RAGNAR.
âThe Queen was in on this?â Evangeline asks sharply.
Her back is to me, and her power is radiating off her in waves. Powerful but oddly
soothing and serene and I f*****g hate that, but at the same time, I canât really deny it. She has a pull on my Lycan, and I can feel his restlessness as he wishes to submit to her. That doesnât make sense⦠unless Dad has passed away⦠has she become the next ruler?
I donât want to think about that. Losing dad ⦠Sure, in life people always die, but not this soonâ¦
At the same time, this power doesnât feel like the command of the Alpha of Alphas.
âShe is⦠but when I saw her, I felt she was not a willing contributor in this. She did what she did, so Dad wasnât killed. Thatâs what she implied when she came to meet me earlier.â I reply. âYet Maryka turned out to be a traitor and the one behind all of this is none other than the f*****g Night Shade Pack.â
Her heart thumps as she spins back around, her eyes blazing.
âWhat? The Night Shade Pack?â She asks sharply.
âYeah, they have always wanted this kingdom, and when Mom turned out to be Dadâs mate, they were forced into an alliance of peace, one they never wanted. Now that we are in this situation, what better time than now to try to take the kingdom than when we are at our lowest and have those still loyal to them work from within?â I try to hide my irritation.
âThis is bad⦠I didnât sense he was lyingâ¦â She isnât making sense, but sheâs panicking.
âWhat is it?â I ask, frowning.
âI thought I could trust Godric somewhat. I left him with the army, but he was also immune to my command⦠which means only one thing. Godric isnât a full werewolf, and Iâve just left him with my army!â She says, biting her l*p.
âI donât know if Godric himself is the instigator. From what Maryka was spewing, I think you may not have f****d up as badly as you think.â I frown.
She looks up, both of us too absorbed in our own conversation to pay attention to those around us. As they try to assist one another, relieved that the cells have been opened.
âWhat do you mean?â
âThere was no mention of Godric himself⦠She kept saying to the elders. Godric seems to be⦠isolated within his own pack, or thatâs how I saw it.â I frown.
âTell me what happened from the beginning.â She says and I find myself noddingâ¦
(FLASHBACK â UPON RETURN TO THE CASTLE)
âWhat the hell is the meaning of this!â Kash snarls as weâre both shoved into the dungeons.
We had been tricked. F*****g thatâs what!
Ever since Jeremiah had suggested we go ahead, so I donât try anything, Zerachiel had been in agreement. Of course, he would be. I didnât trust him either!
I remember looking at Evelyn. I donât know if the others are f*****g blind, but sheâs scared of something. Ever since she came out of that temple trying to hide the tremble in her hands and the fact Zerachiel stepped out looking smug and calm had put me on alert.
Jeremiah now looks down at us. âA hybrid and a traitor⦠thereâs no place for either of you here.â
âI demand a meeting with Father!â I snarl.
âKeep wishing for that.â Jeremiah says coldly before he begins to walk away.
âOi! Jeremiah! I swear I will f*****g kill you!â I roar.
âFirst, get out of there.â He replies.
âF**k!â Kash hisses, running his fingers through his hair. âWe canât even mind link.â
âCourse we f*****g canât. They injected us the moment we got here.â I snarl, turning about to kick the bars, when I spot a figure lying in the corner. âWait, is thatâ¦â
Beyond the b***d and the poison running through me that is messing with my senses, I recognise the body that lies on the floor.
âChasyn.â Kash says as he walks over to him quickly and rolls him onto his back.
Heâs injured pretty badly; b***d covers his body which has several deep gashes which seemed to have been made from bladed whips.
âWhat the f**k?â I mutter as Kash checks his pulse and lifts his jacket to see an even bigger gash across his left flank that is bleeding profusely.
âWhatâs going on here?â He mutters,
pulling his shirt off and tearing it before he begins to wrap it around Chasyn to stop him from losing even more b***d, although I think itâs a moot point, heâs pretty much bled out.
I c**k a brow; I know he doesnât like Chasyn, and I canât blame him; the fucktard is too much of a goody-two-shoes to like.
âNot going to let him bleed out? Thought you might like that.â I say.
He casts me a glare, sucking in a breath as he scans the room as if the answer will be written there.
âHe will have the answers we need, like what exactly is going on here.â He mutters.
I nod and sit back; my own body is exhausted. We canât plan anything unless we have our energy upâ¦
A few hours had passed, and twice toxic gas is released down here to weaken us.
The only positive side? At least Chasyn was healing slowly and luckily it wasnât much later when he finally regained consciousness.
âSo, whatâs going on here?â I ask after heâs finally able to comprehend where we are and who is here.
He shakes his head bitterly.
âWeâve been betrayed.â He says quietly, his eyes seem to have lost any life to them and I wonder who else is behind this to put Chasyn in this state.
âWho.â I ask.
He smiles humourlessly. âMaryka⦠Sheâs working with the Night Shade Pack, who have already infiltrated these walls⦠Dadâs critical, he tried to stand up against them but it was pre-planned⦠he was poisoned at dinner by none other than my own mateâ¦â
Marykaâ¦
The Night Shade Pack?
F**k, this is a mess.
âMaryka poisoned the king?â Kash asks as if he really didnât just get that.
âYes⦠her allegiance to her previous pack means more to her than our bond⦠and Mom is on their side too.â He whispers brokenly.
A man betrayed by allâ¦
âMom?â I look up sharply.
âTheyâre gathering all those who refuse to side with them and imprisoning them.â He says. âMom didnât take long to choose her side, blatantly telling me Iâm a fool⦠not an Alphaâ¦â
Heâs too emotionalâ¦
âSuck it up. Youâve never been power hungry, not sure what she was expecting.â I grunt.
âIsa⦠f**k whereâs Isa?!â Kash asks suddenly, grabbing Chasynâs shoulders.
Chasyn flinches and Kash lets go of him, but he looks confused. âIsa left the day after you, donât you know?â
âWhat?â Kashâs heart races as he stares at him.
âFrom what I know, sheâs cleared out her savings⦠I heard her arguing with the Beta about it and said she knows what sheâs doing. Iâm sorry, I didnât know you didnât know, but at least sheâs away from here.â Chasyn tries to reassure him.
Kash curses âF**k!â He growls punching the wall. I hear something break and shrug.
Wish I could have been the one to break a few bones right now.
âAnd Draven and Drystan?â I ask after a moment.
âThey happily agreed to stop Zedkiel, a hybrid from claiming the throne, or his mate, who they do not believe is the rightful queen.â Chasyn sucks in a breath. âOur family has been torn apartâ¦â
I scoff. âFamily? There is no family if they arenât there for you⦠What about Kayla?â I ask.
We may not have known one another for long, and I had picked her for her potential, but she was still my woman.
âShe argued, she was imprisoned, as were Alcazer and Amora.â Chasyn replies, grunting as he tries to sit up.
âAlcazer? Iâm surprised.â
âHe may not see eye to eye with Zedkiel after he killed his Luna, but he isnât a bad person, Ragnar.â He g****s, sucking in a sharp breath.
âSo now what do we do?â Kash asks as he scans the cell again.
Thereâs no way out. Even if heâs trying to find a way, there just isnât one.
âYou can stop looking around. Unless someone comes for us, weâre stuck.â I say, closing my eyes.
If we are going to be stuck here, Iâd rather rest and get my energy upâ¦
(END OF FLASHBACK)
âAnd thatâs about it, the day after that Chasyn and Kash were taken, and Mom came to visit me but I refused to listen, so I was beaten by some of the Night Shade warriors, I swear if I find them, I am going to f*****g kill them.â I snarl.
âThen letâs go pay Maryka and Danciana a visit.â Evangeline says, as she leads the way down the narrow hall.
She pauses, turning sharply and peers into one of the cells, before she hurries into one of the cells.
âAlpha Aeronâ¦â
âEvangelineâ¦â He says, I glance at him.
Heâs in a bad state and Iâm not sure he will make it. âWhat are you doing here?â
âIâm here to regain my kingdom and to end this curse.â She whispers, cupping his face.
A white light emanates off her, spreading through the cells, and I feel the pain in my bones easing up.
She speaks to a few of the prisoners, reassuring them, before she stands up and looks at me.
âLetâs go.â She says, thereâs anger in her eyes and sheâs trying to hide her pain.
I nod as she leads the way and I follow her without even an argument, much to my own surprise.
I hate having others command meâ¦
She leads the way, and she clearly knows where sheâs headed and soon I pick up on a few familiar scents as we reach the throne room. She pushes the double doors that lead to the room open and they slam off the walls as if they weigh nothing.
Her aura intensifies, and the urge to submit overcomes me.
âThat throne belongs to me.â Evangeline says, her voice resonating through the room. I glance up as Mom rises from where she was seated on one of the throne. Her face drains of colour as her gaze flicks from me to Evangeline.
âWhat is a traitor doing here?â Mom says icily, her gaze flicking to the side as she signals for my precious younger brothers to step forward.
Draven sneers as he draws his sword.
âAfter everything you have done Luna Evangeline, you should really be ashamed to show your face.â Maryka says from where sheâs standing.
F*****g bitch.
Evangeline tilts her head and suddenly the
entire room is filled with that aura that is now raging around her in torrents.
This powerâ¦
Itâs pure, powerful, and celestial and when she speaks, her voice sounds breathtakingly
magnificent.
She is no ordinary wolf⦠and everyone in
this room can see that. Sheâs not just special⦠sheâsâ¦
âThat is no way to welcome the Moon
Goddess herself⦠Bow.â And with those words, every single being in that room drops to their knees, their foreheads touching the ground in submission.
âWell⦠Thatâs one way to show them who is the boss.â I mutter as her words really hit.
She has shown that she is the true ruler, but the fact she addressed herself as the Moon Goddessâ¦.
I look up suddenly, staring at her back through the blinding light that is emanating
from her. Her white hair flowing behind her, and time seems to stillâ¦
And no matter how much I want to deny it, I know that she has spoken nothing but the truth.
Well, I sure chose the right side, otherwise I would be f*****g dead by now.
Nice.