Chapter 2 Two

The Plot Deepens

Sabrina's Point of View

"It is a no for me," Derek said.

We were seated at a long table, the council members and I. A small gathering made up of two men and two women, just to balance things up. During my father's time, there were five men and one woman. Derek was one of the most complicated person on my council. I kept wondering how the heck he had made the number, and remembered that my father had told me to let him stay and that his advice would be immeasurable to me.

Well, I did not like the one he was giving. I let the others talk.

Vanessa looked from Derek to me. "This hasn't happened before, your majesty. Are you sure you really thought this through?"

"No, she did not," Derek cut in. "She is doing it out of love. Or is it infatuation."

"Is there a difference between the two?" I asked him.

Derek looked at me as if I had just spoken in a language that he did not understand.

I turned to Vanessa. "And yes, I have thought this through. Regardless of what Derek here might say about it. Plus, it hasn't happened before, this I have also considered."

"So the people might not take it with open arms," said the other man named Clinton.

"Change is always constant, Clinton."

"You say that because you want it to happen to you."

"Are you going to counsel me, Derek, or are you going to condemn me?"

Derek shook his head. "First of all, this plan of yours has a lot of loopholes, and I don't see it playing out the way you figure. The man in concern is an Alpha that we know nothing about."

"Oh, he is from here," I said. "You can check out his family records."

"We cannot trust this man with a position he knows nothing about," Clinton said.

"And that is why he is going to make me his Luna. I'll teach him the ropes."

Derek turned to Ava. "Can you please tell her majesty that this is not wise?"

"You talk as if you are afraid of losing your seat, Councilman Derek."

"It's not that I'm worried about, your majesty. It is about you losing your position to a man who might betray you."

The hall was silent after he said this. Everyone had their eyes on me. They were waiting for me to assure them that Kevin would not betray me after I had made him Alpha King.

"Is this man of yours from a royal family?" Ava asked.

"No, he isn't," I said. "What has that got to do with this?"

"Well, almost everything. Handing royalty to a commoner on a silver platter tends to bring bad luck. And we don't want that."

"Look, I know Kelvin better than any of you here does. He isn't thst kind of person. I can vouch for that."

"Of course, you can. But what about us? You think it won't rub off on us, or that we won't face consequences if he turned out bad?"

"Maybe you should just stick to being Alpha Queen," Vanessa reasoned. "The law allows you to get married to any man of your choice and still keep the throne, performing your duties and all. You do not have to relinquish all that, except if you have an heir."

Which I didn't.

Why were they so against me making Kelvin Alpha King? But it was a decision that I had already made, whether they liked it or not. So, they would just have to adjust to the new me.

I leaned back into my chair. "My decision has already been made. And it is up to you all to support me, or don't. Regardless, this is how we will do it and the people will accept."

No one said anything else.

***

After the meeting, Vanessa came to meet me in the lobby. I told her that I loved her robe, and she just smiled.

"What was that back there?" she demanded.

Vanessa was my cousin, so she had some sway when it came to me.

"What was what?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"You making decisions before consulting us, is what. Is it because of Kevin?"

I turned to face her. "You don't like him?"

"No, I don't like the fact that you're rushing this. You shouldn't rush anything when you're in love with a man. What if.." she stopped talking and lowered her voice to a whisper. "What if he is just after your throne?"

"You cannot be serious, Vanessa. Kelvin is not like that. And you all are wrong about him."

She shook her head. "Well, I hope you are right. For all our sakes."

"You should support me on this, cousin."

"I am trying to, Bri. But I just thought there could be some time to talk this through. You didn't even tell me."

"Sorry. What are the rest of them saying?"

"They'll agree, eventually. But Derek might have a plan B in mind, though I don't know what it is."

"If you find out, let me know."

"Sure."

Later, I sent for Kelvin and when he came, I told him all that had happened during the council meeting.

"I understand they are concerned about how I am going to turn out, but I am not that man."

"Oh, how I wish you'd been there to tell them yourself, babe. But I told them that my decision has already been made. Vanessa later told me that they would agree anyway."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But Derek might have a different plan altogether."

"Should be ready for him, babe," Kelvin said, a serious expression on his face. "Do you want me to watch him? I can send my beta to keep an eye on him."

"No, and if I wanted to do that, I have spies. Why would there be any need to watch him?"

"Well, I mean, you just said he could have an ulterior motive, right? Better you keep an eye on him lest he takes you by surprise. He might even want to hurt you so as to prevent you from making me Alpha King."

I thought about this for a moment. It didn't make any sense to me, what Kelvin was insinuating. Because I didn't see Derek as a traitor, even though he could be full of crap most times.

"Uh-uh, I don't think that would be necessary, babe," I disagreed with him.

Kevin shrugged. "Alright, then."

So we spent the rest of the day and it was only interrupted when the council members returned to give me their feedback on the matter. And it was exactly as Vanessa had told me.

Ana was the one who spoke for them, and it was odd, because Derek was usually spokesperson.

"We are only agreeing with you because we feel that your good judgement about people with fall with this one too," Ana said, and I just nodded at them with a smile.

Kevin's Point of View

I got back home and my beta was still up waiting for me. This time, he was the one with the cup of champagne.

I took off my jacket and looked at him. "Are you celebrating something, Thomas?" I asked.

My beta shook his head. "Just took it so I could think. Didn't run wild in the woods tonight?"

"Just back to being me," I said.

"You'll have to be a bit different in the coming days, Alpha Kevin."

"Okay. So I think we are ready."

"Ready to do what?" Thomas asked.

"Oh, Sabrina's council agreed to let her crown me as Alpha King," I told him.

Thomas leaned forward in his chair, a smirk on his face. "Good. But what are we getting ready for?"

"Well, you talked about doing away with her, didn't you?" I spoke.

"Yes I did. But that happens after you reject her. So that's the part you should get ready for instead. It is a more public show than her death."

I thought about what he had said, and saw that he was right. The council didn't really want me to be Alpha King, and according to Sabrina, they were only allowing it because of her. Which meant that I was going to have real problems with them in the future.

"And one more thing," Thomas said. "In the day of the occasion, you need to find someone else to take her place after you reject her. Hope you have someone in mind?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'll go look for one of those girls I used to sleep with now and then."

"That will do. When is the occasion happening?" he asked.

I said, "In two days time."

"Short. So you'll need to get her ready, your majesty. And the rest of the things that you are going to need. This should be done with all seriousness and intent because you will be renouncing your love for a woman you've spent a long time with."

And that was the problem. I realized that I was going to change my life, and Sabrina's as well.