Chapter 234

Chapter 234: Chapter 234

Tempest didn’t know what to say.

She’d stood near the stairs while Dron addressed the people on the deck, listening to every word that came out of his mouth. Some of what he’d said made perfect sense. They couldn’t abandon everything they’d fought for simply because the journey had become difficult. The High Royals weren’t going to forget about them, and there was no reason to believe they’d suddenly decide to leave everyone alone.

But there was something about the way Dron had delivered his speech that bothered her.

It wasn’t what he’d said about the war. It wasn’t even the fact that he’d refused to apologize for what happened to Gushex. She’d already known he wasn’t going to do that.

It was the way he’d stood in front of everyone and demanded that they either follow him or leave.

He’d sounded so sure of himself. So confident that he was making the right decision. Only a short while earlier, he’d been sitting on a crate with his head in his hands, questioning whether he was becoming the very thing he hated. Now he’d stood in front of hundreds of people and practically dared them to challenge him.

Tempest didn’t know which version of Dron worried her more.

She loved him. There wasn’t a single doubt in her mind about that. She loved the male who held her while she slept, who worried about whether she’d eaten enough, and who looked at her as if she were the most precious thing in the universe. She also loved the warrior who’d fought to protect people who couldn’t protect themselves.

But she was starting to realize that loving someone didn’t necessarily mean agreeing with everything they did.

And she definitely didn’t agree with everything he’d done today.

Dron was still surrounded by Kraznek and the other soldiers when she decided to leave the deck. She could see him speaking with several alphas who’d approached him after the crowd started dispersing. He looked calm enough, but Tempest wasn’t ready to have another conversation with him.

Not yet.

She needed to think.

More importantly, she needed to check on the humans.

They’d been through enough without having to worry that the alpha leading them into battle might turn on someone else. Tempest knew how frightening Dron could be when he was angry. She’d seen it firsthand, and she was his mate. She couldn’t imagine what the humans who barely knew him must be thinking.

She made her way below deck, passing several people who were still whispering about what had happened. A few stopped talking when they saw her. Others gave her sympathetic looks, their eyes drifting toward the bruise on her face.

Tempest tried not to let it bother her.

The bruise was tender, and her cheek throbbed whenever she moved her mouth too much, but she’d survived worse. What bothered her was knowing that everyone who looked at her was probably remembering Gushex’s arm being ripped from his body.

She found the humans gathered in one of the larger rooms below deck.

There were more of them than she’d expected. Some were sitting on crates while others stood against the walls. A few had their arms folded across their chests, and nearly everyone turned to look at her when she entered.

The conversation stopped immediately.

Tempest didn’t like that.

"Okay, that’s not creepy at all," she muttered.

Normally, someone would have laughed.

No one did.

Mexyn was standing near the back of the room with Minnie. Tempest was relieved to see her friend, although the expression on Mexyn’s face didn’t do much to ease her nerves.

"What’s going on?" Tempest asked.

A woman near the front stood up.

"We were actually hoping you’d come."

Tempest looked around the room again. "Well, here I am."

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That Dron ripped Gushex’s arm off because he accidentally hit you?"

Tempest sighed.

"Yes."

Several people started speaking at once.

"Jesus Christ."

"That’s insane."

"I told you."

"How are we supposed to trust someone like that?"

Tempest held up her hands.

"Can everyone just calm down for a second?"

"No," another woman said. "I don’t think we should calm down. I think we should be figuring out how the hell we’re getting off this ship."

Tempest looked at her.

"Getting off the ship?"

"Yes. Getting off the ship. Going somewhere else. Anywhere else."

"We’re in the middle of the ocean."

"Then we take one of the other ships."

Tempest rubbed her forehead. This was going to be harder than she’d thought.

"Okay, can someone please explain exactly what’s happening here?"

A man standing near the wall pushed away from it.

"We don’t want to follow Dron anymore."

The room fell silent.

Tempest looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"He stood up there and told everyone that if we don’t like what he’s doing, we can leave. Well, we don’t like what he’s doing."

Several people nodded.

"He nearly killed someone because of an accident," the man continued. "What happens when one of us makes a mistake? What happens if someone disagrees with him? Are we supposed to just hope he doesn’t decide to rip our heads off?"

"He wouldn’t do that," Tempest replied.

"How do you know?"

She opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

She knew Dron wouldn’t deliberately hurt an innocent person. At least, she believed she knew that. But she’d also believed he wouldn’t seriously hurt Gushex once he realized what happened was an accident.

She’d been wrong about that.

"Look," Tempest started. "What happened out there was horrible. I’m not going to stand here and pretend it wasn’t."

"Then why are you defending him?"

"Because I know him."

"We don’t."

That stopped her.

The woman who’d spoken was sitting near Minnie. She looked exhausted, with dark circles beneath her eyes and her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

"We don’t know him like you do, Tempest. We know he’s strong. We know he’s dangerous. We know he’s the one who’s supposed to lead us into this fight. But that’s all we know. And now we’ve watched him tear another man’s arm off."

Tempest swallowed.

The woman wasn’t wrong.

"And we’re supposed to follow him into a war?" she continued. "Against people who are just as dangerous? What happens if we win? Is he going to be the one making all the decisions about how we live? Are we supposed to trade one group of people who control our lives for another?"

Tempest felt something uncomfortable settle in her stomach.

She’d been so focused on what Dron was going through that she hadn’t spent nearly enough time thinking about how all of this looked to the humans.

They’d been abducted from Earth. Taken away from their families, their homes, and everything they’d ever known. Some had been imprisoned. Others had been treated like property. They’d finally found a little freedom, and now they were being told they had to fight a war under the command of an alpha who’d just demonstrated how easily he could destroy someone.

Of course they were scared.

Hell, she was scared.

"Can I say something?" Minnie asked.

Everyone turned toward her.

"I don’t think Dron is a bad person. Rynax doesn’t think so either, and he knows him a lot better than most of us do. But I understand why everyone is upset." She glanced at Tempest. "I don’t want to leave Rynax. Not after everything that’s happened. But I don’t want to follow someone who thinks being in charge means nobody gets to tell him he’s wrong."

Tempest nodded slowly.

"I understand."

"Do you?" the man near the wall asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Then tell us what we’re supposed to do."

Tempest looked around the room.

For a moment, she wished someone else would answer. Someone older. Someone who knew how to lead people through situations like this.

Then she nearly laughed at herself.

Wasn’t that exactly what Dron had been struggling with?

Neither of them had asked to be responsible for anyone. Yet somehow, they’d both ended up with people looking to them for answers.

Tempest took a breath.

"You’re not following Dron."

Several people exchanged confused looks.

"What?"

"You’re not following Dron," she repeated. "You’re following me."

Mexyn straightened near the back of the room.

Tempest continued before anyone could interrupt her.

"When I first came to Ustea, I didn’t know anything about this world. I didn’t know who to trust, where I was supposed to go, or whether I’d ever see Earth again. I was terrified. And then I started meeting people who were being treated just as badly as I was. Some of them had been living that way their entire lives."

She looked at the faces around her.

"I couldn’t ignore it. I still can’t. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I want to go to Thraqe and put an end to what the High Royals are doing."

"But Dron is leading the army," someone pointed out.

"Yes, he is. And right now, I believe he’s the best person to lead us into that fight."

"Even after what happened?"

"Even after what happened."

The man shook his head.

"Then I don’t see how that changes anything."

"Because I’m not asking you to trust Dron the way I do. I’m asking you to trust me."

Tempest let her gaze move around the room.

"I know what it’s like to have someone else decide what happens to your life. I know what it’s like to feel completely powerless. And I promise you that I will never willingly put any of you back into that position."

A woman near the door folded her arms.

"What if Dron decides something you don’t agree with?"

"Then I’ll tell him."

"And if he doesn’t listen?"

Tempest hesitated.

She knew what she wanted to say. She also knew what saying it meant.

Dron was her mate.

The bond between them was stronger than anything she’d ever experienced. She couldn’t imagine leaving him, and she certainly couldn’t imagine choosing to walk away from him when he needed her. ℴ

But she couldn’t stand in front of these people and promise them protection if she wasn’t willing to do whatever was necessary to keep that promise.

She’d spent too much time fighting for their freedom to abandon them now.

"Then we leave."

The words came out quietly, but everyone heard them.

Mexyn’s eyes widened.

Tempest felt her stomach twist.

"If Dron goes too far, if he becomes someone who can’t be reasoned with, or if he starts treating people the same way the High Royals do, then we leave. I’ll help you find somewhere safe, and we’ll go together."

"Even if he doesn’t want you to?"

Tempest lifted her chin.

"Even then."

For several seconds, no one spoke.

She could almost feel the weight of what she’d just promised settling across her shoulders.

It felt like a betrayal.

Dron had just stood on the deck and demanded loyalty from everyone. He’d made it clear that he was in charge and that anyone who didn’t agree with his decisions could leave.

And here she was, telling an entire room of humans that if he went too far, she’d help them do exactly that.

She wondered what he would think if he heard her.

Would he understand?

Would he see that she was trying to protect the people who’d placed their trust in her?

Or would he see it as his own mate preparing to abandon him?

Tempest pushed the thought aside.

She couldn’t worry about that right now.

"Does Dron know you’re saying this?" Minnie asked.

Tempest looked at her.

"No."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I don’t know."

That was the truth.

She wasn’t going to lie to them, but she wasn’t ready to go upstairs and tell Dron that she’d just promised to leave him if he lost control again.

Not when he’d only just started accepting the responsibility of leading everyone.

Not when she knew how much the idea of losing her terrified him.

"I don’t want anyone to misunderstand me," Tempest continued. "I’m not planning to leave Dron. I love him. I believe in him. I believe he can do what needs to be done without becoming the kind of person we’re fighting against."

She glanced toward the door.

"But I’m not blind. I saw what happened to Gushex. I know how bad it was, and I’m not going to make excuses for it."

The woman who’d first confronted her looked down at her hands.

"So what are you asking us to do?"

"Stay. For now. Give us a chance to finish what we started. If you still want to leave, we can talk about it. I’m not going to force anyone to fight, and I’m not going to let anyone punish you for being afraid."

"Can you actually stop Dron if he decides otherwise?"

Tempest thought about the moment she’d stepped between Dron and Gushex.

She’d been terrified.

Not because she believed Dron would hurt her, but because she’d seen how completely he’d lost himself. She’d seen the rage in his eyes and the way he’d looked at Gushex as if there was nothing left in the world except the need to destroy him.

Yet he’d stopped.

For her.

"I stopped him today," she said. "And if I have to, I’ll do it again."

Mexyn moved away from the wall and came to stand beside her.

"She’s not alone."

Tempest turned toward her friend.

Mexyn gave her a small nod.

"If Tempest says she’ll protect you, she will. I’ve seen her put herself in danger for people she barely knew. She’s not going to stop now."

Minnie stood next.

"I’m staying."

Several people looked at her.

"Not because I’m suddenly okay with what Dron did," Minnie clarified. "I’m not. But I’m not leaving Rynax, and I believe Tempest when she says she won’t let things get worse."

One by one, the tension in the room started to lessen.

Not everyone looked convinced. A few were still whispering among themselves, and the man near the wall hadn’t unfolded his arms.

Tempest didn’t expect them to suddenly feel safe.

She’d just watched Dron try to convince an entire crowd to follow him through strength and certainty. She wasn’t going to accomplish the same thing with a few promises.

But at least they were listening.

"There’s something else," the woman near the door said.

Tempest turned toward her.

"What?"

"If we stay, we want to know what’s happening. Not just what Dron decides to tell us. We want to know what the plan is, what the risks are, and whether we actually have a choice when it comes time to fight."

Tempest nodded.

"That’s fair."

"And if we have concerns, we want to be able to bring them to you without worrying that Dron is going to find out and get angry."

That one made Tempest uncomfortable.

She didn’t want to become someone who kept secrets from her mate.

But she also knew that the humans needed someone they could speak to without fear.

"You can come to me whenever you need to," she promised.

The woman nodded slowly.

"Then I think we can stay."

There were murmurs of agreement around the room.

Tempest finally allowed herself to breathe.

She stayed with them for a while longer, listening to their concerns and answering the questions she could. Some wanted to know what would happen to the humans if they actually defeated the High Royals. Others wanted to know whether they’d be allowed to return to Earth if the opportunity ever presented itself.

Tempest couldn’t answer everything.

She didn’t know what their lives would look like after the war. She didn’t know whether they’d ever find a way home.

But she could promise them that they would have a say in what happened next.

And she did.

By the time she left the room, the humans were no longer talking about taking a ship and running away.

That should have made her feel better.

Instead, Tempest felt as if she’d just done something she could never take back.

She made her way toward the stairs, stopping when she reached the bottom. Above her, she could hear the familiar sounds of the ship. Footsteps moved across the deck, ropes creaked, and someone was shouting instructions about the sails.

Everything sounded normal.

It was strange how quickly things could return to normal after something so horrible had happened.

Tempest placed a hand against the wall and closed her eyes.

She’d promised Dron that she would stay by his side. That she would do everything in her power to keep their bond intact.

Now she’d promised the humans that if he became dangerous, she’d leave.

Both promises had been sincere.

That was what made it so difficult.

She wasn’t choosing between Dron and the humans. At least, she didn’t want to believe she was.

She was choosing to protect the people who trusted her, even if that meant someday standing against the male she loved.

Tempest opened her eyes and looked toward the deck.

She hoped Dron would never force her to make that choice.

Because for the first time since discovering they were fated mates, Tempest wasn’t entirely sure that loving him would be enough to keep them together.