166

166

The palace grew tense as Kevin moved through the halls with sharp footsteps. His eyes were cold, and everyone who saw him turned away. His anger filled the air, and no one dared stop him. He already knew something was wrong. He knew Keegan had been doing things behind his back. He knew someone had betrayed him.
A young warrior rushed into the hallway to greet him.
“Alpha Kevin… we—”
Kevin grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him against the wall.
“Where is Keegan?” Kevin shouted. “Where has he been going at night? Tell me everything.”
The warrior shook, terrified. “I—I don’t know. I only know he has been meeting people in the lower halls.”
Kevin’s jaw tightened. He hit the warrior in the stomach, making him fall to his knees.
“You know nothing,” Kevin growled. “Useless.”
He walked away quickly, leaving the warrior gasping on the floor. He stormed into the training yard and shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.
“All warriors, gather here now!”
Within seconds, wolves lined up in rows. Some of them looked tired. Some looked scared. Kevin walked in front of them with his hands behind his back.
“I know some of you have been talking to Keegan,” Kevin said. “I know some of you are hiding secrets. Anyone who lies to me today will be punished.”
One warrior stepped forward. “Alpha, we have not—”
Kevin slapped him hard before he could finish. The man fell to the ground.
Kevin shouted again, “Every one of you is under watch! If you help Keegan, you betray your Alpha. And betrayal means death!”
The warriors stood frozen. No one dared speak again.

Far away from the courtyard, Rosa hid inside one of the old servant rooms. She held her children close while breathing heavily. She had heard from a servant that Kevin was looking for her. She knew he was becoming dangerous, and she did not want him near her babies.
Her youngest child started to cry softly.
“Hush,” Rosa whispered. “I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She placed the baby against her shoulder and rocked gently. But even while trying to calm them, she kept her ears open for footsteps. She knew Kevin could appear at any moment.

At the same time, Keegan sat in a hidden passage behind the library, waiting for the old advisor. His face was pale, and his hand shook slightly. He knew Kevin suspected something. He knew things were getting worse.
The old advisor arrived moments later, holding a stack of old papers.
“Keegan,” he whispered, “I have something important.”
Keegan leaned forward. “What did you find?”
The advisor pulled out a torn envelope and held it carefully.
“This envelope once carried a letter from the king. It was meant for you,” the advisor explained. “The king wrote a confession inside. He said he feared Kevin. He said he was scared Kevin might harm him.”
Keegan’s heart beat faster. “Where is the letter?”
The advisor shook his head sadly. “Kevin took it. But some pieces remain. And look…”
He brought out a page from the king’s journal, one of the missing pages.
Keegan read it slowly.
If anything happens to me, it will be because Kevin has changed. I fear what he is becoming. I fear for Keegan. I fear for this kingdom.
Keegan felt his chest tighten.
“He really wrote this…” Keegan whispered.
The advisor nodded. “He tried to warn you.”
Keegan placed his hands on his face. “I should have known. I should have—”
“Keegan,” the advisor said firmly, “you were not the one who failed. Kevin fooled everyone. He lied to everyone.”
Rosa suddenly appeared at the end of the passage, still holding her children. Her eyes were red.
“Keegan,” she whispered urgently, “Kevin is looking for me. He is angry. He is hurting warriors. We have to act fast.”
Keegan stood and went to her immediately. “Rosa, are you alright? Did he touch you?”
“No,” she said. “But he will. He is losing control. We must finish this before it is too late.”
Keegan nodded and took her hand.
“We have enough evidence now,” he said. “We take everything to the elders. They must know the truth.”
The advisor brought out more items from his bag: the king’s journal, the broken seal, the original Alpha transfer document, and testimonies he had written down from servants who saw strange things the night the king died.
“This is all we have,” the advisor said. “It is enough to expose him.”
Keegan held the documents carefully. “Then tonight, we go to the council hall.”

When night fell, the investigation group gathered behind the council building. There were six warriors who trusted Keegan, the old advisor, Rosa, and Keegan himself.
Rosa whispered, “Is this safe?”
“No,” Keegan answered. “But we have no choice.”
They moved silently into the hall. The elders were already waiting inside. Some looked nervous. Some looked confused. Others looked angry.
Elder Maron stepped forward.
“You called us here,” he said. “You said there is something we must hear. Speak.”
Keegan placed the documents on the table.
“These are the king’s journal entries,” he said. “These letters show he feared Kevin. These testimonies show Kevin removed all guards on the night of the king’s death. This envelope belonged to the king’s personal guard who died right after. And this…”
Keegan held up the Alpha transfer agreement.
“…is the real agreement. The king named me as his successor. Not Kevin.”
Gasps filled the room.
One elder whispered, “This is impossible.”
Another elder whispered, “We were deceived.”
Rosa stepped forward and pointed at the broken seal.
“This seal is proof that the king wrote a message to Keegan before he died. Kevin stole that message and executed the guard who tried to deliver it.”
Elder Maron looked pale. “Are you telling us Kevin killed the king?”
Keegan took a breath. “Yes. And then he forced me to confess. He threatened me with something very personal. Something I could not fight against.”
The elders sat silently for a moment before Elder Nara stood up.
“We must remove Kevin from power,” she said. “He is dangerous.”
Another elder nodded. “We will take this evidence to the council. At dawn, Kevin will be confronted.”
Keegan felt a small sense of relief. Finally, he was not alone. Finally, people believed him.
But then… a soft sound came from the hallway.
A door closing.
Footsteps running.
Keegan spun around.
“Who is there?” he shouted, rushing to the hall entrance.
But the hallway was empty.
The old advisor’s face darkened.
“That was not an elder,” he whispered. “Someone heard us.”
Rosa grabbed Keegan’s arm. “We need to leave now.”
Keegan picked up the documents quickly. “We must hide them.”

Across the palace, a frightened palace servant ran into Kevin’s room. Tears ran down his face.
“A-Alpha… I… I heard… the elders… they met Keegan… they have evidence… they want to remove you…”
Kevin slowly turned his head toward the servant. His eyes were wide. His breathing was heavy.
“What… did you just say?” he whispered.
The servant fell to his knees. “I swear I did not want to hear it. I swear—”
Kevin grabbed a glass off the table and threw it across the room. It shattered loudly.
“GET OUT!” Kevin screamed.
The servant scrambled out of the room in terror.
Kevin stood there shaking. His hands formed fists. His breath grew faster. His face turned red.
“They think they can take my crown,” he whispered. “They think they can betray me.”
He kicked a chair across the room. It slammed into the wall and broke.
“No one takes anything from me!” Kevin shouted. “No one!”
He swept everything off his table, sending books, candles, and papers flying.
He grabbed his hair with both hands, pulling hard as he shook with rage.
“They will pay,” Kevin said. “Every one of them will pay. I will not lose my crown. I will not lose my kingdom.”
His eyes darkened.
“And I will not lose to Keegan.”
He walked toward the door with a dangerous look.