Clean Up Your Mess
Zions' P.O.V.
After interrogating the rogues, I make my way out of the dungeon and into the basement, where I use the sink to clean myself up, wash the blood off and change my shirt. Orian walks over to me with a scowl, and I can tell something's wrong.
"What's wrong?" I ask him.
"I'm worried about how Jessica will handle knowing that her old Alpha has just disappeared with his son and his son's mate. I don't understand what his game plan is." He answers.
"Well, thanks to our prisoners, we now know Alpha Max was the one that gave the signal for the attack. We also know the attacks had been planned before they knew about Jessica, Rain, and Odett being here." I say. "I don't understand why he would leave his Luna behind, knowing that she could face the consequences of his actions. Nevertheless, it's crucial to speak with her."
"I will get one of the guards to take her to your office unless you would rather bring her down here." He says, and I shake my head.
"Let's keep that as a backup plan for now. Take the Luna to my office so we can talk to her there. If she doesn't believe us, then we will bring her down here so she can hear it from the rogues for herself. Also, summon Lady Ezmerelda and see if she knows of any spell that will temporarily cut off her mind link to the Alpha and their son. We don't need her tipping them off." I say, and he nods.
"I'm going to check on the Queen and Jessica. We both know how hard the council is to deal with, and we had to leave her to deal with them alone." He says as he walks to the stairs. "Would you like me to bring them to your office when you talk to the Luna too?"
"I think Rain would kill me if I didn't have her there," I say, making him laugh.
"I'll make sure they are both in your office then." He replies as he walks up the stairs.
"So, what are your plans with the rogues?" Sam asks as he and Mathew walk out of the dungeon.
"Let them heal themselves. We may still need them to convince Alpha Max's Luna of her mate and son's involvement with Douglas." I tell them.
"Yes, my King," Sam says while they both clean themselves up.
"Do you really think she doesn't know what her mate is up to?" Mathew asks me.
"If she does, we will find out soon. It's possible that they left her behind to get inside information for them." I say. "I know it's late, but we must discover the truth. Orian will meet us in my office with Rain, Jessica, Lady Ezmerelda, and Luna Misty."
"I agree that sleep can wait. If what those rogues said is true, we must prepare for an all-out war." He says, and we all nod.
"There will be a War. We know that much from the Moon Goddess's visits with Rain. The only question is when. Get yourselves clean up and meet me in my office." I say, and they nod. Suddenly I get a link from Orian.
"Zion, you might want to see this," Orian says vaguely.
"What's wrong?" I ask. "Did you find the missing Alphas?"
"No, it's Rain." He says, and I start sprinting up the stairs at the mention of my mates' name.
"Cleaning up can wait. We need to get to the dining hall." I yell from the stairs and hear them following me.
When we make it to the open dining hall doors, we meet with Orian, who holds his hand up in silence as he watches the scene unfold. I can see food spilled all over the tables and floor. I quickly find that Rain and Jessica are in the middle of the room as Rain speaks to the crowd.
"Let me ask you this. What makes your species different from any others when your own kind are coming together under The Rouge King to destroy us all?" She asks them and waits for an answer. When no one answers as they all look at each other in confusion. They clearly have no idea what's truly happening. She continues. "Who here hasn't been the focus of an attack recently, whether it was by rogue wolves, witches, dark fairies, vampires, or something else?" As everyone stays silent.
"We are facing a War. One like we've never seen before, and if you can do nothing but act like barbarians, then we are all fucked!" She says, making Orian, Sam, Mathew, and Ryker all laugh.
Everyone looks around the room and begins to whisper to each other. Suddenly one of the council members I recognize as the former King of Vampires, Lord Demetrius, clears his throat and walks to the middle of the group where Rain is standing. "What gives you the right to address us in this manner and call us barbarians." He asks her, and I move to defend my mate, but I'm stopped by Orian grabbing my arm as he holds a finger up, telling me to wait and watch.
"Look around this room, Lord Demetrius. You've come into my home and thought that it's appropriate to act out in such a manner, throwing food around like it's a high school cafeteria and your all teenagers having a food fight. You're all clearly old enough to know that's not how leaders should behave, especially council members. And yet you all think it's appropriate to act this way. Fighting with each other just after we were all attacked by a power-hungry lunatic willing to do anything to succeed and get what he wants, which is full control over all species, by the way." She says, making them all aware and embarrassed of their behavior.
"Wow, remind me not to make her mad. She put them in their place with just her words." Orian says through the link, making Sam Mathew and I nod in agreement.
"We apologize for the mess, future Queen. We also apologize to the servants." Lord Demetrius says.
"Our servants will not be cleaning up your mess. You all made this mess, and you will all be held accountable for it. They will bring you the cleaning supplies. Now get this cleaned up!" She sternly says as she turns to leave the room while they stand there, gawking in disbelief. When she sees Orian, Sam, Mathew, and I standing at the door, her face blushes as she bows. "My King."
"My Queen," I say, smiling as I return her bow. I meet her halfway, taking her hand in mine as I look around at the still-gawking crowd. "You heard what the Queen said. Now get to work. Luna Misty, will you come with us, please?"
"Yes, my King." Luna Misty studders as she follows us out of the dining hall.
We stop right outside the door as Rain waves two servants over that I recognize as the mother and daughter duo from the kitchen, Mia and Annie, I believe their names are. "Bring them the cleaning supplies but do not let them bully you two into doing any of their work for them. After they've cleaned up this mess, they can collect their children and return to their rooms for the night. Also, if you don't mind, please bring Odett to us afterward so that Stephanie can relax for the night." She says, making sure that everyone hears her clearly.
"Yes, my Queen," Mia says with a smile as they bow.
"We will be in my office," I tell them, and they nod and bow, then make their way to get the cleaning supplies, and we make our way to my office.
"I hope I wasn't too harsh on them. I know they are all high-ranking members of their species, but I couldn't help myself and lost my temper." Rain says.
"You put them in their place quite eloquently, as a Queen should!" I say as everyone agrees, making Rain blush and Jessica giggles at her reaction.
Once we make it into my office, I tell everyone to take a seat. Rain and I walk around my desk. I sit in my chair and pull Rain onto my lap. As soon as we're all seated, Luna Misty looks at me, worried. "My King, was my mate and son hurt in the attack? I haven't been able to mindlink either of them, and I haven't seen my son's mate since the attack, either." She asks. I link Rain, knowing she can pick up on emotions, to ask her what the Luna is feeling.
"She seems to be genuinely confused and worried for the three of them." She says while keeping eye contact with the Luna. "I don't think she knows that they are involved."
"Luna Mistly, Are you aware that your mate, son, and your sons' Luna have been working with the Rogue King and have abandoned you here, knowing you may face the consequences for their actions?" I ask bluntly. Her face turns pail as she starts to shake her head in disbelief.
"That's not possible!" She says in denial, as she continues to shake her head.