Chapter 34 34
Venessa’s POV
“He said Tyrell is on his side,” I continued, my voice low, controlled. “They plan to work on you to sway you to their cause. He’s given Jalisa three months to win Denzel over. If she fails, he intends to eliminate Denzel and seize control of the army through her.”
Rayon cut in immediately.
“Venessa, please,” he said tightly. “I know Denzel is your fated mate, and I know you’re angry with Jalisa but these are serious accusations.”
I shook my head, refusing to back down.
“Please, Rayon. I’ll be gone in a few months. I gain nothing from lying about this.”
He studied me, his brow furrowing.
“So Denzel wasn’t lying about the agreement between the two of you?” he asked.
I nodded.
The sadness that crossed his face was unmistakable.
“When were you going to tell me?” he asked quietly. There was a fracture in his voice, and I knew then that the truth had hurt him more than he wanted to admit.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I’ll explain everything before I leave. I promise. But I can’t say more right now.”
“Don’t tell me you’re a spy,” he said flatly.
I shook my head quickly.
“No. Nothing like that. I swear to you.”
He searched my face for a long moment before finally exhaling.
“Go on.”
“Jalisa had no knowledge of the poisoning,” I said. “She played no part in it. But her father confessed to her that Tyrell is on his side. Tyrell was the one who poisoned you to remove Denzel. There was urgency behind it. He believes you were the reason Denzel survived the attack. He wants you either loyal to him or dead.”
Rayon went still.
“Those wolves…” he murmured. “Their scent felt familiar.”
He looked up sharply.
“Is that why you were panicking? Why you begged me not to eat with them?”
I nodded.
“This is dangerous, Venessa,” he said gravely. “I can’t take this to Denzel without proof. We’re talking about the king. Accusing him without evidence would be treason.”
“I’m not telling you this so you can run to Alpha Denzel,” I said firmly. “I’m telling you so you can protect yourself. I don’t want you dead, Rayon. I know your loyalty you won’t betray your Alpha. And I know that makes you a target. They’re willing to kill you for it. Jalisa begged for time, but I doubt she’ll be able to stop her father when the moment comes. He’s ambitious. And what he wants is Denzel’s army.”
Rayon lowered his head. His eyes shimmered.
“It’s not the army that wins wars,” he said quietly. “It’s the general. With Denzel and me gone, Tyrell wouldn’t be able to command the troops effectively. They would lose.”
He shook his head in disbelief.
“I don’t understand Fabian. He’s already a werewolf king. Why reach for the Lycan throne too? Why be so dangerously ambitious? The shifter community already despises him. Denzel has enemies because of his association with Fabian. What more does he want?”
His jaw tightened.
“I warned Denzel not to accept the engagement to Jalisa. But his father wanted the alliance, and Denzel honored that wish. And now this.”
Regret weighed heavily in his voice.
“We have to counter them,” I said. “If we expose Jalisa’s affair with Tyrell, we remove two threats at once.”
Rayon looked at me carefully.
“That’s speculation, Venessa,” he said. “And even if it’s true Jalisa is pregnant. It takes more than three months for a child to be born and tested. She could hide behind that pregnancy for a long time.”
I didn’t know how to tell him what I already knew.
It was difficult dangerous to explain Tyrell’s involvement without revealing how I’d learned the truth. It would sound suspicious that I always happened to be nearby when crimes were committed. I couldn’t tell him I had caught Jalisa and Tyrell together. I couldn’t tell him that the child might not even be Denzel’s.
Sometimes, how information is obtained determines whether it can be used at all.
I needed to find cleaner, more credible ways of gathering proof methods that wouldn’t raise questions or endanger me further.
Hiding in closets and lurking in corners wasn’t just reckless.
It was no longer an option.