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Joon glared, the muscles in his jaw straining. He wasn't going to give me an inch, but I understood why. I didn't expect anyone to gift me forgiveness.
I remembered Joon's mate clearly, just like all the wolves I had killed this last year. She seemed to be an impressive Beta, with a clear sense of pride. She fought hard, knocking Byna out briefly before we were able to overpower her. I had never felt anything when asked by my King to take the lives of other Alphas or even Betas, but everything about the prophecy was different.
Joon's mate was the second marked wolf we had killed, the pup being the first, and she seemed honorable. She fought hard and looked Byna in the eye when the Alpha shifted and tore out her throat. She never once cried, begged, or broke. She didn't deserve to die.
But I hoped this would give me a chance to right a few wrongs—or at least one.
"I will be back," I assured, wanting to say so much more, but it was too late for that. Joon groaned in disbelief and turned his gaze to the Omega.
I slowly pushed on the wooden door and stepped into the throne room. My footsteps echoed as I rushed across the smooth stone floor to the dais on the other side. I kneeled next to the throne and pulled out an intricately carved wooden box. Nestled within the velvety fabric inside was a circular medallion at the end of a long silver chain. It had the King's seal on one side and a paw print on the other.
"I'm surprised to see you here.” Hida's rough voice startled me. He walked confidently across the room, his signature sneer firmly in place. "After what you allowed to happen to Byna, I'd have thought you smart enough never to return."
"What are you doing here?" I demanded, standing to full height and pushing my shoulders back. "You aren't permitted in these halls without the King's permission."
"I have more of a right to be here than you do," Hida seethed, displaying his pointed teeth. I edged closer to him, his stance rigid and alert.
"What the fuck does that mean?" He met my movements, stepping sideways, circling me.
"It means that you have deeply disappointed our King, my friend. Your unwillingness to do what is needed to save his life has not gone unnoticed. And it pains his majesty to know how little his son loves him."
I bared my teeth at his mocking tone, ready for the attack I knew was coming. Movement in the corner of the room caught my eye, and I glanced over. Vera, the guard from the tunnels, stood at attention, looking me hard in the eye. I let out a defeated sigh.
"You have no loyalty or backbone, and your father knows it,” Hida growled, giving Vera a jerk of his head to dismiss her. She stepped out through the large wooden doors, but I could see her shadow beneath them. I wondered how many other guards waited out there for me.
"You know nothing of my father," I hissed. Hida loved to manipulate my father's affections for him, letting it fuel him to behave however he wanted. He played with his victims and taunted me when I ordered the Alpha to act in a more humane manner, but that was all over now. It was his time to greet death.
"I have been ordered by Her Highness, Alpha Strayton, to kill you should you return," Hida smirked. "She's tired of your failures tainting her father's legacy."
“My sister ordered this?” I snorted, not surprised in the least. While I had no claim to my father's throne as the second-born, Strayton had always been wary that I might challenge her for it. It was something I always made clear that I didn’t want. “Is this a recent order, or has my death been planned since before I even started?" I asked.
"She knew you'd fail," he smiled. "You're too fucking soft. It's pathetic. You would have been less of an embarrassment to your family if you had been born an Omega. You're obviously built to submit."
I roared and launched myself toward Hida, striking him in the chest and landing on top of him. The clatter of metal sliding across the stone floor pulled my attention, and I turned to see the locket skating toward the main doors. I moved for it, but Hida kneed me hard in the gut and spun us, pinning me beneath him.
He grabbed me by the hair and jerked my head up. I clawed at his arms and neck, but the Alpha didn't budge. I wasn't at full strength yet and knew almost immediately I didn't have it in me to win this fight.
"How fucking pathetic," Hida laughed. "You'll be easier to kill than the pups we've tracked down."
He bared his teeth, prepared to strike, and I closed my eyes, ready to accept my fate.
The Throne Room
Joon
I pushed openthe wooden door, stopping the second it let out a deep, sharp creak. Byriel and Hida stood in the center of the massive room, speaking. I strained to hear what they were saying, but they were too far off and their voices too low. Whatever their conversation, it was clear from their posture that both were ready for a fight.
Tzidal pushed herself under my arm to see out the door and her body tensed. "He’s here," she whispered in disbelief.
I slowly pulled the door shut and gently moved her back into the passageway.
"Please, I am begging you," I said as quietly as I could. "Let me go out first and subdue him. Then you can come out and do what needs to be done. Please, Tzidal. I know you need this, but I need you. Let me make this as safe as possible."
Tzidal sucked in a deep breath, her eyes glazing over with tears and fury. She stared at the closed door, her heart fluttering wildly in the vein in her neck.
"I promise you." I squeezed her shoulders, trying to convey as much sincerity as I could. "You will have your revenge. I will make sure of it."
She swallowed as if a sour taste stuck to her tongue before slowly nodding. She stepped back away from me and closer to Lex. The siren wrapped an arm around her shoulders and nodded at me.
