Chapter 283

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Chapter 283

KALEB

“What a pleasant surprise,” I laughed as I spat out a mouthful of blood.

Asher Collins was here, and I hadn’t known it until now. Judging by the way he stood beside Cassandra, I surmised that he’d been under my nose for at least a day or so, and I was amazed by the absurdity of all this.

On any other day, the self-righteous Alpha King of Wegalla would have been a worthy adversary. I would have engaged in a battle to the death with that co cky leader of my country’s enemy, yet as I watched him leave with Cassandra and her maid, I couldn’t stop laughing. This situation had escalated far beyond my expectations.

My soldiers seemed ready to follow the black and white wolves, but I ordered them to stop at once.

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“There’s no need to chase after them,” I announced as they stared at me with expressions of confusion. “No one is able to leave the castle tonight, not even a fly. Besides, I have a more important rival to deal with now.”

deal with

As if on cue, Ronald approached with a group of soldiers surrounding him. My cousin’s face was extremely cold and brutal. His blue eyes, usually as soft and blue as a slightly cloudy sky, had iced over and shot daggers in my direction as he advanced. I wasn’t used to seeing such a display of hatred on his unassuming features and it brought a smile to my face. It appeared he had finally given up pretending to be a gentleman. It was a relief to see his true intentions so readily shown.

For years, I’d told people that there was more to Ronald than what was on the surface. It had been infuriating to see them be so easily swayed by my fool of a cousin, but no one could mistake his expression for anything other than malice. His hatred for me brought made my smile widen.

“In our hatred, we are the same, cousin,” I whispered. “Let us see who will be the winner once and for all.”

Ronald gave a signal to his soldiers, and mere seconds later, the muscular men hastened their pace and readied themselves to attack.

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My own soldiers reacted timely. They readied their weapons and fired at Ronald’s men at once, and at my signal, they struck. I seemed to have the upper hand, given the number of soldiers at my disposal versus Ronald, who had much fewer. But quickly, my men’s store of bullets and arrows ran out.

The fight against Cassandra hadn’t gone in our favor and my men had wasted too much of their ammunition trying to take her down. I silently chastised myself for not making sure they would have an additional arsenal, but I hadn’t exactly expected this outcome.

I realized I wasn’t in a favorable position because my cousin could use his wretched sorcery to heal his wounded men. It was an unfair advantage, but I would have to make do with what I had.

This fight was unexpected. Ronald and his men were meant to perish in the fire of the main building, so I hadn’t been adequately prepared for a battle. I hadn’t brought enough of my soldiers with me either, so when Ronald finally stood right in front of me, he had a clear path. All of the soldiers on my side had been dealt with, so I was wide open.

I extended my nails into claws and prepared to shift into my second form. I was still quite weak from my fight against Cassandra, but I wasn’t incapable of defending myself. I was a formidable fighter and I needed no weapons but the natural ones I possessed.

My muscles tensed just as Ronald stopped ten away from me.

“This will be the last day of your miserable life, Kaleb,” he said almost mockingly. His arrogance was almost applaudable, but I wasn’t about to give up so easily.

“I don’t think so,” I replied with a raised eyebrow. I spat out another mouthful of blood and then lowered my body, ready to shift at any given moment.

As I moved, Ronald’s soldiers seemed ready to spring into action, but my cousin raised a hand to stop them.

“No,” he ordered quietly, and then he took a step toward me.

My eyebrow raised higher. What was his next move?

“We didn’t have to be this way, Kaleb,” he said. “If you hadn’t done all of this, I never would have considered taking your life. And yet…”

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He glanced at the burning building behind us. “It was supposed to be a beautiful wedding.”

I wanted to laugh. That was nonsense. I knew Ronald would have done the same to me if he’d had the opportunity. The wedding was an excuse to drum up his accomplices. It was nothing more than a prelude to usurpation.

“How could it be a beautiful wedding?” I mocked him as I looked at the sky and sneered. “It wasn’t even blessed by the moon. Besides, I don’t think it’s beautiful to have to hypnotize your own bride and force her to marry you. In fact… some could say it’s a little pathetic to have to go such lengths to make a woman want you.”

Ronald smiled coldly. “I’m not crazy lil

like you are, Kaleb.”

“Aren’t you?” I countered with a smile. “Don’t underestimate yourself, Ronald. Weren’t you planning on taking this castle over after the wedding ceremony? I suppose I would have been found dead in my bed, reeking of alcohol, if I hadn’t uncovered your plan beforehand.”

My cousin’s face hardened. “You don’t seem to understand the situation. You are nothing more than a dead man now. That being said, I suppose if you’re willing to kneel and beg for my forgiveness, I might show some mercy and consider sparing your life.”

He seemed certain I would take advantage of the opportunity, but I had no intention of doing so. I remained unmoved,

“You’re weak,” I said calmly. “Even if you took my place on the throne, you couldn’t rule Yurene properly. A mediocre sorcerer like you doesn’t deserve to be a king.”

My words seemed to hit hard. Ronald instantly looked vexed. He turned to his soldiers and ordered them to launch their attacks against me.

I had two seconds to breathe and then the fight commenced. I fought hard against the soldiers and managed to avoid most of their attacks, but there were still so

many

of them. As the minutes dragged on, it began to feel as if they were undefeatable with the help of Ronald. I shifted into my wolf form and it still didn’t feel like it was enough. For every swipe or wound I inflicted, my cousin used sorcery to heal his men.

I was also fighting completely alone. None of the guests on my side dared step over

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or go against Ronald under such a circumstance. It was apparent that no one expected me to win.

It was infuriating. I was still their king and yet, they were all thrilled to see me fall.

I fought until my knees were weak. I sank to the ground and shifted back into my human form. Blood dripped from my numerous wounds and the metallic taste of it filled my mouth. I couldn’t even sense the pain now. I could hardly even move. I was so numb I barely even felt alive.

Ronald stepped forward and then placed his hand on my head, forcing me to lower it.

“You’re weak like a puppy without Roxy here to help you,” he said harshly and then he softened. “If only we had been friends before. We were both abandoned, Kaleb. I was the pawn of the king and you were the unwanted son. We could have been a united front, and yet here we are.”

His voice was so grating that I couldn’t take it any longer. I shifted myself away his touch and then spat a mouthful of blood onto his face.

Ronald’s mouth jerked at one corner as his eyes filled with anger. He stole a knife from the sheath of one of his nearby soldiers and then raised it in the air. He used

his other hand to grab me and aimed the blade at my heart.

I closed my eyes.

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