The rest of the meeting went by smoothly, and we were able to discuss other possibilities and what to do if there was a chance that I was killed.
I didn't say much about what I knew, wanting to protect the young prince and his fox mate, but I did let them know that both sons did not agree with what was happening behind the scenes.
They seemed to know this but didn't push, even though there were a few curious glances my way during the rest of the meeting and the dinner afterward.
The princes were on their best behavior, especially Caspian, even though I made sure not to be alone with him if I could help it.
Tigress was still reeling from his actions, and I knew that she would have some words if we were alone with him at all.
Trevor and Brody made sure to be around me at all times to make sure that I didn't do anything stupid or Caspian to bother me.
However, George was able to catch me alone without my mate and second when I had left and gone to the bathroom. He grabbed my arm when I was about to make my way back to the other royals that were waiting for me.
"Wha-"
George shook his head and didn't say a word, indicating that I shouldn't talk just yet. He stayed silent while he led me to a private room, his whole body tense while he looked around and made sure that we were safe.
I followed him and stayed silent, not knowing what he wanted. I wasn't afraid of what he had to say, trusting him more than I trusted Caspian, especially since he hadn't had a crush on me like him.
George released me when we entered an empty room, and he looked at me. He relaxed slightly while he studied me, but he was still tense for whatever reason. "Are you ok?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, and I raised an eyebrow in question.
"What do you mean?" I asked and furrowed my brows while I cocked my head. I shifted slightly, nervous about what he was trying to do, but I didn't try to leave the room or attack him. "Why wouldn't I be?"
George sighed and shook his head. He moved a hand across his face and hair while he studied me further, annoyed. "Are you ok?" he asked again.
"Yes." I nodded. I frowned and wrinkled my nose while I shrugged. "I mean... I guess that I am..." I sighed and sank a little while I tucked my head closer to my chest. My heart ached, and it felt as if there was a whole lot of pressure on me, pressure that came with being the next queen without the proper training that I hadn't been given. "No..."
George bit back a satisfied smirk, and I scowled and narrowed my eyes. He didn't say a word while he looked at me.
"I hate you," I said.
He chuckled and shook his head. "You don't," he said, "and I know that you don't."
I opened my mouth to say something but closed it, deciding against it. "What do you want?" I asked instead. "Are you trying to drink my blood again?" I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head while I studied him.
George scowled and blinked, annoyed. "Very funny," he said, and I smirked. He grew serious again and sighed while he shook his head, indicating that he wasn't going to try and suck my blood again. "I'm serious. Are you ok?"
"I told you," I said. "I am not." I moved a hand through my hair and cleared my throat. "I... will be fine in a bit." I shrugged and cleared my throat again, grimacing. "But why did you ask me if I am ok?"
George shrugged. "Because I am concerned about you." He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, looking concerned. "Why are Brody and Trevor protective of you around Caspian? It was hard to get to you alone without them watching me too."
I bit back a sigh and nodded while I pursed my lips. "Ya," I said and moved a hand through my hair. "You know that he has a crush on me, right?" I raised an eyebrow in question, and George nodded.
"I do," he confirmed.
I couldn't help but sigh and shake my head. "He followed Ro and Ray to this pack and was shocked that Brody was my mate." I moved a hand through my hair again and cleared my throat.
George blinked. "But that doesn't explain why Trevor and Brody are trying to keep me away from you."
I bit my lip and cleared my throat. "They're nervous that you'll be able to kick me out of the pack..."
George looked at me with eyes and opened his mouth, shocked and confused. "Heh..?" he asked.
I licked my lips and looked down before I cleared my throat and looked at him. "So, basically Caspian followed Ro and Ray here. He got mad that I was mated to the Alpha of this pack and not to him. He said some things to Katie, Brody's sister, and she kicked me out."
"How?"
"Do you know how cats are sometimes weird?" I asked and raised an eyebrow, and he raised an eyebrow too. "Well, she "adopted" me and had placed a collar around my neck, a-"
"Isn't that like a big no-no?" George asked, interrupting me. "I thought that was a huge no, especially if you aren't mated to them."
I scowled and blinked. "It is," I said, "however, it happened. She didn't know that I was a tiger nor a queen. She didn't even know that I was a shifter. All she knew was that I was a little house cat."
"How did she not know that you were a shifter?" George asked. "What do you mean that you were a house cat too? Tigers are a lot bigger than h-"
"I know, George," I said, interrupting him. I held back an eye roll when he scowled. "Amity did something, and I was turned into a cat while my memories were changed until I was able to change back into a tiger."
"Bu-... bu-...."
"Can I finish the story before whatever you did to my second and mate wears off? Did you hurt them or..?"
George shook his head no and smirked. "I made an image of myself that's talking with them while I can talk to you. My dad knows about this, but he isn't going to say anything to them."
I grinned wickedly and narrowed my eyes. "What if they touch you or something?"
George gave me a weird look, and I could tell that I made him nervous. "My dad will make sure that they do not," he said, "so please don't try anything. I don't want to get into trouble with your second or mate."
"You won't," I promised.
George studied me before he nodded. "Ok, so what happened? Why are they mad at Caspian?"
"As stated before, he followed Ro and Ray to this pack so that he could talk to me. He's upset that I am not his mate but am mated to an Alpha. I don't know if he met his mate or not, but... that crushing phase needs to stop, especially since we have to work with each other after the kings die or retire."
"Agreed," George said and nodded. "Continue."
I rolled my eyes and scowled. "Anyway, he was upset that I didn't remember him because of Amity. Somehow, he thought that I would reject my mate or something and go with him, but I didn't."
"That's fucking stupid and a little creepy, but I am sure that you can take of yourself."
"Well, ya, I did take a huge ass bite out of your shoulder when I was younger. I'm pretty sure I can handle myself."
George rolled his eyes but didn't say a word while he waited for me to finish.
I closed my eyes and cleared my throat, my whole body aching from the pain that I had felt when Katie was mad at me and ordered me to leave. I couldn't feel the power in her voice, but I knew that it'd linger in the back of my mind and in the back of hers. "Somehow Caspian became alone with her while I was talking with Ro and Ray about something, and he caused her to be upset.
He told her that I would forget about her and leave her like I had left him. H-"
"And that is fucking bull shit," George raged. He gritted his teeth, and his eyes flashed brighter. "You didn't forget about us on your own. You were made to lose your memories so that we could be protected. To have the audacity to say that to a k-"
"Ok, I am going to stop you right there. It's in the past. What's done is done. I'd still be under Katie's control if it didn't happen anyway, so it was one good thing that came out of it."
"Bu-"
"No."
George grumbled and hissed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before he sighed and slowly nodded, relenting. "Ok," he said. "What else happened?"
"Katie cried and ordered me off the property. She told me that she hated me, which isn't true, so do not be mad at her, and she said that she didn't want to see me again. So, I left. It was raining at the time, and I got sick."
"How bad sick?"
"I was passed out for two days afterward," I replied, and George hissed again. "Ok, stop being so macho, I am fine now. Seriously. We just don't want a repeat of that, and it's not going to happen because Katie doesn't have control over me any longer."
"When did she release you?" George asked.
"After she and Carver found me, and I fell from a tree that was near the pack," I replied. "As you can see, there isn't any damage to me physically that you should be worried about."
"But the mental part..." He tapped my head, and I scowled and smacked his hand away. "I am sure that it still haunts you?" He raised an eyebrow in question.
I shrugged and offered him a sad smile. "A bit," I admitted, knowing full well that I wouldn't be able to lie to him. "However, I can deal with the mental stuff a lot more than not. She trusts me again and knows that I won't leave her, and that's all the assurance that I need."