The mont the second prince’s footsteps disappeared down the hallway, Vaelen let out a long, tired breath, as if the entire palace had suddenly beco too suffocating to stand in.
His expression, usually sharp and controlled, tightened with irritation. He hated chaos. He hated noise. And right now everything inside the king’s chamber was nothing but noise...fake tears, real disgust, and a ss he had no interest in handling.
The queen was still trembling with anger, her eyes fixed on the door the second prince had vanished through. She looked ready to chase him down the corridor and claw at him.
But Vaelen gave her a cold glance, the kind that said: Do what you want. He’s your headache, not mine.
He had no intention of staying in that suffocating room a second longer.
Soone had dared to poison the king. Soone had entered the palace with enough guts to strike at the strongest man in the empire.
Soone had already made the first move... and that alone was drilling a sharp, constant ache inside Vaelen’s skull. He didn’t have ti to babysit his mother’s enemies or listen to useless drama.
He turned sharply on his heel, and his eyes landed on Selena.
She stood by the wall, pale, her hands slightly trembling from everything she had witnessed. Her eyes were lowered, her breath unsteady, as if her mind was still replaying the second prince’s dramatic entrance, the queen’s venom, and the silent tension choking the room.
Vaelen’s expression softened only a fraction.
He walked to her, grabbed her wrist gently but firmly, and pulled her out of the room without saying a word to anyone. The guards quickly stepped aside. The queen looked like she wanted to protest, but Vaelen didn’t even give her the chance.
Once they were outside, the heavy door shutting behind them, the hallway felt colder and much quieter.
He turned to her, studying her face for a mont. Selena didn’t avoid his gaze...she was too exhausted to pretend anything right now.
"You should go rest," he said quietly, his voice steady and low. "You’ve worked hard enough for today."
Selena blinked, surprised for a second, but she didn’t argue. She felt drained down to her bones. Her legs felt weak. Her head was spinning. She wanted nothing more than to breathe fresh air and be far away from royal politics for even a few hours.
So she only nodded.
Vaelen escorted her all the way to her palace, walking beside her in silence. His steps were quiet, his shoulders stiff, his face unreadable...but Selena could feel the storm building behind those eyes. The poisoning had forced everything to speed up. Plans. Threats. Power struggles. And Vaelen had been preparing for sothing long before today.
Now everything was accelerating.
Selena, too, felt the urgency pressing on her chest. She needed to et her mates imdiately. She needed to tell them what had happened, because this single event could shatter every plan they had made so far. If the king died, if the throne shifted, if the balance of power broke... everything would change.
And she would not let that happen without fighting back.
When they reached the gates of her palace, Vaelen stopped and looked at her again. There was no softness in his eyes, only focus and a deep relentlessness, which was dreading about the future.
"Go," he said simply. "You should take so rest; don’t think too much."
Selena lowered her head. "You too."
Neither of them tried to stop the other.
Both of them turned away at the sa ti—Selena hurrying into her palace with silent steps, her heart racing as she reached for her phone, her mind already searching for her possible tis to et them.
Vaelen walked off in the opposite direction, his cloak swaying behind him, his expression darkening with each step. He had a hundred things to do, a hundred decisions to make, and no ti left to breathe.
The king’s poisoning had set everything on fire.
And now... everyone had to move.
Imdiately.
Selena had barely stepped into her room when she began changing into simpler clothes. She needed to look like a normal palace maid if she wanted to slip into her mates’ palace without attracting attention. Her fingers worked fast, pulling off jewelry, untying the heavy dress, and moving like soone who had already done this many tis.
Her mind was racing.
She needed to speak to them now.
Before the palace turned into a battlefield.
But just as she reached for the plain dress she had hidden under her cushions.
The door slamd open without any knocking or acknowledgent. Just the sharp creaking of wood and footsteps entering like they owned the room.
Selena’s entire body stiffened.
There was only one person bold enough to enter without permission.
Her fake mother... Elarliya.
Selena shoved the plain dress behind her in one swift motion and turned around with her expression calm, her heart beating fast. Elarliya walked inside with a warm smile, the kind that looked gentle on the surface... but made Selena’s skin crawl.
"Mother," Selena greeted politely, lowering her head. "You’re here so early in the morning."
Elarliya walked closer, eyes moving around the room like she was searching for sothing. Selena stepped slightly to block her view of the bed where the plain clothes were hidden.
"Oh dear," Alalia said softly, touching Selena’s cheek with a fake tenderness. "I ca because I heard so... interesting things."
Selena kept her face steady. "What things?"
Alalia smiled again...it was all the sa sweet, gentle, poisonous smile. "I heard you were dining with Prince Vaelen today. And then... I heard you two were separated in a hurry." Her eyes narrowed just slightly. "Did sothing happen, my child?"
Selena’s heartbeat stopped for a mont.
So this is why she ca.
Her smile, her sweetness, her false motherly affection...none of it fooled Selena. She knew Elarliya too well. This woman never visited without a purpose. And she was capable of anything. Even poisoning the king.
Selena quickly wondered... Was she the one who poisoned him?
Ealrli was powerful. A witch mother. Soone who could slip poison anywhere without being noticed.
But why would she want the king dead?
Did she want the throne?
Did she want chaos so she could rise?
Did she want to destroy the werewolf kingdom from inside?
Selena didn’t know.
And she could never underestimate this woman. Alalia could do things Selena wouldn’t even dream of.
So Selena had already placed her at the top of her suspect list.
The woman stood there, pretending to be caring while probably trying to see if the king had died yet.
Selena took a deep breath and said carefully, "Mother... sothing has happened."
She let her expression turn worried.
She let her hands tremble a little.
She let her voice soften, as if she was hiding a heavy secret.
Alalia’s eyes narrowed with interest.
Selena leaned closer and whispered, "The king... has been poisoned."
The change in Alalia’s face was instant.
Her eyes widened.
Her lips parted.
Her entire expression froze in real shock... literally real and not so fake shock.
Selena stared at her for a long second, confused.
If she was the one behind the poison, why did she look so genuinely surprised? Why was her reaction so believable?
For a mont, Selena didn’t know what to think anymore.
Elaro, on the other hand, suddenly looked furious but not at Selena. No. Her anger flashed like she had just discovered soone dared to act without her permission.
He proceeded without ? The thought flashed in Elarliya’s gaze.
Selena caught it, and her suspicion grew even more complex.
But on the surface, Elarliya imdiately switched back into her gentle fake-mother role. She touched Selena’s shoulder, her voice soft and sweet like she was comforting a frightened child.
"Oh my poor girl... You must be so worried," she whispered. "He is your uncle after all. You must stay careful. Don’t let this chaos frighten you."
Selena nodded silently, but her eyes were sharp. She could feel Elarliya was hiding sothing...maybe angry at soone else. Angry at soone who acted before she did.
Alalia gave one last pat on Selena’s hand. "Everything will be fine. Calm your brother too, yes? Tell him not to panic...and I will be going."
Brother?
Selena froze. Elarliya never spoke about him casually. So why was she suddenly ntioning him? Was he her next target? Just thinking about this possibility made her furious.
Then Elarliya quickly collected her skirts and rushed out of the room like she had sowhere important to be.
Selena watched her leave, her instincts screaming.
Sothing was wrong; the fake mother of hers was definitely hiding sothing and is furious at soone.
And if Selena followed this woman...
If she figured out where she was going...
She might find the real answer behind the king’s poisoning.
So without waiting even a second, Selena grabbed the simple clothes, changed quickly, wrapped a cloak around herself, and slipped out right behind her fake mother...quiet as a shadow and ready to track her every step.
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