Chapter 72: Chapter 74

~~Zirah~~

The next vision I am shown, I find myself in King Theron’s chamber. The room is filled with tension as he stares down at his sons, Regan and Zeke, who were forced on their knees by two burly guards.

The flickering torchlight casts eerie shadows on the walls, making the scene even more sinister. “I have never questioned my family's loyalty more than I have over the last few days, first your mother tries to set them free, and then I hear from the guards and Lyon about you betraying me,” Theron began, his voice cold and emotionless when he turns his hard gaze on Regan.

“But right now, you have me questioning whether you’re even worthy of a place in my Kingdom let alone the fucking throne.” His eyes move to Zeke.

“But as my sons, I will offer you a chance to prove yourself.” Regan clenched his fists, his anger palpable as he glared at Lyon, who had his eyes downcast next to his father's throne.

Without warning, Theron placed a knife to Regan’s neck, his voice dripping with malice, making Lyon gasp, and Zeke looked at his father bewildered. “Choose, Zeke. Your brother’s life, or the baby’s, from information I’ve gathered from guards apparently you and Regan were overheard fighting over Litha’s spawn?” Zeke hesitated for a moment, glancing at Regan, who swallowed hard.

“Why should I care about a baby?” Zeke replied, but it was obvious to me he was trying to mask his concern, or maybe trying not to draw his father’s attention to me being his mate. Mate, as that word comes to mind, it burns my soul.

“That’s not an answer, Zeke?” Theron snarls, sliding the knife down Regan’s chest. Regan growls, but holds still and I can see the fury in his eyes as his father carves a line, blood gushing and spilling on the floor.

“Of course, I choose my brother. Blood is thicker than water.” Theron’s eyes narrowed, gauging Zeke’s reaction.

“Is that so? Well, in that case, Regan, it’s time for you to choose where your loyalty lies.” Zeke glanced at Regan, who clenches his teeth.

“Kill the baby and the old hag,” Theron ordered. Zeke went to get up, but his father’s eyes cut to him.

“You don’t. You are both banished from the kingdom. Bring me their bodies when you’re done.”

“Father…” Lyon stumbles forward, looking at his brothers in alarm when Theron turns on him. “Would you like to share a cell with your mother Lyon? Are you planning to disobey me, too?”

“I’ve done what you asked of me!” Lyon snarls.

“Yes, you have, but at what cost? You still betrayed your family. You betrayed your brothers by coming to me.” Lyon guiltily looks away and Theron turns his attention to his sons. “So what will it be Regan?”

Theron demands, turning back to Regan. Regan nods once and Theron nods to the guard holding him.

Regan then stands, turns on his heel, walking out the doors while Theron smiles cruelly.

~~~~~~~~

The next vision twists and warps and materializing around me. And I find myself once again forced to follow Regan. He goes to the dungeons, and I feel sick watching all this play out. So much heartache and betrayal; and as I come to learn in this one, all for nothing, so many lives lost in a war over the selfishness of one man, one mans infidelity, King Theron.

There, in the cell beside his mother, was Litha. She stood under the bars of the window, gazing out at the moon, her eyes closed as the moon lit up her face, my grandmother sobbed beside her, shaking her head and clutching me. “What’s done is done,” Litha tells her mother. “You don’t need to do this, there is another way,”

“No, mother there is no other way. I’ve seen it,” Litha tells her.

“Seen what?” Regan demands and his eyes go to his mother in the cell beside Litha. “Fate!” Litha spoke clearly, coldly at the moon. Upon seeing Adira, Regan froze in place, seemingly shocked by the state his mother was in.

“Regan,” his mother said, her voice weak and scared. “You must help them. Your father is planning to kill them.” Regan says nothing. However, his eyes go to Litha in the cell beside his mother when Adira gasps.

“He sent you to do it...” Adira shakes her head, and Regan clenches his jaw. Yet as the vision plays out, I come to learn the true extent of Theron’s cruelty.

Queen Adira could not bear the thought of Litha’s fate and tried to save her, but King Theron stubbornly refused to admit his lies, so he locked his wife up.

Queen Adira explained to Regan that the only thing Litha was guilty of was admitting one of her coven witches was having an affair with King Theron and was plotting to kill her. His infidelity, and her desire for a divorce set everything in motion. This was not over some war between families, but his father's inability to accept responsibility.

“If you kill the Oracle and the baby, you will be no better than your father. Don’t kill your mate. Is that regret you can live with?” Adira states.

“You know?” Regan asks.

“Yes, Lyon realized he made a mistake. He didn’t realize she was his mate until after he came back with your father. Lyon came to me and asked for my help to get them out. I tried but—well, you can see where that got me.”

“I was never coming here to kill them, I was going to run with them,” Regan tells his mother.

However, upon opening the cells, Litha refused to leave. She told Regan that it was too late –- he should have kept his promise and set the Oracle and her daughter free when she asked and she can’t cloak them now, her power was fading and she won’t risk her baby.

She claimed King Theron would never believe that they escaped, and would condemn Regan for setting them free. Furthermore, if Regan ran with him, Theron would kill his mother. Litha declared that King Theron would not stop until she was dead.

Resigned to her fate, Litha closed the cell door and locked herself back in. Adira begged her to reconsider and run with her mother. Litha, though, just looked at Regan.

“Save the Oracle, and you’ll save the last female Lycan.” Litha continued. “Set them free, and I’ll consider giving you a chance to break the curse I’ve placed on your kind, on your family.”

“Curse?” Regan asked.

“Yes, your kind has proven that you do not deserve mates, so I’ve taken them away. No female Lycan will be born again until the curse is broken.”

“Wait, what do you mean? He’s setting them free like you asked?” Queen Adira tells her, and Litha looks at her.

“Mate bonds are sacred, granted by the moon. They are meant to be protected. Your kind has proven that they do not deserve mates. So I’ve taken them. Your sons failed to protect theirs, my daughter.

Your husband disregarded his. When I burn take not that the Lycan race will lose their chances of ever finding their mates again, or fathering a daughter until the curse is broken.”

“But you can reverse it?” Regan asked.

“I can… But I won’t. My people died, my kingdom fell. And so will yours,” Litha states before wandering back to her steel bed and taking a seat.

“Get them out, and I’ll consider giving you an out. You fail… The Lycan species will be erased.”

Regan hesitated for a moment, then growls and quickly helping my grandmother, and setting her free.

However, upon returning to his father, he found Litha’s words to be true. King Theron demanded proof that he had killed Litha’s daughter and the Oracle.

“The Oracle escaped, but the daughter is dead!”

“And I said to bring me their bodies, if she escaped where is her baby?” Theron demanded. Regan faltered, trying to find an excuse for not having my body.

Suddenly, the doors are kicked open, and everyone’s attention turned to Queen Adira. She stormed in, clutching a bundle of fabric in her arms, tears streaming down her face.

“You bastard, you cruel bastard. Sending your son to kill an innocent child!” she screamed.

Regan looked at his mother in panic as she thrust the bundle into his arms and then slapped him.

“You’re just as bad as your father!” she yelled. Confused and shocked that his mother had hit him, even though she was there when he set them free. Regan looked down at the baby in his arms. He realized that it wasn’t Litha’s daughter, but a baby killed in the war and that his mother was covering for him.

Zeke sputtered and staggered forward. “No!” he gasped, but Regan pulled the bundled up baby away before he had a chance to see for himself.

“What have you done?” Zeke choked, thinking that Regan had killed their mate.

“I did what I had to for my kingdom,” Regan stated.

King Theron laughed. “And that is why you’re worthy of the king’s throne. So, son, how will you prove your worth?” he asked, turning to look at Zeke. However, Zeke staggered back, clearly disgusted with his brother and his father, while Lyon looked on the verge of being sick.

“No… I will kill you for this.” Zeke threatened.

“And kill yourself. Remember whose lives are tied to mine, Zeke,” Regan snarled back at him, looking at Lyon then Zeke. “Blood is thicker than water.” Regan stated.