Chapter 243

Her words gave me goosebumps. It was obvious she was looking for a fight. The moon on her forehead glinted.

"I’m tired of holding back, Amy, and Nina keeps poking at me." Nix looked a little rabid as she came closer to the barrier in my mind. She was standing with her hackles already raised, and drool foaming at the sides of her mouth.

I took a deep breath and turned to the voice that was working its way through the crowd to stand next to Nina. I nearly rolled my eyes when I realized it was the council member. And not just any council member. It was Nina’s uncle, Thinius, and Nadine.

“And what exactly are we waiting for?” I smiled as I tilted my head.

“Do you know who this is?” Nadine snarled, but that only made my smile bigger.

“I am assuming you are trying to intimidate me by bringing Uncle Thinius, the council member, to my table.” I watched as Nina and Nadine smiled. “But I think you overestimated yourselves, and him.” I looked down at my nails, then back to the trio now hovering by my table. “Now, if we can get on with this farce, I have women to help. What exactly are we waiting for?"

Thinius puffed up his chest and tried to stare me down, but I just met his glare with bored eyes. “As a member of the council, we have rules that must be followed, and this doesn’t follow the protocols we set up.”

I laughed. “Yes, I know.” The girls all sat down in front of their tablets and waited. I stepped up and walked around the side of the table. Then I turned back to the crowd and waved to the table. “You can start while I deal with this.”

“Are you sure?” the first woman asked, and I smiled and gave her a brief nod.

“Of course. No one is going to block you from filling out the application while I’m here.” I picked up my tablet and handed it to her. Nina and Nadine both cried out, but I patted her shoulder. “I promise, your application will get seen if you fill this out.” I watched as she considered it and then nodded. She tapped away at the screen, and as soon as others saw her filling out the form, they grabbed for a tablet.

“You can’t do this!” Nina screeched, and I turned back to her small group with a lazy smile.

“Why?”

“Because I said so.” She stomped her foot.

“And who are you?” I countered, leaving her sputtering. I turned to look at her sister. “Do you have some power over me I don’t know of?” I tilted my head as I turned back to their uncle. “Or are you going to try to lord your position over me?” I watched them all sputter. “Well, what is it?” I waited patiently.

“You can’t go against the council.” Thinius stepped closer.

“Why not?” I heard the gasp that went through the crowd, but I smirked. “Why can’t I go against the council?”

His face grew red. “We are the highest authority!”

“No. The king is the highest authority.” My words had him freezing for a moment. “It’s like you forget that simple fact. The council is there to support the king, as a beta and gamma does an alpha. But your decisions don’t overrule his.”

“We do not.” He retreated a little, but then rallied. “We support him where we must, and this is something we are overseeing.” The smug smile on his face was annoying. He was really sure he did something there.

“Who says?” I crossed my arms.

“What?”

“Who said you get to oversee every application?”

“It was decided,” he shot back.

I nodded along and twirled my hand. “By who?” Nina and Nadine were glaring at me, but I pushed up from the table. “I distinctly remember the king saying that you will oversee the applications that go through your process, and he will oversee the ones that go through his email.” I stepped closer. “Right?”

“Well, yes,” he stammered.

“Well then, problem solved.” I turned my back to the trio and checked in with everyone. “How are we doing?”

“Good. We are moving quicker than yesterday.”

“Fantastic.” I smiled when I heard Nina screech again.

“Not problem solved.” Her voice grated on my nerves, and I felt my hands shift into my claws, but I kept them hidden.

I turned back to face them. “Yes, Nina, it is. Because if you recall our conversation yesterday, these applications are going straight to the king’s email.” I turned my face to Thinius. “With his consent. So, by the king’s decision, you have zero jurisdiction over my application table, nor the applications I am taking.”

“These applications go straight to the king?” One girl whispered, and I turned to give her a small nod and a wink.

“They do indeed.”

I turned back just in time to watch Thinius pale. “What?”