CHAPTER EIGHTY EIGHT
CHAPTER EIGHTY EIGHT
Jason’s POV
+25 Bonus
Nn thought he was clever. He thought he could slip poison into a goblet of Rosefall in full view of the room, and no one would notice. But I noticed. I watched the faint tilt of his wrist, and the liquid vanishing into the crimson wine. He carried it toward the Alpha King with that calm arrogance he always wore, as though he already owned the room.
Poison. In public. He had to be insane. Did he think the Alphas would rally to him after such a stunt?
They would tear him apart before the Alpha King even raised a hand. And Nn was not useful to me. That was why I acted.
My elbow “slipped” just as the goblet neared the Alpha King’s lips, shattering Nn’s n along with the ss. A few murmurs of surprise rose around us, but no one dared to challenge me openly. To them, I was just drunk, perhaps a little overeager in my attempts to tter the King.
If Nn wanted chaos, I would give him disappointment. And if he decided to go further, provoking the Alpha King openly, I would separate myself from Nn and y the loyal subject to the Alpha King while I watched them tear each other apart.
‘He is not going to let this go,’ my wolf warned. ‘We need to distance ourselves.’
Nn was so predictable. Not even a secondter, Nn sneered across the table at the Alpha King, “You’re growing old and feeble, old wolf.”
Gasps rippled through the room. The Alpha King’s eyes darkened. Solon was on his feet in an instant, voice booming with outrage. He used Nn of dishonor, of spitting on the Rite itself.
But Nn only pressed harder, his gaze fixed on the King like he meant to tear him down with words alone. He demanded the truth, demanding the King reopen the case of his father’s death. His defiance was reckless, dangerous, but part of me admired the boldness.
If he won, he proved the Alpha King guilty and I would kill him in the chaos. If he lost, the King would crush him. Either way, I benefited.
Alphas muttered, warriors shifted uneasily, and the elders frowned in shock. The air grew heavier with every word. The King rose, aura flooding the hall, forcing silence. Fury burned in his eyes. He looked ready to shift right there in front of us, to rip Nn apart.
And then the moment broke.
The doors mmed open. A guard stumbled in. His blood covered his armor and his face was pale and stricken, All attention went to the guard.
“My King,” the guard gasped, falling to one knee. “Forgive me. I… I failed. Lady Talia… she chased a shadowed figure into the forest. I followed, but I was struck down. When I woke… she was gone.”
The Alpha King’s face contorted between surprise and panic. “How could you have allowed this to happen?” he demanded.
The rage in him was greater than anything Nn had provoked. But why for Talia? Why did she matter this much? She was a lowly Omega. Did he truly see her as Solon’s future Luna? Or was there something more to her, something even I had missed? 3
The guard could not answer as he had passed out from blood loss. Chairs scraped as wolves leapt to their feet.
CHAPTER EIGHTY EIGHT
+25 Bonus
Warriors surged forward, rushing out of the room on an order that I could not hear.
“Alpha Nn, we will continue this conversation at another time, but do not think I will let this insult go unpunished. You will get the truth you seek even if it isn’t what you wanted,” the Alpha King stated.
He snapped his attention to his Beta. “Logan, you will keep the Hunting Rite on track for this afternoon. I will search for myself.”
Logan nodded and said, “Yes, my King.”
Solon didn’t hesitate. “I will assist you. We cannot have anyone going missing during the Hunting Rite. I withdraw from the Hunt,” he dered.
De quickly added, “Me too. We need to find her as soon as possible.”
The room buzzed with whispers as the King stormed out with Solon and De on his heels. Nn stood silent. He wore a calm expression, but his clenched fists gave him away. He was seething that he had lost his prey.
Henry approached me and asked, “Are you not going to help look for Talia?”
“No,” I said firmly.
“But…”
“I must win the Hunting Rite, remember.”
Henry frowned but didn’t say anything else. I knew he didn’t approve, but Talia was the past. The Princess was the future for our pack. 1
“When the room clears, collect the shards of Nn’s ss. Test them. I want to know exactly what he tried to slip to the King,” I told him through our mind link.
Henry nodded and said aloud, “Yes, Alpha.”
Satisfied, I turned my eyes back on Nn. Hisposure was almost perfect, but I knew better. He had lost his moment, lost his chance to control the field. And now I would remind him of it.
“Tell me, Alpha Nn,” I said lightly, just loud enough for nearby ears to catch, “will you still join in the Rite? Or has this little spectacle drained your appetite?”