Chapter 88: In Front Of The King

MAEVE

The whole ride was quiet. No one dared to speak and some even fell asleep on the way. The weight of the situation was still on our shoulders, and the possibility of us being a failure in the Alpha King's eyes was high. The relic would only be our only chance.

From time to time, I could feel Rhydan stealing glances on my position. I wanted to ask him a lot of things. I want to clarify everything, and to make sure that he was really an ally and not a potential enemy. But this wasn't the right time.

I looked outside, watching the leaves sway with the wind. The environment looked so peaceful yet our hearts and minds were in chaos. Only uncertainty waits for us in the palace, and hopefully, we will be able to save ourselves.

In a few hours, the carriages stopped in the middle of the palace's ground. There were no other knights in sight. It was quiet, either something had happened again or they were all in training.

The moment we stepped outside of the carriage, two servants walked to our direction, bowing and not daring to look us in the eye. They carried a small piece of paper, hiding the contents from plain sight.

"You are all being summoned by the Alpha King," one spoke in a low voice before turning his back to us. I looked at the Grand Knight, who also looked intense. He was silent for a moment, before he took a step forward.

We all followed him in silence. I tightened my hold on the relic. No matter what happened, I knew that this relic would save us.

I kept on glancing at the Grand Knight, trying to see what was on his mind. He looked tense and nervous, with sweat dripping from his forehead. The other knights weren't any different. The only people who looked calm were Rhydan and Terron.

The moment the doors were opened for us, the suffocating aura wrapped around our necks, threatening to steal the air we have. We all slowly stepped inside, following the Grand Knight's lead. When the door was closed, I knew we just locked ourselves in the lion's den.

No one dared to look up. Even the Grand Knight kept his head low. From my senses, I knew that the High Council was also inside, watching us from an elevated platform. My eyes flickered forward, catching a glance on a gold cloak moving with the soft wind.

"The Red District was destroyed," a low voice echoed across the hall. Suddenly, my knees lost their strength. The pressing aura stomped on me like I was an ant, forcing me onto my knees.

And it was not only me. Every single recruit, including the Grand Knight, kneeled on the ground. The hall echoed with our knees hitting the cold floor. Sweat started forming on my forehead. I had never met the Alpha King before. I had only heard about him from Draven and my parents.

He was never a good alpha. He was merciless, greedy, and only cared about his power. People had described him as the strongest alpha alive, and honestly, I never listened to that.

But the feeling he inflicted on us was just too much. It was suffocating, demanding, and dangerous. One wrong move and you could die. One wrong word and your head might roll to the ground.

I closed my eyes, bracing myself to whatever might happen. The silence was so long and unbearable, and I could even see the recruits' hands shaking from fear.

"I sent you to the district to finish off every rebel. Turns out the rebels had a better than you did," the Alpha King continued, tapping his finger on the oak chair. "Do you have any explanation for your incompetence, Grand Knight?"

My eyes flickered to him, waiting for his response. He could either put the blame on us, say that we were careless, and that we didn't follow his orders. He could throw us under the bus to avoid punishment. After all, he was the Grand Knight. The Alpha King would listen to him more than us.

"I have no excuse, Your Majesty," the Grand Knight admitted, lowering his head. "I underestimated the rebels. We were slow in conducting our plan. The fault was on us."

I drew out a heavy exhale after hearing his words. But I shouldn't have done that. The noise echoed in the whole hall and everyone's attention was drawn towards me.

"And how about you, Lieutenant Maxwell?" Elder Charles intervened, much to my annoyance. "You were the second leader in this mission. You are supposed to be working with the Grand Knight."

I grabbed the relic. I don't want to show this unless everything is in the worst situation. "I have no excuses," I answered, reiterating the Grand Knight's words. "We were so occupied by the first mission that we weren't able to give the same importance to hunting the rebels. It was all our fault."

The hall became silent. I could almost hear the quick beating of the recruits' hearts. Suddenly, a soft brush of fabric cut through the silence, before I felt a set of eyes stabbing my skull.

"Lieutenant Maxwell," the Alpha King called, his voice filled with warning and fake warmth. "Stand up."

I immediately followed. If I wanted to get the Alpha King's favor and be close to him, then I should be obedient. I would follow without any second thoughts, show to him that I am nothing but a knight that would respond only to him.

"Look at me," he demanded. "I want to see your face."

Hesitantly, I pushed my head up, forcing myself to look him in the eye. My whole body froze as soon as our eyes met. It was like staring back at the devil, and any movement would make him swallow your soul.

I saw how his pupils widened as he stared at me, then, a small grin formed on his face. Slowly, he stood up. Every step he made to approach me made me want to run, yet I stood on my ground, unmoving.

His aura wrapped around me like chains. His hand reached forward, touching the ends of my hair. "You're Declan's son, right?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

He stared at me for a moment, before his eyes landed on my clothes. "Show me the relic," he ordered.

Without any word, I grabbed the hidden relic from my clothes, slowly handing it to him. A smile of satisfaction formed on his face, but it wasn't enough to calm us down.

"Good job, Lieutenant," he caressed the relic's cover, his eyes landing back on me with an unknown glint behind them. "You just saved these knights today.”