"Erm... that is… you know, I was going to lend her a book!" She stammered hastily as she shot a quick glare down at Coral who had scrabbled to collect everything that had scattered and was now picking herself up off the floor.　　"Ah… a book." Ann chuckled as she stopped only centimeters away from the omega. "And what book would that be?" 　　"Erm… well…"　　"You are aware that lying to me is not advisable?" Ann interrupted calmly.　　"Y-y-yes Alpha Queen," The senior omega stuttered, trembling slightly under the weight of Ann, and Maeve's gaze.　　"You are also aware that I can tell when someone is lying to me… yes?" Ann almost purred as the senior omega began to tremble a little more violently.　　"Y-y-yes Alpha Queen…"　　"You are also aware that you, "Ann began as she inhaled deeply on either side of the omega's face before pulling her lip back in disgust, "you reek of bullshit. There was no book, now, was there?"　　The Senior omega appeared torn before she reluctantly shook her head.　

　　With the Omega's settled comfortably in their rooms, Ann left two guards outside each of their doors with strict instructions not to let anyone in or out other than herself or Adam.　　They made their way to the entrance hall in a grim silence. The horror that these girls had been subjected to over such a long period of time would take years to fix. She couldn't believe that her father could have been so impassive about it all.　　It was just yet another crime to add to Narcissa's long list of transgression's and when it came to the time for her to answer for her crimes again, Ann would not grant her the mercy of a quick death, she intended to make her suffer as much as her people had suffered under her rule. 　　The Elders turned to greet Ann with deep bows and Ann used this time to search out Bartholomew, who had positioned himself at one of the exits to the entrance hall with a small retinue of guards. 　　A quick glance to her right revealed the staircase lined with the royal guard,

　　The atmosphere in the dining hall was almost unbearably tense, but it gave Ann the perfect vantage point to see which Elders were openly displeased by her actions with Linus.　　Thankfully the tension didn't seem to impact Alpha Felix or his wife in the slightest. They sat to Ann's right, making polite conversation with both herself and Adam as they ate.　　"I don't know about you, your highness, but I always find these official functions a little stuffy." Felix chuckled as he tore into a chicken leg appreciatively.　　Ann smiled graciously, still a little on edge. She didn't know what to expect from Felix as she hadn't had any cause to meet with him previously and knew his father by reputation only. 　　"They can be tiring, yes, especially after such a long journey. Did you encounter any issues on the way here?" She asked politely.　　"No. Well, not after we were about 5 miles in past the border anyway. There are a lot of smaller villages that are pretty much ghost towns out there now. T

　　The morning seemed to roll around quicker than she had anticipated, and Ann didn't feel like she had slept at all. She must have fallen asleep at some point in the early hours though, listening to the rhythmic soft snoring of Adam as his chest rose and fell predictably under her hand.　　When she opened her eyes Adam was nowhere to be seen and Coral was in the process of laying out breakfast on the table by the window.　　Ann stretched reluctantly and sat up in bed, blinking the sleep from her eyes and before he could open her mouth to ask anything, Coral spoke.　　"Good morning your highness." She said softly with a little bow, "The Queens Consort said to tell you that he's gone to call Allen, and not to forget that Eva will be here shortly. He thought it prudent to have breakfast in your chambers so as to save a little time." 　　Ann opened her mouth to object and then closed it again, as a smile played at the edges of her mouth.　　"It makes sense. Thank you, Coral. Give me a few momen

　　Gasps of horror could be heard from around the room as they conferred amongst themselves whilst Cornelius stood, isolated and speechless in the face of such a verbal assault.　　It was glaringly obvious that not a single person here had challenged her father and had allowed themselves to become complacent in their duties.　　"I am waiting for you to make me understand, Cornelius," Ann growled, her eyes flashing a dangerous gold as the realization set in amongst the Elders that Ann was looking for someone to blame for this colossal tragedy.　　When Cornelius didn't reply, instead looking around himself for support from his colleagues, and finding none, he bowed his head in shame.　　Ann stood slowly, approaching Cornelius with fury radiating from her and he knew instantly that his former attitude towards her was entirely misplaced.　　The raw strength and power that rolled off her so effortlessly meant that she was a formidable foe, and with her consort at her side, this was not a wise ene