A Sinister Betrayal

CHAPTER 2

My body shivered visibly and William held my hand, kissed it while whispering softly.

"I, Gregor Salazar, first of my name," Thomas spoke in a clear crisp voice. "Do hereby name Rio Salazar, my only heir, the next Alpha and ruler after my death."

I released a hot breath but my body was still shaking from the tension.

"It has a blood stamp too." Thomas added as he took off his thick rimmed glasses.

What happened next kept me paralyzed like I'd been kissed by a deadly viper. General Jolt stepped forward, yanked the paper from Thomas and tore it like it had nothing on it but a sketch drawn by a child.

"This won't be needed." He said coolly.

My voice caught in my throat making only a weak sound when I tried to speak. "What?"

He turned to face me with cold icy eyes. In all my years knowing him, I'd never seen him look so maniacal. Fear licked the sweat from the back of my neck.

"I'm charging you with high treason." He said in his rich baritone.

"Treason?" I repeated the word in utter disbelief.

William who had been by my side, holding my hand, and giving me all the warmth I needed to face any storm dropped my hand viciously and moved away as if my touch would corrode his flesh.

"I'm a witness." He said unable to look at me as he ran a knife through my spine.

I blinked, unable to comprehend what was happening. It had to be a joke. A sick joke. An elaborate prank.

Before I could form words, soldiers rushed in and slapped a dampener on my wrists subduing my wolf completely.

"No," I said in a voice that wasn't mine. "No. Please stop."

Hot tears stained my dress and they hauled me out of the room into oblivion.

DRAKE

Encounters with Princess Rio always left me on edge. Maybe it was the relentless scent of peaches I always associated with her or maybe it was something else. Something deeper I preferred not to explore.

The pain in my soul still tormented me every passing second. I'd lost the love of my life because I was incompetent and weak. It would be unwise of me to let something like that happen again.

I made my way through the garden taking the back path where I could move undetected. The information I'd gotten came from a reliable source but I had to be careful. In espionage, reliable sources were like unmarked mine fields. You think it's safe until you make one wrong step and boom, curtains drop.

My mind lingered on the Princess and her alluring presence. She was on her way to becoming the next monarch. She would be the first Alpha Queen we've had in a long time which wasn't a bad thing. She had —

Focus on the job, goddamnit!

I cleared my mind as I prepared to enter the room. The gun tucked in the holster hidden away under my shirt gave me zero confidence.

My informant had said the council was going to be attacked and I could stop it. The northern rebels have been getting troublesome recently. This was the only way.

Taking a deep, I walked into the room, my senses tuning on high alert for danger but I relaxed. The room was a vastness of empty space which cancelled the possibility of a sneak attack.

A cloaked figure stood at the far end, head dropped facing the ground.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I stepped forward cautiously.

It wasn't what I was expecting, which made it more critical for me to play it safe. The whole thing was off and what bothered me the most was that my wolf seemed to be okay with it.

"I asked you a question."

I took a sharp look back at the closed door and returned my gaze to the cloaked figure. The figure made no movement, which normally should have been unnerving, but I felt no threat.

"I don't have much time, Drake." The cloaked figure spoke in a clear voice.

A woman? This doesn't make sense… And how the hell does she know my name?

“Who are you?” I asked firmly. "Are you the rebel planning to attack the council? Answer me!"

The question was stupid. Expecting one woman to attack the council meeting was like sending a poodle to fend off a pack of hungry savage cayotes.

"That isn't important right now." Her voice raised in fear. "They found me."

She turned to face the door which instinctively made me turn too, but there was no one there.

Why don't I see her as a threat? She's obviously dangerous, so why? My wolf instinct relaxed around her almost as if she was someone I'd known all my life. It usually gives off a slight warning around strangers and a full blown alarm around the dangerous ones. Yet somehow...

I turned around with a start to find she was directly in front of me. She had moved so fast without making a sound in such a short time. It was almost frightening. How did she move so quickly?

“Here.” She jerked my cloth just before dropping a rumpled sheet of paper in my hand.

She was gone before I could move a muscle. It was like she was never in the room to begin with. Guards rushed into the room at that moment.

“Are you okay, sir?” I nodded, unable to answer as I wondered how she was able to sense the guards coming from that distance.

I whirred around the room. There was no other visible exit apart from the front door, so how did she leave without being seen by the guards?

"Find the intruder." I rushed at the nearest guard. "Pick up anyone wearing a black cloak within the city's walls."

"Go. Now!"

I knew it was a futile attempt. They wouldn't find her. I needed them gone so I could think.

The paper…

My heart beat raced as I opened the paper to see the message she had left behind. The words on the paper burned through my soul and chilled my core. It was a heavy blow. They were words that resonated with my being.

SAVE HER.