Endgame |18+ (Ménage)✔

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Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble, Gobble. I'm thankful for all the wonderful readers who absolutely make my days and push me to continue doing what I love...writing. 🦃

❄️

~Year 2090-Winter-

"Why did you select Rose, Cormac?" Arthur arches a brow, the four of us seated around the council meeting table, the eldest of us wanting to simmer whatever hostilities were building before it consumed the council entirely.

Aohdan glares at me out of the corner of his eye however, he directs his comment to Arthur by saying, "It was disrespectful."

"I don't control your actions," I turn toward Aohdan and nod, "it was your choice how you reacted in regards to my selection. How the rest of the slaves saw you...that's on you."

Aohdan is about to go at it again, but Arthur raises his hand and he remains silent, his lips pulling into a thin line. Arthur glances between the three of us before he releases a sigh, "Cormac, can you please answer the question?"

Taft offers me a grin, knowing how things have slowly been unfolding so I finally answer, "I figured if Aohdan wanted to isolate his slave that badly...maybe it's time for her life to be placed in her own hands," there is a tense moment where I feel Aohdan is about to rip from his chair and lunge at me however, I continue with, "you want her broken? Let the wolves be her final judge, jury and executioner. There will be no blood on your hands and you'll be relieved of one more nuisance."

I think he's forgetting that she'll belong to me if she survives...

...my loop hole.

Aohdan taps his thumb against the table while he thinks this over and finally comes to the conclusion of, "Fine..." his eyes tell a completely different story when they scan me, trying to figure out my angle and beat me at my own game. That will never happen, so enjoy being the pawn you were destined to be.

It's hard though, because I see the regret flash across his eyes at the thought of Rochelle being played when he believed he'd outsmarted me. He's going to pay for his decision however, maybe I can offer him some compassion, because I know Rose just may...

"Rose will more than likely aid with your own slaves as she's become good friends with them, hasn't she?" I ask and Aohdan scans me once again, thinking I'm trying to overstep my boundaries.

"What's it to you?" He snips back, Arthur arching a brow while Taft chuckles.

I nod and reply, "Three of them working together? Most of the selections run alone and that ends badly however, with them being friends..." my voice trials off, knowing I can't do much from whatever Warren is going to say to her behind my back, "...they could bring in many alphas this year."

Arthur agrees with this and replies, "Cormac has an excellent point," he turns to Aohdan and commends, "if they have created such a tight bond, they won't want each other ending up dead, so standing together and bringing down the alphas as a unit will possibly provide more alpha blood."

Aohdan appears to relax just a bit at his words, arching a brow at me while processing what we've made clear to him. In an attempt to back him off from biting at my heels and getting closer, I've succeeded in helping him understand that Rose being a vagrant...she has the skills to survive on her own, let alone protect his beloved.

You're welcome.

Taft chuckles, "Now, are you going to hug it out?"

"I'll shove my foot up your ass before I hug Cormac," Aohdan's right back to his old self. I let a smirk linger on my lips, Taft and Aohdan exchanging back and forth a few quick remarks while Arthur eyes me suspiciously. It's only a few moments later that we all hear him clear his throat, the silence descending upon us.