug was all I could manage. Darius veered to the right. Nik was limping beside him, hobbling along. Neither of his brothers said anything about him slowing them down; they adjusted their paces to match his. He and I had both donned a pair of his sweatpants and one of his t-shirts to make the trek to the new office that Phoenix was buzzing about.

Phoenix draped an arm over my shoulder and gave me a little squeeze. I wrapped my arm around his waist, sending him a soft smile. The truth was that no, I wasn’t okay. Now that Darius was awake and Nik was back with us, everything I’d been trying to keep buried down over the last few weeks was surfacing. The battle, the bodies, the fear. My father and his admissions. I could feel my muscles stiffening against the strain my brain was putting on them — a constant echo of the words don’t fall apart. This conversation wasn’t something I was ready to have. They weren’t going to give me an option to back out.

Darius looked over his shoulder, long, brown hair swaying, “This is the one?”

His hand was pointing at a door. Phoenix nodded and released me from his grip. He stepped forward and pulled out a set of keys. One by one, we were each handed a small metal skeleton key. I fisted mine tightly, not bothering to look at it. Without another word, Phoenix turned to the door and slid the one remaining key in the lock.

“These four keys are the only ones that exist for this door,” Phoenix turned the handle, popping the door open, “There are no tunnels or passages to this space. Nik, I’d like you to add runes for soundproofing and other protection,” he said to his older brother, who nodded in response, “Welcome to our office.”

The three of them stepped into the room. I followed behind them, eyes going wide. It was a large room. In each corner was a desk that faced the center of the room. Each desk was meticulously decorated, reflecting each of us in obvious ways. Nik’s desk was black with minimalistic decorations. Darius’s was a deep brown with a nautical feel and decorations to it. Phoenix’s was a light wood with tons of plants surrounding it. Mine was a cherry colored wood, with stacks of parchments and books lying on and around it.

Portraits of each of us were on the largest wall directly across from the door. There were no windows in the room. In the very center was a round table with around a dozen seats. Bookcases lined the walls.

“It’s perfect,” Darius grinned, clapping his brother on the shoulder, “A wonderful surprise, little brother.”

I stepped forward, running my fingers over a leather chaise lounge that was positioned between Darius’s desk and the door. Even the positioning of everyone’s space was well thought out— I was furthest from the door and in between Nik and Phoenix. Nik was positioned so that he could see the entire room and the only entrance to the room. Phoenix and Darius straddled the doorway. Little seating areas and cozy corners littered the spaces between.

Nik hobbled over to his desk, wincing as he reached forward to grab a report that Phoenix had laid out for him. His eyebrows furrowed as he read it, and he turned to face his brothers, “You put Cade in charge of castle security while I was—” his eyes flickered to matte, “Indisposed?”

“You weren’t the only one indisposed, Nikolai,” Phoenix rolled his eyes and pulled a chair at the large round table out. “Darius was also unable to fulfill his Alpha King duties. I needed to use our Beta in the way our father had for the duration of your absences.”

Shadows slid out around Nik, whirling around his ankles as his teeth ground and he set his jaw, “I thought we were all in agreement about Cade’s place in general.”

I cocked my head to the side, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“He is only our beta because he can’t be trusted if he leaves,” Darius explained, taking a seat beside Phoenix, “And none of us are interested in the consequences that come from killing him.”

“What consequences?” I hesitated, but took a spot by Darius.

Nik took the spot directly to my left, rounding out our group at the table, “Cade has a very loyal following. He’s already expressed discontent with the decisions we have made,” Nik sighed, leaning toward his right. “If he leaves or we kill him, we risk adding a large group of wolves to the rebellion.”

“Friends close, enemies closer and all that,” Darius smiled at me with a shrug.

I nodded and rolled my shoulders back, “So, what exactly do we start with?”

“Your family's claim to the throne,” Phoenix sighed, leaning back in his chair, “Personally, I don’t see how this factors in for your father.”

“Neither do I,” Darius leaned forward on his elbows, “You’re already set to be the next Luna Queen, so the claim is a null factor.”

“Unless,” Nik held up a finger, the ‘s’ hissing through the air, “Alpha Bryant’s followers believe Ada is tainted goods because she is our mate.”

Darius clucked his tongue, “A distinct possibility.”

“You know what burns my ass about this whole thing?” Phoenix offered with a rueful chuckle, “He was trying to get you to go against us. Your father was going to manipulate your bond with us to his advantage.”

My head was spinning from whipping side to side as I tried to keep eye contact with each of them while they spoke. It took me a moment to realize they were waiting for me to comment on what they’d all said. I opened my mouth and took a deep breath before stating.

“Quite simply, it doesn’t matter. I’m your mate, and I am loyal to the three of you. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d really like to talk about this magickal bloodline shit my father dumped on me.”