The Forgotten Prince (Shifter Rebellion, 3) by Kelex Page B

to turn and bolt filled him.
    He glanced to the right. Greylin noted
his look and turned to meet Aleth’s stare. The warrior smiled
gently, tilting his head forward in a mock bow. It wasn’t much, but
it was a reminder of why he was doing this. He wanted to prove to
his triad that he was worthy—that he was willing to right the
wrongs he’d helped create.
    They’d said it was the honorable thing
to do. They seemed to hold honor in esteem, so what else could he
do but give them what he knew they expected of him?
    He’d never experienced expectations
before. He’d either lived on the streets where he’d been forced to
simply survive or in the castle, forced to do his father’s bidding.
This place he now was, somewhere in between, it was scary. He had
choices to make, which now impacted others and their futures in a
major way. Aleth was the one responsible for what happened next, if
they were right about Agarri.
    Aleth still feared his brother would
imprison him. Had he trusted these three males too much? They could
even now be leading him into a trap.
    His gut told him that wasn’t the case,
but the fear lingered in his mind.
    Amaden stopped in front of him, and
Aleth nearly walked into him, completely lost in thought. When the
large warrior stepped to the side, Aleth looked up and saw his
mirror image and his heart stopped.
    Knowing he had a twin still hadn’t
prepared him for this moment.
    Agarri slowly rose to his feet and
lifted a shaking hand to his lips. Tears swelled in his eyes and
glistened there. Aleth felt his stomach pitch, the fear driving him
to the edges of illness. His lungs burned and he realized he’d
stopped breathing. When he finally allowed more air to enter his
airways, he nearly started to hyperventilate.
    Ryllan grasped his hand and squeezed
it. “Breathe slowly,” he whispered against Aleth’s ear.
    Aleth turned to look up at his
warrior, squeezing Ryllan’s hand even more firmly. He turned back
to look at Agarri, who began walking down the dais and closer to
Aleth. The desire to turn and run hit him full force, and he almost
did it, shaming himself. Instead he planted his feet and took a
deep breath, trying to retain what was left of his calm.
    Agarri stopped inches from Aleth, a
broad smile on his face. “I almost didn’t believe the Oracle. But
now that I see you, here before me, I’m transfixed.”
    Aleth pushed his shoulders back and
looked Agarri over. “Well, now you see me. The freak stolen at
birth.”
    Agarri grasped Aleth’s gauntlet and
slipped it off before Aleth could stop him. Agarri looked at the
hand, holding it in both of his, peering at the mottled flesh.
“This doesn’t make you a freak.” Agarri lifted Aleth’s hand to his
lips and kissed the webbed fingers. “It should’ve awakened a
passion in our father. Instead of sending you away, he should’ve
shown you to the world and been a champion for the rights of those
who are different.”
    “ Sent me away? I was
stolen by the captain of the guard,” Aleth said,
confused.
    A handsome shifter stepped forward.
“Prince Aleth, I believe your father lied to you. There is no easy
way to say this, but the visions I’ve had show him handing you over
to the captain of the guard and asking him to kill you. How you
survived is unclear.”
    Aleth felt as if he’d been struck.
“Are you the oracle who saw the triad sent to rescue
me?”
    “ I am,” the Oracle said,
stepping closer. “I’m sorry to give you bad news like that. It’s
never easy, but you deserved to know the truth of what
happened.”
    The Oracle stepped away, giving Aleth
a moment to think over the comments. The truth of the words made
sense after all his father had done to him while incarcerated at
the prison. There had been no love, no warmth, only the singular
focus of him being used to control the Xakarrians and the Xhythrian
people. His own father had demanded his death. And then had the
audacity to use his power nearly twenty years later