The Alpha King's Witch Bride Chapter 268: Judgment For The Alpha King

"The Alpha Kings can wait," I growled after Layla’s report, glancing at Odessa.

She seed calm now but I could easily tell it was a front. A mask.

Her mind was still reeling with a plethora of emotions, many of which she was intentionally locking away from . I could feel their intensity but I couldn’t feel it like it was mine.

’Odessa...’ I whispered through the mate bond, but she looked away from , clearing her throat and gesturing at Layla, who watched us silently.

"Please, lead the way, Layla. We can’t keep the Elders waiting... Not with sothing this grave." She said with a firm voice, turning her gaze to . "I’m fine, Kaelos. I just... I need ti to process everything."

I remained still, watching as she barely brushed her hand past my shoulder before walking past and into the hallway, nodding at Layla.

Layla’s face was solemn as she cleared her throat. "Sir?"

I let out a light breath before I nodded at her and stepped out of the room with them.

.

.

We arrived in my throne room where the Elders of the pack were already waiting, standing in front of my throne.

The throne room was dimly lit as usual but the air of solemnity and tension was hard to miss. The five Elders of the pack had their backs facing us, each of them wearing ceremonial red robes.

Those robes... They never wore them unless during ergency etings that could decide the fate of the pack. Like appointing a new Alpha King.

"Alpha King Kaelos." A male voice spoke among the elders before the owner of the voice spun around to face .

He was a man who seed to be in his early eighties with greying white hair and a face carved by years of power, grief, and judgnt.

Elder mphis.

The others turned around shortly after him.

Elder Harkan, Elder Vesta, Elder Kelor and finally, Elder Yune, the only woman among them—her erald eyes assessing from head to toe like she was watching a long-prophesied storm finally arrive.

"Do you know what you’ve done?" Elder Harkan asked, skipping any form of niceties. His words sliced through the air like a blade.

"Apparently, I’ve murdered my father again—this ti, publicly," I said dryly, crossing my arms in front of my chest after drawing in a deep breath.

Elder nphis stepped forward, his voice cold. "The video has gone viral, Alpha King. Not just in North Arica... The entire globe saw it and the Global Alliance Council of werewolves is already calling for a summit. The other Alpha Kings want your head... or your explanation."

My head, eh?

How fascinating.

Odessa stood beside , remaining silent and unreadable. But I could feel her emotions like a tidal wave pressing against a dam.

"What explanation do you expect from a son whose father tried to maim him on record?" I replied, trying not to raise my voice.

"We expected you to contain your secrets," Elder Yune interjected, furrowing her eyebrows. "Or at the very least, not let them be weaponised against your reign."

"Mada Greyheart is the one who leaked it," I said quietly, causing all heads to turn to . "She recorded it thirteen years ago. She waited until now... until she could cause the most damage."

Elder Vesta arched his eyebrows. "And why would she do that now, after all these years? Not to ntion the fact that she’s dead."

I narrowed my eyes before speaking yet again. "Maybe because she’s working with the Lord of the North."

Gasps rippled through the room.

"We have no proof of that," Elder Kelor said cautiously.

"Yet," Layla added, stepping forward. "But I’ve been monitoring chatter from the witches of the high covens. Rumours have spread, and so believe the Haven of the lost has Artificial hybrid moles within its ranks."

"And what of the people?" Elder Yune asked, turning to . "How do you plan to address them? So are already demanding a public trial. Others think you’re the beast the prophets warned of."

I stiffened but still managed to speak. "I’ll speak to them. In ti. But first, I need to make sure my house isn’t crawling with vipers."

"Your house?" Elder Harkan sneered. "You an the very one you tore down when you killed the last Alpha King?"

"Enough!" Odessa snapped, speaking for the first ti as she stepped forward.

Everyone looked shocked, including .

She inhaled. "Kaelos did what he did to survive. Whether you agree or not, he has ruled justly for over a decade. He has protected this pack, this continent, and has earned your allegiance. What happened in that throne room was brutal but it was between a father and a son. Not a king and his people."

My heart stuttered. It didn’t feel like forgiveness from her at least, not entirely. But it was sothing.

Elder Yune tilted her head with short grey hair, seeming intrigued. "Spoken like a Luna Queen finally coming into her own."

Odessa bowed slightly but didn’t smile. Her fingers brushed against mine, hesitant and barely there.

Elder mphis stepped back, his face grim. "Very well. You have twenty-four hours to release a statent. If you do not, we will be forced to gather the Continental Tribunal of Elders. And they will not be as lenient as we are."

"Understood," I bit out, already planning my next move.

The elders turned and exited, their red robes sweeping over the cold floor.

Only Layla, Odessa, and I remained.

"You okay?" I asked Odessa quietly, but she didn’t answer, only resorting to looking at .

Her eyes were tired, and her voice was small. "Tell ... Is there anything else you’re hiding from ?"

There was silence once again as I stared at her briefly, glancing occasionally at Layla who tried pretending like she wasn’t in the throne room, parting aside strands of her braided brown hair.

But eventually...

"No. No, I’m not, Odessa." I whispered reassuringly, placing my right hand on her shoulder with a wry smile. "And I would never. Not intentionally."

She stared at for a few seconds before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around my body, letting out a heavy breath on my chest.

.

.

I thought the silence in the mansion would give peace.

But peace was a lie.

It had been hours since the elders left.

Layla had retired for the night, though I knew she’d stay up monitoring the dia in case another leak happened. Odessa was in her chambers, and despite the hug earlier, her ntal walls were still up.

My mate was protecting herself from and I couldn’t even bla her.

I lay sprawled on my bed, fully clothed and staring at the ceiling. My thoughts ran in spirals, coiling tighter and tighter around my chest.

The video clip. The look in Odessa’s eyes. The judgnt in the mall. The tribunal of elders lood like a guillotine.

It didn’t matter that I had been barely eighteen when I killed him.

It didn’t matter that Balthazar was a sadistic tyrant.

The world didn’t care about any of that.

I sighed, my eyes finally slipping shut.

But the mont I fell asleep, I knew I wasn’t in a dream...

No, this wasn’t a dream.

This was sothing darker.

The air was thick, like tar coating my lungs. I stood barefoot in the middle of the old Bloodoak throne room, but it wasn’t the way it looked in the past or in the video.

This version was twisted. The torches burned with black flas and the stone walls bled.

Literally.

The floor beneath was damp and reeked of rot. I could hear whispers, thousands of them, overlapping in every direction.

Then I heard a slow clap echo from the shadows.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

"My son."

I turned sharply, my claws extending on instinct.

And there he was... Balthazar Bloodoak.

But he wasn’t exactly... him.

He looked the sa as he had the day I killed him, silver eyes sharp and his muscular fra coiled like a predator. But his skin was greyish, his veins bulged black beneath the surface.

His smile was all shades of wrong.

"You finally return to the scene of the cri," he said, stepping out from the darkness.

"This isn’t real," I muttered, flexing my fingers. "You’re dead."

"Dead? Oh yes. But death is never the end for a Bloodoak." He echoed with a deep sadistic laugh.

I felt it then... A pressure behind my eyes. Damon snarled inside , unsettled.

Balthazar began to circle , his boots echoing.

"Tell , how did it feel?" he asked.

"What?"

"Tearing through my chest. Feeling my ribs snap. Slling my blood on your claws. Tell , Kaelos. Did it excite you? Did you finally feel powerful?"

"You tried to kill ," I snapped. "You called it discipline. You would have skinned alive if I hadn’t shifted."

"So dramatic," he sneered. "Is that what you told your little witch? Is that what you told your people when they looked at you like a monster today?"

He stopped in front of .

"I made you. And now you wear my crown. You rule from my chair. But you don’t have my strength. You don’t have my darkness."

His voice deepened into a snarl. "You have her. That soft, pink-lipped Hybrid. And you think she makes you better. But she’s your weakness."

My anger burst like a dam as I surged forward, grabbing him by the collar only to feel my fingers pass through it like air.

Illusion.

But the sll of his sweat, the echo of his voice... That was real.

Was this a spiritual projection?

"What the hell do you want from ?" I hissed.

His smile widened unnaturally.

"I want to show you what happens next."

He snapped his fingers, causing the world around us to lt like candle wax.