Page 33

D enali and Mr. Crux talk among themselves while Cassandra digs a pack of smokes out of her leather jacket.

“How could you, after everything you did to her?” I ask Cassandra. She pops her hip, lighting a smoke before stepping closer.

“My husband is dead because of her. Your mate killed him. I now have to raise my kids without their father because of that bitch,” Cassandra spits at me.

I growl, my canines slipping past my gums as anger courses through me.

She turns to face the council members who are now whispering among themselves behind me.

“She still commanded them, but I have one more question before we proceed.”

I turn my head, and he steps closer.

“Did you know it was against the law to break a mate bond against their will?” Denali asks. I furrow my brows, wondering why he is asking. I fight the urge to answer instantly.

“Yes,” I breathe.

“And you still did it?” Denali asks.

“He was hurting her, so yes.”

“Well then, regardless of whether the king commanded you, you knew better. Being his mate, you are capable of fighting his commands, therefore will be held accountable.” Cassandra smirks at his words puffing on her cigarette.

“What are they going to do to me?” I ask Mr. Crux, who stands beside me. Though I already know by the whip in Kendricks’s hand. My heart races a little faster when Mr. Crux starts ripping the back of my dress open.

“You broke a sacred law, you may be the king’s mate, but you abused your authority, so you will be punished. One thousand lashes, or until Cassandra deems fit,” he chuckles. “About time the king is held accountable for errors,” Mr. Crux sneered. I swallow and chuckle.

“Silly girl, just because you’re the king’s mate, that doesn’t give you the power to break the law.”

“He was abusing her,” I scream at him.

“And where is your proof?” Mr. Crux demands.

“Ask me, or is your truth serum, not a hundred percent,” I spit back at him. He grips my chin, pinching it tightly.

“Truth or not, you broke the law. We uphold it. We were looking for a reason to take him down, but if we can’t, you will do,” he laughs.

“Coward,” I retort. Mr. Crux grips my hair, yanking my head back painfully.

“Oh, Kendrick will. He won’t hold back, not after the king took his sight.”

I swallow, and my breathing becomes a little harsher.

“Your people are coming. Tell them who you are. It will buy you some time, I didn’t want to risk it, but we have no choice.”

“What?”

“Your parents ? —”

I don’t get a chance to listen to what he says when I feel the crack of the whip bite into my flesh, making me scream. Hooks slash up my spine and dig into my shoulder. My scream reverberates around the castle grounds when he rips them out.

My knees buckle underneath me. My blood sprays across those on the other side of the fence when all hell breaks loose.

Kade’s pack starts running toward the fence, suddenly trying to get in.

My knees drag across the ground from the force of the gate being pushed inward.

I can’t see past them to see what is happening and don’t even care when the whip tears into me again.

Gunshots ring out, and I hang limply in handcuffs, my wrist bent backward painfully and on the verge of snapping under my weight.

I feel the barbs tear out of my skin, ripping my flesh away.

My head feels too limp to hold upright and all I can think about is the pain radiating through my back when someone’s head is shoved through the iron-barred gates beside me.

I blink deliriously, finding it odd. How did it fit through the bars?

Screams ring out loudly, but all I can do is blink at the man’s head stuck between the bars.

It takes me a few moments to realize that the bottom half of his body is missing.

My head rolls to the side, and I see the men in armor backing up, guns trained down the driveway as they fire.

I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I watch around fifty Lycans ripping into Kade’s pack members and the council’s men, ripping them limb from limb.

People run everywhere to escape as chaos breaks loose.

I can’t tear my gaze away from the horrors on the other side of the gate, my eyes wide, and I feel sick to my stomach.

Hearing screaming, I turn to find Cassandra.

Her hands cup her mouth as she watches, helplessly, as her pack is torn to shreds.

Suddenly I drop to the ground, and I don’t even realize someone is uncuffing me.

My body is limp as I stare around at the slaughter.

Hands grab me, ripping me against someone’s chest. My back arches as I try to get the pressure away from my back.

Seconds later, the iron gates burst open. And there’s a knife pressed to my throat by the person holding me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a group of Lycans stalking into the castle grounds.

I am vaguely aware of Kyson talking to me, yet I cannot understand what he is trying to tell me.

“Get the car ready,” Denali says. The Lycans circle us before dropping on their knees around us. The whole thing is surreal as I peer around, trying to figure out what is happening, when I notice Dustin roll over, starting to wake.

“Take so much as one step toward us, and I will kill her. You have all just interfered with the council. There are severe penalties for obstructing justice,” Denali says, walking past me to address the Lycans kneeling.

They growl and snarl, watching him. But the council members are all Lycan, and I feel his aura demanding them to submit, forcing them to remain where they were.

“Now, I am willing to let this slide, so back up,” Denali ordered.

“She may be King Kyson’s queen, but she will be held accountable for her actions,” Denali snarls, causing Dustin to laugh maniacally.

Denali turns his head to look at him as Dustin sits up, his arms still cuffed behind his back.

He starts ripping at his handcuffs, once, twice, thrice, and I hear his wrists snap and shoulders dislocate before he rolls his shoulders, bringing his hands around to the front.

Kendrick runs at him, but Dustin moves quickly, sweeping his legs out from under him and pivoting on his knee, so he is suddenly on Kendricks’s back, his knee pressed to the back of the man’s neck.

“And who are you? Let Kendrick up now,” Mr. Crux growls, dropping me at Denali’s feet. Dustin rebreaks his wrist before gripping Kendricks’s hair and ripping his head back.

“No, wrong question, Crux. The question you should be asking is, who is Azalea? Does her name ring any bells to you?” Dustin sneers.

Denali towers over me, his gaze piercing and menacing.

Meanwhile, Cassandra trembles behind him, clutching the back of his suit jacket for protection.

With a forceful shove, Denali pushes her aside, causing her to stumble and fall onto the ground.

A sharp shriek escapes her lips as she lands hard on her backside.

Kendrick, desperate to intervene, attempts to shift his position underneath Dustin’s knee. But before he can make a move, Dustin emits a low growl, grabbing Kendrick’s head and twisting it forcefully toward him.

The sight is too much for me to bear. My stomach churns, and I feel an overwhelming urge to vomit. As my body convulses, Dustin snaps Kendrick’s neck with a sickening crack. Rising to his feet, he casually wipes his hands clean and removes the darts embedded in his legs and chest.

Dustin’s voice cuts through the tension like a knife. “Does the name Azalea Ivy Landeena ring any bells for you?” he asks, his gaze shifting between Mr. Crux, Denali, and the other man named Larkin.

I lay on the ground, my blood pooling around me, struggling to keep my eyes open as waves of dizziness wash over me. The presence of Kyson, growing closer by the moment, is the only thing keeping me from succumbing to unconsciousness.

“The Landeenas are dead,” Denali declares, though there is a slight falter in his usual confident demeanor. He’s uncertain; his eyes darting between Dustin and me. I can’t comprehend why my heritage matters to the council or what significance it holds in this escalating confrontation.

“Ask her who her mother is,” Kyson’s voice rings out, causing me to turn my head toward him.

When our eyes meet, a feral growl escapes Kyson’s lips, sending shivers down my spine.

The Lycans surrounding us instinctively step aside as Kyson storms through the gates, his gaze fixed on Denali.

He approaches him with a predatory stride, treating him as nothing more than prey.

With a swift motion, Kyson grips Denali’s throat, cutting off his breath.

“You dare enter my kingdom unannounced and attack my queen,” Kyson roars, his voice filled with fury. Denali struggles to breathe, clutching at Kyson’s hands in a desperate attempt to free himself.

“The law states we can enter,” Denali chokes out, his face turning an alarming shade of purple as Kyson’s grip tightens. Kyson glances at Dustin, who rushes toward me, pulling me up so that I am sitting upright.

“Your laws are nothing but bullshit, and you know it. She told you I ordered her to command them, and yet you still laid your filthy paws on my mate,” Kyson snarls. Mr. Crux reaches out, attempting to calm the situation.

“Crux, I’ll give you two seconds to correct that mistake,” Kyson warns, causing Mr. Crux to hastily retract his hand and back away in surrender. Kyson locks eyes with him.

“You will mind your tongue when speaking of my mate. Now, as I was saying, Denali, you are hereby sentenced for treason,” Kyson growls, releasing his grip on Denali. The council member falls to the ground at Kyson’s feet, gasping for air and clutching his throat.

“Treason!” Larkin exclaims, rushing forward. However, upon meeting Kyson’s fierce gaze, he freezes in his tracks.

“Now, let me introduce my mate,” Kyson declares, motioning toward Dustin. With great care, Dustin scoops up my bloodied body into his arms, cradling me against his chest. Kyson crouches beside Denali, who lifts his head to meet my gaze, his face flushed and contorted with pain.

“Do you recognize those eyes, Denali?” Kyson asks

Denali gulps, staring up at Kyson with a mixture of fear and recognition.

“You made the grave mistake of assuming my mate was just an ordinary Lycan. Now you will pay for your treason and attempted murder of her majesty Azalea Ivy Landeena, the rightful heir to the Landeena Kingdom. I may be bound by council laws, but?—”

“How is this possible?” Denali interrupts, turning to his brother Larkin before seeking confirmation from Mr. Crux.

“That kingdom fell,” Mr. Crux interjects, stepping forward.

“Yes, and now it rises,” Kyson declares, motioning toward the Lycans who are kneeling around us. A chorus of growls fill the air as they glare at the council elders. My vision starts to blur as my wounds continue to bleed, staining Dustin’s clothes.

“Now, can anyone explain why the Landeena bloodline is exempt from the council’s laws?” Kyson demands, his gaze shifting between the three men.

Denali swallows, rising to his hands and knees.

“Please show leniency, I had no knowledge of your identity,” he pleads, gripping my arm in a feeble attempt to plead for mercy.

But Kyson swiftly places his foot on Denali’s shoulder, forcefully pushing him back.

Dustin stands protectively beside me, holding me closer in his arms.

“My King, I swear had I known…” Denali stutters.

“No one knew. I knew the hunters would come after her. Only those in my castle knew her true identity, and you have not only harmed my pregnant mate but broke the very laws you are supposed to uphold,” Kyson booms.

“We were only—” Mr. Crux says, but one look from Kyson makes him shut up.

“Looking for a way to punish me, I am not stupid. I know the council has been looking for a reason to take me down for centuries. Had she mentioned who she was, I know you would have killed her before I got here, but now that I am, who dares to answer the question I asked?”

“My King, my brother didn’t know. Surely, you can’t punish him for such an innocent mistake,” Larkin interjects, rushing forward in defense of his sibling. Kyson turns his gaze toward Denali’s brother.

“He should have considered the consequences of laying a hand on the Empress of Alpha’s,” Kyson growls, his foot coming down on Denali’s head with a brutal stomp.

Larkin wails in agony as his brother’s skull is crushed beneath Kyson’s unyielding force.

Mr. Crux lunges at Larkin, grabbing him before he can reach Kyson.

The sight is too much for me to bear, and I lurch forward in Dustin’s arms, vomiting as brain matter splatters onto the ground.

Ignoring Larkin’s anguished cries, Kyson turns his attention back to me, gently taking me from Dustin’s embrace. “Shh, I’ve got you now,” Kyson whispers, his voice filled with tenderness. The sparks emanating from his skin provide a soothing sensation that eases the pain coursing through my body.

“I suggest you leave. Enough council members have died. Dustin, take that bitch to the dungeons.”

Cassandra screams and tries to run, but Dustin grabs her quickly, and Kyson turns to the rest of the Lycan still on their knees.

“Kill the lot of them,” he says as my head rolls back, and I see what’s left of Cassandra’s pack start running, their screams ring out loudly when Kyson turns on his heel and walks toward the castle.

Kyson lifts me higher, burying his face in my neck, the sparks from his skin soothe the pain coursing through me.

“Hang on, love, I will take care of you,” he purrs.