181 Chapter One Hundred Eighty One
The king sat in his office going through the last of his dayâs paperwork. Exhaustion purged his mind and threatened to seize his tireless work, but he persisted. Queen Martha sat in a chair near his with her head rested in her arms on the desk. Sheâd fallen asleep trying to help her husband. Every once in a while, heâd pass a hand through her hair, sending sparks through him. The effects of the mate bond never got old. One never got used to them and never wanted to.
There was a knock on the door that startled the woman awake. She placed her head back on the desk, a slight headache threatening to plague her mind, âHeâs finally here, huh.â
âYes, he is... Katieâs information points to him alone. We have to hear him out before we make our decision on what we are to do with him,â the king replied. Katie had told them everything, without the manâs presence. While she wasnât sure if he was on their side or not, she knew he had something shady about him. This had also led her to reveal the presence of a beta alpha sired by her in the ranks of the rogues.
âWell, Katieâs method of information of gathering is crazy, to begin with,â Martha replied.
âYes, that is true, however, it wasnât like she had a choice when she bit the boy that day. I just wish sheâd told us that earlier. Well, better late than never,â the king placed his hand on a button at his desk, âItâs open,â he spoke up.
The door pushed open, letting the man in, âIâm not one to like being summoned,â the man began.
âI know, Uncle. You like appearing at times convenient for you. You must know then that I have called you here on a matter that is urgent and needs to be addressed urgently,â the king said to him.
âWas it so urgent that I was not to go on a trip that I had arranged on my own? Where is that soft wolf of a boy you chose to be your heir?â the man asked, finding that the prince was not around.
âHe asked that he leave to visit another pack. Heâs getting quite anxious to find his mate. Heâs already checked through most of the packs in the Sirius empire and he canât seem to find her.
.....
âOh, thatâs sad to hear. I guess the goddess also sees things my way. Heâs not fit to lead this pack,â the man responded.
âI am well aware of your insecurities about my son, Uncle. But like Iâve already said countless times, that was not a decision for you to make and it is only my consent that the boy needs to be named Crown Prince,â King Davin responded with a smile on his face.
âUgh, whatever, what is so urgent that you had to call me here?â the man asked.
âWeâve received information that you are working with the rogues. Iâll just get straight to the point. Is it true or is it not? Keep your mind link open so we might be able to confirm the truth. You donât have anything to worry about. I didnât think it would be...â the king stopped rambling when the man before him didnât reply to the accusations that were being thrown his way.
Sean remained quiet and tried his best to conceal any expression from his face that would make him any more guilty than he already was. His cover had been blown without him doing anything. He searched his mind for the mistake he could have made. He couldnât tell at what point heâd made a mistake. He couldnât tell when it had been that heâd let this happen.
âWhat led you to such a preposterous conclusion?â he kept his voice levelled to avoid conveying any emotion, however, that was beside his common behaviour and definite giveaway.
âI would tell you, but you would probably find some way to give that information to the rogues. We heard that there was a mole within the royals. I never could have thought it was you of all people,â the kingâs sighed. His voice was filled with sadness. Through the mind link, he called on the pack warriors that werenât far from his office to take the royal and lock him in the dungeon.
Sean didnât resist his arrest and stood up, allowing them to bind his hands with ease, âYou could be making a large mistake you know,â Sean spoke up.
âAlpha Phillip, make sure he gets the most comfortable cell. Heâs still my uncle,â the king told the beta alpha that bound the royal.
âVery well, your majesty,â Alpha Phillip replied.
Sean found that reasoning with the king at this point was a lost cause. The man didnât seem to be capable of listening to anything else he had to say. In his mind, this all depended on other pawns of the goddess that had driven him into this situation in the first place. Alpha Phillip sent pack warriors ahead of him to prepare the dungeon the royal was going to be placed in. He had not yet had a hearing and considering his status among the wolves, treating him with animosity was not yet an option.
âDonât you think I might escape if you make me too comfortable?â the man took a stab at idle chit chat.
âEven if you manage to escape, the hunters will have you before you can get too far. I wonât be too inclined to go easy on you either if that were to happen,â the alpha replied. Sean cringed at the thought of having to go against one of Davinâs beta alphas. He shuddered at the thought and decided to stuff any other hopes of escape he had lurking in his mind.
âWell, then would I at least get a playmate in my dungeon once in a while?â the man asked him.
âYou are really trying to push your luck now, arenât you?â the alpha replied with a smirk, âIâll ask the king and see if something can be arranged.â
Sean sighed at the manâs response. Even when heâd been accused of working with the rogues, the Sirius royal family continued to treat him with respect. They were simply too soft-hearted. That was the same reason he didnât find Drake to be fit for the role of king. But then again, he was just like his father. The manâs eyes had seen years beyond what a normal werewolf was capable of and he was yet to see the downfall of the Sirius empire, for the exact same reason he had for their weakness.
âI guess a playmate would not be too bad, regardless of the conditions that king gives me,â he replied, finally reaching the lowest chamber of the dungeons. This part of the dungeons was cleaned regularly of moss and kept in sparkling condition for reasons the royal had never been able to find. When the king found out about a betrayal within the palace, he had done what he could to keep this specific cell clean. He didnât know he would be the one ending up on the other side of the door to this cell.
The alpha led him in and took off his bindings. The room had a bed within it and everything heâd need to stay comfortable. Unfortunately for him, the shower was merely a partition to one corner of the room with a metal bar that held a drawing curtain. âThe shower only has cold water. The king saw no use in adding such expenses for a traitor,â Alpha Phillip explained, âBut the toiletâs got flashing water, so you donât have to worry about that. You will be given three meals a day with no regard for your choice in the matter.
Whatever the king decides you have for a meal will be left to him. I would stay on my best behaviour to make sure he keeps the meals reasonable. There is no reception this deep into the dungeons, although that wonât matter since you can always communicate through the mind link. The king will have you blocked from private mind link conversations that have nothing to do with you, so to communicate, you will have to speak directly to him.â
âQuite the set of rules heâs got there,â Sean sighed, falling into the comfy bed that had been made for him.
âYouâd have to expect a lot of restrictions considering your current situation. Heâs pretty convinced youâre the one that had the rogues get the confidence to invade the palace eighteen years ago,â Alpha Phillip coaxed.
The royal noticed the attempt to draw out information and only shrugged, âThey barely needed a nudge. They already seemed convinced that those two children would be the end of them and they made the choice to attack all on their own,â Sean sealed his lips, having said that much. It was enough for him to remain locked up for sure, but not enough to get the king into a rage over his actions. âDamn that goddess... I hope you know what youâre doing...â
âVery well. If thatâs all youâll say, I will take my leave now. I would mind the right side of the headboard. There tends to be a bit of an ant problem. Try to stay in this room, will you?â the beta alpha said while walking out of the room.
Sean watched the door and listened to the numerous clicking sounds of the locking mechanism. By the time they were done securing him, he was sure there was no way he could escape. He almost called them back that he would die of starvation when a machine above his head jumped to life, blowing a cold breeze into the dungeon. âJust great... Of course, they accounted for the air conditioning, but not the hot bath water,â he mentally groaned. Taking a look at the toilet that was said to have flashing water, he grinned at the simple set-up of the toilet. It was right next to the bath area with two rolls of toilet paper at the top of the water cistern.
âI know this is the best dungeon, but itâs still a freaking dungeon with below royal living standards,â he mumbled through gritted teeth. âThis must be the lowest level Iâve ever been forced to... and all for what... How did they even find out that I was a spy in the first place?â thoughts ran through his mind, although he was unable to solve a single one of them on his own. It was all just questions and no answer. âIâm sorry, Amanda. I got caught...â