Chapter 236 Chapter 235
Two large soldiers came to their side and grabbed hold of their hands, leading them out of the Council Room. Soraya screamed, ordering them to release her, but the soldiers didn’t budge, only dragging them along until they reached another section of the palace where tons of women resided.
Rayena's brow furrowed. Did he bring the harem into the palace instead of a separate building like Xenon had done?
Oh, whoever this king was, he was definitely out of his mind.
The women stared as they passed through them, and soon they arrived at a door and were shoved into the room.
“You’ll be sharing this bedroom,” one of the soldiers announced in a brusque voice, then slammed the door immediately after.
Both of them flinched at the sound.
“Oh… this… this is bad!” Soraya cried out, pacing around in a panic. “A harem?! Mistresses for that monster? What have we walked into?!”
Rayena swallowed tightly, looking around the room. Nausea began to pool in her belly. Soraya was still rambling.
“Your parents were right. We should never have returned! What’s going to become of us now?!”
“Rayena!” Soraya cried out when she saw Rayena wasn’t listening, just wearing a dazed expression. “Did you hear anything I’ve said at all?”
“Yeah, I did,” Rayena muttered absentmindedly. Her chest twisted painfully and she winced against the sensation, clutching her chest.
Forgotten was her trepidation—Soraya began to feel worried for her friend. “Rayena, what is it?”
“They…” Rayena started but cut herself short, heaving. “They keep mentioning Xenon is dead, Soraya. At first, I didn’t believe it, but now…” Her words wobbled at the end, and when Rayena gazed into her eyes, she saw tears had gathered.
“All these years separated, and Xenon was dead the entire time?”
No wonder nobody came for them.
The reality of those words settled on Soraya, and she grimaced as she remembered Morvan. He was probably killed along with him. She also would never see him again.
Rayena’s chest tightened, a wave of loss crashing over her so violently it almost stole her breath.
Tears pooled in her eyes, but she blinked them back, jaw clenched. Soraya stepped closer and squeezed her arm, her voice soft and trembling.
"I'm so sorry... I can only imagine how hard this is for you."
“It hurts,” Rayena choked out, pressing a hand to her chest as though she could ease the pain. It never did. “I came here hoping to see him—wanting to confront him, to demand answers—only to learn he’s dead? All this time?”
The words tumbled out raw, stripped of pride.
A shudder overtook her, her knees growing weak.
“I miss him. I miss him so much it hurts. It’s not fair!” Her voice cracked, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“Easy… easy,” Soraya murmured, pulling her close. Rayena folded into her, burying her face in the crook of Soraya’s neck, muffling the sound of her sobs. They weren’t the quiet kind—they were torn from somewhere deep, wounded, years old.
“Now I’ll never see him again,” Rayena whispered, voice nearly broken. “All these years apart, and he was dead the entire time.”
Soraya rubbed circles on her back. “We’ll get through this. I promise. We’ll find a way out of here.”
.
.
.
The moment they left the council chamber, Ysolde’s composure shattered.
“What do you mean you’re taking Rayena as your mistress?!"
she screamed, heels clacking sharply against stone as she chased him down the corridor. “And when did you decide this?!”
Dorian didn’t slow, his steps steady, predatory.
“Dorian, I’m talking to you!” she cried when he didn’t offer a response, speeding up to catch up with him. He entered his chambers and she followed after him.
“Isn’t it bad enough that I allowed you to sleep with all these other women? Now you’re bringing Rayena, my arch-nemesis?! Let me tell you this, it’s never happening!”
Dorian turned at last, slowly and the look in his eyes made her words falter.
“You do not get to tell me what to do, Ysolde..” His voice was calm, dangerously calm. “This is my kingdom. My rule. Whatever I command will happen!"
“Not if I can stop it,” she shot back. Blinking away the tears that stung her eyes, she continued more vehemently, “Rayena is not going to be your mistress, she is most definitely not having your child. I’ll kill her if I have to!”
The words had barely left her lips when Ysolde’s head swung to the side, her ears ringing. Dorian had struck her. She tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth.
What the?!
“How dare you threaten me?” he growled as he grabbed a hold of her face, bringing it closer to him. His eyes had turned into two whirlpools of fire, his irises changing color as his wolf surfaced. “What makes you think you have the right to threaten me, huh? Answer me!”
Ysolde flailed her hands and legs, trying to dislodge his grip, but he only tightened it, his nails digging into her skin. Ysolde let out a shrill scream, feeling true fear.
“Let go! You're hurting me! ” she tried to scream, but it came out gargled. He flung her toward the door and she crashed against it with a loud thud. Pain exploded through her body and she groaned, twisting helplessly on the ground.
He immediately stalked toward her, gripping her by her hair and turning her to face him. Ysolde winced, pain radiating through her scalp.
“Let this be the last time you question my decision, or I’m going to seriously hurt you next time!”
He yelled, his voice more animal than man.
Ysolde shivered uncontrollably.
“Don’t make me kill you. The only reason I agreed to marry you was because of the deal we made prior. Should you lose the pregnancy you have now, I’ll divorce you in a heartbeat. Do you understand?!”
Ysolde hastily nodded, already feeling some wetness seeping out of her.
Terror slammed into her chest. That was never a good sign.
“Now, get out of my sight!” he growled, throwing her head back.
Ysolde whimpered, clutching her stomach. She rose to her feet on shaky legs and sped out of the room, sobbing.