Heart of the Wolf Prince

Chapter 33

I am made to wait for so long in those rafters, I start to fret that that king won't come at all. That maybe we got the time and place wrong, and we fucked the mission up before it could even start.

So, I am equal measures relieved and afraid to hear King Galen's voice permeate the walls, echoed by several other voices. The doors open and he booms inside his council chamber, rounding the table so that he stands at the head. Six others follow him, one that I immediately recognise as his general. The sight of them all kicks my heart into overdrive, and I force my breaths to shallow puffs as I will myself to be undetectable.

The king braces his hands on the table. For a moment, he doesn't speak. The others stare at him intently, waiting.

"I'm going to stage a coup. Tomorrow, on the day of the coronation, I will have someone assassinate my son."

My heart stops at those words, and I just stare at the king. Stare and stare and stare as I wait for him to take the words back, for him to slap his knee and say it was all a joke.

But he doesn't. He just stares at his inner circle, all of whom look mildly shocked by his claim, but none looking as alarmed as I feel. My stomach sinks like a stone in a lake as the others slowly nod in assent. They can't seriously be agreeing with this madness, can they?

"But why, your Majesty?" the king's general asks. Galen's golden eyes slide to his underling, a grim frown pulling at his lips.

"Kohl is a lost cause. Gahndors have always been raised to fit a certain mould, something that Kohl has failed to become. I fear he will change the way Raelia is ruled once he comes into power. My shadows have overheard conversations between him and his lackeys; of his plans to make Raelia a more inclusive continent. He wants to change the laws surrounding Rogues, and the treatment of Invalids and Runts as a whole, and that is simply something I cannot allow as the current leader. Raelia is not a soft country, and I will now allow it to degrade to such."

A lump lodges itself in my throat, and my eyes sting with unbidden tears. Is Kohl really planning to implement all those things when he ascends the throne? He'd never told me any of those things – was he going to surprise me with it? Back when we were so sure we would make it?

"Apologies, your majesty," someone else states, a man with scars marring the left side of his face. "But how do you plan to continue your lineage? Kohl is your first-born and you have no spares."

King Galen dismisses him with a wave of his hand. "I have seen to that. Selene is one month pregnant with another child, and I plan to sire another one after that. I will not make this mistake again. And do not worry of my wife; she has no clue of my plans."

My heart sinks at this information. The king has this all planned out, and my mind is still struggling to comprehend that this man is so willing to kill his own son. Okay with it, it seems, judging by the bored look on his face. It makes my blood boil as much as it turns my organs to ice. To me, Kohl always seemed like this invincible figure that could never be touched. But now he is just a young boy at the mercy of his father; someone in dire need of protection.

"And how do you plan to carry out this assassination, your Majesty?" the general asks again.

"Ashwood arrow, purest of its kind," the king vows. "My assassin will aim it at Kohl's heart, right as he is to take his bride's hand. It will take the court a couple of moments to realise what's happened – especially in the midst of such a happy moment – and then panic will ensue. That is when I will rush over and play out my theatrics, whilst the assassin can slip away into the crowd. Nobody will know I had a hand in this. These recent attacks will ensure that people will point their fingers to an external force, when really it was all internal."

Murmurs of agreement start up from the council. I decide I've heard enough. I spin around and clamber through the passage. My thudding heart makes it hard for me to know if I am making any noise, but I decide I don't care. I have to warn Kohl. I have to tell him to call off the marriage and plan something against his father before it is too late...

Panic rises in my throat, and I choke on the desperate need to find him. Ashwood is a rare kind of wood to come by, and for good reason. It is about as toxic to werewolves as silver is, and if an arrow made of it plunges through Kohl's heart, then he has no chance of surviving at all.

Yes, I'm angry at Kohl. Yes, he's betrayed me as far as I'm concerned. But I can't imagine a world without him in it. And if he really planned to make those changes to Raelia, then that shows there's still a heart in him. A heart that needs saving.

I scramble out the passage and push the wood panel aside. My lungs heave as dust and debris swirl down my throat, but I don't care. I stagger to my feet and turn to the dark silhouette standing across the room, waiting for me.

"Alex, thank god—" I begin, fighting to catch my breath. I feel so out of damn oxygen, and I don't know if it's because of the fear, the dust, or the rate at which I climbed through that passage causing it. Probably all three.

"What did you find out?" he asks, his voice strangely monotonous. I can't see much of his eyes in the dark.

"A lot," I gasp. "I'll have to explain later. Kohl is in danger and I have to warn him—"

I make a step towards the door, but Alex steps into my way and I collide into his rock-hard frame. I stagger back with a noise of shock, blinking up at him in confusion. "Alex, what are you doing? Let me past."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he says. The words don't land at first. I just straighten my spine and put on my best authoritive voice.

"Alex, let me past." I make to side-step his towering frame, but he grabs my arm, halting me. The strength of his grip elicits a gasp of pain. I look up at his face.

What I see there makes my blood run cold. His eyes look dead, glittering with a faint tinge of malice. The subtle smirk on his face has every damn alarm bell pealing in my head, something that injects adrenalin into my veins and urges me to run.

"Alex?" I whisper, having this sudden, awful sense that I'm in danger. That the friend I am alone with is not really my friend at all.

"I can't let you tell anyone, Naomi," he whispers, his voice so much like a lover's caress that it sends a shudder down my spine. For a few moments, I just stare at him. Stare and stare and stare until all the blood is drained from my face, until I am simply swaying on my feet. Then, Alex's malicious smirk quirks up into a wide grin. "And I'm going to ensure you remain silent."

A shadow moves in my peripheral. I jerk my head just in time to see Alex's fist collide with my skull.

Pain sparks. White fills my vision. Then it is dark.