into my chest instead of staying lodged in my windpipe, several warriors come to the tent. Jaxar calls out to them and says we are having a disagreement and it will be cleared up shortly.
As if I’m not tied to a chair, basically being held hostage.
Once they all leave and no one else interrupts us, Jaxar goes back to his lecture.
“For every disrespectful answer you give, that will be the number of days you do not leave this tent. I have many duties as a Masse, but I will not hesitate to conduct my meetings with you present and in your current state.” He leans down, bringing our faces close. “I will take care of you, allowing you to leave the chair for sleep, eating meals, and other things, but that will be it. Otherwise, I will take you everywhere I go, placing you right beside me in your temporary throne, as it were.”
Fucking game over.
There’s no way I could not die from mortification if that were to happen. Even just imagining the looks I’d get from everyone makes me shudder. I don’t care what people think, but I also don’t want to lose my dignity in a battle of wills with Jaxar. He’s playing to win, and it’s time for me to take the L.
I shake my head, my eyes wide, hoping he will give me a second chance. And I’ll use that to figure out how to annihilate him. I just need to bide my time. But for now, I’ll pretend to be amicable, even if it kills me.
And it might.
His tail slides to the floor, but he doesn’t move away. If anything, Jaxar is closer. “Where were you?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” I lie.
He arches a brow. “Ever since you confirmed your pregnancy, you’ve been exhausted. Very rarely do you make it through the day without resting once, sometimes twice. This leads me to believe you are lying.”
I purse my lips, unsure if I should tell him the truth. At this point, I should confront him about Grefina, let the shit loose. However, there’s a part of me that wants to get him to admit his guilt. He’s the one at fault, and yet I’m the person who’s getting interrogated right now. It’s time to switch it up.
“Where were you?” I ask. “When you tell me, I’ll tell you.”
Jaxar sighs and stands to his full height. He paints an amazing picture with his spread wings, massive body, and golden eyes. Again, if I weren’t so mad, I’d totally jump on him, big belly and all.
“Your stubbornness knows no bounds,” he says. “I was orchestrating the supplies needed to maintain all three tribes, not just ours. It requires a lot of collaboration, which means I have to speak to several people every single day to make sure everything is in order. And that is completely separate from attending the warriors’ practices along with assigning their sentry duties.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, sure.”
His mouth thins, pinching at the corners, and he narrows his gaze. “I have explained this to you on many occasions, and yet you sit there and look at me with such derision. It’s you who should be offering your apologies.”
“My apologies?” My eyes grow wider with disbelief, and my jaw drops. “My apologies?”
He gives me a curt nod.
“I’m sorry that I’ve been busy taking care of our daughter while you’ve been out orchestrating supplies,” I say, infusing the last words with acid. “Is that what the Boraq call fucking? Well, congratulations. You have me filled with supplies, but apparently there are some other empty bellies that need you.”
“What are you talking about?”
I clamp my mouth shut and inwardly kick myself for losing my cool. How am I supposed to get him to admit anything if I come at him aggressively? It’s so hard to pretend I don’t want to rip his balls off.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” he warns. His voice drops, going a deeper baritone that has me sitting up straight. “You are insinuating something, and I don’t like the sound of it, Makayla.”
“Who’s Grefina?”
He slowly cocks his head, and his brows pull together. “What about her?”
“Answer the fuck—” The words die in my throat at the look of displeasure on his face. “Who is she, Jaxar?”
He waves a hand as though the topic is insignificant. “She oversees the group of Boraq females who gather food. I believe she’s from the northern tribe.”
“I heard the two of you talking,” I say. “And I know you’re doing more