Truthful Answers
Dallas‘ p.o.v.
“Your Majesty, did Princess Dezra leave the Palace with her Protector and your permission?” I ask.
By asking this question, I want to find out if Princess Dezra’s disappearance was kept from all the Elders. My gut tells me that only a select few knew about what she did.
“No to both questions. I never informed all the Elders, because I hoped it would be a short period. Dezra drugged her Protector to leave the Palace undetected, she knew how to avoid the guards and did so that night. When Dezra returned, she made it clear that no one knew who she was and she didn’t inform her fated Mate until the day before they arrived at the Palace.” King Vaughn answers.
I allow the Elders to process what they heard. I doubt it is easy to hear or to find out that you have been kept out of the loop.
“Did you send her Protector after her?” I ask him. I would have if I had been in his shoes, but he is the King and can make his own decisions.
“I asked him to find her, but he refused. He told me to send my Warriors after her, because he was resigning his job.” King Vaughn states.
At least now I understand why no one ever suspected Princess Dezra of leaving the Palace on her own; if her Protector wasn’t around, it would look as if they left together.
“Elder Zariah, did you know about this? Did your Brother explain why he resigned?” I ask her.
“Yes, I knew. I was waiting for King Vaughn to tell the other Elders. My Brother resigned because he felt that he could no longer trust Princess Dezra, even if she had returned a day later.” Elder Zariah answers.
“Do all Elders know what happened between Princess Dezra’s departure and return, Elder Zariah?” I ask.
“No, she asked King Vaughn and me to keep it secret. Like King Vaughn did with the report on her disappearance.” She answers.
I have read her file, and I know what she has been hiding. If any of the Elders had looked deeper into her story, they would have found the discrepancies. Joshua had questioned a few things before I had handed him the file I got from Alpha Aaron.
“Your Majesty, I mean no disrespect, but how well did you question Princess Dezra after she returned to the Palace?” I ask. He was probably too relieved to have her home again and didn’t look too deeply into her tale.
“We just listened to her as she recounted the years she was gone. I don’t think I asked her any questions. I was feeling too sad about them losing their baby boy.” King Vaughn responds.
I know everything there is to know about protocols, not just for Packs but also for the Royal family. My next question will throw everyone for a loop, but I need to ask it before starting the rest of my questions.
“Elder Venetia, what is the protocol for the Royal family after returning to the Palace?” I ask.
Daxton gives me a questioning look, but he will get his answer soon enough.
“They have to see Doc for a complete medical check–up. It has been protocol for as long as I can remember and according to my Grandfather, it was already protocol when he started his studies.” Elder Venetia answers.
I turn toward King Vaughn without asking a question. He is holding Queen Eliza’s hand, breathing in and out deeply to stay calm. Our King isn’t an Idiot and understands that at the end of this meeting, he will have a tough decision to make.
“They never went to see Doc. He asked me about it a few times after Dezra returned, but as far as I know, she never went to see him.” King Vaughn says.
“Let me see if I got this straight. It is protocol for a Royal family member to see Doc, even if they have been gone for a few hours. Princess Dezra had been gone for years, but she never followed protocol and you never ordered her to see Doc. Is that correct, Your Majesty?” I ask.
He nods his head, understanding that Princess Dezra wasn the only one to screw up on following protocol.
When I opened the file containing Princess Dezra’s statement on her absence, I found that she was twenty–eight when she left the Palace and returned at thirty–three. In those five years, she claims to have found her connection, lost her first child and recovered from that loss.
“Prince Darron, according to this file, you met Dezra about twenty years ago. Is that correct?” I ask.
King Vaughn ordered them to keep quiet unless they were asked a question, but did he also order them to answer every question with the truth?
“Yes, my Mate and I met one another twenty years ago.” He answers and looking at him, you would say that he is telling the truth. Unfortunately for him, we all know better.
“You are a former member of Iron Moon Pack, is that correct?” I ask. I don’t know if I want him to lie or to become angry.
“You can read, can’t you?” He growls. He definitely doesn’t like where I am going with my questions.
“I can read and know you are from Iron Moon Pack. I also know that you didn’t meet Princess Dezra twenty years ago, you met her seventeen years ago.” I say as I pick up his file from Iron Moon Pack.
My revelation puts a massive dent in both their stories because it implies that Princess Dezra couldn’t have had a miscarriage if they hadn’t met at that time.
“Dezra, what is she talking about?” King Vaughn asks. Every Shifter in the room looks at Dezra, waiting for her to answer her Brother’s question.
“I have no idea what she is talking about. Everything I told you is the truth. She might be a Squad Captain, but I don’t have to sit here and listen to her accusations.” Princess Dezra responds as she gets up.
“You will listen to what she has to say. I have witnessed firsthand that she comes prepared and for your sake, I hope this is nothing major.” King Vaughn says, while releasing his aura. “You will answer every question you get with the truth.”
Damn, I will get more answers than I had thought and truthful answers on top of that.
