CHAPTER TWELVE
EMBER
MY MOUTH HUNG OPEN in shock as I stared at Moon.
“Does the emperor want you dead?” I asked, wondering if we could survive going up against the ruler of the realm. I didn’t know, but for my mates, I’d try.
Moon chuckled. “No, not the emperor. It’s my second eldest brother, Kwang Song.”
Whew! Wait...
"But the Silent Hex is a witch organization," I mused, my brain struggling to reconcile what I knew with this new information. "How did a shifter prince take control of it?"
"Knowing Prince Kwang, he probably just walked in there and threatened to have them all beheaded," Ryung told me, taking another bite of his breakfast.
The Silent Hex had always operated in shadows, its leadership mysterious even to those of us who worked for them. I'd never questioned who was giving the orders, only that they’d promised me what I wanted most and I'd been desperate enough to believe them.
"Since we know who is behind it, we can just end him, right?" I asked, my mind already spinning with possibilities. "I have at least three potions that would make it look like natural causes."
Moon shook his head, his expression darkening. "No matter how much I’d love to do that, we can't."
"Why not?" I pressed, frustration bubbling up inside me.
"Because of my father's last edict," Moon explained, his voice heavy with resignation. "Blood cannot kill blood. That was the edict my father gave hours before he died."
"What does that even mean?" I asked.
"No member of the royal family can kill another. To make sure we obeyed his declaration, he brought in a witch to bind his blood to the edict. The edict is backed by ancient magic,” Moon explained, his arms tightening around me.
"If I were to kill Kwang,” he continued.
“The punishment would fall on me and now, by extension, on you as my mate. Along with Ryung, as my scent match and pack mate. The same goes for my brother, the emperor, the empress, and my nephews. Whoever disobeys will suffer a fate worse than death. We don’t know the exact punishment.
But whenever I touch that edict, I feel its power.
There’s dark magic imbued in it. I wouldn’t dare let my actions bring that kind of pain to Ryung or you. "
"Why would your father create such a rule?" I couldn't imagine implementing something that would leave your children so vulnerable.
"My father came to power through bloodshed.
He had to kill his own brothers to secure the throne.
They were all fighting for it after their father died.
It nearly destroyed him emotionally. He didn't want his sons to face the same burden.
My father never imagined one of his sons would use the edict as a shield to plot against the others.
My father has two other sons besides the emperor, Kwang, and me.
They guard other borders along with one of my nephews.
Meanwhile, Kwang pretends to be too sickly to serve while secretly plotting to take the throne.
To get around the edict, he uses assassins to come after us. "
I looked between my mates, frustration gnawing at me. "So there's nothing you can do about him? You just let him keep sending assassins after you?"
Ryung shook his head. "As of right now, all we do is send the heads of those he sends after us back to him on spikes. When we're really pissed off, we send their insides too."
Ahhh. So that's where the rumors about them being ruthless killers came from. Kwang had probably started those whispers himself, twisting the truth to make Moon and Ryung look like monsters rather than men defending themselves.
"But that's not enough," I protested.
I understood why they couldn't kill Kwang themselves, but letting him continue his schemes unchecked felt wrong on every level. I'd spent my entire life dealing with threats directly. This passive approach went against everything I believed in.
I wanted to make Kwang suffer for using me, for targeting my mates, for thinking he could manipulate me into killing the men I was destined to love. But I also didn't want to bring trouble to Moon's door.
The royal politics were already complicated enough without me stomping in and making things worse. Yet, I felt so helpless for not being able to do something for them.
"Stop pouting and eat before your food gets cold," Ryung told me, using his fork to scoop up a bite from my plate, holding it to my lips.
I accepted the food, chewing slowly while I imagined how hard this must’ve been for them all these years.
They must have been on guard constantly, always looking over their shoulders, never knowing when the next attempt on their lives would come.
All because of Moon's own brother. A rumble started in my chest.
"You're growling, little one," Moon observed, amusement lighting his tone.
Was I? Oh, yeah. I was.
"Sorry, I can't help it," I admitted. "I don't like this Kwang Song.
And the fact that he isn't being punished bothers me.
I'm not used to letting my enemies live carefree lives after they've hurt me.
" I paused, deciding to share a bit more about myself.
"Even though I've let what my family did go, I still send my father and sister birthday cards with 'Happy Birthday from Ember' written in blood.
Not my blood, of course. I usually keep vials of my enemies' blood just for my birthday cards. "
Moon burst out laughing, the sound vibrating through his chest against my back. "My vicious little mate," he rasped, kissing my shoulder as the imugi slithered down to my leg.
"I just want them to know I'm alive," I explained with a shrug.
"They know I burned the brothel down. They know I'm a little crazy.
I want them to fear me. Fear that I could show up at any time to take them out.
That satisfies my need for revenge." I sighed heavily.
"But letting this thing with Kwang go bothers my little vengeful heart. "
"We can't have that, can we?" Ryung whispered, his dark eyes glinting with something that made my pulse quicken.
Hope flared inside me. "So you'll let me kill him?" I asked, growing excited.
"No," Ryung quickly replied, crushing my momentary joy. "However, he'll be here in a few days."
I stiffened in surprise. "He'll be here? Why?"
Ryung explained that the Royal Envoy was scheduled to come to the Southern border to bring them their spring needs, including seeds for farmers, new weapons and uniforms for the military, and other rations.
An envoy came twice a year with provisions from the Emperor. But this year, Kwang sent word that he would be coming along to pay his brother a visit and inspect the Fortress City for the emperor.
"That coincidentally lined up with the timeframe he gave me to kill you," I realized, anger boiling in my veins.
"That bastard had really used me as a pawn.
I believe he gave me twelve days to kill you all so that when he arrived with the envoy, the two of you would be dead, and he'd be able to verify it for himself. "
Moon nodded. "I believe so. The emperor thinks Kwang is working with our enemies to the south. He thinks they've agreed to help Kwang become emperor if Kwang gives them the southern border. But with Ryung, me, and the Imugi here, my brother knows this border will never fall."
I straightened my spine, feeling a fierce protectiveness surge through me.
"I'm here now. And there's no way we're letting our enemies take anything from us," I declared.
I immediately felt tremors of love flow through our bond.
My words had pleased my alphas, and that knowledge warmed me from the inside out.
I might not be able to kill Kwang directly, but I was already forming a plan.
Just because we couldn't end his life didn't mean we couldn't make him regret ever messing with us.
"The Fates knew exactly what they were doing when they sent you to us," Ryung stated, feeding me another forkful of food.
Covering my mouth as I chewed, I gestured toward their plates. "You two should eat too. Your food is getting cold."
My alphas finally dug into their meals as I sipped my coffee, my mind racing with ideas. Death had always been my go-to solution. Quick, clean, permanent. Thinking of non-lethal ways to take care of a problem like Kwang was surprisingly difficult.
I mentally flipped through my arsenal of potions and spells, discarding options that would kill him outright, focusing instead on those that would humiliate, incapacitate, or otherwise neutralize the threat he posed.
Whenever one of my alphas told me to open wide, I obediently parted my lips, accepting the offered bites while I continued my mental calculations. A plan began to form, pieced together from various tricks I'd learned over the years. Not lethal, but devastating in its own way.
"I've got it," I exclaimed suddenly, nearly spilling my coffee in my excitement. "I know a way we can make your brother leave you alone that doesn't involve taking his life."
Both alphas stared at me with matching expressions of suspicion, which only made my smile grow wider and more wicked.
"Here's the plan," I began.
By the time I finished explaining the details, my alphas were just as excited as I was, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"We should take this gold chain off you," Ryung said suddenly, reaching down to grasp the enchanted jewelry that still circled my ankle. With a simple twist of his fingers, it clicked open and fell away.
I gaped at him. "How did you remove that so easily?" I'd spent days trying to break the damn thing.
"It can only be removed by the person who put it on you," he explained with a smirk.
That made sense. I made a mental note to find the witch who'd sold him that magical restraint and have a little chat with her. Right now, I had more important things to handle. Operation: Make Kwang Pay But Not Die was officially in motion. I'd come up with a better name later.