Innocent?
Maddox’s P.O.V.
“Kitten is innocent!”
Bastard Prince’s eye-opening confession clarified it that it was his vile plan all along. He meticulously took advantage of our emotions and reactions to certain scenarios.
The volcano of anger rumbled in my chest, burning me inside out with fiery lava as he spoke gleefully.
“As usual, Shyla is busy freeing slaves in the breeder camp. But soon, she will be here and kill you with her own hands, Alpha Maddox. I would love to see your pitiful death.
It’s said that: A wound from your soulmate hurts a thousand times more than …”
A sliver of dread touched my spine as the mere notion of approaching death dried my throat. I was hell scared of the calamity which was about to strike us.
Bastard Prince had skillfully knitted a web of cheat and deceit, disrespecting the blood relationships as well as the bonds of souls. I couldn’t help but growl at him.
“How dare you call yourself a King, bastard? You took a piggyback ride on my Erasthai’s back to reach this throne.
Such a disgrace!
You don’t even deserve to be called a man.”
My attempt to show him the mirror hit the right spot as the Bastard Prince shot up, pointing his finger at me.
“I have achieved everything due to my matchless intellect, Alpha. You are an old school, believing in centuries’ old backward methods to fight and win battles.
This is 2024, an era of science and technology. I have used my knowledge to defeat you.”
His offended growls echoed in the throne hall as he yelled, giving me a moment to race my brain for an immediate plan.
“I hired experts from across the Kingdom and did research to invent a perfect brain implant, creating an interface between brain and computer chips.
I bet you don’t even know the ‘T’ of this technology.”
Just shut up!
Zeth rolled his eyes at him, Bastard Prince’s show-off was interrupting his continuous tires to mind-link Kitten. According to my instant strategy, it was feasible to tell Kitten or her trusted friend about her so-called promise mate’s evil deeds. That was the only method which could help me to buy some time for my next step.
I mind-linked Moira, my last hope, and conveyed her a message.
“Try to find Shyla. Tell her that Edith is the one who killed her dad.”
The Bastard Prince sensed something fishy from my silence and climbed down the stairs in a hurry, hissing at me.
“Don’t try so hard to find a way out of this situation, Alpha. You are doomed!
Nothing can save you from your painful ending!”
Glaring at me with his pitch-black, protruding eyes, that bastard tried to use his puny Alpha command on me.
“Bare your neck in submission, and bow before me, Maddox. You have surrendered willingly.”
He sneered, attempting to intimidate me, “And why do you even think that I have left Shyla unsupervised? I have appointed my trusted Beta on her security. He will take care of everything.
This isn’t the end for me, instead, it’s the beginning of my rule!”
Clenching his fist, that bastard waited for me to act upon his words, following his order. But I stared back at him, not giving in to his fake authority.
His face changed color for a moment before he could compose himself, and change his strategy.
“You know what, Maddox. Leave it!
I think you are more interested in my future plans besides your slow death.
Well, it’s good!
Even pigeons close their eyes in front of cats to avoid the sight of their hunt.”
He let out an amused laughter while moving two steps closer to me, and spoke in a taunting tone.
“Look carefully, this is the same throne hall where I will mark Shyla as mine, taking her as my Queen. Our couple will be a legendary one, a new example of lovebirds in the supernatural world.
People will always remember how a mate-bond fails before the marvels of magic.”
My lips purses in disgust as the force of restraint constricted my stomach into a tight ball, I hardly stopped myself from tearing his throat.
He was holding Shyla’s hostage, hiding her God knows where. I couldn’t risk her and Marcel’s life for my throne as Bastard Prince said,
“Shyla is my Queen in the game of chess, and my best shot to have a pure-blooded Fenrir Alpha heir.
It’s her luck that she is not an over smart woman, it can be harmful for a female to have a brain with beauty.
She is beautiful, fertile enough to give me ten sons without challenging my authority.
If not, I would have killed her son to show who is in control.”
His blatant statement proved that he was batshit crazy, audacious enough to vomit out hatred about a woman. I was about to teach him a lesson when he swiftly ordered the guards.
“Shyla is coming. Chain him immediately!”
…
Well, it would be impossible for weak werewolves to chain me if I didn’t cooperate, Zeth suggested that I play along to gain Kitten’s sympathy. Seeing me in restraints, her heart will surely melt, I had a strong belief in our divine mate-bond.
I was praying in my heart that Moira could alert Kitten in time when the wave of peach blossom scent brushed my face like a fresh breeze in the morning. My soul was rejuvenated by the arrival of my Erasthai. A part of me was relieved to see Marcel in her arms, safe and healthy.
Kitten walked inside the throne hall with stern facial expressions, the indifference etched on her face skipped my heart beat. Her frosty aura exuded the air of dominance, sending shivers down my spine.
I was shaken up to see her dressed in a pure white gown, tormenting me without uttering a single word. Then the person tailing my Kitten instantly fumed me.
“It’s Alpha Raymond!”
Zeth growled, cursing that ingrate Alpha, who betrayed me despite keeping his son safe. He should be awarded as the most flagrant person alive.
As Kitten only threw a dirty glare at me to acknowledge my presence, I mustered up some courage to speak.
“Trust me, Kitten!
I didn’t kill Alpha Harrison. It was Edith who poisoned him.”
For a heart stopping moment, Kitten’s cold gaze met mine, sending shock waves throughout my body. I felt my insides frozen by their iciness.
Kitten adjusted the straps of the baby carrier and spoke coldly.
“Only you can blame others after valid proof, Alpha Maddox. I am not surprised!”
Her firm Alpha tone was devoid of emotions as she signed a paper and spoke.
“The main purpose of attacking the lycan pack was to arrest Alpha Maddox for the murder of Alpha Harrison.
And now it’s done! We shouldn’t delay the execution. A criminal like Maddox doesn’t deserve to live one second more.”
“Kitten!!!”
I gasped, unable to believe my ears, the cold-hearted person standing right in front of me wasn’t my Erasthai. My Kitten was so pure that she could see a person’s true face without any difficulty, then how could she fail to recognize my truth?
Wasn’t our mate-bond advocating for me? Couldn’t she definitely tell whether I was lying or not?
Bastard Prince’s suggestive wiggle of brows mocked me as he mouthed, ‘Magic of promise mate’, reminding me of the first case I solved with Kitten’s help.
Catherine’s sister, Caroline was the witch, who murdered Magnus’s mother and then framed her twin, separating the two mates successfully. She had warned me before dying.
“My master will kill every member of the royals, you will be forced to submit before death.”
It dawned on me now that Edith was the real master she was referring to, that extraordinary witch’s magical assistance must have aided him to manipulate my Erasthai. Otherwise, Kitten would never ignore me.
I tried to reason with Kitten, telling her the schemes of Bastard Prince. But she turned deaf ears to my words and held a sword.
“I have sworn to avenge my father’s death. Finally, he will be able to rest in peace after your death.”
Holding that silver sword, she stalked towards me dangerously, sucking all the air from my lungs. Beta James, who was silent until now, screamed to garner her attention.
“Don’t do this, Your Highness. It’s a sin!
Heaven will never forgive you for hurting your mate.”
James tried to talk some sense into my Kitten’s head, but she was blinded by fury, she pointed the sword at him and growled.
“Who are you to speak like this, lycan? Nobody has asked your opinion.”
Before she could resume walking towards me, Beta James’s lycan pushed forward to prove his loyalty, shifting in a jiffy.
“I am a loyal servant to the Lycan King Maddox Miller. It’s my duty to protect him with my life.
Even if you are his Erasthai, I will not allow you to hurt him …”
His devoted speech was cut off by my Kitten’s ear-slitting growl, she didn’t give him a chance to complete his sentence. Raising her hand, she didn’t hesitate to drive that sword straight into James’s heart.
“No one can stop me today!”
“No!!!”
A horrified screech echoed in the surroundings, it took me a moment to realize that it was mine. I was blown away by the sudden change in the scene. The crimson blood gushing out of James’s chest coursed a jolt of panic through my veins as I struggled to break free, and rescue my Beta.
The years of friendship, our happy moments, and the wars we fought together replayed in my mind like a film, urging me to move. I wanted to save his life. But the strong chains held me in place, I couldn’t move an inch.
Edith’s lips curled up in a cold smirk as he scoffed.
“Say goodbye to this world. You are the next, Alpha Maddox.
And don’t waste your energy, these are magical chains, especially designed to restrain bloodthirsty monsters.”
Kitten kicked James to the floor as his lifeless eyes stared at me blankly, my chest was about to explode with pain.
My cruel Erasthai didn’t waste a second and raised that bloodied blade again, and this time, her aim was my heart …