Lies 34
799 Words
chapter 34
Tori – Ceder’s Mate POV
I couldn’t believe the Dragon King was coming today.
Ceder kept insisting I needed to befriend the future queen. That alone made my stomach twist. Axel… with a mate? When did that happen? I had heard for centuries that he searched for her. Ceder had always sworn our daughter would be queen one day.
If that were true… Why wasn’t she here preparing?
I turned to him, unease settling deep in my chest.
“Ceder, where is Kile? If she is to marry the king, she should be here.”..His expression darkened instantly.
“Shut the hell up,” he hissed low enough that no one else would hear. “You know damn well she will never marry the king now that he’s found his mate. And if you repeat what I’m about to say, you’ll regret it.”..Cold fear crept up my spine.
“She did find her mate,” he continued, voice dripping with contempt. “I locked him in the cells. She won’t see him again unless she agrees to take the rogue as her mate. If she refuses, I’ll kill him. She doesn’t belong here anyway. That scar on her face proves she’s no daughter of mine.”
My breath caught…Offer our daughter to a rogue? A rogue who raids our land? Kills our people? Destroys our homes?
She is beautiful. The scar never changed that…I tried to go to her room. He blocked me.
“She stays locked away until the king leaves.”
Something inside me began to break..When the Dragon King arrived, everything shifted.
Axel’s mate…she wasn’t queen yet, but she carried herself like one. Graceful. Poised. Fierce. Deep green eyes. Long dark hair flowing down her back. There was strength in her posture even as she stood beside a dragon…Ceder immediately disrespected her.
Axel had him by the throat in seconds.
“If you ever disrespect my mate again,” the king growled, “you will die.”
For a moment, I saw real fear in Ceder’s eyes.
“This is my mate, Tori,” he said smoothly, as if nothing had happened. “Our daughter is inside. She found her mate as well. They’re spending time together.”
The queen raised a brow..She knew..She could see the lie.
“Alpha Ceder,” she said calmly, “if your daughter has found her mate, they should both be here. I would like to meet them.”
“My queen, she is… busy. You know how it is when one finds their mate…”
I couldn’t stay silent any longer…Even if he rejects me. Even if he kills me after this. I could not let this continue.
“King Axel,” I interrupted, my voice trembling but firm, “my mate is lying.”..Silence fell over the courtyard.
“This morning, he told me to befriend your mate. I did not understand why. Now I do. Kile is locked in her room. Her true mate is imprisoned in the cells. After you leave, Ceder intends to give her to a rogue as payment so they stop attacking our lands.”
Gasps spread through the gathered wolves.
“She is my daughter,” I continued, tears burning my eyes. “Just because she bears a scar does not make her unworthy. She is beautiful.”..The king’s gaze sharpened.
“How did she receive the scar?”..I inhaled slowly.
“If I may go back… She was thirteen. She went into her father’s office to play a computer game …something called The Zoo. Feeding animals. Building habitats. Childish things.”
My hands trembled.
“I heard her scream. When I ran in… Ceder was standing over her with a dagger. He believed she was trying to access his private files. He cut her face for it.”
Shock rippled through the courtyard.
“He forced me to tell everyone a rogue did it. He wants you here for money, Your Majesty. For his gambling debts. And I suspect he told you I have a shopping problem.” My voice hardened. “The only thing I’ve bought for myself in years was a thirty-dollar pair of shoes I needed.”
I fell silent…Ceder’s fury was palpable. His wolf clawed at the surface. His eyes glowed with rage.
But the king was colder.
“Tori,” Axel said evenly, “have someone retrieve your daughter from her room. And bring her mate from the cells.”
He turned to Ceder.
“You are hereby stripped of your title as Alpha. You are under arrest for the assault of your daughter and conspiracy to traffic her to rogues.”
The weight of his words shook the air..For the first time in years…
I felt hope.
- Writer
