Chapter 95 Chapter 95

Chapter 95 Chapter 95
"The king isn't dead?" a voice spoke behind Lord Mortis as he groaned on the floor. Only then did he remember that Lady Nymeria was still in the room. He groaned, pushing himself up to his feet as he cleaned off the blood on his nose and mouth, the metallic taste lingering on his lips.

She had hastily dressed, her eyes wide as saucers as she glared at him, her skin pale with shock. He didn't know how to reply, so he didn't, his mind whirling with thoughts of how he would get out of the situation he was in.

"I asked a question, Lord Mortis. The king isn't dead? You said he was!" She shrieked, panicked.

"Well, you can see for yourself, can't you? He isn't. I lied," Mortis groaned, cleaning the blood dripping from his nose. His back hurt like hell. That would take weeks to heal, time he didn't have.

Lady Nymeria's mouth fell open in disbelief as she scrambled up to him, her hands reaching to scratch him. "You said he was dead! You said the human slave killed him, and you were looking for her! What is this about?! Why is he saying you betrayed him? Was this all your idea?"

She rushed out without giving him a breathing space.

"Will you shut the fuck up!"Lord Mortis yelled right back, his face reddening with anger. Lady Nymeria flinched, her eyes narrowing as she took a step back, her hands still clenched into fists.

"Yes, it was all me! I betrayed the king. Does that make you feel better? You were in on it too. You're deep in this mess as much as I am. The king caught us both together, did he not?" he snapped, and she blanched, stumbling on her footing.

"No, no, no...." She trailed off, pulling at her hair and biting her lips. "This is terrible. Who did we bury then? Was it an empty casket we placed in the ground? I should have known you were up to no good!" Her voice cracked, and she looked like she was on the verge of collapse.

Lord Mortis let out a derisive chuckle. "Like you're any better? Oh, come on. You and I know that the only reason you kept pursuing the king around was because you wanted to be queen. When you found out he was dead, and I was going to ascend the throne, you turned to me."

Lady Nymeria opened her mouth to retort, but no words would make it past her lips. As much as she loathed to admit it, he was right.

"Well, at least I didn't try to kill the king!" she screamed a while later, moving head-to-head with him.

"Well, the king has no use for you anymore. He's already found his mate, and judging by the way he strolled in here, she must already be doing an incredible job with him." If it wasn't for her escaping with the king, he would have died a long time ago, he thought bitterly.

"Wait, the human girl, Aira, is his mate!?" Lady Nymeria cried out, shocked. He hissed as he paced around, suppressing a wince.

"I should have killed her when I had the chance," Lady Nymeria muttered under her breath, but Lord Mortis heard her as he went to put on some clothes. That makes the two of us.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked, and Lord Mortis turned to her, furrowing a brow.

"What do you mean 'we'?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Didn't you hear what the king said? He's going to be back to punish you for your sins. How do we stop that from happening? Stop the people from knowing that the Lycan king is still alive?" Lady Nymeria's voice was laced with panic.

"Let me get something straight with you, Nymeria," Lord Mortis said, his voice dripping with malice as he walked back to her, his tunic hanging loosely over his body as he had yet to tie the ropes. "There is no 'we' in this situation. I couldn't care less what happens to you when the king decides it's your time. As for the king's threats, why don't you let me worry about that?"

Lady Nymeria's eyes looked ready to fall out of her sockets. Then she gnashed her teeth, her eyes glistening with tears and fury. "You truly are a traitor. How dare you say such a thing?"

"I'm tired of listening to you. Get out of these chambers before I do something we'll both regret," Lord Mortis snarled, his patience wearing thin.

Lady Nymeria let out a derisive chuckle. "Well, these chambers don't belong to you anymore. If you're kicking me out, best believe you're coming with me. The people deserve to know what kind of monster hides behind the sheep's clothing!" She screamed, her voice reverberating through the chambers. "They deserve to know...!"

Lady Nymeria was abruptly cut off as Lord Mortis tackled her to the ground, getting on top of her and strangling her neck. "You truly are a pain in the neck, don't you know that?" he said, his voice dripping with malice, as he tightened his hold, watching as she flailed her arms and legs, scratching his face in the process.

Lord Mortis ignored the sting, watching as her face turned red, her struggles more insistent. "Get away from me, you mongrel!" she choked out, her eyes going wide with panic, but Lord Mortis only smiled in pleasure.

"No, can't do. You know way too much. This is much too perfect for you. Good riddance to bad rubbish," he said, his voice dripping with venom, as he kept his grip on her neck until her struggles ceased, watching as she drew in her last breath until she went limp, her eyes wide open, unseeing.

Only then did he let her go, breathing heavily. Watching her die had brought a flicker of relief to his already troubled heart.

"Guards!" he bellowed, rising to his feet. It took a while, but he soon heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. The door opened, and a guard rushed in.

"Yes... Your grace?" the soldier hesitated, and Lord Mortis glared at him.

"Dispose of her body and bring in a human female slave," he instructed.

Without another word, the soldier bent, carrying Lady Nymeria's lifeless body out of the chambers, leaving Lord Mortis alone. As he paced around the room, his frustration grew, and before he knew it, he was picking up a vase and smashing it against the wall, a roar building at the back of his throat.

He had never felt so humiliated before. "I am going to kill that king, if it's the last thing I do," he promised himself, even as something nagged him at the back of his mind.

Can he really?