CHAPTER 426 - KINGDOM-WIDE-JOKE

CHAPTER 426 - KINGDOM-WIDE-JOKE
RAINA’S POV
Double thunder wolves! Where did that allegation come from?
Perturbed, my eyes flashed on Jiya. “Mate-marked? Could that be true?”
Everyone began whispering in skepticism, leaning in to see if they could spot the mate mark themselves.
With my human eyes, it would be impossible to see it with the mirror between us. All I could do was sweep my gaze at everyone else and gauge their expressions to know if it was true or not.
“Hahaha,” Elder Mitchel laughed, jamming his hands into his front pockets. “It's such a ridiculous and unfeasible notion.”
For the life of me, I couldn’t remember ever seeing a mark on her. And based on their unchanging quizzical expressions, they didn’t see one either.
Reverting my gaze to her, I couldn't think past the one question that gnawed at me: Did she sleep with someone?
The smile dropped from Jiya’s face, and she shrugged nonchalantly. She stared at the mirror, although she couldn’t see us. “I am sure what he meant to ask was why Raina has a mark instead of me. Well, let me clear that up for you…”
“Do not put words into my mouth.” Vaheed’s vicious chide snapped her mouth shut. He whipped his gaze at us, cementing more fiercely on Valen. “If she’s the queen-in-demand, what does that make Raina? What have you been putting her through?”
Valen stiffened behind me, and I felt the aura around him thicken. “Now is not the time for that.”
“I’m his mate,” Jiya yelled to set things off, and smirked smugly. “The detail speaks for itself.”
Vaheed raised his brow a touch when he looked at the woman. "The last thing I remember is you fighting with me to back off. All because you were adamant about keeping the unfortunate bond with Raina." His eyes locked onto his brother, disgust filling his voice. "So explain why another woman bears a mate mark who is also claiming to be your mate."
“It’s a long story, bro,” Devin interjected in exasperation. “You’ll hear it when you’re lucid.”
Unable to make heads or tail of it, I turned sideways to glance at Valen.
"Jiya shouldn’t have a mark," Valen asserted sharply, dropping his emeralds on my blues before shifting them to his brother. He blew out an irritated breath. “Your brain must be frazzled by what you endured today. You might be seeing doubles. Perhaps there's a mote in your eye, clouding what you think you saw.”
Wham!
Vaheed slapped the mirror and snarled, "Don’t play me for a fool. You absolutely marked her." His harlequin greens fired-up into burning red, drilling his brother.
"I have never touched her, much less to mark her," Valen insisted with a dangerous edge as their gazes clashed, spitting fire.
“What a demented man,” Alpha Ousley grumbled, hiding his mouth behind a fist. "Why is everyone so scared to say it?"
I couldn’t make sense of Vaheed's uncanny behavior.
Jiya stepped forward, leaving an arm’s length of space between herself and Vaheed. She spoke low and wistful, "I don't have a mate mark, Vaheed. I wish I did, but you are mistaken."
Vaheed’s head turned with lethal ease; his features got dark and ominous as his hand shot out. The space between them disappeared when he grabbed her throat. "You do. And if Valen is the one who marked you and is keeping it hidden from Raina, I am going to ensure she gets the truth.”
“Eek!” Jiya shrieked, her eyes bulging. "Don’t attack me as if I betrayed her. If Raina had stepped aside and let him take me during my heat, you wouldn’t be worried about a mark that isn’t even there.”
I couldn’t believe her. The scene depicted a psycho hawk picking at a little rat. Yet, she was acting as though she didn’t get the situation she was in.
“Your heat is not the factor, Jiya,” I said calmly, “We’re more worried about Vaheed's rehabilitation.”
At the same time, Valen growled lowly, his eyes ignited at his brother. I placed my hand on his torso, rubbing it in circles to cool him down.
While looking at my unkempt best friend, I tried to diffuse the escalating tension. “Let her go, Vaheed. We can resolve this another way.”
“Alright, let’s not get carried away,” Elder Victor suddenly spoke, raising a hand.
Silence crashed over the room.
Five seconds flew by before Vaheed shoved Jiya out of his grip. She clutched her throat as she stumbled backwards, managing not to fall. She blinked at him, terrified.
Vaheed came up to me, looking at me through the mirror, confused and concerned.
With my heart hurting for him, I placed my hand on the mirror where I could see his face, as though he could feel how badly I wanted to hug him. It was so good to see him after such a long time.
“Grrr.” Valen's growl echoed through the room, directed at his brother. No one dared to speak. They were too uneasy to utter a word.
“You’re trying to protect me, and I love you for that,” I explained softly, hoping to placate him. “Whatever you think you saw, I trust Valen implicitly.”
Strong hands suddenly gripped me. Valen tugged and whirled me into his arms and brushed my hair off my neck, allowing Vaheed to view my mark. A shiver pooled at the base of my spine, arching up to my neck as his finger lingered there.
Perhaps that should have settled the matter.
Did it?
Tapping Valen's biceps, he scowled and unwillingly released me, running a hand through his white hair in agitation.
Next, I faced Vaheed fully. His dark brows creased with conflict swirling in his eyes. He thought for a bit, then cast them down, still unsatisfied and mulling things over.
I truly wished Elder Victor hadn’t said, "Why are you the only one claiming to see this mysterious mark?” He angled his chin and stroked it. “Even Marlena can’t see it. Now you have me questioning your sanity."
I wondered that too, but I thought our goal had shifted to getting out of here. I guess not. We're going to host this crazy nonsense. Did he believe it was what was best for Vaheed? Entertain it until we prove it otherwise.
I sighed tiredly.
“Maybe he’s still a monster trying to make mischief.” Elder Sybil took the words out of my mouth, although calling him a monster was a stretch.
“He’s too unhinged to be let out,” Elder Mitchell murmured thoughtfully.
“Should have kept him in those chains,” Alpha Saaki remarked quietly.
His outbursts had so thoroughly discredited him that the other alphas exchanged pitying looks, boiling it down to the ravings of a madman.
Disliking their comments, Vaheed's face gradually turned resentful. He glared back at Jiya for a second. Then his jaw dropped, struck by sudden realization. "You're hiding it. Someone used magic to conceal that mark? Tell us who?"
At this point, I realized he was hellbent on putting this on my mate.
Jiya's eyes widened in fear. She instantly hugged herself. “This guy’s beyond redemption. He’s pure evil.”
The best friend I knew wasn’t stupid enough to aggravate his brother when his freedom was so close. It was tantamount to a death sentence.
"If that’s the case..." I looked directly at Jiya. "...then you’re admitting that your blood did not subdue his vile mana."
"It did!" Jiya snapped in contradiction, her eyes wandered all over the mirror because she could not determine where I was. She lifted her chin and bragged, “My blood is the purest essence that the moon goddess has ever bestowed upon any wolf.”
"Then maybe your blood is exactly what is allowing Vaheed to see something the rest of us cannot. Like the mark he keeps talking about,” I challenged.
Low hums swept through the room, telling me they were considering it.
“I wouldn’t rule it.” Marlena slowly nodded, weighing the possibility. “It’s worth checking.”
My eyes shifted to Jiya, and so did the others. In a panic, she instinctively covered the side of her neck.
“Remove your hand,” Valen commanded icily.
“No,” Jiya refused, getting flustered.
"That was not a request," Vaheed reiterated rigidly, sending her daggers.
This was new. I’ve never seen them team up like two bloodhounds after the same prey before.
Jiya's face took on a haunted look as she backed into the steel wall. "I don't know what he's talking about. He’s trying to defame me." Her eyes flitted around and pinned Vaheed, pointing accusingly at him. “He’s delirious. You can’t trust him.”
“Dammit, George, no more live feed,” Elder Jacob scolded in annoyance, and I looked to the side where they all stood. “Put up your phone.”
“Hang on,” George scowled, fiddling with his device. “I’m only deleting it.”
Surprisingly, Tallulah mustered some bravery. She took out her phone, unlocked the screen, and began her own live feed, which alarmed Elder Jacob.
“No recording!” Jacob started moving towards her, and my cousin stepped between them.
“What’s your deal, Elder? The world should see everything,” Devin chided, defending her. “Not just what you want them to see.”
Jacob glared at him in displeasure.
"Stop focusing on that and let us concentrate on proving Jiya’s innocence," Victor ordered tersely, searching his grandson’s face. “I’m anxious to know if this is my grandson, or that evil thread stirring up trouble.”
Jiya pressed her back into the wall. There was nowhere left to retreat as Marlena crossed the space to face her off.
Determined to get to the bottom of this, the senior witch lifted her hands with her palms upwards. "Atnu unveila ek-carx."
My heart nearly burst out of my chest, thundering faster and harder in anxiety. Ba-boom…ba-boom…ba-boom…
“Ah-ow!” Jiya cried out as the spell forced her hand from her neck. The magic peeled away like black mist, revealing a dark mate mark that blazed scarlet on her skin.
Vaheed smirked darkly as if to say, good. He tsked. “Well, I hope the realm gets an earful of this overhyped, outdone one-timer. After all, this is a kingdom-wide joke.”
“Clouding sight magic,” Marlena announced distastefully, stepping back from her with fists clenched. “Nothing is more repulsive than mixing darkness with light.”
“How could I ever mistake you for a Worgen? You're a pathetic clownfish.” Vaheed laughed out loud, his shoulders bouncing wildly. He was cruelly enjoying himself while the rest of us were blown away.
Shell-shocked, I whipped around to confront Valen. My face fell with mistrust taking over. “Do you know anything about that, Valen?"
\-