Chapter 10 #2
“She didn’t say. But she was headed toward the gardens when she left.” He pauses, and the change in his tone makes my blood run cold. “The gardens where the noble families’ daughters are allowed.”
I slam the glass down on the table hard enough that water sloshes over the rim. “The noble gardens? When?”
“Maybe twenty minutes ago? She seemed confused by the summons, but—Kieran!”
I’m already moving.
My body protests—still recovering from the forbidden magic—but I don’t care. The gardens. The noble families. The candidates.
My mind races as I stride through the corridors, servants scattering out of my path. I’ve had meetings with every single candidate for the position of my mate over the past several days. I’ve rejected them all.
Daciana was present at every meeting. Required to stand there and watch as they paraded themselves before me, as they listed accomplishments and bloodlines. Having to write it all down as if she were recording inventory.
I chose my own liaison. A female. Someone with no noble blood, no political connections.
The fact that I gave the position to Daciana instead of one of the nobles’ daughters—that alone would have been an insult to each one of them.
But to have her there, witnessing their rejections, documenting their failures?
I should have anticipated this. Should have known they’d retaliate.
Fuck!
My pace quickens to a run, my boots pounding against the marble floors. The exhaustion from the forbidden magic is forgotten, burned away by pure adrenaline and fear.
The gardens aren’t far, but every second feels like an eternity. My heart hammers against my ribs as I burst through the arched entrance, the late afternoon sun blinding after the dimness of the corridors.
Then, I smell it.
Blood.
My vision narrows to a pinpoint, my wolf surging forward with a snarl that I barely contain. The scent is unmistakable and achingly familiar. I know it like I know my own.
Daciana’s blood.
Rage explodes through me, fiery and absolute. Someone has hurt her. Someone has made her bleed.
Someone is going to die.
I break into a full sprint, following the scent deeper into the gardens. Past the manicured hedges and flowering trees, toward the section reserved for noble families. The section I specifically told the servants Daciana shouldn’t have to deal with alone.
Voices reach me first. High-pitched, mocking laughter that makes a feral sensation rise in my chest.
“—should have known your place, honestly—”
“—presumptuous little nobody—”
“—actually thought you could stand beside him? As what, his pet?”
More laughter.
I round the corner, and the scene before me makes every rational thought evaporate.
Daciana is on the ground, her hand pressed to her side where blood seeps through her fingers, dark against the fabric of her warrior uniform. Her face is white with pain, but her jaw is set, defiant even now. Even when she is bleeding and outnumbered.
Surrounding her are five noble daughters, all dressed in elaborate gowns of silk and lace. Their faces are twisted with malicious satisfaction, like cats that have cornered a mouse.
Lady Celeste stands closest, her hand still raised from what was clearly a strike. There’s blood under her nails.
Daciana’s blood.
“You really should learn to—”
“GET AWAY FROM HER.”
The words tear out of me as a roar, more wolf than man. The command in it is absolute, undeniable—the full weight of an alpha’s authority channeled into four words.
Every single one of the ladies freezes, their faces draining of color when they see me.
I don’t give them a chance to speak. Don’t give them a chance to explain or justify or beg.
In seconds, I put myself between Daciana and them. My body is shaking with the effort of not shifting, of not letting my wolf tear into them the way every instinct is screaming at me to do.
Because they hurt her. They made her bleed. They put their hands on what’s mine.
“Alpha Kieran—” Lady Celeste starts, her voice sickeningly sweet despite the fear in her eyes. “We were just—”
“Attacking someone under my direct protection.” The words come out low and dangerous, barely human. “Spilling her blood on palace grounds.”
I take a step toward them, and they all stumble backward, their extravagant gowns rustling.
Good. They should be afraid.
“Tell me, Lady Celeste,” I continue, my voice dropping even lower. “Do you understand what you’ve just done?”
Her confidence wavers, cracks forming in her perfect mask. “She was being disrespectful, Alpha. We were simply reminding her of her place. She’s not—”
“Her place? She is exactly where I want her to be.” Another step forward. “And you committed an act of violence against her.”
“But she’s nobody!” one of the other girls protests, her voice shrill with panic. “She has no family, no breeding, no title. She shouldn’t even be here, let alone—”
“She is exactly where I want her to be,” I repeat, and this time I let more of the growl bleed through. “And you just made the gravest mistake of your pathetic, privileged lives.”
I turn to Daciana, dropping to one knee beside her. Up close, I can see where her uniform is torn, the blood soaking through. But it’s the cut on her cheek that makes my blood run cold. The edges are already darkening, the skin around it blistering.
Wolfsbane.
My hands shake as I reach for her, careful not to touch the poisoned wound. “Let me see your side.”
“I’m fine.” But her voice is strained, tight with pain she’s trying to hide.
“Daciana.” I keep my voice gentle despite the rage coursing through me. “Let me see.”
She moves her hand from her side slowly, revealing another slash—this one deeper. My jaw clenches as I examine it. No wolfsbane in this one, thank the gods, but it’s still bleeding freely.
They cut her. Poisoned her. Actually tried to kill her.
My vision goes red at the edges.
“Can you stand?” I ask, forcing the words out through clenched teeth.
“Yes.” She meets my eyes, and I see fury there to match my own. Good. She’s angry, not broken. “I can stand.”
I help her up carefully, keeping one hand on her arm to steady her. She sways slightly but holds herself upright, her chin lifted in defiance despite the poison working through her system.
My mate. Bleeding and furious and still refusing to bow.
Pride swells in my chest alongside the rage.
I turn back to the five noble daughters, who are now clustered together like they can protect each other from what’s coming.
They can’t.
“Well,” I say, my voice carrying a deadly calm. “You’ve spared me the effort of a final decision.”
Lady Celeste’s eyes widen with what I can only assume is hope.
“None of you are worthy of being the alpha female of my pack.” I let the words hang in the air, watching their faces crumble. “And I’m sure the Queen will want to hear what you did to her personal guard.”
Lady Celeste scoffs, bolstering up her courage.
“She is no longer the Queen’s guard. She’s been demoted.
” She flips her hair over shoulder. “Alpha Kieran, there’s a lot you don’t know about the workings of the palace.
Daciana is just a common soldier now. And she insulted us, so we have every right to punish her. ”
“With wolfsbane?” I ask icily.
Her eyes dart toward the other women. “The wolfsbane didn’t come from us, did it, ladies?”
They all shake their heads immediately.
“You think she doesn’t have a tongue?” I demand, furious. “Daciana, did they use wolfsbane on you?
I look at her, expecting her to say yes, but to my shock, she shakes her head.
“See?” Lady Celeste laughs triumphantly. “It wasn’t us. You can’t be angry with us for punishing a servant. Which is essentially what she is.”
My blood is boiling at this point. I step forward, my voice low. “It doesn’t matter whether Daciana lies to save you; I know what happened here, and I’m sure the Queen will be able to discern who is telling the truth.”
Lady Celeste’s eyes narrow. “We were only disciplining her.”
“You poisoned her,” I say quietly. “With wolfsbane. On a cut to her face. That’s not discipline; that’s attempted murder. And the Queen will agree.”
“It was just a scratch!” one of the others protests, her voice rising with panic. “We didn’t mean—”
“Shut up!” Celeste snaps at the woman, but it’s too late.
My control finally snapping, I move toward Celeste, ready to show her exactly what happens to people who hurt what’s mine.
But a hand closes around my wrist.
“Kieran.” Daciana’s voice is steady despite the tremor I can feel in her grip. “Don’t.”
I freeze, every muscle in my body coiled tight. My wolf is snarling, demanding blood, insisting on retribution. But Daciana’s hand on my wrist anchors me, pulls me back from the edge.
“They’re not worth it,” she continues, her voice quiet but firm. “Let the Queen handle them.”
I look down at her, at the poison darkening her cheek and the blood seeping through her uniform, and the look in her eyes makes me pause. It’s not fear. It’s not weakness.
It’s trust.
She’s trusting me to pull back. To let justice take its course rather than tear these women apart with my bare hands.
I take a breath. Then another. Slowly, the red haze recedes.
“You’re right,” I say finally, my voice still rough from trying to contain my violence. I turn back to the noble daughters. “Get out. Now. Before I change my mind.”
They don’t need to be told twice. They flee, their ostentatious gowns rustling as they run, their sobs echoing off the garden walls.
The moment they’re gone, I turn back to Daciana. She’s still standing, still holding her side, but her face is even paler than before. The poison is spreading.
“We need to get you to the—”
I don’t get the opportunity to finish my sentence because she has reached into her pocket and is drawing out a small container. She unscrews the lid and applies the contents to the scratch on her face, looking disgruntled. “Wolfsbane. So typical.”
“What is that?”