259

Bernardo

"Why did they stop?"

I let out when I saw that the vehicle ahead of us which was carrying Theo suddenly stopped. It didn't take long for my question to be answered. I saw him trying to get out of the back of the van that was carrying him.

The deltas holding him in place were having a hard time even though the fucker was in chains. At first, I feared that the shift might be happening already but then I pushed the fear aside, even if it did happen, he was still greatly outnumbered.

Our car stopped and all three of us were out of the car as soon as we did. We raced to the van and blocked him before he got out.

"Let me go! Fucking let me go!"

He yelled, pushing hard and trying to be free. I don't even know how he thought it would work for him. He was still in chains and still looked very weak. Even shouting and fighting to break free was taking most of his strength already. There was no reason for us to even do a lot of work.

The deltas held him back in place and he either gave up fighting or he used up all the strength that he had reserved while he was out of it. Either way, he looked very pitiful yet evoked zero pity or sympathy from me.

I couldn't sympathize with a loser who not only tried to steal my kingdom but plotted to kidnap my woman. The thought of what might have happened if he had gotten his hand on Harlyn instead of the mistake he made by taking Helaine instead made me so scared.

My baby wasn't a fighter. It would have been hard for her to overpower him like her sister did. I don't want to say or think it but it was hard not to. I felt glad that it was Helaine he took and not my mate. Thanks to his stupid mistake, my mate didn't have to experience being taken against her will again and best of all, we caught him.

"Pathetic."

I spat out and turned to Damien and Ryan.

"I will stay in this van with him. You both can ride the car back to the palace."

Damien was already shaking his head in disapproval before I finished talking. Not that I am about to let him talk me out of what I already concluded. Yes, they were strong. Both of them but I was stronger and had a better chance at fighting off the sick bastard if the need arises.

I wasn't about to put my best friend and my sister's mate at risk of being ripped apart by a newly formed hybrid. Not that there's a chance for him to change. Still, I wasn't about to take any chances.

"I am your alpha king and I have told you. You will listen to me."

The disapproving growl that came from the lot of them fell on deaf ears. I hated using the alpha card with the two of them but this once, I didn't mind. I signaled to the deltas who had been riding with Theo and one of them got out. I jumped onto the van and waved at my best friend who was still scowling in disapproval.

"Your majesty. We can't have you ride with a criminal! You are the king!"

He reminded me as if I didn't know.

"There's no stopping me, Damien. If anyone should ride with him then it should be me. You can't talk me out of it."

I concluded.

"Your majesty."

He said, pleadingly.

"Don't worry, if he tears me apart, you can take over the throne and you can be his deputy."

I told Damien and Ryan.

"Yeah? And you think the Queen won't have me beheaded for letting her mate ride alone with a potential high-risk criminal?"

Okay, he got me with my mate but that wasn't going to change my mind.

"Just have some faith in me, will you? We can't stay here all night long. I have to speak with my people, remember?"

I let out. He scowled and turned to my sister's mate who had a similar disapproving look.

"Your sister will kill me if she finds out I let you ride with him."

Yeah, she probably will but then again, that would make her mateless and her kids fatherless so she might spare his life.

"Just go!"

I told them firmly. I watched as they reluctantly turned and left me.

"Okay, let's get moving."

I called out and the van started again. I looked at Theo and shook my head. This is what he reduced himself to. I gave him everything. He had one of the biggest sub-pack in the whole kingdom. I didn't pressure him to bring in more than the other betas even though his side of the pack was among the top three biggest earners in the kingdom.

In fact, the way I let him do whatever he wanted, it could have easily been his own pack. Like he was close to being alpha and if he had acted right, he would have made his way to a better post in the kingdom.

I was going to overlook all his shortcomings. Yeah, I was going to do it for his father who turned out to be the biggest monster. The main culprit of everything. He still sat in the dungeon waiting for his judgment and by the end of tonight, his fate will be known to him. Both father and son will face the same fate.

"Is this what you wanted? Is this what you spent so many years plotting? You look pathetic, Theo."

I spat out. He grumbled but didn't lift his head.

"You had it all. I gave you all the freedom in the world. I let you do whatever the fuck you wanted but you took everything and rubbed it back in my face. I knew from the beginning that you never liked me but I didn't expect your hatred for me to turn into something this huge. You killed my people. You tried to kidnap my mate."

That part pissed me off the most. The fact that he actually planned and implemented a kidnap. The fact that he tried to take my beloved mate. I wanted to be petty and beat him up knowing that he couldn't fight back in his current state but I wasn't a petty fighter.

"Did you really think that you could get away with kidnapping the Luna of the Crimson Moon?"

I questioned him. He finally lifted his head and looked me directly in the eyes. His eyes were pretty gone. There was no life in them. He looked soulless. Did the fierce vampire take his soul too? I don't know but I know she did a lot of damage to him.