Zion

“You have no clue what I am thinking right now,” I mumble, stopping midway with the brush in my hair. Penelope chuckles, taking the brush as she continues on my hair. “He says he wants me here because I’m his mate, yet we both know second mates don’t happen to people like us and that we each had our own mates,” I explain, the knots out of my hair as Penelope begins braiding the locks, making sure ever strand is pulled out of the way. “And now he wants to kill the male who rejected me just because he claims that Sebastian made my life miserable. He confuses me and it makes my head spin.”

Penelope nods, finishing up on my hair with a small pearl pin holding in one of the loose strands. “So you think he will kill Alpha Sebastian?”

“He won’t just give him a light slap to the face,” I remark, looking at myself in the mirror. With bloodshot eyes, bags, and a face that looks beaten and worn out, I reach out for the bottle Elijah brought in last night, taking a small swing as the female Alpha shakes her head.

“The least is strip the title, but King Zion knows that taking the title of Alpha away will only bring more problems to his mind. He’ll have to acquire a new Alpha, meaning Sebastian’s Beta will have to go through paperwork and ceremonies for days, even weeks.” Penelope takes in a deep breath, zipping me up the rest of the way. “Just have some steamy sex, far too much sexual tens-

“Are you serious?!” I remark, my face turning red as Penelope smirks.

“I bet you’ve also heard people with titles like Zion’s have some great st-

“I’m done with you if this will be your words of ‘wisdom’ to me.” Standing to my feet, I exit the bathroom, almost charging into the room as my blood begins to boil. “He’s just some King who just confuses me more and more with his actions and mood swings.”

I fix my dress as I just want to tear it apart and take another dive. But the mermaids in the lake will stop me from ever doing that again. “He’s some King who offers you that happily ever after every little girl dreams of. The palace. The handsome King. The wealth. But you are searching for happiness.”

“This isn’t about some foolish relationship, Penelope, I want to know what happened to my parents, to the woman who bore me and the man who raised me,” I express, throwing my arms up in the air as Penelope exits the bathroom, fixing her hair as she walks just like a model. “Right now I-

“You are being so stubborn, just loosen up and actually just spend a night with him and-

“I’m not going to sleep with someone and forget where I am,” I shout, heading right towards the door. “Now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to try and save a life while uncovering what happened to my parents and why I am still here.”

Just as I pull the door open, I’m shocked to see three palace guards already there, awaiting me. “Lady Sybil, we have been told by the King to escort you to the throne room.”

“I know where the throne room is,” I snap, almost pushing through, only for one to grab my arm.

“The King’s orders, my Lady.” I have no reason to be rude to them, only to the King. Nodding, I follow them, one in front and two behind as I feel weird being escorted.

As we pass through halls, the closer we get, the more I can hear the chatter from the throne room. No doubt the Alphas are there. Although this is called a trial, there is no jury, no judge, for the only one to make the decisions is the King, and something tells me that’s not the best thing.

The throne room holds all the Alphas for the most part, Zion already sitting on his throne, his crown on, royal robes draped over his shoulders, and looking annoyed. As I stop at the entrance, eyes turn to me, making me feel uncomfortable as the guards tell me I’m to stand beside the King.

“That’s what the Queen does,” I inform one of the guards who tries to push me further.

“I am aware.”

“I’m not the Queen,” I snap, trying to break free of their holds, only, Zion stops my struggling as he stands to my feet, the whole room motionless.

“Care to join me, Lady Sybil?” I take my steps dreadfully, now right before the steps of the throne as I think this is insane. For someone other than the Queen or even a relative to stand beside the King upon the throne is something I’ve never heard of.

I ascend the steps, taking my place beside the King as my legs slightly shake, looking around the room as the Alphas await the trial. “Bring him in.”

The sound of chains scraping the marble floors send shivers down my spine. The room becomes silent as the noise grows closer, my skin paling as I catch the first glimpse of Sebastian, still in his suit from last night, his hair a mess, and his hands burned from the silver chains.

Sebastian is brought before the stairs of the throne, forced down into his knees as my blood boils. I should not feel anything for this man who rejected me and made me rogue, but as I look upon this vulnerable Alpha, with no power against the King, I find not pity, but sympathy.

“Alpha Sebastian,” Zion greets, a smirk upon his face, causing me to cringe. I do not know what Zion has planned for the Alpha, but I know it will not be mercy in any form. “You have accused your King as a deceiver and claimed that I lied.” Zion cannot trial Sebastian solely upon the actions of making me rogue and rejecting me, he knows that. He’s smarter than me. He knew he could not get Sebastian made a rogue or killed because of something he did to me, but he knows that for someone to call their King a deceiver, and to their face, can mean punishment.

“The facts are hard to keep secret,” Sebastian retorts, causing me to look him right in the eye, those pale green orbs making me remember the day he turned my world upside down for the first time. “Especially from Sybil.”

“You called your King a liar.”

“People call you worse,” he remarks. Does Sebastian want to die that badly?

“Stripped of the Alpha title,” Zion begins, not even taking the time to carry on his reasons for this. “I want him staked at the bridge between the human world and werewolf kingdom.”

My mouth feels glued shut as I want to say no and just make him become a rogue. To become the very thing he detests. “Unless Lady Sybil here could like to say something?” Zion asks, turning his head to me as I wonder what the Alphas are thinking. For sure they are wanting to be more private about what they speak of their King.

Elijah’s words run through my head, how he told me to lie, to claim something that could help and save Sebastian. I could ask him to be made rogue instead, to let him live yet hold no home. Why do I want this on a man that showed me no kindness? I truly do not know. “I rejected Sebastian.”

Zion raises an eyebrow, not believing me as I take a step forward, finding it hard to breath. “I rejected the Alpha first and because of that, he made me rogue.”

I spot a small smirk crossing Sebastian’s face. He doesn’t care about me, he never has, and I know that, but he knows I will not let him die without a true reason to. He knows I would protect him if I found the reasons foolish. Hell, he knew from the second I warned him of Zion that I would not let Zion kill him. I protected his damn name for crying out loud, of course I would try and save him.

“I do not believe you,” Zion snaps, grabbing my arm as he pulls me closer to him. “You are like an open book when it comes to lying.”

“He made me rogue because I rejected him, because he was so mad that I would reject him.”

“Then he still misused his power,” Zion growls, standing up as I once again feel so small. “I do not care for whatever you say, Sybil, he will be killed.”

“No, he will not,” I yell, all the eyes upon me as I have just yelled at the King. “Make him rogue.”

“Guards,” Zion orders, nodding as one pulls out a sword. “Do it here.”

I don’t know what I’m doing, but I know it is foolish. I’m about to run to stop it, but Zion pulls me back, keeping me pressed against his front as I plead him not to. The guard raises the sword, awaiting Zion’s words.

He nods his head.

The sword is brought down.

Sebastian’s head rolls to the side, the slash across his neck just pouring out blood as my hands move to cover the gasp from my mouth. The smell of metallic blood is potent as it spills into the marble floor, right before the throne.

One Alpha leaves the throne room, others begin to whisper, but for the majority, they are just like me, shocked.

The elf was right, I need to leave. I need to get out of here.

Looking back to the King, I feel sickened as he sits back down, completely relaxed, and watching me. “I’ve waited way too long for that, Sybil,” he comments. From the second he learned I was rejected he wanted Sebastian dead. Indeed he has waited long. “And now you see what happens when I wait for too long...I get violent.”

Zion pulls me down to his eye level, my legs bending as I look him right in the eye. “So keep in mind, Sybil,” he begins, tracing the crook of my neck, looking right where the mark goes. “Keep in mind that the longer you hold certain things from me, the shorter fuse I gain.”

My throat becomes desert dry as the guards drag Sebastian’s body from the room, a trail of blood following as I feel vomit rise from the stomach. I keep manage to keep the vomit down, unable to look at the blood any longer. Sure, we rejected one another, but even when your mate dies, no matter how much you hated them, their death still shocks you and makes you feel, in a sense, lost. I can understand the power of mates, how the Moon Goddess made them so vital to life, how fate loves to play out their journey. But now, fate is sick in my opinion. Fate is insane.

Zion let’s me go, his touch absent as I feel lost. I don’t know what to do now. I don’t know where to go. I only know that the elf was right, I need to leave, and fast. But who do I trust? Elijah would spill to Zion, being best friends and all. Penelope, no matter who much I want to think that I can trust her, I know she would not be loyal in my escape. Who to put my trust in scares me.

I take a step down from the throne, Alphas watching as I step away from the King. Pity no longer is what they look at me with, but respect. They know I just watched the slaughter of my mate. I know that they are now scared of how they will lose their mates, about how it will feel when fate throws them a curve ball and will watching as they try and figure out what to do next.

I finish the stairs leading to the throne, now before the blood of my mate. Legend once told of a love take between a vampire and wolf, one where the wolf was slaughtered by his family for loving a vampire. The vampire gave him her blood, healing him, and then, she killed him, making him become a hybrid, both wolf and vampire. Vampire blood heals, but in a place like this, hope is nothing but a dream.

I walk over the blood, not giving it another glance, but the scent is still there as my wolf cringes, remembering the murder of her soul mate. “All Alphas are dismissed,” Zion orders. “We will continue our sessions tomorrow at five in the morning.”

My eyes go to the front gates, wanting to leave, to be free with no trouble. I shake the thought from my head, following the Alphas out, only for them to pause for me to lead them out of the throne room.

Their respect has been earned. A rogue has earned respect from over one hundred Alphas. This is something that never happens, so I’d better not lose their respect. “King Zion,” one of the Alphas speaks up, one of the first ones I greeted. “I speak for all Alphas when I say that we would like the rogues to fight along is in this war.”

“And for the rogues to trust us and follow us,” one of the female Alphas begins, turning to face the King. “We would like Lady Sybil to have contact with them in hopes of a treaty.”

A rogue to contact the other rogues. I know they are not thinking down to the smallest detail, about how many rogues will take me as strange for being in the palace, and I know they will not me as someone who they relate to because of my cause of rejection. It will be one hell of a conversation when I meet with them, but maybe me having gained the respect of the Alphas will loosen them up and have them looking at the war at a different angle. Maybe I can gain their loyalty to the cause. I will not be able to gain their loyalty to the crown, but to the cause, I know rogues are not the scumbags many believe them to be.

As I exit the room, I don’t look back, wanting nothing more than to be held in the arms of my parents. I am lost, unable to understand why I am here truly, who to believe, or what to do. All I know is that fate is playing one hell of a cruel game.

And I am I enjoying that game.