Chapter 166 Show them we’re here!
Clarence's POV
Morning came slow and sour.
Not because I slept poorly. No on the contrary. I didn't sleep at all. I tried closing my eyes and relaxing. But my eyes wouldn't stay closed. The air itself felt wrong. The air around me felt heavy. Like the world had shifted in the blink of an eye and hadn't bothered to tell me how much.
The compound was already awake. I could hear boots on the concrete. The low hum of fans being ran. The distant clank of metal as crews moved through the outer yards. Normally those sounds would of grounded me. Reminded me that I had built this. That I had taken scraps and rage and turned them into something solid. Today it did the complete opposite. Those sounds just irritated me.
I stood at the window of my office. My hands braced on the sill. I'm staring out at the sprawl of the expanded warehouse complex.
I have well over 500 souls now. Over 250 are warriors. Not as big as an army I would like but enough. Enough to matter. Enough to make the crown nervous, even if they never admit to it.
The door to my office behind me flies open.
"Morning" Gregory said carefully as he looked around, taking in any useful information or a warning sign that I could be having a bad day. I didn't turn around. I just kept staring at the window. "If you call it that." Yeah, there is his sign. The clue to his answer.
He came to stand off to my right. His arms were folded, and his eyes were sharp. My gamma never wasted words. That was why I trusted him.
Stephen entered next. He was carrying a tablet under his arm, his jaw was tight. That told me everything I needed to know before he even spoke.
"It's spreading even faster than we expected." Stephen said as he was gauging my reaction. His eyes locked on me for longer than what should have been.
"Spit it out. Just fucking say it." I spit out as I finally turn around.
"The banquet. Not the food. Not the speeches. Hell, not even about the upcoming tournament. The incident." he continued carefully.
"You mean the heirs to the throne." Gregory said as his mouth was twitching.
Then there it was the word everyone was suddenly afraid to say out loud.
I folded my hands slowly. Because control mattered, especially now.
I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. I looked up at Stephan. "What exactly are they saying?" I asked as I stared at him. Not really wanting to hear this shit.
Stephen activated the tablet. He slid it across the desk for me to see for myself. "Depends on who you ask. Some say lights went out. Some say, the air itself changed. A few swore they felt pressure, like they were being watched."
Gregory snorted and barked out a sharp laugh. "Fear makes poets out of idiots." he said, shaking his head.
"Yes but fear also makes liars sloppy. What's consistent?" I said, as calmly as I could.
"They're saying the twins reacted, not performed. They actually reacted." he said finally after pausing making me wait on his answer. I leaned back in my chair. This is very inconvenient.
"They were weren't paraded and made to perform like two little circus animals." I ask as I look back up at him with one brow raised.
"No. From what we're hearing, and all the stories match. The kings didn't show them off at all. They were just there. No introductions. Nothing." Gregory said as he exhaled.
I drummed my fingers once against the armrest. Damn. That was worse. Fuck! If the kings had orchestrated it, then I could've countered it. I could've spun it to my narrative. I could've discredit it, but uncontrolled power. Instinctive power. That unsettled even me. Fuck!!!
"And the alpha's?" I asked as I ran my hand through my hair.
Stephen's mouth thinned. "Quiet. Way too quiet. They didn't laugh it off. They didn't boast about their own heirs. They just watched."
I closed my eyes briefly. That image bothered me more than I wanted to admit. Powerful alpha's going still as they are calculating. Reassessing their loyalties. Gregory broke the silence. "You always said the crowns strength was perception. Looks like they just upgraded."
I opened my eyes and fixed him with a deadly look.
"They just upgraded the next generation. That's totally different." I said as I rolled my eyes once again, getting bored with this conversation quickly.
Stephen shifted. "Some are already questioning whether the tournament is safe."
That earned a big smile from me. "That's perfect." both of them turned and looked at me.
"Fear works both ways. If they hesitate, they will mistakes." I say, as my smile turned into an evil smirk.
"And if the heirs aren't just symbols?" Gregory said as he tilted his head. I rose from my chair, moving slowly and deliberately. Every motion I had measured. "Then we adapt."
I walked past them to the map that was mounted on the far wall. The kingdom laid out in lines and borders I knew better than most of the men who ruled them.
"They think last night was a warning. That's where they're wrong. It was a reveal." I said, as I still stared at the Maps. "Of what?" Stephen frowned.
"That the Kings are no longer the only ones changing." I replied, then I turned my back to them. Letting a sliver of my real emotion show.
Anger. Yes. But sharpened now buy something colder. Resolve.
"Our people inside the palace?" I asked as I stared at them.
"All active. None of them are exposed. Kyle reports increased patrols. Bradley says internal rotations changed overnight."
I nodded. "As expected."
Gregory crossed his arms. "So what's the move?"
I smiled fully this time. A slow and dangerous smile creeped up on my face. "We don't rush. Not yet. Let them watch shadows. Let them doubt eachother." I said, as I can't even wipe the smile off my face.
"And the heirs?" Stephen asked.
"Children grow. Powers mature. So does the fear." I said quietly. I turned to face them once again.
"And fear is still my favorite weapon." I said is I twirl my fingers together. "You know, I just changed my mind." I paused and let my eyes flicker between the two.
"We are going to show them we're not afraid. That we're not to be messed with."