The Alpha King's Witch Bride Chapter 345: If Blood Is Thicker Than Water

Kaelos and I settled on our thrones set on the stage, looking down on all the Alphas present.

I kept my arms on the armrest nervously, drumming my fingers as Kaelos cleared his throat after several minutes of silence.

"Alright, we all know why we’re here." Kaelos began, scanning his eyes on the faces of the Alphas. "Ryker, or like he likes to call himself... The true lord of the North. His threat to the stability of this continent has beco more prominent. More pronounced."

The Alphas glanced among themselves, their Lunas and their Betas but none of them dared to say a word.

Not yet at least.

It would be too early after Kaelos’ outburst earlier and tensions were still high from that.

"It’s beco clear that there’s a war coming. And in this war, so among the Alphas of this continent are already picking sides." Kaelos’s lips curled into an icy smile, his words heavy. "Which is funny because I didn’t realise that would be an option. Choosing between the man who’s brought peace... Or the man who wishes to plunge the whole world into anarchy."

He glanced at just then, his eyes lingering for a little bit. But then he looked away.

"Anything anyone wants to say?" He arched a brow, curling his fingers in front of his face. "Don’t be shy. This is a convergence after all. Just know the boundaries between a conversation and disrespect under my roof."

The leaders looked at themselves one by one, so at the front glancing behind them. It was as if they were waiting for soone to be the sacrificial lamb.

To test the waters, that was Kaelos’ fluctuating mood.

"Alpha king Kaelos." A woman was surprisingly the one who spoke up first, her voice echoing through the event hall.

She rose to her feet, her aura instantly telling and everyone else that she was an Alpha.

"I’m Alpha Katherine of the Silver Peak pack. A few other Alphas of packs close to Blood Oak and I attended a eting here more than four months ago. When sightings of the rogues in support of Ryker were still fresh."

My mind reeled when I heard that na and saw her head full of brown hair.

It didn’t take long for to rember her and when I did, my face flushed with embarrassnt.

Back then it was her car I snuck into, letting escape into the Blood Oak woods.

After which I got kidnapped by rogues.

Ah... Ti flies so fast.

"Yes, Alpha Katherine." Kaelos nodded for her to continue and everyone else had their eyes locked on her.

After a few more seconds, Katherine nodded. "Well, sir. You can see how much has changed within these four months. From one scandal to another. Not to ntion the events at the Charity Ball... Which I also attended."

Her eyes flicked to , lingering for a few seconds too long. But I kept my chin held high, even though I low-key felt like sinking into the ground.

"Is there a point you’re driving at, Alpha Katherine? Or are you doing a recap for your reality TV show?" Kaelos asked with a deadpan tone, not even bothered to sound humorous.

A few Alphas stifled laughter, but none dared make a ruckus.

anwhile, Katherine was surprisingly calm, a small smile curling her lips.

"Well, Alpha king. My point is that each of these events that have happened in all this ti has been monitored by everyone on the continent. Heck, the whole world even." She remarked, gesturing with her right hand. "And Ryker has used that to his advantage to weaken the people’s trust in you. Their trust in your rule."

My jaw tightened but I knew she was right. And I could sense Kaelos did as well.

But she wasn’t finished.

"The recent incident at the Blood Moon festival, I’m sorry to say, may have been the straw that broke the cal’s back. The Luna Queen—"

"Lost her child." I was the one who spoke up this ti, my voice firm as I adjusted my sitting position.

She arched an eyebrow at while the rest had well-hidden judgnt on their faces.

But I ignored all that and pushed on.

"I lost my child after Ryker indirectly caused it. Then he went ahead to lure out to his grasp after months of lurking in my head. Trying to get to snap."

The silence was so deafening, and rightfully so.

I was done letting them make false narratives about .

"You want to know what’s clear to and should be clear to everyone else?" I asked rhetorically, my voice sharp. "He’s been manipulating the narrative to his whim. This man captured and killed the South Arican Alpha King and then broadcast it to strike fear. Is that really who you want as Alpha King?"

Katherine parted his lips to say sothing when a man from the back cleared his throat and got to his feet.

"If I may, Luna Queen. But the Alphas rising in support of him are saying that fear is similar to the rule of late Alpha King Balthazar. A man who—"

"You an the man who was plotting the Invasion of the South Arican region in his thirst for power?" I let it slip even though it wasn’t public knowledge.

Only the Alpha Kings had been inford by Kaelos. But he already gave the go-ahead last night, so why not?

"He... He what?" Soone gasped loudly.

"That’s preposterous!"

"There were rumours of that back then. Rember? So is the Luna Queen confirming now that it’s true?"

Their murmurs spread like a ripple made in water, stretching longer than I anticipated.

Until—

"Enough." Kaelos bood, instantly bringing silence. "Ryker’s pestilence will be far worse than anything my father dread of doing if he takes the throne. He’s already gaining control of the Vein and hopes to take my wife under his control so that control can be heightened."

So of them weren’t all too clear on what the Vein was but the greater ssage had been passed across:

Ryker was a threat that shouldn’t be underestimated.

"Anything else?" Kaelos asked, drumming his fingers on his lap. "The next line of business would be rallying troops in preparation. We need—"

"Alpha King Kaelos Bloodoak." A voice cut him off, coming from a pillar close to the entrance.

All heads swerved there, and I squinted when I saw who it belonged to.

A man with black hair has his head lowered.

"I have a question for you..." The man continued, his head still lowered and his body frozen in an eerie manner.

I shifted on my throne with unease, glancing at Kaelos as the leaders whispered.

"Look in the eyes before you begin," Kaelos said coldly, his voice dripping with suspicion.

Even though the man’s head was lowered and he rested on the pillar weirdly, I could’ve sworn I saw a smile stretching his lips.

He slowly raised his head, revealing a face that sent dread through .

His eyes... They were pitch black like twin black holes.

And they were locked on .

"If blood is truly thicker than water." The man began, raising his right hand and pointing his finger at .

I went on high alert, my fingers tingling with magic as the clamouring from the leaders increased.

But the man didn’t care about any of that, carrying on with his question.

"Then what assurance do we have that Luna Queen Odessa Pierce... Wouldn’t follow the footsteps of the very first Vein Born? Nyx. Mistress of death."

My heart skipped a beat when I heard that question.

And also I ca to a realisation of what was going on here.

Ryker was manipulating this man.