45. A Monster
THEON
Charlene gasped, and a tense silence fell over the room. Yileyna’s question hung in the air. It was
impressive how she had asked that so bravely, a question that had been on my own mind. Maybe she
was losing that innocence.
I liked it.
“Nothing. I have done nothing.” He said quietly, but despite his words, he frowned deeply as he swiftly
walked to the window, staring out into the distance
That was not the reaction of someone who had done nothing. Andres was the type to have Yileyna
thrown into the cells as a punishment for accusing him, unless of course, it hit home.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charlene look up at Yileyna, poking her eyes out at her. A silent
warning not to instigate the king. But the blonde bombshell simply shrugged and glanced over at me.
Our eyes met, and her heart began racing. She looked incredibly sexy in that little dress, and the way
that corset wrapped her tiny waist… I frowned, looking away, I hated how she distracted me.
The king’s words before I left, regarding Charlene and myself, crossed my mind, and the fact that I had
returned to Astalion in some sort of relationship with Yileyna… I’m sure he wouldn’t take it well, but his
daughter was someone I’d never choose even if she was the last woman left on Kaeladia.
Yileyna played with a strand of her blonde locks, catching my attention once more. Recently… there
was something about her that made my mind go blank, and it irritated me. I looked away and towards
Andres, watching him calculatingly.
“Maybe it was something you didn’t think you did wrong… Or perhaps something you don’t want to talk
about? But if there is something or anything that you can think of, isn’t it better that we know so we can
prepare rightfully for it?” I asked, emotionlessly. The king sighed, turning back towards us.
“I have many enemies, Theon, many… Do you know that any pack that conquers the middle land
becomes the ultimate king. I have far too many enemies…” How many crimes did you commit for
power? I resisted a scoff and nodded.
“Understood, however by sharing it we can work on a solution to this problem, or at least be able to
narrow down who may have cast a seal on the princess.” He nodded, his brow furrowed.
“You women may leave.” He ordered.
I almost smirked, he was trusting me… He was so concerned about a threat from the outside that he
didn’t even think the greatest threat had already infiltrated these walls.
All I needed was to light the match and watch as the entire city burned. With every passing day … that
time was coming closer.
“Father…” Charlene murmured, “As future Alpha, shouldn’t I be here?”
Some Alpha she would be. There was nothing about her that was fit for that position. Sealed power or
not.
“I am alive, Charlene. Leave.” Andres commanded.
Madelia bowed her head and listened to Andres instantly, however the other two hesitated.
“But with the threats growing, if you want Charlene to learn to be a capable leader, you should allow
her to observe such matters.” Yileyna added.
I frowned slightly. Was it just me or was she speaking up far more than she used to as well?
I tilted my head, observing her keenly.
The day she turned eighteen, I had felt her aura. It was faint, but compared to before, it was there. I
wondered if she was getting ready to shift and, with it, her wolf’s presence was perhaps giving her
more confidence… Either way, she was a lot mouthier than before, and I wasn’t sure if it was a good
thing or not… Not that I’d mind punishing her more often if she ran that mouth… Andres walked over to
the girls and looked down at Yileyna, a cold glare on his face.
“There’s something different about you.” He growled, his aura rolling off him.
“But I will not tolerate disrespect.”
“I know Alpha, I wasn’t trying to be rude.” Yileyna said quietly.
“Dad! She’s right, how can I learn to be the perfect successor when I don’t have any real-life
experience?” Charlene said, quickly standing up and placing herself in the line of her father’s wrath,
whilst my much shorter doll moved to the side so she could see the Alpha, not standing for her friend to
protect her.
“You need not worry, I will find you a mate who will be capable of running this kingdom.” Andres
thundered, making Charlene flinch.
Yileyna frowned, but when Charlene was about to leave, clearly giving up, Yileyna grabbed her arm
and made her stay in her spot. Andres growled in frustration and turned to Yileyna.
“You! Get out!” He shouted, his aura raging around him.
A flash of anger rushed through me. “She’s staying.” I said coldly before I could stop myself. 1
Fuck.
All three turned to me, and I made sure not to even look at Yileyna.
Why the hell did I speak?
“Why would she stay? She is nothing more than an outcast.” Andres said coldly, his eyes blazing as
they burnt into me.
“She’s our future beta female!” Charlene blurted out, making both Yileyna and I look at her sharply.
No, she was not
“Theon will be Beta, Charlene, and I will make sure those rules stick even when you become Alpha.”
He threatened.
She nodded in agreement.
“Of course father, I mean, Yileyna is now Theon’s woman, so she’ll still be Beta female…”
“Charl!” Yileyna hissed, her eyes widening as she looked at me.
Our eyes met, and the look of uncertainty and worry in her eyes surprised me.
She acted so confident, yet…
I tilted my head, unable to resist the tiny smirk that crossed my face at the look of shock on Andres’s
face.I wouldn’t address it, but I wouldn’t deny it either.
“Can we get to business?” I asked.
“We have been at sea for nearly a month, I would ideally like to go for a run and get back to my training
regime.”
Andres looked at his daughter, a flash of anger clear on his face before his gaze turned upon me.
‘I see you as a son, Theon, don’t make this mistake for a woman’s looks.’ He said icily through the link.
If I’m to take a woman, at least she should be one I find appealing. There is no use for women other
than for pleasure and entertainment.
‘I appreciate the concern, but I would prefer it if the king did not intrude into my personal life. ‘I replied
emotionlessly. He frowned, sighing with clear irritation, before he walked to his desk and took a seat
behind it.
‘Very well, but I have been there.’
I didn’t bother replying to him.
I saw Yileyna glance at me, but I ignored her as well, wondering what the king was about to tell us.
Would he mention what he had done long ago or did the Alpha king have a lot more skeletons in his
wardrobe?
“What is said in this room stays here.” He said quietly after several moments, running his hand through
his straggly hair.
None of us spoke as we waited for him to continue.
“Many, many years ago, long before I met Soleil, I crossed paths with a woman, one who had a charm
that was undeniable. It was just a short meeting, yet when I told her that was all it was, she took
offence and promised that she would get her revenge for betraying her.”
I frowned, sounded like a woman scorned. What had that got to do with anything? Where was this
headed?
“Would she even be capable of such magic, or asking someone to get revenge in this manner?That
alone doesn’t seem to make sense.” I stated, crossing my arms.
“Oh she would… in her anger, she took her true form. She was no woman but a monster of the sea. A
siren.”
The girls gasped, and my eyes widened in surprise. The king nodded, sighing heavily.
“When you said a magic that the mage did not recognise, I fear that it was from her. If that is the case,
then I truly don’t know any other way but to push Charlene to her limits and ultimately break the seal
upon her powers.”
The room fell silent, but the story just seemed… empty. Unless of course, there were parts he wasn’t
telling us. I glanced at the girls and then back at the king.
“Well if we are done… If you ladies could leave, I need to discuss something with the Alpha.” I said.
Both girls exchanged looks before Yileyna nodded, and the king snorted, his irritation obvious as he lit
himself a cigar.
“They listened to you, yet not me.” He growled when the door snapped shut behind them.
“Hmm.” I said, watching him sharply. “Would you like to tell me the real version of that story?
Andres froze, before looking at me hesitantly. He sat back in his seat, making it creak slightly.
“This is why I am telling you to choose your future wisely. Theon, you have great potential. I can see
you as the future Alpha king.
So could I, but I didn’t need a woman to get that title.
“Yes… I lied. That woman… monster, whatever you wish to call her, came to me when I had gone for a
walk. It was night, Soleil told me she was pregnant, for the third time. After two miscarriages, I was
giving up hope and I needed an outlet…”
So he didn’t want to mention that fact in front of Charlene. His infidelity to his true mate was something
I wasn’t expecting, but then again, it wasn’t so uncommon. I remained silent, letting him continue.
“She was very alluring, beautiful, and she seemed to understand what I was going through, despite
obviously being rather drunk.” He sounded disgusted.
“One thing led to another, and even though I knew Soleil would know what was happening, I didn’t
care. I was angry that she was unable to even bear one child. The following day, I awoke to the water
coming up to my knees, and to my horror, where her legs should have been was nothing other than a
tail.”
I felt sick at the very thought, I’m surprised he was even alive after fucking one of those monsters.
“Realising what I had done, I tried to choke her to death, but she awoke and the reality of what
happened settled in. I thought I saw fear and panic in her, but she was probably acting the part as she
begged for me to let her go. We struggled, but soon she managed to free herself and her true colours
were revealed. She told me that I needed to take responsibility for my actions. I tried to kill her, but I
failed, and she survived by jumping into the ocean and vanished. I never saw her again, but the last
words she spoke were that she would get her revenge.”
He shook his head, and I frowned, trying to digest everything the king had just said. Did that siren
return to land to get her revenge? Wouldn’t killing the king’s daughter have been more suitable? If this
was true… it meant she had to be from the imperial family. They were the only ones who were able to
walk on land… Was this siren part of that family? I’m sure
she must have been. Did they know about the prophecy? Was she able to see the gift in Charlene and
sealed her powers away until they could make sure of it? There were too many questions and my
knowledge wasn’t enough.
“It must be her… She has a grudge…” The king’s muttering brought me from my thoughts.
“So, let’s say it was her, why would she seal the princess’s power rather than simply killing her? I feel
there’s more to this.” Andres nodded gravely.
“Yes, I feel the same, unless of course there’s a reason behind it… Charlene has always been heavily
protected since she was a child. I do not see how anyone could have gotten past the walls to the city.”
“More questions but no proper answers…” I mused thoughtfully.
“Yes… and I think Charlene’s extreme training must begin as soon as possible. We need the ability of
the heart. The Obsidian Shadow pack is moving very fast…” I zoned him out, pondering over the
information he had given. I needed the princess’ ability to reveal itself… Whoever held the heart of
Kaeladia, held the power to conquer the world. I needed advice… I think it is high time that I contacted
him.
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