337 Whispering Is All They Know How To Do

The echo of yesterday's clash still vibrated through the palace.

It didn't matter that the tables had been scrubbed, that Coral had reorganized the entire schedule in a desperate attempt to restore normalcy. Everyone still felt it: Adam storming back early, Brad too close, the near-explosion in the gallery. Nobles loved nothing more than a spectacle, and Ann had handed them one on a silver platter.

Today had to be different. Today had to be a show of total control.

Ann sat straighter than her ribs liked as she entered the council chamber. Her crown wasn't heavy, but the stares were. Nobles lined the benches with hungry eyes, waiting for cracks to show in the face that they were presenting to them.

Adam stood at her right, his dark aura radiating just enough that Lady Maren's pearls twitched against her throat. Brad stood farther back, silent and with his arms folded in front of him. Still there. Still watching. Still a problem.

The whispers started instantly.

"…Nocturne's temper is slipping…"

"…Brad hasn't left her side since the attack…"

"…If the Queen leans on him, perhaps..."

Ann didn't need to hear the rest. She felt them, knives between her shoulders.

"They'll carve you into gossip until nothing's left," Maeve muttered. "Maybe let me eat one. Just for morale."

Ann kept her face neutral.

"Let's begin."

Lord Riven was first, his voice as smooth as oil.

"Your Majesty, with respect, your… judgment has been questioned. Many wonder if it is truly within your capabilities to rule with your present condition clouding your judgement and your…current dilemma…" he smirked as his eyes grazed over Adam and Brad's figures.

Her jaw ticked.

"If my authority is in doubt, Lord Riven, then allow me to clarify for you.. my word is law whatever condition that I am in. Pregnancy is not a disability, it is a responsibility as heavy as the crown that I wear and I am perfectly capable of handling both. As for the incident you refer to yesterday, let me be clear…Adam stands where I tell him to. Brad stands where I tolerate him to. Both of them answer to me."

Adam's aura flared at Brad's name and Brad's wolf stirred in his eyes but stayed leashed. The nobles drank it in like wine.

Lady Darnell slid forward, her tone honeyed.

"Your majesty, of course your authority is unquestioned. But appearances are delicate. Whispers of instability spread faster than fact. Perhaps a demonstration of… decisiveness would ease concerns?"

Ann's gaze narrowed.

"You mean a show of force. Against who, Lady Darnell? The people? Or my own council?"

Color rose in the woman's cheeks.

"I only mean..."

Adam cut in, his voice like steel.

"You mean she doesn't look ruthless enough for your liking. Careful how you phrase your cowardice."

The chamber went still.

Ann's palm pressed flat against the table before he could go any further.

"Adam."

One sharp word was all it took. He clenched his jaw tightly, but he shut up.

"Oooo! Well done Queenie! Maybe I'll start calling you the Wolf whisperer," Maeve teased. "Pat him on the nose and tell him he's a good boy."

Ann leaned back, her mask still firmly in place.

"Decisiveness isn't measured in blood spilled for theater. It's measured in survival and I choose survival for myself, and for my people. No blood will be spilled unless absolutely necessary."

The room shifted uneasily. Nobles wanted spectacle. Nobles wanted weakness. She was giving them neither.

Lord Halford tried next.

"Majesty, may I raise… delicate concerns about the company you keep?" His eyes flicked toward Brad. "A former mate, hovering in your shadow, day and night…some might interpret it as… longing for..."

The words slid like slime across the table and Ann met it with a smile that was ice cold.

"If you're insinuating scandal, Lord Halford, speak plainly. I won't have you dripping poison under the guise of concern."

Halford's color drained.

"I...of course not, Majesty. I only meant..."

Brad finally spoke, his voice level.

"What you meant was that you don't like the reminder that someone stands here who knows how thin your loyalty runs."

The chamber rippled and Adam's head snapped toward him instantly, a low growl slipping loose.

"Enough," Ann snapped.

The word cracked like a whip and both men went still. The nobles leaned forward, delighted.

"Goddess, they're worse than wolves in heat," Maeve groaned. "Maren's practically fanning herself."

Ann forced her spine straighter, refusing to look rattled.

"Lord Halford, let me spell it out. Brad stands here because knives were already aimed at me. He doesn't share my bed. He doesn't share my throne. He doesn't share anything except my tolerance, which I assure you is not infinite. If you're hoping for a fairy tale of reconciliation, you can shove that idea down your throat and fucking choke on it."

That silenced even Maren.

Coral scribbled notes furiously from the side, muttering under her breath,

"God, I hope someone's recording this. That was savage."

Ann exhaled slowly…her mask still intact.

The nobles moved on, probing at supply reports, questioning security rotations, hinting again at "unreliable leadership." Every time Adam snapped too sharply, Ann smoothed it. Every time Brad offered information, she clipped him back before Adam exploded. Again and again, balancing their fragile ego's on a knife edge.

By the time the session ended, she swore she could feel the exhaustion seeping in to her very bones, but the chamber had emptied without blood shed and without collapse. That was a victory.

Adam leaned down as they left, his voice low and rough.

"You shouldn't let them speak of you that way. I should've..."

"You should've stayed quiet when I told you to," Ann cut him off, softer but firm.

His eyes burned.

"You think they respect restraint?"

"They respect survival," Ann said. "And they'll respect me when they realize I don't break just because they whisper."

Brad's voice slid in from behind.

"Whispering is all they know how to do."

Adam's growl rumbled.

Ann turned on both of them, temper snapping free. "You. Both. Enough. Do you think this helps me? Every glare, every growl, every glance at each other gives them exactly what they want. They want cracks. Stop handing them the hammer."

The silence that followed was taut. Adam's fists clenched. Brad's jaw locked. Neither spoke.

"Well done," Maeve said dryly. "Alpha babysitting 101. Don't forget the juice boxes for next time."

Ann's chest rose and fell as she adjusted the crown on her head, forcing her breathing steady.

"This is the last time I smooth things over for you. Next time, I won't hesitate to bite."