Two Wolf Kings, One Lie Chapter 07
Lucas rose, holding me, and let the aura he had been holding back the aura of the Wolf King – begin to
release.
The moment it came free, Erik’s pupils pulled tight. His
knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground with a
thud.
“Your Majesty, the White Wolf King!”
His voice trembled; his forehead hit the tiles three
times in a deep, respectful bow. The guards behind him
all dropped to their knees, barely breathing.
The banquet hall went dead quiet.
Ryan’s satisfied smile froze on his lips. Stuck in his half–shifted form, he couldn’t push out any authority
at all. He stared at Lucas, his mouth working – trying
to form words – but his throat seemed gripped by
something, and only broken sounds escaped.
“You… how could you possibly be…”
Luna was worse. She collapsed where she stood, eyes
blank, talking to herself in a low murmur:
“Impossible… this can’t be… I always used this story
before and no one ever saw through it… no one could
have seen through it…”
She snapped her head up, eyes locked on Lucas, full of despair and fear.
Lucas gave her a cold, level look. He raised his hand
and closed his fingers.
The white wolf fur in his grip let out a soft, pained sound – then crumbled into dust and fell.
“Claiming to be of the Wolf King’s bloodline to swindle others – that’s an extra offense on top of everything
else.”
His voice was quiet, but it carried cold in it – each
word sharp and cutting:
“Ryan. Luna. You two attacked a human and crippled
her. Under White Wolf Clan law, you will both face
severe punishment.”
He paused, his gaze settling on Luna.
“Luna, impersonating royalty adds another charge. You will be taken to the dungeon immediately to await
your sentencing.”
“No –!”
Luna screamed and fought to get up – but two guards pinned her down at once. She twisted and fought, hair coming loose, screaming like someone losing their
mind.
“I am the Wolf King’s daughter! I am! You can’t lock me up! You can’t!”
Ryan had fallen apart completely too. The wolf traits drained from him, leaving that polished, hypocritical
fraud he truly was – but his legs had gone soft. He stumbled back and crashed into the banquet table; dishes and cups smashed to the floor.
Then a small figure burst from the crowd.
Lucy ran to Lucas and looked up at him, her eyes red, her voice high and sharp:
“What right do you have to take my dad and my mom?! What right?!”
She clutched her small fists, her whole body shaking.
“You’re a bad guy! A really bad guy!”
Lucas looked down at her. His gaze was calm, almost
cold.
“Is your birth mother not this woman?” He looked
toward me – lying in his arms, barely hanging on.
Lucy followed his gaze. Something complicated.
crossed her small face – not guilt, not concern for you,
but irritation and disgust.
“She’s not my mom!”
Lucy shook her head hard and stepped back, pressing
herself against Luna’s side, clutching Luna’s clothes in
her tiny fists.
“Daddy told me! The baby that woman had? He drowned her, with his own hands, ages ago!”
Her voice was sharp and clear, like a blade across glass.
“I am Mama Luna’s daughter! I have the real White Wolf blood! You bad guy, what right do you have to take my dad and my mom?!”
The moment those words fell, the world seemed to go quiet.
No. Not quiet.
It was as if all sound had been pulled away, leaving
only that one sentence playing back, over and over.
Drowned by him, with his own hands… drowned…
So that was it.
All of it – all the laughter, all the little cries of “Mama,” every late night rocking her to sleep, every morning feeding her by hand, every hour sitting by her
bed when she was sick – it was all a lie.
No. No, that’s not right.
Those moments were real. My effort, my love, my pain
– all of that was real.
But that child… she was never mine.
Something burning pushed up behind my eyes – not flowing down my cheeks, but seeping into my hair at the sides. I reached up to touch it. My fingers came
back wet.
I looked again.
Red.
Blood–tears.
I lay there staring at the red on my fingertips, and
something absurd rose up inside me.
I had poured so much sweat into that child, so many
tears. Now it had come to blood.
The last thing I had been holding onto. Shattered.
Completely and utterly shattered.
The world began to spin. Light, shadow, sound – all of it blurred into a churning mess. I felt like someone drowning, reaching for something to hold, finding
nothing.
“Big sis Elara!”
Lucas’s voice cut through the chaos, carrying a panic I
had never heard from him before.
“Big sis Elara, look at me. Don’t close your eyes.”
He spoke low and urgent – somewhere inside those words was fury pressed down to its very limit, and a
tenderness handled with great care.
I rested against him. My awareness flickered like a candle almost out. The last thing I saw was the tight line of his jaw – and in his eyes, something murderous
rising.
“Guards.”
His voice was soft, but it dropped the temperature of
the entire hall by several degrees.
“Ryan. Luna. Take them into custody. Right now.”
This time, not one person said a word against it.
When Ryan and Luna were dragged away – one limp and grey, the other still screaming – Lucy chased after them crying, until a guard scooped her up and her voice
faded into the distance.
I closed my eyes and let the dark take everything.
In those last scraps of awareness, I heard Lucas –
close, warm breath at my ear – his voice so soft it felt
like a promise:
“Big sis Elara, I’m right here. Hold on for me.‘