Chapter 102 Untitled Chapter

Chapter 102 Untitled Chapter
The healer…. She was the sorceress…?

Rina still found that hard to believe. She may not have had a close relationship with the woman but she had always seemed to be there when they needed her. 

When she and Lyon had been whipped to almost an inch of his life, she had been there to heal him, make sure he turned out alright. Lyon, Cain, the king, heck the entire kingdom trusted her, coming to her with their ills and pains.

And all along she had been the enemy instead. Plotting against them.

The healer cocked her head curiously. “What? Don’t you have anything to say?” She inquired, her leathery lips crinkling into a mockery of the smile she used to wear when they thought she’d been on their side.

That’s when Rina realized. The warm eyes, the wise smile… it had all been a facade. She had been laughing at them all along.

A giggle cut into the thick tension, Samorah appearing from the shadows that lingered on the doorway, behind her Frieda and some other men.

“But what can she say to you, mistress?” Samorah grinned smugly. “You fooled them all so completely. They didn’t even have a clue. I kind of feel bad for them, I guess it’s not their fault. Wolves are just a little bit dumb.”

Snickers filled the room as the sorceress's men that had filled the room erupted into laughter.

A tide of red creeped up Rina’s neck from her face as she acknowledged their truth. Not that the werewolves were born stupid. No, but the fact that they had simply had no clue whatsoever about the danger that had been in their midst all this while.

The sorceress’s eyes gleamed as she saw the anger kindling in Rina’s eyes, the rage boiling in her veins. “Yes Rina,” she prodded maliciously, already transformed to her younger self. “I can see you have something dancing at the tip of your tongue. Speak.”

Rina couldn't hold back anymore. “Why?” She asked, volatile. “Why do all of this? Tricking people. Killing innocents. And for what? Because of some damned throne? It’s despicable!”

“Shut up!” The sorceress’s dark eyes flashed with anger. “What do you know? Who are you to judge? Yes, I’ve done some bad things but it was for the greater good. Everything was for the betterment of this kingdom!”

A loud scoff came from behind. It was Rina’s wolf, speaking for the first time since this reckoning strayed.

“The greater good?” Her lips twisted. “Was poisoning the Smyrian princess into a coma part of that plan? Or maybe killing those elders and the witch? Or maybe locking me and the hybrid so Rina would be powerless, that was still for our good right?” The wolf spat in hatred.

“It was you? You did all that?” Rina staggered back, hardly daring to believe it. So the sorceress had been the one responsible for all that? For locking her powers away?

The wise woman blinked slowly but there was no sign of regret on her face. Instead a small smile played on her lips. But before she could even speak, Samorah beat her to the punch, barking a sharp laughter.

“Oh Rina dear, you’ve always been so naive.” She shook her head, walking closer to her. “What were you thinking? We didn’t just hatch this plan iver night. No, every thing was well thought out and when the veil tears and we awaken the s—”

A room filled with the sound of a loud slap, effectively cutting off her speech.

The sorceress had backhanded her.

Samorah clutched her cheeks, her eyes tearing. “Mistress…”

“Get out of here, Samorah.” The witch ordered brusquely. “Before I cut off your tongue.” When she still hesitated, she snarled. “Out! All of you. Before I kill you all.”

I’m less than no time at all, everyone had vacated the space, save for Rina, her chained wolf and of course the sorceress. But when Frieda wanted to leave she held her back, telling her curtly to stay. “You too have a right to hear what I have to say.”

Rina ignored her cryptic words, and went straight for the attack. “What are you planning? Who do you plan on awakening?” Her hands tightened on the bars. “Tell me now.”

The sorceress barked a short laugh. “Oh my, oh my, so much anger Rina. Believe me when I say though that it was not personal to you? I always liked you. You were quiet and kept to yourself. It really was quite a pity that the alpha prince turned out to be your mate. Although I should have seen it coming.”

Something clicked. "And is that why you recommended the Luna challenge? To create some sort of distraction while you hatched that evil plan of yours?”

"I can see you catch on quickly.”

Rina gripped the bars so tight, her knuckles cracked and she wished that it was the sorceress's hotels in between her palms, she would squeeze it until it popped.

“So that's the reason? To kill a whole bunch of people just to claim a throne that isn’t you’re in the first place?” She shook her head in disgust. “Kyrian may be a tyrannical king but he's a million times better than you, I think." 

That seemed to explode the witch into a rage. "Shut up you ungrateful wretch! What do you know? I have more right to that throne than that wretched brother of mine.” 

Her eyes gleamed triumphantly, as Rina took a step back in shock. "Oh yes! The Alpha King is my step brother." She smiled cruelly. 

“But how?” Rina exclaimed in shock. “You’re a witch! How can the king be your brother?” 

The healer looked at her mockingly. “There really is a lot you don't know, do you? You see, Kyrian, he brother took everything away from me. Now I'm going to repay the favour.”

She stepped closer to Rina and it was as if the shadows moved with her as one. “We’re alike, you know, you and I. Just as you too were rejected, so was I. Even though I was the daughter of the king, I was as worthless as an Omega to him and do you want to know why?” 

There was a shimmering quality to the sorceress’ eyes as she told her story and it made Rina flinch. Was it possible that the sorceress could feel… pain? Then she laughed snidely and Rina cursed herself for being so gullible.

“I did everything to please him, my father. I was the best at archery, tournaments, books, training everything. I bested Kyrian many times. But when it was time for the next heir to be chosen, I was overlooked, ignored, cast to the side. Instead my pathetic, whoring younger, step brother was chosen and all because I was female. Because I didn’t have a penis!”

Her body shook with remembered rage. “That made me mad, Rina. You have no idea how mad I was. I was the better choice! Kyrian knew this and when he was crowned, the first thing he did was to arrange to have me assassinated and when that didn't work, he made sure I was banished so I wouldn't become a threat to the throne. I was stripped of my royal status and a decree was passed so that anyone who saw me was free to kill me. I was hunted by my own kind, even children…”

The shadows surrounding suddenly tightened, swirling together in a furious, angry dark cloud. And though Rina couldn't see any hint of emotion in those eyes, she could tell that somehow she needed to say this, needed to give heart to those words in her heart that had weighed her for so long. 

“And when I was too weak to run and they found me, I was beaten, tortured and broken like a common dog.” She smiled bitterly. “From royalty to dog, that was my story. That was how I was supposed to end. But then… she came."

"What woman?" she asked, horrified when the sorceress paused.

"A sorceress.” She answered simply. "She found me, and rescued me from the brink of death. Clothed me, bathed me and fed me. And I was grateful, grateful that a mere stranger had helped when even my own kind had rejected me. I owed her my life and so I asked her how I could repay her. And do you know what she told me, Rina?”

She cackled, her eyes glinting fanatically. “She told me to carry her curse.”