Chapter 05

AMELIA

I couldn’t hear them talking about Tyson like that anymore when I knew he was listening to everything and was probably murdering me in his head.

So, I walked away from the hall to find a place to hide like I usually did in events like these. My body shivered due to the intensity of the anger I felt toward myself and my Dad.

I stayed outside in the garden, staring at the beautiful white roses and taking some deep breaths until the music in the hall couldn’t be heard anymore.

I thought the music had stopped so it must mean that the event was coming to an end. I decided to walk back inside so I could talk to Dad about Daniel. There was no way I would go with him.

But what could I possibly do to avoid it? I had to come up with something to convince Dad and I had to do it fast.

When I neared the throne room in the way, I saw people gathering outside it. The horrified murmurs caught my attention.

“ He killed them all. ”

“ Beheaded them. ”

“ There is blood. ”

“ Blood! ”

The murmurs turned into hushed yells.

“ So much blood! ”

I halted and looked at the crowd. My eyes found their way to the floor close to the big golden double doors of the throne room.

I stumbled back, unable to believe my eyes. There was a pool of blood flowing out from under the doors, gathering on the floor and scaring the living hell out of the crowd.

The doors were closed. And no one had the courage to open them and see what was happening behind them.

What if—

Fear didn’t let me stay rooted in my spot this time. I sprinted to the crowd.

People stepped away from my way. They didn’t want someone like me touching them, or talking to them.

I ran straight for the doors. My transparent heels turned red with blood. But I couldn’t care less.

What if Tyson was hurt?

With a hard push, the doors slid open. I stumbled a few steps inside before picking up my head. My breath caught in my throat as the scene slowly came into my view.

An Alpha I recognized as my Dad’s friend was running towards me at full speed. His scared eyes found mine. I froze on my spot.

“ Tell Alpha Kingsley— ”

He couldn’t finish what he had intended to say. I screamed as blood splashed on my face. A sword had sliced right through his throat, leaving his head severed from his neck.

My body shook violently as the man’s wide eyes stared into my soul, leaving the image imprinted on my mind for eternity.

Slowly, the head slipped from his neck and fell on the floor. His body followed suit, falling forward.

I stumbled back and fell on my butt to avoid getting his body falling on me. Another scream erupted from my mouth when his bleeding headless neck landed close to my feet. Crimson blood gushed out of it.

My red dress was soaked in his blood. Drops of his blood stuck on my face, and on my hands as I trembled on the floor, unable to believe my eyes.

“ Are you…scared? ” The familiar voice whispered.

My head snapped up. My eyes found the black holes, filled with malice that I couldn’t stomach.

My gaze traced his bare-inked upper body. I couldn’t focus on his hard muscles that were covered in blood.

So much blood.

I panted as I looked all around me.

I was sitting in the piles of bodies. Headless corpses were everywhere. To my right. To my left. In front of me. Around me.

My eyes moved back to the man standing in front of me. The sword in his hand was shimmering with a strange purple hue.

People rushed in behind me but stopped in the distance. The stench of fear grew heavy in the air. The throne room which was big enough to fit hundreds of people was suddenly too small for me.

Slowly, my eyes rose to Tyson’s frame. He stood like a God among the bodies of people he had slaughtered. There was no hint of regret or guilt on his face.

He scared me.

Even when there were so many people around, he scared the heck out of me.

His eyes refused to look anywhere but at me. The coldness in his gaze had me pinned on the spot, unable to run away to protect my sanity.

When the crowd inside the throne room grew, he turned his back to me and started walking to the throne that sat in the distance.

He climbed the three small steps that led to the seat before he leisurely sat down on it. His legs spread apart, as he leaned back and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword lazily.

My heart hammered against my ribcage, beating so fast that I feared it was going to burst out of my chest any moment now.

His eyes remained on me as he sat on his throne. My blood turned cold in my veins when I realized what this constant stare meant for me.

The promise of vengeance was still there.

Now when he was the King, he wouldn’t spare me.

Tyson’s father walked past me. He seemed unfazed by the bodies lying on the floor. I watched his back as he approached his son who must have lost his sanity at this point.

“ What did you do? ” He hissed right when he reached the first step to the throne.

Yes.

What did he do? Why did he do it? Who were all these people?

“ I got rid of the support you had, Dad. Now you can rest. ” Tyson placed his hand under his chin and looked at the former King of the East.

So, that was what he was doing? Taking revenge and reclaiming his position as the true King by murdering everyone who wanted his father to take over? I never thought Tyson had it in him. That’s why his father ruled in his place even when the throne was passed down to him on his eighteenth birthday.

The Former King saw something in the eyes of his son and all his courage was reduced to nothing but a meaningful silence. They were on opposite sides once again in life, and this time, Tyson was stronger than his father.

They stared each other down while I sat on my butt in the middle of the room. People shot me glances, wondering when my time would come.

They knew their King would kill me.

I knew he would kill me today.

Fortunately, my Dad and Adelia were not here to witness it.

“ Tyson. ” The Former King tried again.

“ Be careful with your words and actions. ” Tyson warned in a chilling tone.

The protests died in the former Lycan King’s throat as he watched his son. I couldn’t see his face but I could tell he was in disbelief like me and the rest of the Kingdom. The puppet King who let others pull his strings for so long was out to take back everything he had lost.

Tyson tore his gaze from his face and looked at the people behind me. I clenched my hands into fists, lowering my gaze to the floor.

“ Kneel before your King. ” His voice reverberated in my stomach, making me close my eyes and suck in a sharp breath.

The event back in the hall was not his re—initiation. This was. This was the first time the people of this Kingdom would have to kneel before him.

The sound of everyone’s knees hitting the hard floor followed shortly after his demand. I opened my eyes slowly and shifted to my weak knees.

My gaze was stuck on the floor, staring and waiting. I placed my curled hands over my thighs to stop them from trembling.

Silence echoed in the room full of hundreds of people. The King rose from his throne and walked down the stairs.

My heartbeat quickened with each step he took forward. Every time I heard his footstep, I jolted and felt my muscles tighten some more.

I was his prey. He was the predator.

The roles had reversed.

For the second time tonight, his shiny boots came into my view. This time, all I saw was blood that distorted my image on the shiny surface.

He was not the man who hated the idea of hurting others anymore. He was a Lycan—Feral, Cold, Cruel.

His sword rose in the air, before landing under my chin. My breath hitched in my throat as everything stopped for me. My heart didn’t beat. My lungs didn’t ache for air. My eyes didn’t close.

He tipped my head up. Everyone watched. No one uttered a single word.

Our gazes met. Tears leaked out of my eyes, blurring the image of his handsome face. Even now, when he was about to kill me…all I felt was the insane desire to touch him, to embrace him for the last time and tell him I was sorry.

I ruined him.

I was sorry.

The tip of his glowing sword dug into my flesh. My blood rushed out of the small wound, disappearing down my neck, between my breast valley.

My chest heaved up and down heavily as his gaze followed the path of the blood.

He stood in front of me, his sword on my neck, and his eyes on my blood, on my body. He was the epitome of power, and I was a vulnerable girl.

Tyson’s eyes rose to mine and so did his sword in the air.

One swing. One blow. And it would be over forever.

He would avenge himself.

And I would die a painful death.

The sword rose higher as I stared into his dark eyes. I didn’t dare close my eyes. I wanted him to see the fear in them as he finished me off. I needed him to know I was sorry—so sorry.

The sword came down hard. I flinched involuntarily.

Adelia’s face flashed before my eyes as tears rolled down my cheeks continuously. I was leaving her behind after promising her freedom. I was not only a terrible friend to Tyson but a horrible sister to Adelia as well.

The sword landed on the floor, breaking the tiles with a loud bang and driving deeper. A gush of energy rushed out of it and hit me.

I gasped, holding onto my dress for dear life. My gaze had wavered from his face and had found its way to his naked chest.

Slowly, I picked up my head again and met his vicious glare. My soul trembled inside my body, and so did my heart.

“ Mate. ” Tyson muttered.

Confusion took over my senses, rendering me speechless and thoughtless.

Without giving me the time to think it over, he leaned down in front of the powerful people of the whole Kingdom and gripped my arm harshly.

He pulled me to my feet and started dragging me away. I stumbled behind him on my weak legs as I watched the people throwing us looks of disbelief.

That didn’t terrify me as much as Tyson’s hand on my wrist did. And the electricity that sizzled down my body had the fear grow tenfolds.