Chapter 129 The last time I listened to you
Ruel's POV
Even through the veil, I can see how fury burns in her eyes.
Gestrid stands rigid beside the throne, her fingers curled into tight fists at her sides as she stares at me like she would gladly tear my throat out herself if the king allowed it.
The court remains silent for several long seconds after the king’s last words. Then one of the elders exhales sharply.
“What a disappointment.” The old man leans forward in his high seat, his wrinkled face twisted in disgust. “A commander of the king’s own strongest warriors brought to ruin because he allowed himself to be deceived by a sempyr.”
Murmurs ripple across the hall.
I feel Krist stirring again beneath my skin, but I keep him down.
Another elder speaks slowly from his seat, his expression colder than the first.
“This is exactly why those creatures are to be killed upon sight,” he says, his voice echoing through the chamber. “Sempyrs corrupt the minds of wolves. They steal our judgment, twist our instincts… all by spreading their legs and pretending to offer affection.”
Laughter breaks from several seats but my jaws clench.
“They crawl into our beds,” the elder continues with open disgust, “and before a wolf realizes what has happened, his mind belongs to them. His loyalty belongs to them.”
His lip curls in disgust but he doesn't stop talking.
“They are a filthy breed. Used by countless men, yet they pretend to be something sacred.”
Something hot flares inside my chest as my fingers curl slowly against the chains.
“You should know when to keep your mate’s affair private.” The words leave my mouth before I even think about them.
Gasps ripple through the elders like a sudden gust of wind.
The elder’s face drains of color.
Then it turns red with fury.
“You insolent…”
“Perhaps if you handled your own household better,” I continue coldly, “you wouldn’t feel the need to project your problems onto every other female in existence.”
The elder slams his hands against the arms of his chair.
“Commander Ruel!”
Alpha king Andre lifts his hand slightly. “That’s more than enough.”
Silence falls instantly.
His gaze remains fixed on me, as something darkly amused flickers behind his eyes. Then slowly… he smirks.
“She indeed is his mate,” he says, shaking his head. “Or he wouldn’t be defending someone who nearly got him killed.”
The elders exchange uneasy glances. But Alpha King Andre continues calmly.
“That is the nature of the bond. It's a cage.”
My jaw tightens.
“A cage no wolf escapes.” he continues, taking another step closer. “No matter how hard you try… you will always surrender to her.”
“I won’t.” The words leave my mouth quickly. “Give me the chance.”
Brows furrow as everyone processes my words.
“Let me hunt her,” I say. “I will bring her back… alive or dead.”
“You think I will believe that?” the king laughs.
“I can fix this.”
“You cannot.”
My jaw tightens harder. “I can eliminate her myself.” I grit out.
The king’s eyes sharpen and he leans down a bit. “You would kill your own mate?”
“If it restores my loyalty to the pack.” The lie burns like acid in my throat. But if it buys Elric even a chance to escape this place… it is worth it.
“You think you could survive that.” The king watches me carefully.
“I know I can.” I nod.
Something shifts in his expression. “You do not understand what losing a mate does to a wolf.”
“I will endure it.”
“No,” he says roughly. “You will not. The absence hollows you out, your wolf begins rejecting the pack that once held him steady, slowly… piece by piece… everything inside you breaks.”
His gaze darkens.
“Until there is nothing left except madness.”
“Not me.”
“You speak with confidence you have not earned.”
“And you speak like someone who has.”
“That’s because I know from experience how easily one becomes rogue after losing a soulmate.”
The words echo through the chamber and as though only now realizing what he said, the king stills.
“I know exactly what rogues become when they lose everything,” he corrects sharply.
“You had… a mate?” The whisper slips from my mouth before I can stop it.
“You dare accuse me of being a rogue!” he growls.
“I never said that.”
“It is exactly what you…” His fist crashes into my face, finishing off his sentence on his behalf.
The impact slams me into the stone floor. Before I can breathe, his boot drives into my ribs.
Another kick to my chest pushes the air from my lungs.
Then another.
The bone-jarring force pounds into my side again and again.
I don’t fight back, remembering that I need to regain his trust in my loyalty.
Inside my head, Krist roars.
“Krist,” I warn. “Stay down.”
Another kick crashes into my head and pain rips through my skull.
“Stay down,” I grit through my teeth as heat begins to surge under my skin, Krist’s fury spreading like wildfire through my veins.
“I have always fucking done that,” he growls, his words pushing out through my mouth.
The force of my voice echoes sharply off the stone walls.
The king stops mid-kick as the enders rise from their seats, the guards, watching me closely.
Something inside me snaps and I barely notice it's the last reign I had on Krist until the chains around my wrists jerk tight and shatters.
The broken links slam against the stone floor, and for one stunned heartbeat, no one moves.
Krist breathes hard, his words echoing in my head, “The last time I listened to you,” he snarls, “we woke up without our memory.”
“Hold him!”
The guards surge forward.
“Grab him!”
“This time,” Krist continues, “I'll protect you like I should have from the start!”
“Get Omar!” A guard yells at those beside the entrance.
Boots pound across the floor as guards rush from every direction, swiftly surrounding me.
Krist lifts our head slowly. A disappointed glint in his eyes. “You really should not have pushed us this far.” he mutters just before shifting.