*Theo*
I drew attention from everyone in the room, and most especially this Raymond character. “Shut up if you don’t want to die.”
I no longer suppressed my Alpha deanor, and the room went quiet as everyone stood perfectly still, gawking at .
anwhile, I’d mind-linked Jake.
‘Jake, I need you at the pack house. We’ve gotten into a little trouble.’
‘I’ll be there in five minutes.’
‘Get the car. We’re leaving as soon as you arrive.’
‘Yes, Alpha.’
I hadn’t forgotten that I was wearing the clothes of a servant and that all of these people thought I was Thorn, a fool that Ciana had t along the roadway sowhere.
It didn’t matter. I knew who I was. And I had no interest in dealing with them anymore.
Raymond, however, was bold enough to try his luck with . “What’s this? The imposter’s boyfriend thinks he has so sort of authority over and my pack? You’re nothing but a lowly Oga. The hell if I’m going to stand here and let you speak to that way.”
I glared at him, willing him to do sothing to piss off more. It had been a while since I’d wanted to kill, but this ti, I’d be happy to.
Raymond gave so sort of signal and six of his n shifted quickly into their wolf forms and ca at . “Tear him to shreds!” he ordered.
It was almost too easy. I didn’t even bother to shift. Rather, I grabbed a letter opener I’d noticed lying on a desk nearby, and when the first wolf leaped at , I shoved it into his neck, hitting an artery. Blood spurted everywhere, and he dropped to the ground.
The next wolf was already pouncing. I took hold of his front right leg and twisted it as I shoved my boot into his gut and flipped him over backward. His leg broke with a sickening snap.
I then used his body as a club to beat back the other four, tossing him at one of them before I brought my boot heel down on his skull and then landed the others with several quick punches and kicks that left them lying on the floor in a bloody heap.
A few of them were still breathing, but I knew they wouldn’t last.
The rest of the crowd had stood there watching but now broke out into a flurry of whispers and desperate cries of what might happen next when the imposter Ciana let out an ear splitting shriek and folded to the floor like a crumpled piece of paper.
No one moved to break her fall.
“Wh-who the fuck are you?” Raymond stuttered, still standing across the room from . He hadn’t bothered to send in any other so-called warriors after getting an idea of what I was capable of.
I ignored him. It was an insult for to even ntion my na to this scher. He was afraid of , I could tell, because he stayed where he was and dared not do anything else.
Getting no response from , he turned to look at Ciana, the real one, and my eyes followed his gaze.
She didn’t look so well. Her face was slightly swollen, her lips were pale, and she couldn’t even stand straight without holding on to .
Her physical injury and the death of her friend had overwheld her. I needed to get her away from those fucking assholes.
“Move!” I growled.
“Whoever you are, you can leave, but she is a criminal and deserves to be sentenced to death. Guards!” he called again. And this ti, there were more than fifteen around us.
I wouldn’t mind tearing their heads off, but they were lucky this ti. They really should thank the heavens for Jake’s arrival.
“How dare you, Beta Raymond of the Alvar pack!” Jake’s voice echoed in the air as he rushed over, so that everyone could hear, “Is this how you show your respect to His Royal Highness?”
A murmur went up through the crowd.
“Who’s that new guy?”
“I’d seen him before... that’s Beta Jake.”
“You’re not referring to THAT Beta Jake, right?”
“It’s him... I can tell. He has a scar across his left eyebrow...”
“Then that servant Thorn...”
“Shh!! That’s no servant, you idiot! Who else would Beta Jake show this kind of respect? That’s Prince Theo!”
“Prince Theo?!”
So at least so of the people in this pack who were a part of Raymond’s coup weren’t as stupid as he was.
“No... ” Raymond stamred, his face turning pale as he realized who he was speaking to. “Th-that can’t be.”
Jake interrupted him sharply and announced, “Shut your filthy mouth! This is Prince Theo, The third prince of Egoren!”
Raymond gasped and took a step back, and so did his henchn. “How... how is that possible...?”
“Your Highness, how would you like to handle them?” Jake looked at .
“That guy,” I pointed to Hawke and ordered, “Take his two arms.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Jake charged toward Hawke without a split second of delay, and before anyone could react, blood spread everywhere.
Hawke shrieked at the top of his lungs, “Ahhh!!”
Raymond scread, “Hawke! No–-!” He ran to his son, but his scumbag son had already fainted and collapsed on the ground. “Oh... no...”
“No?” I sneered. “Do you, or anyone else here, have any fucking problem with what I just did?”
I thought Raymond would fight back, but to my surprise, after the initial grief, he quickly collected himself. So this bastard was just a piece of cold-hearted crap, and I wondered how much he really cared for his idiot son.
“No... of course not!” Raymond lowered his head and dropped to his knees. “Please forgive us for our ignorance of your arrival....”
I couldn’t see his face, but I couldn’t imagine that he was saying any of that sincerely. He continued, “What an honor it is for you to pay a visit to our pack. But Your Highness, why are you here? We certainly weren’t expecting you....”
Jake frowned and scolded, “Who do you think you are to question the prince’s agenda?”
As much as I wanted to just kill Raymond, a simple death just wasn’t enough punishnt for the cris he had committed. I knew Ciana would want to handle him on her own later.
“My betrothed wanted to co ho to see how her people are doing,” I said, “so I decided to accompany her.”
Ciana’s eyes widened hearing my words, but she didn’t say anything. It was as if what happened had taken away all her strength.
“Sir, you’re the most intelligent man in all the land except for perhaps your honorable father, the king.” Raymond shook his head imdiately and put on a fake smile, which made disgusted. “But... this witch is cunning! Is it possible that this wretched woman, this imposter, has fooled you too?” Raymond gestured at Ciana as he said the words.
Rage boiled up inside of . All I wanted to do was climb over the pile of accumulated bodies and slap the shit out of him.
As if Ciana knew what I was about to do, she gently tugged my sleeve. I leaned down so that I could hear her. “Leave him to ,” she murmured.
I raised a furrowed brow as she whispered, “I need to take care of him on my own...”
I could tell she was fading fast. She would have to deal with Raymond so other day, but I respected her wishes.
Besides, if I had put Raymond to death right then, I wouldn’t have had ti to stay there to handle the aftermath, or to wait until Ciana’s parents ca back. I hated that I chose to spare his life though.
“Do you really think that the prince can’t tell the difference between an imposter and the real Alpha’s daughter?” Jake answered for . “Your tricks don’t work on us.”
“Now, move!” I demanded.
This ti, no one dared to stand in my way.
I turned and looked at the crowd again. Most of them were outside of the house and I wasn’t sure how much they had heard, but for the ones inside the house, all of them looked petrified—and mortified.
“Raymond, I don’t have ti to deal with you today, but I know what you’re planning. If you are against Alpha Black, then you are against the crown. Only the king has the authority to decide who is Alpha!”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Raymond replied, and so did the people in the room, their heads downcast. It was obvious to that all of these people were traitors, that they were all loyal to Raymond and not to the Black family.
They would all need to be dealt with, but I had bigger problems at the mont. I looked over at Ciana and saw her eyes rolling back into her head as she struggled to stay conscious. Her hand grappled against , trying to gain control as her knees grew weaker by the second.
I wasn’t about to let her pass out like the imposter. Instead, I stepped over to her, avoiding the spilled blood on the carpet, and lifted her into my arms. She didn’t verbally protest this ti because she was really struggling.
Her eyes rolled back again, and for a mont, she lost consciousness. Her cheek pressed against my chest.
“Jake, let’s go.”
I gave one last glare at Raymond and his pathetic son, Hawke. I’d ensure that they get what they deserve after I took care of the urgent matter at hand.
Once we were outside, Ciana blinked a few tis, the bright light of the sun disturbing her uneasy slumber. I’d made it to the edge of the yard when Ciana beca conscious enough to realize what was happening.
She flung herself up the best she could, frantically looking over my shoulder toward her house. “Wait...” she murmured. “Where are we going?”
“Back to the castle.”
Her eyes widened a bit. “But I can’t leave yet. I have to stay and handle this situation...”
“Out of the question,” I told her. “You are injured, your pack is in shambles right now, and you are going back to the palace with to recover.”
“But... Your Highness! Wait!” she demanded in my arms.
I didn’t slow down, but only said, “I know you’re worried about your pack, but leave that to .”
“Didn’t you make it clear that you don’t care about my pack?” She was trying to be feisty, but it was clear she was still in pain and tired.
I was pleased to hear her voice raise a bit but I held back my smile. I knew it would just rile her up more, and while I liked it when she was angry—it made her eyes glow—now wasn’t the ti to purposely agitate her. “Ciana,” I said, using my Alpha voice. “We’ll take care of it later. I promise. We have an urgent matter to attend to.”
“But—” she protested again.
“Shhh.... Listen to , just this once.”
She stared at for a mont, and then did as I said, allowing herself to rest back into my arms again.
I had carried her all the way to the car when she broke the silence. She asked , “What is it?”
“What is what?” I questioned, having no idea what she was speaking about.
“The urgent matter,” she said.
“We may be able to regrow the dreamberry in three days.”
#
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