Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 106292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Zade clenches his jaw. “I have no choice,” he spits, clearly uncomfortable with this too. “I must follow through on our laws. Cara Thorne is Nikolai’s firstborn child. She is his heir.”
“No,” Sawyer spits. “Check the fucking records. I am. My father trained me for this. It is written within his vows, in his legacy, that I am to inherit his position within The Circle. He’s prepared me my whole fucking life. I won’t allow you to do this. Don’t ruin her life.”
Zade lets out a heavy breath, and it’s clear just how much weight he holds on his shoulders. “Sawyer,” he murmurs, lowering his voice. “I’m sorry, brother. I don’t want this any more than you do, but your father lied to you. Cara is the firstborn. He told me when I visited him in his cell. He had hoped to find a way to change the laws to make you his heir, but he ran out of time. Cara was always the one who was fated to rise in our ranks. Not you.”
“No,” he says, shaking his head, refusing to believe it as people in the crowd start yelling out, demanding to see the by-laws. Sawyer glances back at Cara, desperately trying to figure out a way to save her from this hellish life, desperation pulsing through him. His stare turns to his mother’s, his eyes widening just a fraction as he throws himself at her feet, clutching her hands. “Please, tell me this is wrong. Cara can’t be thrown into the brotherhood. They’ll slaughter her at the first chance.”
His mom breaks, tears filling her eyes as she grasps both of her children’s hands. “It’s true,” she cries. “Cara was delivered first. She is my firstborn child and fated to inherit your father’s role. I’m sorry, Sawyer. We should have told you, but we had hoped . . . thought we had more time. Thought your father could find a way to save her.”
Sawyer throws himself back to his feet and runs his hands through his hair as Cara desperately tries to pull out of her mother’s grasp, more than ready to bolt out of here in overwhelming panic. “I . . . I can’t . . . No. This isn’t right. This isn’t . . . Sawyer was meant to inherit it, not me. I can’t. They’ll kill me.”
“Come. Now,” Zade says, rich authority in his tone that demands a captive audience.
Cara swallows hard as Sawyer watches on in disbelief. My heart aches for him, knowing he can’t save his sister just as much as he can’t save me. Cara stands on shaky legs and makes her way toward Zade. Her eyes flick between her mom, her brother, the enraged crowd, and Zade.
Sawyer falls to his knees, his lifelong training from his father making him one of the only people in this room who would know exactly what Cara is about to face once her oath has been made.
She stands shakily at the front of the church as Zade looks out at his people. “I know this is unexpected. Unheard of, in fact. However, Cara is the rightful heir to inherit her father’s role. She is the eldest-born child and will be initiated into our ranks.”
“No,” she panics. “The by-laws state that anyone in leadership, whether that be The Circle or higher, must be male.” The crowd erupts in agreement, more than happy to have Cara’s back if it means getting her out of there.
“That’s not exactly what it says,” Zade says, giving me a pointed stare and making my back stiffen. “I have personally scoured through the by-laws, and it states that The Circle was created on the shoulders of a brotherhood, and in death, a new heir shall reign. It does not specify gender, just that they will enter into a brotherhood.”
Zade pauses, allowing that to sink in, and my mind starts to spin. Is this specifically for The Circle, or is this for leadership in general? Because if it is, that could mean that I do have the right to claim leadership. I could stand up here right now and tell every last one of these ruthless assholes exactly who I am and save myself. It might be frowned upon, but not an illegal move in this fucked-up game.
“It has been assumed for years that The Circle must be built on the backs of our men,” Zade continues, “passed down from father to son, and until now, that has never been put into question. Our by-laws are generations old, not created with the sharp eye for detail we are used to in today’s world. Therefore, in order to maintain the sanctity of our sacred laws, Cara Thorne must be initiated as the newest member of The Circle.”
Sawyer shakes his head, looking up at Zade, more broken now than when he watched his father’s execution. Cara stares back at her brother, fear in her eyes, silently pleading for him to save her, to do something to make this all go away.