“When next do you think we would be hearing from our spy in the Silver Moon Pack?” Enzo asked as they made their way into the dungeon, his tone calm but edged with something darker beneath.
Lucien glanced at him, slightly surprised by the question.
“I don’t know… maybe in a week or more.
Why do you ask?” he replied, his brows furrowing as he tried to read the king’s expression.
“I wanted to know more about Alpha Victor.
Apparently, he is Arabella’s ex-mate,” Enzo said through gritted teeth, the words sounding forced, as though he hated even saying them aloud.
Lucien stopped in his tracks.
“What do you mean by ex-mate?” he asked sharply.
Enzo halted as well and turned to face him.
His jaw tightened before he spoke again.
“When I left the training ground, I decided to visit her.
As I got to her door, I heard voices inside.
I wanted to make my presence known, but I didn’t when I heard them talking about Alpha Victor.” He paused briefly, his eyes darkening at the memory.
“I overheard Sophia asking her if she still loves him
and all…”
Lucien’s expression hardened, but he stayed silent, urging him to continue.
“She said no,” Enzo went on.
“So I got inside and confronted her.
She told me the truth… she said he was her mate, and he rejected her, on their wedding day, and married her sister instead.”
“Bastard,” Lucien muttered angrily, his hands clenching into fists.
“Yeah,” Enzo agreed coldly.
“I plan to kill him.
But I want to be very sure their bond is completely broken before I do that.
I wouldn’t want anything to affect Arabella.”
Lucien exhaled slowly, trying to steady his thoughts.
“If she accepted the rejection, she should be fine.
Did you ask her if she truly accepted it?”
“Yes, she did,” Enzo admitted, his voice dropping slightly.
“That’s why her wolf is hurt.”
Lucien inhaled deeply and then exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, Enzo, but she is a she-wolf with a dormant wolf… living among Lycans.
How do you plan for her to survive?
Did you even know her wolf was dormant when you brought her from her
pack?”
“I didn’t know,” Enzo replied, frustration evident as he dragged his hand through his hair again.
“I only found out yesterday.”
“You need to send her back,” Lucien said firmly.
“It’s for her own good.”
“No,” Enzo snapped immediately, his voice leaving no room for argument.
“I’m not sending her back.
I can protect her, and I will awaken her wolf myself.
She is stronger than what all of you think.”
Lucien held his gaze for a moment before speaking again.
“I just hope you’re right.
Aurora is a purebred Lycan.
If they cross paths, she will kill her, you know that.
The palace is not safe for her.
And you… you won’t always be with her.
How do you plan to protect her then?”
“My decision is final,” Enzo said, his tone turning cold and authoritative.
“Arabella stays.
And this must remain a secret until I find a way to help her.”
Lucien nodded slowly, though his unease did not fade.
“Now,” Enzo continued, shifting the topic, “what I want is information on Victor.
And I also want you to get every piece of information you can about the Silver Moon Pack, from Sophia.”
Lucien nearly choked.
“What?
Why not get the information from Arabella?” he retorted immediately, disbelief clear in his voice.
“I will,” Enzo said.
“But I want to know everything they both know.
I can’t do it all on my own, which is why I need your help.
I don’t care how you get it, just get it.”
Lucien couldn’t hide the irritation that flashed across his face.
The last thing he wanted was to be associated with that rude girl again, but arguing further would be pointless.
Enzo turned and continued walking until they reached the dungeon gates.
The guards stationed outside immediately straightened and bowed.
“Your Majesty,” they greeted.
Enzo acknowledged them with a slight nod.
“Where are the prisoners we brought from our trip kept?” he asked.
One of the guards stepped forward.
“This way, Your Majesty,” he said, gesturing ahead before leading them inside.
They moved deeper into the dungeon, passing through several corridors.
The air grew heavier with each step, thick with the scent of damp stone, blood and despair.
Prisoners occupied different cells, some silent, some muttering, others staring blankly into nothingness.
Soon, they arrived at the second-to-last room.
Inside, the two rogues they had captured were seated on the ground.
Their hands were bound tightly, their eyes blindfolded, and their mouths sealed.
They looked weak, their bodies slumped as though all strength had been drained from them.
Enzo dismissed the guard with a wave, and the
man quickly left.
He and Lucien stepped inside.
Lucien moved first, removing the blindfolds from the prisoners.
Their eyes blinked rapidly, adjusting to the dim light before settling on the two men standing before them.
“I’m going to take off the seals from your mouths,”
Enzo said calmly, though there was an unmistakable warning in his tone.
“Do me a favor and answer every question.
I don’t want to have to torture anyone.”
He removed the seals.
The prisoners coughed slightly, their lips dry and cracked.
“Who sent you?” Enzo asked.
Silence.
His eyes narrowed.
“I’ll ask again, who sent you?”
One of them, who seemed older, suddenly spat on the ground.
“You are a usurper of the throne,” he sneered.
“Not the true king.
Why would I answer you?”
Before Enzo could respond, Lucien stepped forward and punched the man hard across the face.
“Watch your tongue”
The crack echoed in the small room.
The rogue’s head snapped to the side, but instead of fear, he began laughing hysterically.
“You will never know our plan,” he said between laughs.
“And I’ll tell you this, our plan is already in motion.”
Without warning, he sprang to his feet and dashed toward the wall.
“Stop him!” Lucien shouted, lunging forward.
But it was too late.
The man slammed his head violently against the wall, once, twice..
By the time Lucien reached him, his body went limp.
He collapsed to the ground, a twisted smile still on his face, his lifeless eyes staring ahead.
Lucien crouched, placing two fingers against his neck.
After a moment, he sighed.
“He’s dead.”
Enzo’s expression darkened.
They both turned to the second prisoner, who was trembling violently, his head lowered as he shook.
Enzo stepped forward and grabbed him by the neck, forcing his head up so their eyes met.
“We just lost someone who could have given us information,” Enzo said coldly.
“Don’t make the same mistake.”
“P-please… Please don’t kill me!” the man stammered, panic overtaking him.
“I don’t know anything!
All I know is… we were told we were going on a mission, to clear the roads of rogues.
We were selected from our respective Packs.
They made us believe we were working for the king… that we would be paid afterward.”
Enzo and Lucien exchanged a glance.
“But instead,” the man continued breathlessly, “we were taken into the forest… to a hideout.
Anyone who refused to join their army, they killed them… along with their entire family.”
Both men went still.
“Please,” he begged.
“You have to save my family.
If they find out I’m alive… or that I told you anything… they will kill them.”
Enzo’s grip loosened slightly.
“Do you know where this place is?” he asked.
The man shook his head quickly.
“No… we are always blindfolded when entering the place.”
“Do they have a leader?” Lucien asked.
“Yes,” the man replied, fidgeting with his fingers.
“Most of them call him… their king.”
Enzo raised a brow slightly, glancing at Lucien.
“How many soldiers?” Enzo asked.
“Thousands maybe more,” the man said weakly.
“I don’t know the exact number… but it seems like they’ve been building this army for years.”
A chill ran down Enzo’s spine.
“We will look into this,” he said after a moment.
“If you are telling the truth, we will save your family.”
“You can ask my alpha,” the man added quickly.
“He knows.
He’s the one who makes the selections every year.
He tells us we’re going to the capital to join the king soldiers… but we never get here.
We are always taken into the forest instead.”
Enzo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“What is your alpha’s name?” he asked.
The man hesitated for a second before answering.
“Alpha Victor.”
Silence fell.
Enzo and Lucien slowly turned to look at each other, realization dawning.
“Alpha Victor,” they both said at the same time.
Everything was beginning to connect, and it wasn’t good.
Enzo straightened.
“Stay here,” he told the prisoner.
“I will have the guards bring you food and water.
We need to confirm your story.
We will be back.”
The man nodded rapidly, relief washing over his face.
Enzo and Lucien stepped out of the cell.
Once outside, Enzo gave quick instructions to one of the guards regarding the prisoner’s care.
Then, without another word, the two men walked away from the dungeon, both deep in thought, both aware that what they had just uncovered was far bigger than they had anticipated.