Elowen
Lund
The client room was a stark contrast to the dungeon cell–spacious and elegant, with a real bed and attached bathroom, Windows overlooked the gardens, though they were reinforced with silver mesh to prevent escape. Still a prison, but a gilded one.
“How do you like this place?” Frost asked as he showed me in. “I mean, if it’s not good enough for you, we could arrange something else.”
“It is fine,” I replied, taking in the luxury I’d once taken for granted,
“Do you need…” he began.
“No,” I cut him off, knowing his next offer would be to stay, to talk.
After he left, I explored the room, opening doors and drawers, checking for anything that might be useful–for what, I wasn’t entirely sure. Escape? Maybe. But what tormented me most wasn’t my captivity. It was the truth. Was Kaius really the culprit behind the attacks on packs and the murder of children? Was Kieran’s mission truly driven by justice? These questions tangled inside me, an itch I couldn’t scratch. I needed to uncover the truth. But if I did learn what really happened, would I still want to leave?
The bathroom called to me–a deep claw–foot tub promising an end to days of grime and discomfort. I turned the taps, pleased to find the water ran hot almost immediately. Steam filled the room as stripped off my filthy clothes, noticing how my wounds had nearly completely healed. Kieran’s blood had done more than just revitalize me; it had accelerated my healing beyond anything Id experienced before.
Sinking into the hot water, I let out an involuntary sigh of pleasure. For the first time in days, I allowed myself to relax, to think clearly. The warm water soothed my aching muscles, and I closed my eyes, trying to make sense of everything that had happened.
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, a knock at the bathroom door startled me awake. The water had cooled, no longer steaming.
“Elowen?” Kaius’s voice.
I sank lower in the tub, though the frosted glass of the bathroom door would already conceal me. “What do you want?”
“I’ve brought clean clothes. I’ll leave them outside the door.”
I waited until his footsteps retreated before climbing out, wrapping myself in a plush towel. Opening the door a crack, I found a stack of neatly folded clothes–soft pants and a shirt in my size, even clean undergarments. The intimacy of it, the knowledge that Kaius had chosen these items with my body in mind, brought a flush to my cheeks I blamed on the hot bath.
Once dressed, I emerged to find Kaius had returned, this time with a tray of food. The scent made my stomach growl despite my resolve to resist.
“Why are you here?” I asked, keeping my distance.
Tbrought some food; you must be famished, just as I am.” He set the tray on a small table near the window, pulling out a chair.
“We are not dining together.” The thought seemed absurd–playing at civility after everything that had happened.
“No? Then how would we make sure the food isn’t poisoned?” There was a hint of his old self in the question–the slight curl of his lips, the challenge in his eyes.
“Kill me now,” I muttered, unable to resist moving closer to the food
1/2
Chapter 197
“How I would love to do just that,” he replied, echoing my sarcasm as he pulled out a chair for me.
I sat reluctantly, watching as he served me a plate before taking his own. He ate a bite of everything first, a silent demonstration that the food was safe. Only then did I begin to eat, trying not to show how desperately hungry I was despite Kieran’s blood restoring my strength.
As we ate in tense silence, my mind kept returning to the attacks, to the photographs I’d seen in that hidden room months ago.
“I want to ask you a question,” I said finally, setting down my fork.
“Well, ask on,” he replied, leaning back in his chair.
“You say you didn’t send those soldiers to those packs; were you telling the truth?”
“Yes, even if you still don’t believe me.” No hesitation, his eyes steady on mine.
I took a deep breath. “If you can remember, something happened back at the mate ball; it had been that very day I discovered elder Thalia injured in the woods. I had left the party, triggered by what I saw in a particular hidden room. I don’t believe you were being completely truthful when I asked what those pictures were doing there.”
He set down his glass, his expression turning serious. “You are right. I didn’t lie to you but I hadn’t told you the complete truth then. We had considered this plan, what many now refer to as the ‘new era, where there would be no Alpha’s but the Alpha King, me. Thalia had brought about this idea before she left on the mission. She had believed she was going to defeat the elder who managed to escape, but the elders wouldn’t be the only threat, to assure the crown remains in the Ravenhollow packs, she thought that it was a sensible solution to kill every other Alpha.”
“And you agreed to it?” The thought chilled me, even as pieces began falling into place.
“This plan would lead to a lot of bloodshed, but I have been born into this; in the world I know, you do anything to stay on top.”
“Even if it includes killing innocents?” I watched his face carefully.
“It is never my intention, but people would always die, simply because they were in the wrong at the wrong time. Still yet, I never did go on with the Thalia plan; we had disagreed on it because it wasn’t worth it. I am not the one behind all these.”
I sat back, processing his words. Could it be true? I had been so certain of his guilt, but the more I thought about it, the more other possibilities emerged.
“Have you considered the possibility that Thalia masterminded all this?” I asked.
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