The Wild Hunt (Downworlder Series, #1)

Chapter Twelve: The Queen's Head

Time.

It ticked away incessantly and without pause. It reminded me of morality and deadlines. It reminded me that my time as Queen could soon come to a close. I rode on a knife's edge with my kingdom in the balance. It was a hard thing holding that balance. Too much brutality and I lost it all, too little and it would be taken from me. Revan was threatening that balance, making me appear weak and incapable of protecting my own.

I bared my teeth. Revan was a nuisance, a thorn in my side that had moved to being a pain in my ass with the killing of my mongrel. I cared little about the blood purity that he was peddling. If they did their job they were rewarded, if they didn't they were thrown away or killed. It didn't matter if they were mongrel or blueblood. If they fucked my business over, they got dealt with.

Revan was fucking with my perfectly crafted system. He was attempting to flip my balance so I would lose it all and I was not appreciative of it. Every tick of the clock meant he had more time to plot and to scheme and I simply wanted his head. The longer I went without it the more agitated I became. I couldn't protect my own with his men prowling my territory. The one I had killed this morning only whet my appetite for Revan's destruction. He was fucking with the balance between territories.

Lilith was resistant but she was accepting of him as an issue but MacIntosh was being an absolute bastard and agreeing with the snot nosed little shit. He lapped up his bullshit as if it were ambrosia and started purging his own territory of mongrels and regbloods. It was almost amusing to watch because I could already see his profits starting to tank. However his entire business with Revan was putting pressure on my territory and if they weren't careful I could see the Alphas getting involved and I wanted nothing to do with those elitist pricks after what they had done. I gave a low growl and my beast rumbled her savage agreement.

Dimitri and Victor gave low growls at my thoughts and in response to the growl I had let slip out. The sounds skipped down my spine, making me shiver. I wanted to look over my shoulder at them, to drink in their masculinity and harsh beauty but I continued to stare at the door. I tapped my fingernails in time to the clock hands ticking. Benjin had taken my cell phone out of the office when an unknown number had phoned it. He screened my calls for me, that was what a Beta did after all.

I glanced at the clock. Sutton had twenty minutes to get into my office. I wanted her to make it on time. I swear I had the urge to chain her to my desk. She was so strong willed that it reminded me of myself. My mouth twitched downwards and I bit my tongue slightly. I had been hard on her. Very hard. Too hard. The twins had expressed their dislike of my tactics in trying to keep Sutton under control. I felt like the entire situation was spiraling out of my limitless control and it rankled my beast, put her on edge.

Sutton had the protection of Madame Lao and she wasn't within my grasp. I needed to make sure she was safe. She was the biggest earner I had and she was one of the only ones that was close to me. I trusted her to never give me or my supply chains up. She was like a younger version of myself and I appreciated her but her mouth was getting her into serious trouble.

Viktor and Dimitir had refused to touch me after I had ordered them to beat Sutton. They told me family did not treat each other how I had treated Sutton. They would do as I bid but they were not happy and would retaliate with silences and rebuffing of my touch. That hadn't made me any less pissed off at her for running her mouth where others could see. I had only wanted her safe and where I could see her. That was it. Instead she had to act like a rebellious teenager and I let my temper get the better of me.

I tapped against the desk harder and a large, hand covered it gently, stilling my fingers.

"Stop." The word was low and whispered into my ear as Viktor picked my hand up and pressed his lips to my knuckles. I gave a shuddering sigh at the feeling it left in me, heat moved through my veins, relaxing me. I loved the two large lugs with my everything. They were the broken parts of my soul that had found me once more.