Rejected by the King, Protected by Her Alpha Twin Chapter 05

Rejected by the King, Protected by Her Alpha Twin Chapter 05 Poisoned Oaths 

I gave them no chance to keep up their lies.

I pressed my blade to the hollow of Mother’s shoulder, every word sharp and unsparing. “Three years ago, you never gave me a potion to fake my death. You set out to destroy my wolf spirit for good. Isn’t that the truth?”

Silence crashed over the courtyard.

Mother’s face drained of all color. Father’s eyes blew wide with raw terror.

Their fear said everything they dared not speak.

A low, bitter laugh welled in my throat. I pushed the blade’s edge a fraction deeper. “What? You never counted on me surviving to come back?”

“No!” Mother shook her head in wild panic.

“Vesper, you’ve got it all wrong! It was only supposed to stop my heartbeat temporarily. We just wanted to send you away-we never meant to kill you!”

“The sap from a fake-death herb tastes sweet. What you forced down my throat reeked of rotting flesh, rank and cloying.”

My gaze locked on the twitch tugging at the corner of her mouth. “That brew rips a wolf spirit apart first. Then it makes a werewolf bleed from every opening on their body.”

“Mother. Do I need to remind you who held that poison bowl to my lips?”

“Enough!” Father cut in, panic bleeding through his sharp bark.

“You vanish for three years, slink back impersonating Selene, and attack the alpha king and the future luna. For all anyone knows, those rogue wolves drove you off your rocker!”

I tilted my head toward him. “Then answer me this, Father. Why am I still alive?”

His jaw clamped shut. Not a single word escaped him.

He knew perfectly well that dosage should have killed even a powerful alpha.

Three years prior, they’d told me Selene could only bond with Caius if I died.

I’d agreed.

But when that poison was brought to me, my private guards caught its vile stench.

They secretly swapped out the lethal concoction. I woke mid-funeral and fled the pack’s main compound.

Those three years, I’d never trusted my parents.

I’d only trusted their sworn oath to keep Selene safe.

Turns out I’d placed faith in two heartless creatures.

Mother latched tight to the hem of my tunic, breaking down into racking sobs. “Nespor, we had no other choice!”

“You were a born alpha. You commanded the private guards, and you wielded massive influence across the northern frontier. As long as you drew breath, Caius would never feel safe marrying Selene!”

“You could make it anywhere. But she was only an omega. She needed her family. She needed the pack’s protection!”

I stared down at her. “So you chose to murder me?”

“And once I was gone, you handed every single thing Selene owned straight over to Evelyn?”

Mother shook her head through her tears. “We never intended to hurt her…”

“Aunt, don’t fall for her tricks!” Evelyn shrilled. She ducked behind Caius and lifted her chin in a brittle show of bravado.

“The real Vesper died long ago! This woman is some fraud Selene cooked up to spin lies and scare you all!”

I twisted the blade loose in my grip, my gaze sliding lazily over Evelyn’s shaky act of bravado, and huffed a dry, mocking laugh.

What a fool.

Father stumbled backward two steps. Every trace of color fled his face. His lips twitched, yet no sound came out.

I advanced with my drawn blade, but Caius stepped squarely between my parents and me.

“Even if you really are Vesper, you have no right to lash out and harm others here. I am the alpha king. Do you hold zero respect for my authority?”

His tone dropped, heavy with command. “Lay down your weapon. I will get to the bottom of Selene’s disappearance.”

“You’ll look into it?” Bitter laughter burst out of me.

She vanished mid-transit to the wastelands for three whole days, and you were busy prepping Evelyn’s coronation.”

“She suffered one hundred and twenty-seven silver-barbed lashes, and you wrote her off as playing the victim for sympathy.”

“Caius, you couldn’t even spot that your own fated mate had been replaced.”

I pointed my blade’s tip at him, my voice ice-cold. “What makes you fit to hunt for her”

Caius went rigid. I tapped the sword-point lightly against stone.

Clink.

The sharp metallic crack cut through the still courtyard air.

The next instant, dozens of figures materialized. They wore heavy gray-black wolf-hide armor; each breastplate bore the mark of a silver moon rent open by claw marks.

At their lead, Ronan dropped to one knee. “Commander, welcome home.”

Father reeled backward, shock washing over his features. “Impossible! They were hunted down and wiped out long ago!”

Ronan lifted his head, icy murder burning in his eyes.

“Three years ago, you stole the commander’s token and ordered us to swear fealty to Caius.”

“Nineteen of our brothers who refused to submit were put to death in the dungeon.”

“We have never forgotten that blood debt.”

Father’s complexion turned ashen.

Right then, tearing agony flared sharp once more in my right arm.

A searing burn, the tell-tale pain of silver, tore straight through my chest.

My wolf spirit thrashed deep in my mind, growling with raw restlessness.

Selene was close.

Driven by our twin bond, I spun toward the abandoned altar on the west side.

Fresh-disturbed earth lay before its stone doorway. Faint whiffs of blood and silver rust

lingered in every crack.

The pale gray mud caked on Mother’s boot soles was an exact match.

I stepped forward, sword in hand. Mother threw herself forward and wrapped both ars around my leg.

“Vesper, don’t go in there!”

I halted. I pressed the flat edge of my blade to the side of her neck, speaking in a low, wen

tone.

“The escort party never lost Selene.”

“You brought her back, and locked her away in the dungeon beneath this altar.”

Mother shook violently, too terrified to lift her eyes.

The very last spark of warmth died inside my gaze.

“My sister-”

“She’s down there. Isn’t she?”