Bonds And Betrayals

14.

Turk blinked, his gaze fixed on me, eyes narrowed. I didn't hold his stare. The senators fell silent again, and they all lowered their heads in shame.

“You are not here to question the Alpha,” I continued, glaring directly at Rufai, who seemed to be the ringleader. “You are here to serve him. Or have you forgotten who you’re talking to?”

“Yallabai…”

“No,” I snapped as my eyes swept across the table, pinning each man to his seat. “You speak of Lamido as if Alpha Turk intends to kneel at his feet. But have any of you considered what power lies in keeping your enemies close?”

They didn’t speak.

“And if tradition truly mattered to you, then where was this outrage when your daughters lined up to seduce him, hoping to bear royal blood for your own gain?” I spat.

A few of them looked down, and I moved toward the throne, toward my brother, and placed my hand lightly on his shoulder.

“He is your Alpha,” I said again. “And you will treat him as such. First, it was you all trying to find faults with his ruling because he had no luna, and now this?”

Turk didn’t look at me, and he didn’t speak. But I felt the heat of his resentment under my palm, simmering like charcoal on a cold night.

“And to be clear, he wasn't asking you for permission on who he should choose as his wife, rather, notifying you to start preparation of the ceremony. So now, we have a wedding and a crowning ceremony to plan. Is that understood, gentlemen?”

“Yes, Yallabai!” They all chorused at the same time.

“When do you want the ceremony, brother?” I asked, looking towards Turk.

He gritted his teeth, almost like he wouldn't reply for a moment before he finally did.

“Two weeks. Saturday, April 7th.”

“Loud and clear, gentlemen?” I thundered.

“Yes, Yallabai,” they chorused again.

“Now leave,” I ordered. “All of you.”

The chairs scraped quietly with their heads still dipped as they shuffled out, their babban riga sweeping across the marble. Some even glanced back at Turk, but none of them said goodbye.

I waited until they were all gone, then I turned to my brother and smiled. “Told you I will always have your back.”

Turk said nothing and simply stared at me. On days like this, it was hard to deal with him. He was easier to converse with outside the assembly hall. Here, however, with the senators’ actions, he'd always be wary of me. Always be expecting a move against him. Always expecting me to take the alpha title.

Their clear show of fear and loyalty to me was what made our relationship worse, even more so because I was sure if I'd take the title today, and do things my way not theirs, that loyalty would vanish. Besides, I wouldn't put it past a few of them deliberately doing this just to create a rift between us, and they were succeeding. Because Turk was falling for their s**t.

‘He never learns,’ Conri hissed. ‘His hunger for power is making him blind towards a lot of things.’

Absolutely.

“I suppose this is what you want,” he stood up, adjusting his babban riga. “Their show of loyalty towards the beta is more than what they show their alpha,” he smiled, but it was far from a true smile.

“Come on, brother. Don't tell me you are letting them get to you.”

“Are they?” He faced me. “You walk in late, say three words, and suddenly the senators forget who wears the crown,” he was struggling to control his rage. It was obvious from the shift in his eyes. “What gives you the right to think you can command my senators, Bello?”

“I didn’t do it for them,” I replied calmly. “I did it for you.”

“Is that what you tell yourself at night?” he spat, laughing bitterly.

“I mean no disrespect, brother,” I smirked. “You know I love you more than anyone. But I will always tell you the truth. You sit here, angry that they respect me, and yet you give them no reason to respect you. You bark, you posture, you dress like an alpha and walk like a prince, but the spine of an alpha is not found in his robes.”

His lips were pressed into a straight line.

“You are merciless in your dealings with them, actively trying to win them over through brute force instead of cajoling them. You play games with me, yet you can't seem to play games with them?”

“They will never respect the son of a concubine,” he gritted.

I shook my head, grinning. “Only because you made it your weakness, and they are using it against you,” I answered, stepping closer. “When you learn not to care what they think about you, you'd handle them easily. Your emotions are your biggest issue, brother.”

Silence, and then laughter. Turk's booming voice echoed through the hall as he laughed. Full. Fulfilled.

“I knew you always had my best interest, Bello,” he tapped my shoulders, grinning. “How is your girl? Still like her?”

These days, I really couldn't read Turk.

“I do. Like yours?”

He laughed again. “Who is marrying her because he likes her? I need her father and the Kaura city he is interested in.” He raised his brows. “You know Kaura city will be good for us, right?”

He was baiting me. He knew I would never support taking over an untapped city with rogues.

“Dare I say no, when that is what you want, brother?” I smirked.

He tapped my shoulders again.

“You are a wise man, Bello,” then he leaned closer. “Enjoy your girl while it lasts,” then he stalked away.

I didn't know why those words snapped something inside me. Because if he dared touch a hair on Sasha’s head, I would forget we ever were brothers.

“Do you think he knows?” Elliot asked as we made our way to the door.

“Know what?”

“That she's your mate,” he whispered.

“He would've acted differently. But he knows I do like her, and he plans to use it. But I will play him the exact same way he plans to play me.”

Elliot chuckled, adjusting his glasses. “We have contracts to sign. And new deals to broker.”

“Find out all you can about Kaura city and its connection to Lamido. Everything you can.” I commanded, at the same time my phone pinged with a message.

I quickly leaned against the wall, seeing as it was a message from my mate.

A picture. Of my mate.

A grin broke free before I could resist, and my eyes roamed over her face, her body, everything. And she looked breathtakingly beautiful; it made my heart come to a halting stop for a second. Just long enough to remember she owned every pulsing beat.

I sucked in a deep breath, wishing more than anything that I could be with her. Since I couldn't do that, I typed a quick reply.

It was read in seconds, and I waited with bated breath, hoping for a reply.

‘Let’s go back home and see before you go into town,’ Conri whined.

‘We can't do that, Conri. We are not whipped.’

He cackled. The big wolf actually cackled. ‘Oh, you are whipped, Bello. You are totally whipped. Maybe even worse than I am.’

I was? Well, maybe I was. It's not a bad thing though, was it? I meant, she was worth being called whipped for.

Seeing as no reply was coming through, I dialed the number.

‘See? Told ya, you are whipped!’

I rolled my eyes, ignoring him as the call was answered on four rings.

“Bellis?” I called, wanting to confirm it wasn't Lois at the end of the line.

“Hello,” her voice was a breathy whisper, almost like she was struggling to speak. I had noticed a bit of awkwardness with her since yesterday. It seemed like talking was a lot of effort for her and I couldn't wait to find out what her story was.

“Hello?” She called again, and I realized I had made a mistake calling her. Not because hearing her voice was bad, but because it was doing…unspeakable things to my body. Things that I wasn't supposed to feel at this moment. In public. When I was about to have several meetings.

“Kinyi kyau, (you look beautiful),” I murmured, my voice catching. “I just wanted to tell you that. Also, get ready. I'll be taking you shopping once I get back so you can get your essentials. See you soon, Bellis.”

Then I ended the call, my hands shaking just a bit. No one ever told me the mate bond was this consuming!

‘Absofreakinglutely whipped!’ Conri cheered, before I caught a slight smirk tugging on Elliot's mouth.

Yeah, totally whipped!