Sold to the Alpha King

Chapter 11 — The Interrogation

The great hall smelled of burning pine and old blood. The fires had been stoked high enough to cast dancing shadows across the stone walls, but the warmth didn't reach me. Nothing had reached me since Viktor stood in that tower window, watching me almost die.

I sat in the chair Gareth had placed me in—not the throne, but a smaller seat beside it, close enough that his hand could rest on my shoulder if he wanted. He hadn't touched me since carrying me inside. His knuckles were white against the armrests, his jaw set so tight I could see the muscle jumping beneath his skin.

Viktor stood in the center of the hall, flanked by two guards. He looked calm. *Too* calm. His arms were crossed, weight shifted to one hip, like he'd been called in for a scheduling dispute rather than an assassination attempt.

"Mira has confirmed my location," Viktor said, voice smooth as river stones. "I was in the war room from ten until eleven-fifteen. Fifteen witnesses, including your own Beta."

Gareth's eyes were gold, but they flickered at the edges—darkness bleeding in. "And the eastern tower?"

"Unlocked. Anyone could have been there." Viktor's gaze slid to me, and I felt it like a cold finger down my spine. "Even your little human. She could have planted the arrow herself. Made herself the victim."

*He's good.* I kept my face still, my hands folded in my lap. *He's deflecting before anyone can dig.*

"She was walking toward the kitchens," Gareth said, his voice low enough to make the air vibrate. "I watched her cross the courtyard. The arrow came from the tower. Are you suggesting she ran back up there mid-flight and fired at herself?"

"I'm suggesting you consider all possibilities." Viktor shrugged, the motion casual, deliberate. "Passion makes us blind, Alpha. You've had her for ten days. Your judgment is compromised."

The hall went silent. I could feel the pack members watching—some curious, some hungry for drama, a few with the sharp, assessing eyes of people who already knew which side they were on. Mira stood near the back wall, arms crossed, face unreadable.

*Mira. Viktor's sister. Confirmed his alibi.*

I thought about Sera's journal entry. *"They're keeping something down there. Gareth doesn't even know."*

Viktor knew. Viktor was involved. And his sister was covering for him.

"What motive would I have?" Viktor spread his hands, a gesture of openness that felt rehearsed. "She's a blood bag. A breeder. She's worth more alive than dead. Killing her serves no purpose."

*Breeder.* The word landed like a slap. I saw Gareth's knuckles go whiter.

"She's not a breeder," Gareth said, and the growl in his voice was barely restrained. "She's my guest."

"Guest." Viktor laughed, short and sharp. "You bought her. At auction. You've kept her in your quarters every night since. She sleeps in your bed, eats at your table, wears your scent. She's either your concubine or your investment. Which is it?"

I spoke before Gareth could. "I'm the woman who's going to outlive you."

Viktor's head snapped toward me. The room went stiller.

I held his gaze. "That arrow missed. You won't get a second chance."

"Careful, human." Viktor's eyes darkened, the gold bleeding to something colder. "Accusations without evidence have consequences. You're not pack. You're not even wolfsblood. If I demanded satisfaction, the Alpha would have no choice but to let us settle it."

"You're threatening her?" Gareth stood, and the motion sent a ripple through the room—guards straightening, pack members stepping back. The Alpha King descended the dais, one step at a time, each footfall deliberate. "In my hall? With my guards watching?"

Viktor held his ground. "I'm reminding her of her place."

"Her place is beside me." Gareth stopped a foot from Viktor, close enough that I could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his hands had curled into fists. "And her word carries weight in this pack. If she says she saw you in the tower, I believe her."

*But you let him go anyway,* I thought, watching the standoff. *Because you don't have proof. Because he's your Beta. Because accusing him without evidence would split the pack.*

"Release him," Gareth said finally. "But Viktor—if another incident occurs, if another arrow flies near her, I won't need evidence. I'll follow my instincts. And my instincts tell me I should tear your throat out right now."

Viktor's mouth curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Understood, Alpha."

He turned and walked out, guards falling into step behind him. Mira followed, her eyes meeting mine for just a moment before she looked away.

The hall emptied slowly. Pack members filed out in clusters, whispering among themselves. I stayed in my chair, hands still folded, heart still pounding.

Gareth didn't move. He stood in the center of the room, back to me, shoulders rising and falling with slow, deliberate breaths.

"She's lying," I said.

"I know."

"So why did you let him go?"

He turned, and the look on his face was something I hadn't seen before—not anger, not possessiveness, but something rawer. Something almost fragile.

"Because I can't protect you if the pack is divided," he said. "Because if I execute my Beta without proof, the North rises against me. Because there are things in these walls I haven't told you yet. Things I'm not sure I can trust anyone with."

*He doesn't know about the crypt.*

I kept my mouth shut.

"But I need you to promise me something." He crossed the room, knelt in front of my chair, took my hands in his. His palms were warm, calloused, trembling slightly. "If you're going to do something reckless—if you're going to investigate—don't do it alone. Bring me with you."

I looked into his eyes. Summer-gold, soft at the edges, desperate.

*He thinks I'm the one who needs protecting.*

"How can I bring you," I said softly, "when I don't know if you're on my side or his?"

His grip tightened. "I'm on your side. Whatever you're searching for, whatever you're digging toward—I'll follow. Just let me in."

The fire crackled. The shadows swayed.

And I thought about Sera's bloodstained journal, hidden in the folds of my dress. About the cell in the catacombs. About the woman with silver eyes who might still be breathing.

"Ask me again tomorrow," I said.

I pulled my hands free and walked toward the door, feeling his gaze on my back the entire way.

*He doesn't know. He doesn't know what's under his own home. And the person who does is the one who just tried to kill me.*

I made it to my room, shut the door, and leaned against it, pressing my hand to my mouth to stop the shaking.

Tomorrow night. I'd go down alone.