Chapter 58
“Miroslav “Alpha Bashir began, as if he wanted to tell the King that this wasn’t necessary. There were so many risks already and there were so many stakes that needed to be handled with care. Bashir knew this wasn’t going to go in a better direction. He knew that all of this was just him shooting himself in the food and boy was it making him even more confused.
“She came to you with a deal… You need to keep talking, because if you don’t, I might consider you an enemy; and your people will never see you again. You more than anyone show just how much I despise traitors. You wouldn’t want a traitor in your backyard too, or would you?” the Lycan King said and the alpha sighed. He should have expected this, but then in his years as a leader, he had learned to keep away from this mad man. Funny how the universe was not letting the both of them
be
“Okay. If you insist, Your Highness-”
“I do, now get on with it.” King Miroslav said angrily. He was getting impatient and rightfully so. The alpha before him was supposed to be a friend to the Asmoria court, and yet he had accepted the help of a traitor. Miroslav had so many things running through his mind and frankly, killing Alpha Bashir had to be on the top of his list. The man had betrayed them indirectly and that just didn’t sit well with the King. He wanted to trust the alpha, but then the man couldn’t even be trusted in his own backyard, so why would the Lycan King risk it all for him then?
“Polina offered us a seat at the table. She said her father was retiring soon and the council would need one new member to fill that spot. She wanted it to be us, because we had a silver stash one that could be useful for you in your torture chambers. Lycans are almost never affected by silver so I didn’t think too much of it. A seat at the Lycan high table is not something anyone says no to, especially if it comes from Polina Rostova, a member of the King’s inner circle and a trusted member of the royal household. I guess you can already tell why I didn’t think twice about an offer so sudden and one that screamed so many red flags.
“Of course, I had questions about the sudden offer but then the benefits outweighed the probable cons. So, I didn’t look into it well. All I wanted was an ally and when I suggested the treaty, the agreed and started the processing, I don’t know what she did or what she was planning with Drescher. Hell, I didn’t even know you had captured Drescher until I came to the palace when everything made sense. I didn’t know that she was a traitor. If anything, with her offer came conditions, that the silver supply would be revamped every week to keep the steady flow for the dungeons. I jumped at the chance because this was also a chance for me to see one of my old friends,” Bashir said as he looked at Ralphine,
The Lycan Queen was just staring blankly, with no emotions as she listened to Bashir. She didn’t know what to expect because as much as she wanted to accept the man as her former best friend, Ralph was smart enough to know that power corrupts people. Power turned the good inside of people into a dark homeland. Ralphine was smart enough to know that to be as powerful as Mirza, sacrifices had to be made. Blood had to flow and people had to lose more than was acceptable on a normal day. All of this had complicated the relationship they had and honestly, Ralphine hadn’t been looking forward to whatever was coming between her and Bashir.
Her focus was on the Lycan Kingdom. Just that, and nothing more.
“Is that all of it?” the King asked as he looked at Bashir. For some reason, he trusted the alpha’s words. The man was a leader and would definitely choose his people over everything in the world. Just like the Lycan King would always choose his people. Even if he chose his queen he was certain his Queen would make him choose their people. That shit was hot questionable, so Miroslav understood that. But why were there pending assertions in the air?
“If you still have questions, you can ask your beta, Viktor, if they received an installment of silver for this week. My warriors made sure to bring them regardless of everything that was going on in the Lycan Kingdom. I respect deals, Miroslav. I am an alpha of honor and I won’t defend my honor before you. If you still want to cancel the treaty, then you can do it. If not, let me know when to begin. Otherwise, I only have seven days left here. My two–week vist is proving worthless after all,” the alpha said as he got up and walked out, leaving Ralph and Miro atching his back
In the past years, not so many people had turned their backs one Lycan King after giving the most insane of ultimatums, bùr–then alpha Bashir was not just anyone. Nothing would ever be the same if this wasn’t sorted and the sooner they fixed it, the sooner everything would be on play. Baslair had been respectul the whole time, because he kept his desires on the side. something that the king found admirable of him. But Miro would never spell it out loud for the alpha, not even if it was just the two of them left in the entire world.
Chapter 58
85
“What do you think?” the King asked his crasthai who was currently holding his hand softly, like she could already see the storm in the King’s eyes. Being in power meant making the toughest of decisions and while Miroslav’s meeting with the alpha could have been considered unruly and rude to his guest, the king had done what he needed to and if he had to do it again, he would without a second thought. That was how this shit worked and Ralph knew that too, but it didn’t make them robots who didn’t feel, yeah!
“You did great. You protected the interests of Asmoria, and that is what every King has to do. Our people are lucky to have
you
there, I am lucky too. You’re easily the best of the best, Ibrahim,” Ralph said earnestly as she lifted the King’s hand to her lips, gently peppering kisses as if to make it better for the King. Oh, Miro.
“Viktor and Heion finalized the Polina reports… and it seems Bashir tells the truth. At least in that bit, I don’t have to worry.” the King said as he looked into his wife’s eyes. He loved seeing himself through her eyes really because she made him like he was worthy of love, and affection, and more than anything, she made him feel like he belonged not just becaus. ne was the King, but because he was one of the Lycans in the huge Asmoria family.
“That’s great. It saves us the trouble of restructuring everything because of her. Also, you don’t need to worry about anything, Ibrahim. We’re on the same side; we’re always going to be on the same side no matter what happens. Don’t ever doubt that, hmm?” Ralph reassured as she looked into the King’s purple eyes. She loved this man, and nothing would ever change that.
“That reminds me… I made you a promise when you first came to Asmoria, do you remember?” the King asked and Ralph let out a chuckle. How could she forget? He had been her straight with her in all that time, and even to this day, he was there for her and reminded her of how important she was to him.
“You swore to make them pay until the very end,” Ralphine said as she looked curiously at Miroslav.
“I intend on keeping that promise, Ralph. I don’t care if I will become the devil himself, the king said and Ralph started warmly at him. She wasn’t sure what he meant but that, but she down he would fight for her, and she would for him.
Granted, they were yet to complete the mating, but then the marking was done and they belonged to each other. Everyone knew if they mated, they would have pups, but then bringing pups into a house riddled by trouble and people on their necks, not to mention the stench of vengeance and blood; wasn’t the kind of thing that Ralph wanted. She loved her husband, but that was the one thing that she and Miro could agree on. They were both brought up in problematic broken families and they just wanted the best for their children.
I know. I will be right there by your side,” Ralph reassured but the King didn’t need the reassuring However, knowing that his crasthai had his back was more comforting than the possible chaos they would cause together.
“And I also promised myself that I would avenge your parents and give them the justice they deserve.” the King said and Ralph harshly removed her hand from his. In the past four months, she had been here in Koslov, she had done her best to get out from under the rubble that was her past life. She had tried to get a hold of herself, and she had trained so hard, desperate to forget. She had worked extremely hard and tried to prove that she could be strong. Granted, she was mentally strong, but she knew there would come a day when she would have to face her worst enemies,
The Koslov alpha and his entire household.
Nothing about the way the Belyaevas had been executed was calming in any way. Nothing about that was making any sense and there were so many blanks. Ralphie had thought that maybe if she forgot for a moment that’s why was the daughter of royals who were branded traitors, she would be able to live but then being a powerful queen meant leaving no loose ends that could be used against her in the future or even undermine her. Maybe that was what the King was trying to do for her, but was she ready?
Tm sorry if it’s not easy for you. I couldn’t imagine losing a family like that. My parents were psychos, but at least they died that were traceable. Old age had caught up with them and given they had renounced their immortality together a fit of love, it was understandable–I’m not trying to say that your pain is something to be toyed with, Ralph. I hope you didn’t misunderstand me. I was suspicious of the way the Koslovs had carried out the execution, and even Viktor knew there were blinks.
“Please, Ralph. Let me fill in the blanks for you. Let me try and make it better for you. I know you won’t say a word about it, but the silence haunts you to date. I can see the sadness in your eyes when you watch the parents with their kids. You didn’t
12:10 Mon, Nov 18 BGU
Chapter 58
* ✨ 85%
get closure. Please let me get that for you. If I’m overstepping, you can let me know, askim,” Miroslav said sofily. He cared for her and wanted her to know that he would always fight for her no matter what happened. She was more than just his Queen. Everyone was already seeing that.
“It’s too sudden. I don’t even know where to begin. Everything fell apart that night, and no matter how hard I try to fight through it, nothing ever makes it better,” Ralph said defeatedly as she looked at her hands on her thighs. She was fighting back tears. She didn’t want the King to feel bad for her, but then how was that supposed to work when they shared a mate bond, one that got the King knowing when his erasthai was paid or not. The emotions were shared in their ultimate bond, which meant that Miro knew exactly how she was feeling right now.
“You won’t face this alone, love. If it hurts, just cry, I’ll always be there to wipe your tears. For every tear you shed, Ralph, I’ll make it rain their tears. For every scar they inflicted on you, I will crush their will to live. I will fight for you, and defen until my
last breath, just as I will love you until my last. You don’t have to face it alone, askim. I am here for you, always, the king reminded, and Ralph tried to smile amid the tears that were falling on her hands. Her Ibrahim was so supportive of her even though everything was fucked. Then again, nothing was ever going to be normal until Miro avenged Ralph. It was the first thing he had thought of when he saw her bruised and the Lycan King was always a man of his word.
Gently, the King lifted his wife’s head, so she could face him. She tried to hide her face but she could see his unspoken words, the same words that had always kept her going.
“You never have to hide from me, askim,” he always said to her, and today, Ralph could see it in his eyes
For a broken man, Miroslav sure did know how to love her.
