“They would lose any claim to the Knights. The Founders Society would shun them. Losing that kind of power…” He breathed deep, eyes downcast. “I don’t even want to think about how Arlo would retaliate. It would start a war.”
“The Salvatores need a marriage into a Founding Family to legitimize their position. I get that. But what I don’t understand is why they have always been so mean to me.”
His lips parted as if he were about to say something, then he snapped his mouth shut. He drank from his glass, eyes out the window.
What was he keeping from me?
I’d always felt like I was missing something with Pops. He saved me from my mother, but it wasn’t out of the kindness of his heart. Where was he for the first eighteen years of my life? Where was he when wereallyneed him?
“Years of physical and mental abuse from Arlo hardened those boys,” he said after a long pause. “He forged them into men. Made sure they understood the cost of failure.”
“I don’t want any of them,” I said without hesitation. “They’re all jerks.”
“If they hadn’t watched over you for all these years, I don’t know where you would be right now.”
My jaw dropped at his confession. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” He turned away, avoiding my gaze. “I’m thankful they worry about you as much as I do. That’s all.”
I almost laughed.
Since when did anyone in my life, apart from Aiden, worry about me? Which reminded me… I hadn’t heard from Aiden in close to twenty-four hours. That wasn’t like him.
“They have no reason to worry about me,” I told my grandfather. “I’m boring. When I’m not working at the café, I mostly sit inside with Aiden and paint.”
“Speaking of your brother.” He set the empty glass on the table, then fixed his deep brown eyes on me. “Before you marry into the Salvatore family, Aiden needs to accept his place with the Knights.”
“He doesn’t want to join them.”
“I fear what Arlo will do to Aiden if he keeps resisting.” Pops reached over and placed his hand on mine, holding it against the couch. “We made deals before you were born. They are unbreakable and enforceable under a different set of laws.”
I was so confused. My grandfather was one of the five Elders of The Founders Society, the organization that oversaw the other societies under their control.
“Can’t you just make new rules? Aiden doesn’t have to become a Knight.”
Pops shook his head. “Arlo is the Grand Master of The Devil’s Knights. Whoever you marry will succeed him.”
“Why does it matter who I choose?”
He reached over and tucked a loose curl behind my hair. “Because, my dear girl, you will become their queen.”
A shiver shot straight down my arms, the hairs standing at attention. “Queen?”
Pops smiled so wide it reached his eyes. “The Knights have waited a long time for you, Alex. It’s time for you to learn your true power.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, still stunned by his confession. “What makes me their queen?”
“Thirty years ago, I made a similar deal for your mother. Savanna was supposed to marry Arlo Salvatore, and she backed out of the engagement. Disgraced the Wellington name. If Savanna had married Arlo, she would have become the Queen of The Devil’s Knights. And now, the responsibility falls to you.”
“Why does an all-male secret society need a queen?”
None of this crazy shit made any sense to me. Not this arranged marriage to my high school bullies, or any of the arcane secret society bullshit.
Pops laid his palm on the couch and drew a breath from between his teeth as our eyes met. “I didn’t trust Lorenzo Salvatore, Arlo’s father. To ensure your mother would be protected, I forced him to agree to my terms. The Salvatores needed a marriage into a Founding Family to maintain their position with The Founders Society. Lorenzo would have given me just about anything, and I wanted to ensure our family’s legacy remained intact. This is the first time a Wellington will marry someone outside of the Founding Families.”
“So that’s why I’ll become their queen?”
He bobbed his head. “It’s written in the charter. You will be the first ever queen, and that gives you an incredible amount of power. The Devil’s Knights have hundreds of members throughout the country. All of them have taken an oath to kill for you, die for you. They take this oath seriously. So it’s imperative you choose between The Salvatore boys soon. Becoming their queen offers you a lot of protection.”