Chapter 85
Gradel
I froze for a second and so did my brain as I tried to process the words that just left his lips.
"My late uncle had a son?" I asked rhetorically.
"Surprise! Surprise!" He cackled and returned to the sofa, maintaining his former sitting posture. "You know, I never imagined that I'd be here for the throne, but then, you can't leave your property in the hands of a stranger for too long, right? At the end of the day, you have to reclaim it,"
I picked the glass table in front of me against flung it against the wall. It shattered, the shards flying in different directions of the room.
My indignation knew no bounds but I had to keep my emotions in check and tread carefully. He was obviously a dangerous man and very prepared for anything that came his way.
While I was sure of beating him in a fight, I couldn't say the same for my sentinels who were weak and tied up. And I didn't want to endanger other sentinels who were outside the pack house.
At the end of the day, we weren't ready for this war. I concluded.
"You're right about your property, Elda, but you have to understand that I'm going to be Alpha soon and this pack doesn't belong to you anymore," I retorted.
He snorted and rolled his eyes. "And you think I can't stop you from being the next Alpha?"
I clenched my jaw, forcing my claws to stay back in their places as the urge to tear him apart messed with my sense of reasoning. My wolf was uneasy, growling and grunting, ready to fight him.
However, engaging him in a fight wouldn't be that easy since I didn't know him too well to detect what his weaknesses were and seeing that he had been around for a while, he'd have studied me to some extent which would give him some edge over me.
Damn it! I should have listened to Simon and killed him when I had the chance.
"You can't stop me because I have the support of the people. They know that I'd give my life for them, but they don't know you," I shot back.
He pinched his forehead and shook his head. "Is that what you think?"
I kept silent and he snapped his fingers. The door opened and Lyros stepped in and bowed to him without giving any regards to me.
"Lyros? You're working for him now?"
He bowed curtly, his face impassive. "I'm sorry, but he gave a better offer and I have my family to consider. They have to live a better life,"
I ran my fingers roughly through my hair and shut my eyes. This wasn't happening, I had to be hallucinating.
"Your bubbles have been burst and it's sad to say that he isn't the only one who feels that way. Even your mediator and head sentinel are on my side now. He isn't here because he's ensuring that your loyal sentinels don't come to save you," He taunted me. "So, are those the people you want to give your life for? People who could deny you without hesitation for their gratification,"
I glanced at Iris who sat still. She had been silent for a while and I wondered what was going through her mind. We would have been in sync if not for the issue that sprang up between us.
"I'm sorry, Elda, but I can't give you the throne. Whatever happened between your father and mine is in the past, let's forget about it and forge ahead in peace and oneness," I proposed.
He chuckled lightly then scoffed. "You're not in the position to make demands or propose anything because you have lost it all. Your power, your people and position and the only thing I want you to do before you leave is to bow to me as your new ruler,"
"Never!" The words left my lips before I could think. "I shouldn't have listened to Iris. I should have sentenced you," I panted.
"You wouldn't have been able to kill me, Gradel. Did you think I came alone that day? What I did was an act to infiltrate your pack and get the throne. If you had tried to kill me that day, you wouldn't be alive right now and that's why I'm going easy on you with my demands. Just fall on your knees and acknowledge me as the Alpha and I promise you'll have a very good position in the council. What do you say?"
It was my turn to laugh at his naivety. He may have gotten the loyalty of my people to himself but he would never break my will.
"Unfortunately, I'm not a puppet that you can order around and I'd definitely not bow to you because you can never be an Alpha!" I challenged him.
"Oh, well, you'd be taught a lesson then,"
He nudged at some of his men and they grabbed me. Before I could fight against them, I felt the jab of a needle on my neck and they left me to fall onto the ground.
My body was set ablaze and a burning pain shot through my chest. It felt like my body was about to tear into pieces and my wolf growled loudly at the sensation.
At the sound of my scream, Iris ran to me, her face filled with concern and her eyes misty.
"What did you do to my mate?" She demanded, unbuttoning my shirt so that air could pass through.
"I just injected a special poison that I happened to discover some years back into him. The same way I did to his father and little Dalian," He grinned evilly.
"You were behind their deaths?" I rasped.
He nodded with so much confidence. "Yes, yes, I was. Who else would have done it aside from me? I did it to stir up some strife between you and your mate and the pack. It worked, didn't it? Now they hate your mate so much that they'll try to kill her again if they get the chance,"
"You are so evil. You disgust me," Iris hollered with a shudder.
"I know that I am, but come on, baby, this is for the both of us. Have you forgotten what I told you back in the woods? A servant can be a king one day, so why don't you leave that pathetic man who will have the slowest death ever and join me as my Luna?"