Chapter 7 - Unraveling the Darkest Secret
Kellen stood up from his throne so fast that the heavy oak chair overturned and crashed to the floor.
The sound echoed like a gunshot.
“Toby,” Kellen said, his voice dropping an octave into the terrifying register of the Iron Wolf. “Repeat what you just said.”
Toby didn't flinch. “Auntie Lydia came to my room. She gave me a little glass bottle with black liquid inside. She told me to drink it, or bad things would happen to Daddy. Then I got sick.”
Lydia stood up from her seat, her composure completely shattering. “He’s lying! The boy is hallucinating! He’s been brainwashed by the Omega!”
“Lydia Vance,” Kellen’s voice vibrated through the foundation of the palace.
He didn't walk down the steps; he leaped. In a single bound, Kellen cleared the dais and landed directly in front of Lydia. The sheer pressure of his alpha aura forced Lydia to her knees, gasping for air as if she were drowning.
“Kellen... please...” Lydia choked out, tears streaming down her face. “Your father arranged this match... our packs... we’re allies...”
“You poisoned my son,” Kellen whispered, his golden eyes swirling with lethal fury. “You conspired with Thorne to weaken my bloodline so the council could seize control of the Sterling throne when I stepped down.”
“That’s a lie!” Vance shouted, stepping forward to defend his daughter.
Gregorian drew his sword instantly, pressing the cold steel against Vance’s throat. “Take another step, Councilman, and I’ll separate your head from your shoulders.”
Kellen turned back to Lydia. He reached out, grabbing her by the collar of her silk gown, hoisting her off the floor effortlessly.
“For six days, I watched my son die,” Kellen snarled, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings. “For six days, you smiled in my face while holding the cure in your pocket—or rather, while orchestrating his slow execution.”
“I only wanted us to rule together!” Lydia screamed, her mask entirely discarded, revealing the vicious, desperate creature underneath. “You never looked at me! You never loved me! You were supposed to be mine!”
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Kellen threw her to the ground with disgust.
“Lock her and her father in the dungeon next to Thorne,” Kellen commanded without looking back. “Strip the Vance family of every title, every asset, and every cent. They are banished from the Sterling Pack forever.”
