The Queen suddenly erupted into a sharp, hysterical laugh. She
looked at us with a deranged expression, as if she had lost her
mind.“Yeah, of course you’ll kill Matthew too! After all, you’ve
already killed the King–what’s one more life to you?” She
laughed maniacally, shaking her head. “Your hands are dirty,
Asher. You’ll never be able to wash them clean. From now on,
you’ll be known as a murderer, someone who killed your own
blood! You’ll never have a sound sleep ever again!“Asher’s hand
trembled, and I felt my anger surge. I snapped, “If the King
hadn’t betrayed Asher and his parents, none of this would’ve
happened! Asher is not a murderer, and we all know it!““No, he
is,” the Queen said, her smile twisted and strange, her voice full
of venom. “You’ll lose your mate too, Asher,” she warned. “Just
like I did. That’s the price of betrayal.”
And then she passed out, like someone had flipped a switch.
Losing her mate–it had shattered her. I could see it in her face.
Her body couldn’t handle the grief.
Asher stood there, watching her, but his face was blank. He
looked… lost.
“I’ve lost them both,” he said to me through mindlink, his voice breaking. “My parents. My uncle…I won’t be happy anymore.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Asher had been
through so much, but now it felt like everything was falling
apart. I wanted to cry, to help, to say something that would
make it all better.
“Asher please, it’s not your fault…” Those words sounded so
vain. But I didn’t know anything else I could say.
“I need to be alone.”
He turned and walked away. I didn’t even try to stop him. I just
stood there, helpless.
People surged up and brought the unconscious Queen away.
Shortly after, the Royal Council had arrived. They asked to see
Asher, their face all serious. I started to get nervous. Killing the
King was a serious crime. Prince Matthew was right–Asher
wouldn’t be able to walk away from this easily.
“Can you stall these men for a while?” I dragged Jayden to the
side and whispered, “I need to talk to Asher…and figure out a
way.”
I wouldn’t let the Royal Council hurt my mate. He just lost everything and now he was going to face another serious
punishment? No, it was too cruel for him. I wouldn’t let it
hannon
happen.
Jayden’s expression told me that he understood my worries.
“Alright, go, I will see what I can do.” he whispered back, “But
hurry up. These royal council men are not easy to fool.”
I nodded and quickly dashed away, leaving Jayden to deal with
the Royal Council.
But where was Asher anyway? I asked myself as I left the
packhouse. Where would he go when he was sad and
desperate.
My gut feeling told me that he had gone to Isaac. So I quickly
headed to the forest where we first met.
When I got there, Isaac was sitting alone, looking like the
weight of the world was on his shoulders. The tension in the air
was thick, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.
“Isaac,” I called, my voice quiet.
He didn’t look surprised to see me. His eyes met mine, and for a
moment, I thought I saw something cold in them.
“Where’s Asher?” I asked, stepping closer. “Did you see him?”
Isaac let out a strange laugh, shaking his head.
“You really don’t get it, do you?” He looked at me like I was a
fool. He pity and loathed me, “Asher is an idiot. So are you. You
never saw it coming.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, feeling a knot tighten in
my stomach. “Where is he?”
Isaac stood up slowly, his eyes dark with resentment.
“…I made sure everything went wrong.” He grinned, a triumph
smile on his lips. “I told Asher the truth, knowing that my
brother was too righteous to let it slide. He would seek revenge
to the King for sure. I pushed Asher and his uncle into each
other’s throats haqquso I wanted thom to danture
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his brother back. They were starting to like each other. Even with their parents gone, they still had one another… This can’t
be real…
“I don’t believe it! You didn’t!!!”
“But I sure did.” Isaac took a step forward, his voice dripping with bitterness. “Because I wanted Asher to feel it. I wanted
him to understand what it’s like to lose everything.”
He paused and narrowed his eyes into slits, “But I didn’t count on you. I didn’t count on you and the wolves still supporting him. I thought it would all fall apart, but you’re still here. You’re
still backing him up.”
I stared at him. My blood turned ice cold.
So it was true then.
The brother that Asher felt so lucky to have had just
manipulated Asher to kill his own uncle.
Chapter 50
