His smirk made it clear that he would’ve cracked the whip right across my mouth if the knights hadn’t been holding me in their grasp. It was ironic that the only time the knights had actually protected me was when I was imprisoned by them.
I wanted to spit in Melchom’s face but held myself back. He took up position behind the safety of the knights as they led me through the dungeon towards the surface. I had no blindfold this time, but the cuffs remained intact. Were they leading me to be tortured? Executed? To have my head put on a stick, like I’d heard Sebastian threaten others in the past?
When we hit street level, I blinked against the brightness of the afternoon sun. It seared my eyes after my time underground, and at first, I didn’t notice where the knights were leading me. But when my senses came back, I recognized the area. It was the upper ring—the same streets I’d walked with Sebastian earlier during our outing. I even saw the tailor shop as we passed it, but it looked to be closed today.
I frowned. The streets weren’t this empty before, were they? And it wasn’t just the tailor. All the shops appeared to be closed. It was unusually silent. There was no bustling crowd, no sweet-smelling bread or idle gossip filling the air. An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach.
Something was wrong.
“What is going on?” I asked.
Melchom strode up beside me with his whip cradled in his hands and a smile on his lips. Even if I wasn’t handcuffed, he was well out of reach behind a knight.
“I already told you, alpha, though with your tiny amount of braincells, I’m sure you’ve forgotten,” Melchom said. “The King is conducting an experiment of sorts.”
My organs clenched in cold fear.
“What does that mean?” I demanded.
“Quiet,” one of the knights snapped.
I realized after shutting my mouth that besides our voices, I couldn’t hear a single person speaking on the streets of the upper ring. It almost felt abandoned, but that couldn’t be right. I’d seen so many people. It was impossible for them all to vanish into thin air.
But more importantly, where was Sebastian? Was he safe? Melchom said I’d see him soon but that only made me more nervous.
The knights led me over a crest in the street. Finally, I saw it.
Up ahead was the massive, beautiful courtyard—the one where Sebastian and I had spoken about the myth of the God of Fertility. Every single person who lived in the upper ring was gathered in a circle around it, creating a large empty space. There were knights acting as a wall between the civilians and the center of the courtyard where the fountain and the statue stood.
The entire scene was ominous. There were too many uncomfortable elements about it that I didn’t know where to look. But when my eyes found the King standing to one side on a raised platform, flanked by armed knights, my terror rose to a pitch.
The King’s gaze met mine across the courtyard and it felt like an electric shock. We were quite a distance away, but I could have sworn I saw the corner of his mouth twitch.
“Good. The alpha Rourke has arrived,” the King said. “We can finally begin.”
He then glanced towards the fountain and I followed his gaze.
I hadn’t noticed it right away, but there was something odd about the statue. It sent a cold chill down my spine when I realized there were two figures in front of it. No, not in front of it—they werechainedto it.
And then my heart stopped.
One of the figures was Eugene Woods.
The other was Sebastian Arctos Lacehaven.
23
Sebastian
Things felt hazy and surreal after Father disowned me in the guest house bedroom. After he walked away, I sat there in a nightmarish state, not knowing what to think or do.
Then it struck me that this wasn’t the end.
I knew my father. He wouldn’t be content to disown me and then kill Rourke for his insolence. No, there had been amuchdeeper anger in his eyes. I’d noticed it first when I disobeyed him during the pedigreed alpha viewing, then again when I’d asked him about fated mates.
Any remaining trust in my father disappeared. He’d proven himself unstable and dishonest. If I couldn’t count on him, I needed to turn to someone else.
My mind raced, picking through every line of thought. If my night with Rourke produced an heir, that meant I was still next to inherit the throne, God of Fertility forbid anything happen to mybelovedFather—but did that still apply if he disowned me?
