Maybe there is a reason to meet Ketnan after all.
The door slid open, and his uncle stepped into the conference room. A'Ran braced himself for the news he was about to receive. There was only one matter they did not trust to be carried over the communications system.
"We have confirmed Ne'Rin did not act alone," Mansr began, referring to A'Ran's former second in command, who turned traitor and almost killed Kiera. Now dead, Ne'Rin was no longer a threat, though A'Ran had ordered Mansr to investigate the matter to determine who might've helped him. "It is as we suspected. Gage had a hand in it, whether by her choice or his coercion."
A'Ran did not let himself feel pain at the news. After his brief talk with Mansr that morning, the possibility his sister helped her lover betray their entire family had been heavy in his thoughts since.
"She had to have been coerced. My sisters are good people," he said after a heavy silence.
"They are. I do not pretend to know her reasons."
"Probably to protect her child." It was the only excuse he'd allow for treason, and only because she was his sister. "There is no way to know what occurred between them."
"No," Mansr agreed. "Or if his sister and other family members were involved. All reports indicate Ne'Rin wanted Kiera out of the way so his sister could become your nishani, thus further cementing his family's place in the governing of Anshan and its grey metal. Your recommendation is the safest one. Remove Gage from the picture to protect her and the baby from any influence or threat his family might still cause."
"Banishing my sister." No part of it sat well with him. It was dishonorable, nearly as terrible of a betrayal as Ne'Rin's had been.
"If she's in danger, then we have no real choice."
A'Ran pursed his lips, hearing the unspoken words, too. Mansr was not ruling out that Gage had helped the father of her child willingly and still posed a threat to Kiera, if not the others. Ne'Rin's family was on a nearby planet, too far to reach Kiera, if they still had any intention of trying to remove her from his life. If they were threatening Gage and her baby, A'Ran wasn't certain what his sister would do to protect her child. A single tip about Kiera's activities or when she was alone was all it took to render his lifemate vulnerable.
While doubtful his sister knowingly tried to hurt Kiera, A'Ran understood the importance of putting distance between Gage and Kiera, until he was certain the family of Ne'Rin was not still manipulating his delicate sister. Her life might be in danger, not to mention Kiera's.