Chosen by Fate, Rejected by the Alpha

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Trinity

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After the excitement died down, it was time for the meeting to get started. We all sat around the room in comfortable seating. Athair mòr with Daciana next to him on a loveseat. Aunt Glory was sitting in an oversized armchair, on Trevor's lap. The rest of the council were in different chairs, Reece and I were on a loveseat like Athair mòr. The attendants, which were the Gammas and such that had been brought, were standing behind the council members that were here for the meeting.

Gabriel was standing behind me as well. He was ready to offer advice, but he was also going to memorize all that was being said so that we could take the information back home with us later. The guards that were in the room were standing in prime positions to protect me if needed, but we didn't expect anything to happen while we were here. And Reagan and Rika were in a magical play area that Aunt Glory had set up for them in advance.

"As I had been saying before, I can't believe how big they are now." She was grinning. They're so much taller and talk so much better now.

"That they are." I looked at them lovingly. "I can't believe that they're already two. It's been a whole year again."

"And they remembered me." Aunt Glory was grinning. She had referred to the fact that after the yelling and excitement of the matings passed, they went to her and greeted her easily.

"Hi Aunty Glory." Rika beamed at her and spoke in her cheerful little voice.

"Aunty Glory, Ah her talks about you."

"He does?" She looked at her brother with loving eyes. "Do you two want to play? I have it all set up and ready for you."

"Aunty Glory used magic?" Rika asked her, her words so much more understandable than they had been last year, or even six months ago.

"Me see the magic, Aunty Glory? Please?" Reagan piped up as well.

"We will see the magic later." She smiled at them.

"Yay!" The twins cheered happily as they clapped for her. 

That was all it had taken to make her happy. She had learned that her brother was keeping her alive in their memories, and the fact that they knew her on sight made her the happiest, well second happiest. The happiest that she had ever been was when she met Trevor. And Trevor also looked like he was the happiest that I had ever seen him.

It was weird seeing them together. Trevor, the always joking wild man with a heart of gold, and my bubbly Aunt Glory. I never saw that match coming, you know, since they are very, very, very far apart in age.

I was the one that brought the meeting away from the talk of family and new mate bonds. As much as those things made me happy, I needed to know what was going on with everyone here at the Fae compound.

"Aunt Glory," I said as I looked away from the twins and into her shining eyes, "please, tell me what has been going on."

"That's what we're here for, isn't it?" She smiled at me and then looked over her shoulder to Trevor who was grinning at her.

"I know that was the main reason that I came here for." His words were softer than I had ever heard him talk before. "But we got a little bit distracted."

"Rightfully so, I would say." She smirked at him and leaned back against his chest. "But I guess we do need to get down to business, don't we?"

Aunt Glory moved from Trevor's lap and stood in front of the fireplace. She was looking at us all with her serious face. It was clear that she was putting herself into Queen mode. I saw that there was a little bit of a heated light that entered Trevor's eyes when I looked over at him at that moment.

"Alright, I gather that you all know about the attempted prison break back in January." She wasn't asking us, she was stating it as a fact. And it was true, we did all know. Athair mòr had shared the information with us and most likely told her that he told us. That was a convoluted sentence that just passed through my head; however, it worked, and it was all true. I nodded at her to let her know that we did, indeed, know about that incident.

"Well, the thing is, that was the first time that we had discovered that someone was being controlled."

"Are you sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they were being controlled and forced to do the things that they did?" Reece asked the question just a moment before I did.

"I am sure. I searched the woman and her memories myself. I felt the traces of magic inside her mind, and I could feel the malice and evil that touched her just by being in the same room as her. Frida was never like that before. She loved the way that things were and tried to stop her husband from committing crimes right in front of the whole court."

"I remember that." I nodded at Aunt Glory in response. "Is it possible that Grier had been manipulated as well? Is it possible that this all goes back to before my first ever visit to the Fae?"

"I never would have pegged Grier for that type of person. He was an idiot, that was widely known, and he had his strong opinions, but he wasn't the type of person to rock the boat. So, it is possible that he was one of the victims. However, the controller, that is to say the Fae behind all of this, still hasn't been identified."

"I imagine that has been the case." I grimaced and shook my head. I had not even been hopeful about it. "What else has happened?" I gave her a look that I hoped encouraged her to continue.

"There has been a lot of talk of staging a coup, a revolution, or something of that sort. Discord has been running rampant through the kingdom. There have been small incidents that have never happened before this year. Or, should I say, that hasn't happened in over five hundred years. There have been acts of hate on the lesser Fae. Those with less magic or the inability to look fully human. It started with random attacks that left someone injured, but they would recover. The problem is, I can't figure out who is behind it all." Glory was shaking her head. "I hate to doubt my people, but everyone seems to have an alibi for the attacks."

"Aunt Glory." I called her name so that she would look at me. "You said it started like that. What did it progress into?"

"Good ear, Trinity." She sighed as she looked up at me. "The last half a dozen attacks have left the lesser Fae in question permanently injured or dead. They're getting worse and worse."

"Where do these attacks happen?" Reece asked her for more details.

"Usually out in the open. The lesser Fae will be going to the market or the river and the next thing we know they will be laying in a puddle of blood." I could see the anger in Glory's eyes now. She was in full Queen mode so I needed to slip from thinking of her as family and think of her as a fellow Queen."

"Is there anyone you suspect that might have done this?" Trevor asked her as he rose to his feet. I could tell that he wanted to go and comfort her at the moment.

"Everyone and no one. I have a feeling that whoever it is truly, is in my kingdom, but when I have them interviewed there is no one that stands out to the guards. And when I interview someone I get the same result."

"So you've interviewed them yourself?" This was from Landon, he finally spoke up.

"She only interviewed them after all the guards did, and then I did. Glory was the last resort that we had to try and find out who they were."

I could hear how upset they were about what had been happening. But I had to ask once more, I had to know.

"Has anything else happened?"