Chapter 57 Stephan's pov

Chapter 57 Stephan's pov
I knew why my uncles were here. They were looking for an opportunity to kick me off the throne. To take what was rightfully mine.

The death of my father has been taken care of. Martha was the killer, or so I thought her to be.

But judging from what she was saying. There was something I was missing. Something that I might have overlooked that very day.

I ran my hand through my hair the moment I was alone in my room.

Did I make a bad decision all in the name of trying not to get personal with Sienna?

What if Elder Vincent and Olivere were the real culprits?

What if they were the ones that had my father killed?

I clenched my head so tight that I felt my long claws tearing through my fleshy palms.

My gaze slightly lifted, and it rested on the wall picture of my father staring back at me.

A man I had in great esteem. He wasn't just my father, but he was also a leader.

A person I had looked up to all my life. I walked over to the table beside me and grabbed a bottle of whiskey to calm my raging nerves.

The thought of what was going to happen if Sienna was right was the only thing I could think about.

I was going to be able to avenge my father, but then Martha's death would have been for nothing. That means I would be the man who had robbed the poor woman of her life.

The thought alone made my heart burn so hard that I felt I might have acted on impulse.

I heard a knock on the door, and I turned. “Not now! Go away!” I barked in anger.

“My Alpha. I think you might want to hear this.” A voice said from the back of the door.

I grabbed my glass of whiskey and walked to my seat. “Come on in.”

I relaxed my head against the soft couch and hoped the men I had sent into the wood came back with false news of what Sienna was trying to say.

That would give me the reason to throw my uncles out of the pack kingdom and tell them never to trouble me again.

I knew some of the elders were beginning to have doubts if I was fit for a ruler.

“What is it? I asked with my eyebrows raised.

“The dungeon—we discovered one of the guards might have been killed.” The guard said, looking at me.

“And you are just telling me that now?” I snapped.

But then, the door opened again, and Marcus walked in.

I looked at him, and I could see that he had some bruises on his face.

“Clean the mess for now and make sure no one knows about this. I will handle it when all of this is over.” I commanded and waved my hands in the air.

The guard bowed immediately and walked out, giving us the room.

Marcus walked towards my table and sat. I could see the look he had on. The same look some of the elders who doubted were having.

“Do you think I made the wrong choice too?” I passed my cup to him.

Marcus didn't say a word. He simply grabbed the cup and gulped down the content inside it before looking at me.

“And what if I did? I tried to warn you, Steph, but you were so blinded by rage,” he said the moment he placed the cup down.

I let out a long sigh.

“Damn it!” I suddenly snapped and hit my hands on the table. “Do you think I made the wrong choice?”

Marcus shook his head slightly. “Honestly, I am not sure. Sienna seems to be sure that Elder Vincent and Olivere were hiding something. And don't you think for a second that Juliet's words are true. Some of it seems to be tainted, and I am sure you know that Juliet has been Olivere's puppet since we were kids.”

“But that doesn't mean she is lying, Marcus. She must have seen something, right?”

\[Marcus sighs.\]

“I don't know what to think anymore,” he said, slowly relaxing a bit. “I had thought this was all gone. Maybe Sienna just needed to deal with the fact that her mother was gone. But come to think of it. Do you think Martha really is capable of killing your father? He is the most fearful Alpha in all of the pack kingdoms. Do you even know why we have not been attacked?” Marcus and again

“I don't need to be reminded that my father's name brought terror to our enemies, Marcus. What I need to do right now is try and figure out if what Sienna was saying was right or wrong.” I said, getting to my feet.

Marcus looked at me, his whiskey eyes raised slightly just in time to catch my gaze. “And what will you do if Elder Vincent or Olivere truly kills your father?”

The room felt tense the moment Marcus asked me that. I had always seen the man as my father, and of course, I was going to propose to Olivere after all of this was over, but what if Sienna was right?

That changes everything that I had believed in. Elder Vicent was a necessary evil. He had lots of the elders love him, and they treated him like some god.

He could even be the Alpha if he chose to usurp the throne and kill me. That was why I was a bit scared. I would never jeopardize that relationship I had with him or his daughter now that my father was dead.

I walked towards the window and turned my back against Marcus. “Did you know about what happened in the dungeon?” I asked, turning slightly to meet his gaze. “That bruise looks fresh.”

“There was a scuffle down there. Sienna was hiding.” Marcus replied.

“Did you know all this time?”

“No. I met her down there mistakenly.”

“Was she alone?”

Marcus went silent afterwards. Like he was trying to gauge the number of words he should tell me. “You can answer that honestly, Marcus. Don't give me a reason to start doubting you now.”

Marcus modded. “Yes. I wanted to protect her. I had to take one of the guards down.”

I clenched my hands in anger. Another act of insubordination. Most of them were looking down on me, and I needed to stop it.

“You killed my guards without telling me?” I arched my eyebrows in anger. I could feel my wolf trying to claw his way out.

But then, I heard a knock at the door. Our gaze turned at once. “Come in!” I said angrily, going back to my seat.