The King’s Tainted Mate
Chapter 77

Rakon was right. Even at such a close a encounter and with all my senses sharpened, I couldn't pick even the tiniest whiff of the foreign king's scent. If it were not for the fact that my eyes beheld him, the man would be a pure ghost, if only he could move as stealthily as his older brother did on our way here. The entire idea left me on edge as I couldn't decide why he'd need to go to so much trouble in the first place.

He'd been invited for the banquet. That meant no harm would come to the wolf even if he were an enemy. As long as he was on Xatis' soil, every guard in the kingdom was bound to come to his aid in the event of danger. Hell, even I, as king, was bound by the same expectations. It did not even matter that one of his own had made an attempt on my life. So why in God's name would he have the need to hide his true self and sneak into Xatis?

And, had Carene fallen on such hard times that its king had been reduced to a form that was that of a commoner's in Xatis? Of course none of this had been heard of the kingdom that had gone into seclusion after the death of its royal house, but with the sight before me, it was impossible not to entertain such thoughts.

"Forgive my less than gracious entrance, your majesty." The king bowed even lower, while I, still unable to utter a word, stared between the two men who bore an uncanny resemblance, wondering what in God's name was going on.

The king, despite his frailty and lack of grace in his entrance as he'd confessed to, still held a gracious posture, while the other brother who still held the burly figure of a true Aldean warrior appeared as though every word from the king's mouth was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Get to the point, Zastan!" Gol growled at the younger brother, making him flinch. The reaction was subtle, but clearly visible and odd. It was as if the king had no control over it. I wondered if that was because of the less than glamorous reception the outlaw may have granted the foreign king.

Zastan, however, only shook his head as though the action would shake off the regret painted on his face together with the weight of his older brother's command. "It is by no means the honourable way to answer to your generous invitation."

In that he was right and seeking to understand, I finally found my voice. "Why do it then?" The crispiness of my own sound surprised me.

"It is purely because of the point my brother is so eager to have me get to. But apologies first." Bent on sticking to his royal manners, the king moved, but his intentions to apologize as I would expect, were lost somewhere in the middle of a sword being drawn and a figure slipping inbetween us.

"I said I would let you speak with him, nothing more." Gol sneered while I only marvelled at what the outlaw had just done. He'd vowed to ally with Xatis, but seeing him sticking to his word and his clear intent on laying down his life for me was awe inspiring. It made me deathly curious too as to the reason why the king of Carene had sought me out that the outlaw felt the need to protect me. I was beginning to realize too that my invitation may have served two purposes instead of one.

"Right." The man stepped back, subtly eyeing Gol's large sword with a hint of amusement. "However, you should know that drawing that thing is not necessary." Despite looking so frail, the king of Carene also possessed an annoyance of a younger sibling that going by Gol's gritted teeth, one would clearly tell how much he annoyed the older sibling. Although, annoyance and impatience were the least of emotions I expected from the outlaw when it came to the man who'd dealt him the worst of betrayals. "You should also probably know that even your binds were not necessary. Your order for me not to go anywhere would have sufficed." At that, Gol lifted his eyes to his brother, clearly dumbfounded by what he'd said. I was equally struck by the meaning behind the frail king's words.

"What did you say?" Something lit up in the outlaw's eyes and for the tiniest moment I confirmed what it was the king's words meant. Being an alpha myself, rank was something I was familiar with. And right now, despite the kingly position held by the younger brother, Gol still outranked him. How that was still possible after what Gol had narrated of the tale of Carene, eluded me. It would appear many things seemed to be eluding me yet again. I gave my neck that was feeling a little numb a squeeze as if that would get my own head working as it should.

"You know for a man who always sang about paying attention, you yourself did a shitty job at it, brother." The king chuckled, earning himself a growl from the outlaw.

"Zastan!" Gol glared at the king who only sighed.

"Did it ever occur to you as to how I was able to do the entire thing?" The king held my gaze, but his question was clearly meant for Gol. But that would not stop me from trying to figure out the 'how' even when I knew the answer had eluded me from the moment word of Carene falling had reached Xatis.

"That knowledge changes nothing." Pain and failure laced the outlaw's words as it always did when Carene was the matter at hand. "And I did not spare you so that you could dwell on the past."

Regret. Tons of it overshadowed the king's face before focussing his attention on me yet again. I couldn't hide my confusion at the emotion displayed by the usurper of Carene's throne. Did he now regret his act or had he also done so over the years? The king only offered an understanding smile. "You see, unlike my brother, I do believe that dwelling on the past, having knowledge of what has been, could be the thing that gives power to change the future. Your future."

My future? Now it was my turn to be impatient as the king's words sounded more like riddles. Riddles that my now tired mind refused to solve. "Whatever do you mean? Xatis is clearly not Carene." I rubbed at my neck yet again. It felt heavier than numb, making me wonder if this was the effects of Gol's tonic wearing off. Was it meant to wear off? I couldn't for the love of God remember if he'd said anything of the sort.

Abandoning my fruitless endeavor to remember, I turned my focus back to the king. It proved to be one hell of an effort to make, making me realize that something was deeply wrong. And I had not been the only to notice.

"Your majesty?" The king of Carene rushed towards me, but my bared my teeth and Gol kept him at bay. Or so I thought as I felt a heaviness settle on me. I was slipping. Into what, I did not know. "He got to you too?" The king's words were filled with horror. They spoke of defeat too. And whatever they meant seemed to have swallowed his earlier determination, leaving only fear as the man eyed me with a knowing look.

"What in God's name are you talking about? Who got to me?" I rubbed at that annoying feeling in my neck that was beginning to give me an unusual itch and an unsettling amount of dread.

"Zastan, what is it?" Gol turned to his brother with a tenderness the outlaw had only ever shown to my mate.

"It is too late." The king merely shook his head refusing to look up. An action unbecoming of a king in charge of a whole kingdom.

Feeling infuriated by the entire matter, I eyed the man with indignation. "What kind of king are you that you can only sob in the face of whatever this is?" He was by no means sobbing, but he might as well have been. "You did sneak into Xatis with an intention to change, warn or whatever... and did you just now decide it was all pointless?"

"That is the thing, your majesty. I am no king." Truth shone in those tired eyes, leaving me utterly confused. "I am nothing but a mere-" "...puppet of the actual king."

My head, as heavy as it felt on my shoulders, snapped to the side at the sound of that voice. "You!" I growled at a very familiar face and despite the heaviness I felt, I shifted, something that I would consider an overreaction on my part, but instinct decided this was very necessary. Gol followed suit without question and for the first time since I'd walked in here, I regretted not having listened to Rakon.

"It appears I made a deal with the devil." The king of Carene seemed to lament from somewhere beside me. "And as we know of the wretched being, he is out to get everything."

Everything... Being on four legs should have been better than being on two, but as everything melted into nothing but darkness, so did my wolf form.