Chapter 67

Chapter 67
Calix's POV.

I hated the slight tremor in my hands as I stepped away and read the letter.

The first paragraph spoke of how he missed her. The next confirmed they had arrived safely in Azalea-and that my mate was truly sick.

A growl rumbled in my chest as I read about my mate's suffering at the hands of the same people who were supposed to protect her. Unbridled fury crashed through me and I closed the letter.

"No! That's not possible!" I raked my fingers through my hair and paced the room. "If she's really going through this suffering, how come I am not feeling it too through our mate bond? At least, we've marked and still remain fully mated to each other."

"Randolph cannot lie to me," Leia defended, cradling her stomach. "He might have kept a truth from me, once, the letter Princess Emily wrote to him while they were still here. But he would never lie to me!" she stressed.

"I never said he was lying."

"Then what are you trying to'say?" she asked.

Sighing, I stopped pacing the room.

"Something doesn't seem right. Han, do you remember what she said to me the other day in Cathena as we tried to abduct her?" Asking, I turned to my beta.

"That she'd shove a stone down your throat?"

Right. Leia broke into a chuckle. "Not that, Han!" I eyed him. "That moment I Backed her against the tree in the harmlet, she went... 'it's you, it's you, the stranger from my nightmares."

"What are you trying to say?" Leia asked.

What I'm trying to say is that someone has been messing with my mate's mind using my face!" I blurted with a sharp intake of breath. "It could be the reason I've not been able to feel her suffering through our bond."

"Are you suggesting dark magic?" Han asked.

"Something of that nature," replied.

Leia gasped. "That could be it!" She clasped her hand over her mouth, and we all glanced at her. "The day before Randolph and Emily left, she talked about an-encounter with a witch in the forest bordering the training grounds."

"Wait, what?!" I grimaced, not believing my ears. "Wait, my mate had an encounter with a witch in the forest and I just know now?"

Leia paused, and her gaze softened with guilt. "I'd thought it was fragments of her Musion. She said the witch had a dagger and tried to hurt her. But I didn't believe her, I thought she was mad."

My hands clenched into fists. A storm of emotions raging through me-anger, regret, desperation.

I can't even be angry at Leia for withholding such sensitive information from me as I myself had foolishly pushed my mate away that afternoon before they left Tyr by instructing my guards not to let her on the top floor. Who knows?

She might have been there for this-trying to tell me about the witch.

"And?" I asked, desperately craving to uncover the rest of the story.

"And when I got there with the warriors, we scouted the entire forest, but found no one. The more reason I felt it was an illusion."

A snarl rumbled my chest. "I want all the information about that witch, her name, her coven. Everything!" I instructed, turning to Han. "But before that, prepare the ships and the Nirian army. We leave for Azalea in thirty minutes."

"Yes, My Lord." Han nodded and marched but of the room. Leia stepped toward me, biting her lips as she struggled with her own guilt. "What if we're late, Calix? What if this magic is stronger than we think? Would Emily survi-"

"Stop it, Leia!" I calmly interrupted.

"Nothing is going to happen to my mate.

She's not going to die."

Leia bowed her head and sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Calix," she mumbled. "I didn't know. I sincerely didn't know it was important."

"It's fine, Leia. We have all made terrible mistakes in the past. What matters is correcting our wrongs and doing better in the future."

"I'm a terrible cousin."

"Never say that again!" I chided, walking to her. I took her hands and patted them.

"You're not a terrible cousin. In my next Kife, I would choose you over and over again to be my cousin through thick and thin."

She sniffled, and a faint smile touched her lips.

"We'll go to Azalea and bring her back home. We'll find the witch, have her reverse the spells, and make them pay for their evil deeds."

And that was exactly the problem.

Slowly, I placed Randolph's letter in her palm and stepped back. "You're not coming, Leia," I announced.

"What?"

"Have you forgotten that you're with a child?" I asked. "It would be very foolish of me to put your life at risk by dragging you with me to an enemy's land."

"But Randolph explained that it wasn't intentional that night. Alpha Thane and his men didn't mean to raid Tyr."

Yet I'm not taking any chances," I calmly retorted. "I want you to stay back and be safe. I won't forgive myself if anything happens to you. Don't worry, you can heip. Maybe by going through the library and see if you can find books about witches' spells, how to rescind them."

She wanted to protest. I saw it in the way her jaw tightened. But she sighed and nodded. "Alright. But please, be safe, Calix."

We exchanged faint smiles.

Footsteps echoed into the room and Han stood at the threshold. "My Lord, everything is ready. Your army awaits."

Leia stepped into my embrace and I hugged her. "Please, be safe," I whispered into her hair. Stepping back, I walked to my beta and switched to our alpha-beta mindlink. "Select the finest warriors to watch over her," I commanded.

He gave a firm nod and I proceeded to the grand terrace of the castle.

In the courtyard, a servant approached with one of my imperial cloaks. I wore it and climbed into my carriage. After Han joined me, the footman shut the door.

But all through the ride to the ports, I was Jost in thoughts, chastising myself for sending her away in her weakest moments.

Guilt flooded my heart when I remembered how I hit her that morning before they left. Good grief, I was as much the villain as everyone who had hurt her.

What happened to my vow, to the promise that I would never hit her?

A wave of sadness swept through me.

Would she forgive me? After she recovers, will she want me back?

The carriage trudged to a halt.

"We have arrived," Han announced.

Glancing across the window, I caught a glimpse of the Nirian army standing in formation along the shores of Tyr, the polished steel of their armor glistening under the early morning sun.

Behind them, over half a dozen of my warships floated in the water, their sails billowing in the breeze.

I never imagined a time would come when I would need them.

"The fleet is prepared to sail at your command," Han muttered.

I turned to him. "Are you ready?"

"More than ready, My Lord."

My army fell into salute as my boots hit the wooden docks. Straightening, I walked to a raised platform and stood. A slithering silence ghosted the place save for the squawks of the seagulls overhead.

Then, with deliberate ease, I lifted a hand and gave a single nod.

As one, the soldiers straightened, and their hands dropped to their sides, their shoulders squared.

They stared at me with undisputed loyalty and anticipation. I hesitated for a moment, and scanned the area.

We sail for Azalea," I began. "Not for conquest. Not for glory. But to bring back your Luna. We do not abandon our own, not now, not ever. We will tear through the walls of Azalea if we must. We will face whatever magic, whatever army stands in our way. And we will not return without her. So, prepare yourselves. We sail at once!"

A resounding chorus of agreement rose into the air, and the men began boarding the ships. I signaled my beta and, together, we boarded the lead vessel. Climbing the poop deck, I studied my map one more time, and ran my hands on the wheels.

I turned to my beta. "Raise the anchor."

With a sharp nod, Han turned to the crew and clamored across the instruction. The captains of the rest of the ships clamored theirs.

Under a split minute, the ships groaned and steered for Azalea.



Randolph's POV.

I sat on the edge of my bed, absentmindedly polishing my shoes. I can't shake off the feeling something terrible is about to happen today.

Is it Princess Emily? Is she going to kick the bucket today after days and nights of unending torture?

Her groans reverberated the walls of the castle. It hurt that there was nothing could do to help-the fact that I, just like the rest of them, once believed that these barbaric acts could heal her.

Sulking under a breath, I closed my eyes and willed my mind to think about something else-anything to pull me out of the pain of her screams.

My thoughts drifted to that moment when Leia suggested the name for our pup. Seraphina if she was a girl or Draven if he was a boy. The names sounded perfect.

My heart pooled with affection as 1 jmagined what they'd look like. Of course, flawless as their mother. My hands Itched to hold them in my arms.

Reopening my eyes, I resumed polishing my boots.

The door creaked open. I looked up just as Alpha Thane stepped inside my chamber. "My Lord!" I gasped and jerked to my feet. Instinctively, I dipped in a bow.

"Randolph."

Slowly, I straightened, surprised to see him set foot in my chamber for the first time.

"To what do I owe this pleasant surprise, My Lord? His Majesty blessing my chamber with his presence?"

King Thane turned to his guards at the threshold and dismissed them with a glance. Exhaling, he brought back his gaze on me.

was thinking we could complete our discussion from that night you arrived from Tyr," he said.

arched in a bow. "Of course, My Lord."

I saw his mark on my daughter's neck. The Lycan King Calix. He seems to have claimed her."

I hesitated. "Yes, My Lord. He has marked her, and she-him."

"This King Calix, what's he like?"

"He's a force to reckon with," My Lord.

"He's good-looking, but ruthless...very ruthless. He does not waver in the face of danger. He does not forgive betrayal or show mercy to those who cross him. The mere mention of his name strikes fear in the hearts of both men and shifters, and his army would raze cities in a blink of an eye if he so commands it."

Suddenly, the warning bell went off, vibrating the walls of the castle. Alpha Thane and I exchanged wary glances.

Footsteps echoed down the corridors and a guard marched into the room, "My Lord." He bowed to Alpha Thane. "My Lord, a dark mass of warships are sailing towards our shores. They're lycans, they have sophisticated weapons. It's nothing like what I've seen before."

"It's him," I rasped, my throat tightening. "That's King Calix."