The fear

Maddox’s P.O.V.

Bastard Prince walked towards the stairs of the throne, trying to prove God knew which point. Kitten observed his next move and ordered guards in her Alpha tone.

“Stop him!”

The guards’ bodies shook as they started acting like puppets, forming a human shield before the stairs in a jiffy. It was the standard response to an Alpha’s command on his pack mates, but watching my Kitten using this authority swelled up my heart with pride.

After suffering too much in her life, she was finally able to experience the authority of the masters she served. I always felt awful for her slave’s status. That was why I investigated at length about her mom.

It kept me awake all night long, thinking that my rules and wars had destroyed the golden years of my Erasthai’s life. And if it was really the truth, how could I ever be able to forgive myself?

Thankfully, heaven saved me from this guilt, lifting heavy weight from my chest.

I looked at her in awe as she faced the Bastard Prince with courage, speaking fearlessly.

“Oh, I see, Prince Edith!

Please show me what you got. I would love to be enlightened by you.”

The sly smirk curling up that bastard’s lips irked me to the core, he spoke.

“I have gathered an army full of scientifically enhanced werewolves over the years, Shyla.

Oh, my apologies!

Allow me to explain this in detail. I just remembered that you are illiterate.”

Kitten’s face turned red with mortification, she was visibly offended by the slap of being an uneducated girl. But it was simply the bastard’s trick to provoke her, anger was always an enemy of one’s intellect and rational thinking capabilities.

He might have an out of the world army, but now, he was playing mind games with her. So, I raised my voice to subside the flames.

“My Erasthai is well-versed in every aspect of life, bastard. She doesn’t need any explanation.”

My statement worked like magic, softening my Kitten’s facial expressions, she spoke like a scientist in response.

“Neural link chips taut with flexible threads to monitor the activities of neurons!

You hired scientists to upgrade it with an advanced control system. So, instead of harnessing body functions, it could dictate them as you see fit.

Scientists generally have a negative opinion towards the idea of computer chip implants to enhance cognitive brain function. But you forced them with my late father’s signatures.”

My Kitten’s new assistant, Hayden, received a file from his sire, who disappeared right after materializing out of thin air.

He read out the contents of the file out loud.

“I, Alpha Harrison, hereby allow Prince Edith Harrison to conduct research on brain cancer.”

Bastard Prince’s expressions were deceptively composed as if he was unfazed by Kitten’s reply, but his surprise was given away by a brief gasp, when Kitten threw that file on his face.

“You lied to my dad that you have brain cancer and need a brain chip for its cure.

To save your life, he provided you with money and resources, setting up a lab for research.”

Her rage glimmered her eyes with tears as she questioned.

“Prince Edith, you didn’t even hesitate to deceive a person who raised you.

Is this how you treat your family and savior? How can you cheat on your uncle?”

All eyes gawked at that bastard, this new set of information completely caught us off guard. The Bastard Prince harbored ill intentions towards the lycan throne due to hatred.

It was reasonable!

But how could he lie about his own health to his father-like uncle?

It was useless to expect any good from that sorry excuse of a man. So, what he said next didn’t surprise me, he lived up to his name and said,

“Your dad forced me to lie for my own money, Shyla. My dad had fifty percent shares in the family business.

But Alpha Harrison took over the whole company after my father’s death, making me a beggar in my own Palace.

I even have to explain about my credit card bills to release the payments.”

He huffed like a teenager, venting out his frustration in one breath.

“On top of that, Alpha Harrison prepared the legal documents about the transfer of assets after my mating ceremony, leaving me with no choice.

I couldn’t even murder him before, my shares could have frozen in case of his death. He was such a pain in the ass.”

“Prince Edith!”

Kitten retorted, shouting at him.

“Watch your tongue!

Not a single bad word about my dad!”

“Or what?”

The Bastard Prince giggled, speaking heartlessly.

“That batshit crazy old fogey will come back from hell and hold me accountable?

Alpha Harrison, the dark shadow over my life, is dead. I am free now!”

Stretching his arms behind his head, he spoke in a casual tone.

“Honestly speaking, Shyla, your dad wasn’t a saint. His hands were drenched in the blood of countless innocent people.

I am sure he will be burning in hell right now. He was…”

Well, that was it for my Kitten’s patience, she raised her hand with a growl, slapping him hard across his face. The loud sound of slap reverberated in the surrounding as she roared.

“You, your army, your ideology about elders, everything is lame. In fact, I feel so sorry for you, Prince Edith.

Your mother gave birth to a douche like you!”

Bastard Prince recovered from the shock of the slap after losing footing for a moment. He cleaned the bloodied corner of his lips and scoffed,

“Oh, really?

At least, my mother bore her husband’s child. She was not a slut like your mother.”

He forgot all the respectable bonds of family and ethics, yelling at Kitten as if he were a mad bull.

“Alpha Harrison kicked out your mom after marrying his promise mate. She was just a side chick, so unworthy that even a slave master only gave twenty bucks for her and her unborn child.

She was …”

Kitten listened to him with her jaw tense with tension for a while. She then grabbed his collar, strangling him with her claws.

“How do you know about my mom’s worth at the breeder camp? You were just a baby at that time.”

Bastard Prince’s eyes sparkled with savage fire as he pursed his lips, confessing eventually.

“Because just like Alpha Harrison, my dad was also habitual of documenting every expense of the household.

He added those twenty dollars to the account book under the section of trash’s sale.”

What?

Alpha Christopher Harrison had sold Kitten’s mom?

Bastard Prince said that Jennifer Alford was more beautiful than her sister, Sophia. So, when his big brother abandoned her, Alpha Christopher offered her to stay in his harem, but she refused.

“Your mother was an egoistic, narrow-minded woman, same like you, Shyla. Her sister happily lived in harem despite my dad’s marriage with his promise mate.

But your mom!

She wanted to be the only woman in a man’s life. So, my dad made sure that she is the only woman to have a new man every night for the rest of her life.”

Kitten’s forehead creased as her lips tightened in a thin line, a look of great bitterness swept across her darkened face. Her voice was so thunderous, so loud, that I couldn’t concentrate on what she said to condemn his presumptuous speech.

She became a different person, extending her claws to hit him relentlessly. Her eyes had warped into a horrifying ruby red as she cursed him.

“You lied to me, accusing Maddox of my misery when your dad was the main culprit.

This is the end of your treachery, Prince Edith. I will kill you!”

Bastard Prince dodged Kitten’s blows and tried to stop her, but in vain. She was unstoppable.

But he broke into a fit of laughter when Kitten announced.

“You will die the most shameful death in the history of the Werewolves, Prince Edith. A sire vampire will rip your throat, draining you dead.

You won’t even receive the funeral or a Fenrir wolf.”

Bastard’s laughter played as background music to this announcement, buzzing like a danger siren in my mind. It was evident from his relaxation that still he had an upper hand in the battle.

Soon, his wolf took over him, growling loudly. He was overconfident because of his resources.

“My army of special werewolves has taken a complete hold on the lycan pack. And you, my dear promise mate, can’t kill me.

You know the rules, sweetie! That’s not how it works!”

Shit! Shit! Shit!

The panic grew stronger, clamoring over my mind, I wanted to jump out of my skin and join the ether. That issue was the bone of contention, the final difficulty in the jigsaw puzzle of our mate-bond.

The magic of promise mate had challenged the limits of nature, entangling the red threads of matrimony. Ending it wasn’t as easy as rejection. The grave consequences were attached to this dark magic.

The restricted feeling growing in my chest constricted my airflow, as if I was strangled by just the air about me. I could easily understand Kitten’s situation, she was new to this allure of power and lust. And the way she held the justice for her family, reminded me of my youth where I didn’t return to my former self after signing my first decree.

My terrified gaze reluctantly landed on Kitten, fearing her decision about our future ...