Chapter Four

Kelsey’s POV

The man tilted his head slightly, looking rather offended that I'd said what I said. 

"King Zeus is going to have her executed," a guard whispered under his breath. "How dare she speak to His Majesty like that?”

I froze.

King Zeus?

Well... that explained why the entire room had forgotten how to breathe.

It also explained why I probably should've thought before opening my mouth.

The King still wasn't introducing himself nor asking me any basic questions. And to be honest, it didn't seem like he'd be doing that any time soon. 

He just stood framed in the doorway, staring at me like I was some kind of strange creature he never expected to exist.

My legs were beginning to hurt from standing for so long, so I quit putting up with the silence. 

“Excuse me, but…Anybody mind explaining to me exactly why we're making a big deal out of a few broken stones?”

I really needed to stop talking, but I was pissed. 

A collective, horrified gasp echoed through the room. The Head Physician looked like he was about to faint right onto the floor.

Nobody spoke to the King like that. Nobody even looked him in the eye, yet I was standing here, looking him in the eyes and talking back.

Instead of blowing up or cutting my head off, the King’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"What is your name?" he asked, his deep voice carrying a strange weight that vibrated right through the stone floor.

"Kelsey Smith," I answered honestly, not bothering to keep up with the lie. I'd already gotten them interested in me so they were definitely bound to find out sooner than later. "Now can someone please tell me why I am being dragged around this palace all day like a science experiment?"

Rather than answering my question, he turned his head toward the crowd behind him.

"Everyone leave," he commanded, his voice cold and . "Only the Head Physician and the Council Elders remain."

The guards and lower servants didn't waste a single second. They scrambled out of the room so fast they almost tripped over their own boots.

My inner alarm bells started ringing loudly. I didn't like being isolated with the high-ranking officials. I was almost certain that whatever was going to happen in the next few seconds wasn't going to be good. 

The Head Physician stepped forward, clearing his throat nervously while keeping his eyes glued to the floor.

"Because of the incident with the Blood Crystals, Miss Smith, the Council must officially verify your status before you can remain a Candidate," he explained softly.

"I am not participating in another weird test until someone explains what is actually going on," I said, moving back and crossing my arms tightly. I couldn't let them see that I was frightened or anything. I genuinely needed to understand what was going on. 

"Refusing a direct royal order is treason," an old elder near the back snapped, pointing a thin finger at me. "You do not have a choice, human."

I frowned at the old elder, feeling real annoyed, but I knew he was right. I couldn't help my sister back home if I got executed on day one.

"Fine," I mumbled hesitantly. I just wanted to get this over with.

They escorted me out of the medical wing and down a long, dark corridor toward the ancient Council Hall.

When the giant double doors opened, I walked into a massive room where every single elder in the kingdom seemed to be gathered.

They were sitting in raised stone benches, whispering frantically among themselves while openly staring at me like I was a rare zoo animal.

"She is clearly a fraud!" one old lord yelled, leaning over his desk. "Some lowborn human trying to trick the Crown!"

"No, look at her scent," another argued. "She is cursed! She will bring ruin upon the entire Lycan race!"

"We should execute her right now before this madness spreads any further!" a third shouted.

I stood in the center of the hall, listening to a room full of complete strangers debate whether I deserved to breathe air. 

“I'd appreciate it if they could at least have the decency to be quiet about insulting me,” I grumbled under my breath, zipping my mouth shut the second I saw the King intently looking at me. 

"Your Majesty, reject her immediately!" an elder near the front pleaded, turning toward the throne. "No human girl should ever participate in producing the Lycan heir!"

King Zeus ignored every single objection echoing around the room.

He slowly began descending the wide stone stairs from his throne, keeping his intense dark eyes locked entirely on me.

Instinctively, I took a small step backward as his massive frame got closer.

Then I caught myself and forced my feet to stay planted on the floor, refusing to let him intimidate me.

He stopped directly in front of me, so close I could smell the pine and rain scent radiating off his skin.

He studied my face for a long, quiet moment, his expression completely unreadable.

Then, without warning, he reached his large hand toward my face.

Thinking he was about to grab my throat or harm me, my reflexes took over.

I lifted my hand and hard-slapped his hand away from me.

The entire council collectively inhaled in horror. The sound of my hand striking his skin echoed like a gunshot in the silent hall.

Before I could apologize, he moved with terrifying wolf speed.

His hand slid around the back of my neck, gripping me with surprising firmness and holding me completely still.

He's going to kill me, was the first thought that slammed into my brain. 

"Hey! Let go!" I yelled, trying to pull back with all my strength, but he was like a solid brick wall.

Before anyone could stop him or figure out what he was doing, he lowered his head right down to my shoulder.

He opened his mouth and bit firmly into the side of my neck, right where a mate mark was supposed to appear.

A quiet gasp ran through the benches. The entire council waited in suspense.

Five seconds passed. Ten seconds passed.

Nothing happened. No mark appeared, no glowing light, no claim.

He pulled his head back first, a rare flash of genuine confusion crossing his dark eyes.

The second his grip loosened, I shoved him off me and bolted away from him as fast as my body could carry me.

I had no idea I'd used an insane amount of force to push, and King Zeus actually stumbled backward two full steps before regaining his balance. 

The council was left utterly speechless. Not a single person in the room moved an inch.

Nobody in recorded history had ever successfully made the Lycan King stagger, let alone have him almost falling.

I stood there, breathing heavily while doing all I can to avoid looking at his face. Even I knew by now that I'd committed way too many sins that made killing me a very fair judgement. 

“I apologize, King Zeus. But I was dragged here to be your surrogate. You didn't bring me here to become your pet, so please, your hands shouldn't touch me unless necessary,” I spoke steadily despite myself. 

For one long, agonizing second, the chamber remained completely silent. You could hear a pin drop on the stone floor.

Then, to everyone's disbelief, the King began to move.

A sound started low in his chest, rising up until King Zeus actually started laughing out loud.

It wasn't a bitter smirk or a cruel chuckle. It was a deep, genuine laugh that echoed off the high stone arches of the Council Hall.

Every single elder stared at him in complete, frozen shock. No one alive had ever heard the King laugh in living memory.

Even he seemed surprised by the sound coming out of his own throat, his hand coming down from his bleeding nose as his shoulders shook.

Just as his laughter slowly began to fade, a sudden blinding light flashed at the back of the hall.

The ancient Moon Altar behind the grand throne suddenly began glowing on its own, casting a brilliant silver light across the entire room.

The air grew cold, filled with an ancient power that made the stone walls vibrate.

Every single elder turned completely pale, their eyes wide with terror and awe.

An old priestess near the front dropped straight onto her knees, clutching her hands together as she whispered into the quiet hall.

"The Goddess... has accepted her."

The smile instantly disappeared from King Zeus's face as he turned his gaze toward the altar.

I slowly turned around as well, looking at the glowing silver stone and having absolutely no idea what kind of ancient madness I had just triggered.