Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“You’re more likely to ask someone for help when you know they don’t have another agenda.” She sat down. “Thank you for listening.”
“Thank you, Melisent,” I said, stepping in. “We’re going to move on to the next person so that—”
“You’ve got a lot of nerve, girl,” Magnus sounded off. “Our police forces are beyond reproach! They serve all faithfully and equally, and your made-up little study doesn’t prove otherwise!”
“Magnus, don’t be so silly,” Mara snapped. “Just last week we were discussing the rise in vigilante crime. I didn’t hear you offering any solutions then. Don’t kick up a fuss because she is.”
“So we empty the temples and send a bunch of barefoot, incense-reeking women after the criminals! Problem solved!”
“Sexist fucking pig!”
“What was that? What did you say!” His yellow-tinged eyes came at the screen like he was going to jump through at Mara. “How dare you!”
Mara snarled, fangs erupting.
I heaved a sigh. “And they call us children,” I muttered, making Tracy, Corinne, and the others chuckle.
It took too long, and the reminder that this entire exchange was being streamed to all of Wolf Nation, before they settled down and let Corrine have her turn. She gave a very impressive and detailed speech on mixing the clans, and allowing different elemental wolves to live where they choose. She even backed it up with studies, charts, and economic growth predictions—all in ten minutes.
Davis was in the middle of sharing his thoughts on everyone, not just me, being allowed more than one full, legally recognized mate, when the doors burst open.
“High Priestess!” Ash shrieked, tumbling into the room.
I wouldn’t lie, she startled me half out of my seat.
Her heaving chest and broken heel revealed she sprinted quite a long distance. “What on earth is going on here!”
“You know what’s going on here, and shhh!” I hissed, reddening every part of her face not covered in tattoos. “You’re interrupting Davis’s time.”
“You did not inform me the forums were taking place again,” she cried, rushing between Davis and the screen. “I have a right to know, I am the head— vice headmistress! And turn that off!” Ash slapped Paxton’s phone, sending it and the tripod flying across the room.
A dozen mouths gaped at her.
“What are you doing, Rianna?” Kenyatta, my father’s replacement, asked. “Get ahold of yourself.”
“Excuse me?” Ash whirled on them. “We discussed this, Kenyatta. There’s a right way and a wrong way to influence change in our nation, and this is the wrong way. You agreed to stop entertaining this girl’s fanciful notions!”
“Yes,” Mara chimed in, “and then we agreed there wasn’t any harm in hearing what the students have to say. I can’t say I want women to feel safe in my clan, and then ignore said women when they tell me they don’t. As long as these forums are conducted in an organized, civilized manner—such as they are now—I have no issue with entertaining the high priestess’s fanciful notions for another day.”
Mara got a few murmured agreements from the other alphas.
“Magnus?” Ash cried, twisting to her clan’s leader. “You can’t possibly be on board with this.”
He sniffed. “This entire farce is an affront and a shamble! But,” he ground out, “my mate is an omega, and she says if I don’t participate... she’ll... leave me.” Damned if that man didn’t sound the perfect mix of furious and resigned.
“Whippped,” Paxton sang, startling a laugh out of me.
“Insolent pup!” Magnus shouted back... but he didn’t deny it.
Paxton’s and my eyes connected, sharing a wicked grin.
“Time is wasting, Rianna,” Mara said. “Stand aside, please.”
Ash’s nose shot in the air, her chin quivering with suppressed rage. I could tell she wanted nothing more than to put her claws through the screen, but someone was making an embarrassing spectacle of themselves, and this time it wasn’t me.
“Very well,” she barked. “I will allow this to continue, but there will be no repeat of last week’s nonsense. You will stay in your seats, speak when you’re spoken to, address our leaders with respect, and adhere to the time limits.”
Tracy, Corinne, Davis, and Melisent gave a baffled look at the woman who could clearly see they were already doing that.
“And your phone stays off,” Ash told Paxton. “These forums are closed sessions. End of discussion.”
“Actually, I’m going to go ahead and open that discussion back up,” I chirped. “The open forums will remain open. Paxton, bust out that phone.”
Ash spoke through clenched teeth. “He is under my authority, and if he touches that phone,” she growled as he bent to pick it up. “He’ll receive five demerits and an escort out of this academy.”
Looking her dead in the face, I took out my phone, launched Loop Garou, and kicked off the live video. “He may be under your authority,” I said for everyone watching and listening to hear. “But I’m not.”