Shackled (The Lord Series) by Carlos
321. Olivia - Building bridges I

The bond that ties Tyson and me together for eternity feels like pure agony. It spreads like wildfire through my veins, knocking me back to my senses.

Tyson's eyes shine with unshed tears. This is when I know that I went too far. I want to tell him that he is my first love, my mate, the father of my child, the one who will always have a special place in my life, but the words refuse to leave my mouth. All I can do is stare into his beautiful eyes while he breaks me even more with his words.

"You are the only thing in my mind from the moment I wake up. Thoughts of you consume every moment of the day. Even when I sleep, you keep tormenting me. Even if I'm just an afterthought, I prefer it. Because what's the alternative? You forgetting that I exist? I'll take whatever crumbs you throw at me if it means you will stay at the farm with us. Even if it means that you'll never," his voice drops to barely a whisper, his words only for me, "love me again." My chest hurts. My heart and soul as well.

I want to tell him that I lied, that I only wanted to hurt him, but it's like I'm speechless. And Rueben? I shouldn't have humiliated him like that in front of everyone. He might have said awful things about me, but he only did it in the privacy of our house. Except for that one time with Levi.... Even so, it still doesn't mean that what I did was right. I firmly believe that two wrongs never make a right, yet this is exactly what I did tonight. Just because Tyson and Rueben never bothered to ask me what really happened the night I was first abused, I shouldn't take this path of vengeance because if I do, I'll lose myself in the process. My darkness awaits the right moment to corrupt my soul and turn me evil. That is something that I vehemently refuse to do.

Camila would be disappointed with me. What would Spencer think if he saw me do this to his father? To Rueben?

Rueben is still on all fours, and I am about to reach out my hand to him and help him stand when he gets up. "I'm done here," he mutters as he jumps down from the dais. Lords mock him on his way out of the room.

If I want a life with my mates, I should really find it in my heart to forgive Rueben. Not because he deserves it but because it's not worth the anger and the resentment it's causing me.

I'm debating going after him when Tyson gets to his feet, removes his shirt, and puts it around my shoulders. I push my arms through the sleeves. "I need to talk to Rueben," I say more for me than for the others.

"He needs some space. He probably feels very emasculated right now." Tyson's voice lets me know that he also feels the same.

While Tyson is helping me button up, one of the Elders gets up. "Now that the shit show is over, can I know what the fuck was going through your minds?"

Ansel grins. "I wanted to let everyone know what an amazing bonded I have." He winks at me before adding, "She is one of a kind."

The Elders are not having any of the bullshit Ansel is trying to use as an excuse, as one says, "She is very disrespectful, that's what she is. We will talk to her about what she did later." Is he pretending that I'm not here? I guess he didn't like that I used my powers on him. I wonder if he will bring up the subject. "If you want sex with your woman, this isn't the place to do so."

I fold my arms over my chest. "Yet sex happens here daily. What's the difference between me and the other women here?"

"I wasn't talking to you, young lady," the Elder dismisses me.

At least he does acknowledge that I am here.

I narrow my eyes to slits. "This conversation also includes me since I was the center of attention."

Another Elder-who looks like Death forgot about him-joins the conversation. "First of all, women are not allowed on the dais. Second-"

I don't let him finish. "This is where all your problems start." The men look at me like I'm crazy, while the women have this expression of 'you are right' on their faces. I lift my chin up, proud of who I am. "Men, in general, should listen more to what we have to say."

Someone snorts. "What can a woman who spends most of her life on her knees sucking cocks say to us?"

I look at the Lord who spoke. "If you are referring to pornais, you would be surprised how much they know."

Mocking laughter quickly spreads across the room. "They know only what we let them hear. Other than that, they know nothing about the real world or the Dukes."

I quirk an eyebrow. "Men love to underestimate women, especially the pornais. We might be stuffed with cocks and covered from head to toe with cum, but we quickly learn how to keep our eyes and ears open and to pick up things fast while we pretend to be clueless." I need only a few seconds to read some random Lord. He sits at a table together with three men. I point at him and say, "You are single, but from how your eyes keep drifting to the woman in your blood-brother's lap and how flustered you look, I don't think I'm wrong when I say you like her. More than like. You want her out of here. The constant twitching of your fingers tells me you are too nervous to speak your mind. You might even delay deciding which woman to choose as a bonded because you have already found the perfect one. You are also left-handed."

The shock on his face lets everyone know that I am right.

I use the small silence to spread out my arms to try and make the Lords see things from another angle. "You all come here to talk about the Dukes or whatever shit you do here. If you want to change the tide of the entire situation, if you want to catch Azael and Carlos, you need allies. You need women."

The last Elder says, "Women are weak. That's why they need men to protect them."

My butterflies pose on my shoulders. "Say that again." Silence falls around the room. "We are not weak; we are oppressed. We might be weak physically, but we are not defenseless."

"Do you know why blood-brothers exist?" the older Elder asks.

I shrug. "They are into polyandry?" I try to guess.

The Elders are clearly not impressed as they huff before one of them says, "To protect the hellstars and any woman that could be a potential bonded from the Dukes. Think of them as mercenaries. For centuries, there was no romantic relationship between blood-brothers and women. They were paid assassins and nothing more. When their souls were consumed by their demons, or the Dukes killed them, others took their place."

I put my hands on my hips and look at my men. "To protect women from the Dukes. Funny you say that."

The Elder ignores what I said and keeps blabbing about blood-brothers. "Yes, that was their life mission."

I put my right elbow in my left palm and rest my chin between my index and thumb. "So, what went wrong?" The oldest Elder blinks, confused. "Excuse me?"