Chapter 125: _Before Ripping Each Other’s Throats Out Elian’s POV
When his eyes opened again, his ears rang like his blood was swelling. His vision was blurry and the sound of men—probably guards—yelling echoed. As he raised his head, however, the first thing he saw was a nearly pale outstretched hand pointed at his face, forcing him to look further until he saw the owner of said hand. "Come on," Kyren muttered with a small smirk, although his eyes were squinted like he was trying to evaluate something. Elian drew in a deep breath before grabbing his hand, gritting his teeth as he stepped away from the edge of his bed and got on his feet. With a wave of Kyren’s other hand, the dust and smoke in the room disappeared, revealing the chaotic scene. "Bloody..." Elian cursed under his breath, his jaw tightening when he saw the large hole blown into the far wall. Aside from that, most of the ground was reduced to rubble, marble and dust piling up. "Elian!" A familiar voice snapped him out of his reverie just then, forcing him to turn his gaze in its direction. Axel, free from the tentacles, ran to him with relief on his face at the same moment that five guards burst the door open and barged in. "Beta Axel!" One of them yelled in a panic but Axel raised a hand, signalling he was alright while he searched Elian’s arm and face for injuries.
When his eyes opened again, his ears rang like his blood was swelling. His vision was blurry and the sound of men—probably guards—yelling echoed. As he raised his head, however, the first thing he saw was a nearly pale outstretched hand pointed at his face, forcing him to look further until he saw the owner of said hand. "Come on," Kyren muttered with a small smirk, although his eyes were squinted like he was trying to evaluate something. Elian drew in a deep breath before grabbing his hand, gritting his teeth as he stepped away from the edge of his bed and got on his feet. With a wave of Kyren’s other hand, the dust and smoke in the room disappeared, revealing the chaotic scene. "Bloody..." Elian cursed under his breath, his jaw tightening when he saw the large hole blown into the far wall. Aside from that, most of the ground was reduced to rubble, marble and dust piling up. "Elian!" A familiar voice snapped him out of his reverie just then, forcing him to turn his gaze in its direction. Axel, free from the tentacles, ran to him with relief on his face at the same moment that five guards burst the door open and barged in. "Beta Axel!" One of them yelled in a panic but Axel raised a hand, signalling he was alright while he searched Elian’s arm and face for injuries.
Kyren just stood beside Elian, still clutching his hand in the most possessive way possible.
[Between the golden boy Beta and the crazy ass king. Now this would be so much more drama material if perhaps a certain arrogant cold prince walked—]
Before the system could even finish those words, a familiar scent whisked into the room, causing Elian to swallow hard as he turned his eyes to the door.
Walking in was none other than Lucian whose silver eyes locked square on Elian.
"What the heck happened here?" He barked, waltzing closer but Kyren suddenly raised a hand, stopping him mid walk.
"Elian is fine if that’s what you’re here for." The Rogue king’s voice was firm, laced with something akin to disdain as he tilted his head. "What you and your pathetic guards need to explain is how that witch was able to claw his way into my mate’s room."
Elian felt a chill run down his spine, the room seemingly getting colder when those words landed.
His eyes flicked to Axel who had his jaw clenched, his golden eyes still glinting with worry.
But Lucian and Kyren? They both seemed like they were about to chop each other’s heads off. The only difference was that Kyren’s agitation was calmer. Controlled.
"Your question is... Daring, Rogue King." Lucian said flatly, taking more steps forward until he was only a few feet away. "Especially if we all consider the fact that this witch only attacked after your arrival."
Crap...
[He kinda makes a fair point...]
Elian winced, glancing at Kyren whose eyes turned into slits.
"You dare accuse me of working with a witch of all things?" Kyren asked coldly, his aura boiling just underneath the surface.
It was so ferocious, so dark that Elian thought he saw the shadows in the room shifting unnaturally the longer he stared at Kyren’s face.
"I’m not accusing you of anything, lord Kyren." Lucian raised his arms in mock surrender. "I’m just pointing out an obvious fact. Merely minutes after your arrival, that witch managed to make his way into the palace grounds and threatened me to stop looking into the Dark Hand."
Kyren harrumphed. "Oh, I’ve heard of your empire’s little Dark Hand organisation. An organisation which the Lunarian court let flourish for years."
"That was before we knew there was something darker about them." Lucian snapped but Kyren finally released his grip on Elian, inching close to the Alpha Prince until they were merely a breath away.
[On the bright side, this seems to be a good distraction for Axel. You know... After he saw your eyes flash red like some mini Kyren.]
Elian subconsciously glanced at Axel who indeed was too busy watching the spiralling confrontation between Kyren and Lucian.
"And you think you know all there is to know about this so-called ’Dark Hand’?" Kyren sniggered, shaking his head at Lucian. "I only bothered myself after Estella and Magnus slithered their way into my domain. I—"
"A fact which we still can’t prove yet again." Lucian snorted. "Estella clearly stated they were abducted from Lunarian soil. Meaning your people snuck into our territory."
Kyren squinted. "You really believe the words of that lying snake? Hmph. You’re more pathetic than I calculated."
Lucian parted his lips to say something but Elian had had enough.
"Guys, enough!" He yelled, causing all eyes to fall on him.
His breath hitched when he saw all the attention on him but he curled his fists, drawing in deep breaths to calm his nerves.
He could feel the Bond resonance pulsing within his veins, flowing with Kyren’s rage. His maddening darkness.
Deep down, he feared it would corrupt him.
[Get it together, fruitcake. Breaking up your mates’ scuffle now, internal monologue later.]
Right.
"Before ripping each other’s throats out, can we address the fucking hole in my wall?" Elian gestured at the hole, which still billowed with smoke and soot, a few guards analysing it while some maids outside gossiped from a safe distance.
Ugh, he was going to have a headache.
"There’s nothing to address there," Lucian remarked, looking between Kyren and Elian before forcing himself to look away. "We’ll see if we can get any valuable information or traces left behind by the witch. In the meantime, Elian will need a new room and—"
"I’ll accommodate him." Kyren chimed with a small smile, causing Elian’s heart to skip a beat, an overwhelming blush hitting his cheeks.
Lucian blinked, seeming like he was going to retort but Kyren didn’t stick around to hear what he had to say.
"I’ll be sleeping in the palace tonight. My Dukes and my commander can take care of things in the Dark Lands while I’m gone." He waved dismissively before grabbing Elian.
Elian gasped, swallowing hard as Kyren pulled him out of the room.
"But you haven’t been assigned a room yet!" Axel yelled behind them, frustration and barely restrained jealousy thick in his voice.
Kyren merely glanced back at him. "I’ll let the Alpha King sort that out within seconds."
He didn’t even wait further and continued walking until they were out in the corridor.
Elian stuttered nervously. "I... I don’t think I want to disturb you if—"
"Oh, relax, little flame." Kyren’s tone was reassuring. "I crave your ’disturbance’. Also... We sure still have a lot to catch up on."
He turned his head to him, an unreadable light in his crimson eyes.
"Don’t you think?"
Elian subconsciously held his breath, praying to the gods that Kyren knew nothing about the Bond Resonance.
Or worse... The System.