Chapter 126: _Bleed Before They Touch Him Kyren’s POV
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He was agitated at the fact that the witch just had to kill himself with that dramatic stunt he pulled off.
But what pissed him off more were Lucian’s baseless accusations.
Him? Lord Kyren Nochthane. Use witches for anything at all?
Yes, he’s sent Farrell into the Lunarian golden walls to place magic charms. Yes, he even sent out his special forces into Lunarian soil to drag Estella and Magnus forcefully to him, after which he killed Magnus.
But working with a witch who threatened his mate under his nose? Scratch that, underneath the noses of whatever fickle security force the Lunarian palace claims to have?
That was a line he’d never cross.
His hate for witches only increased by the day with Arcadia’s growing interest in invading the Dark Lands.
"Something fishy is going on within this palace," Kyren muttered casually to Elian as soon as they walked into a room on the same floor as Elian’s room.
Kyren had been given coordinates to this room through a digital message from the Alpha king, who apologised for the "grave lapse in security" as he called it.
The room itself was large and brightly lit by white crystal chandeliers arched on the ceiling. There was a bed at the far left, facing a window.
There was also a balcony with a sliding crystalline glass door and a holographic screen on another wall, which flickered between different images.
"Fishy, huh." Elian blurted in response to the last thing he said from the entrance of the door.
Kyren furrowed his brows, glancing back at Elian and instantly noticing the awkward look on his face. He squinted at the lad.
Speaking of fishy...
"You’re suddenly so... Distant." Kyren’s lips curled into a small smile while Elian tried stepping casually into the room, avoiding eye contact.
His little flame scratched the back of his neck. "Like I told you... I don’t want to disturb your peace now that we’re roommates or—"
"Roommates?" Kyren repeated with a snigger, finally turning to face him with a head tilt. "I have a whole palace back in my domain, not to mention several secret manors and outposts. The only reason I haven’t teleported you to one is because I plan on respecting the wishes of your other... Pets."
Elian’s frown deepened. "Lucian and Axel are not pets."
"Aren’t they?" Kyren scoffed, placing his arms behind him. "Look how slow they were in reacting to that witch attack. How can I entrust your safety in their hands?"
"You only came into my life today, and you’re talking about my safety?" Elian’s voice increased by an octave. "Why? Simply because we’re mates?"
Kyren watched him closely, noticing the way the holographic screen etched on one of the room’s walls glitched.
It happened within the span of a millisecond... But Kyren noticed it.
And for the faintest second when he looked into Elian’s violet eyes, he thought he saw a glimpse of himself.
"Because you’re my priority, Elian," Kyren whispered, stepping closer slowly. "You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this. For the day I get to hold my mate in my arms... My other half."
When he got to him, his hands brushed his shoulders. Elian stiffened at first but then closed his eyes, his chest heaving with a relaxed breath.
But Kyren didn’t stop staring, trying to see if he could pick up anything.
He had noticed something different about Elian when he felt the magic of the witch and rushed to defend him. Something he would dare to call... Dark.
He knew he wasn’t imagining things but he decided to keep things cool and not probe further, taking it as just the uniqueness of their bond. For now.
"For the ruler of a nation called the ’Dark lands’, you sure have a way of making my stomach spin with your words," Elian said with a low voice, his cheeks reddening as he opened his eyes. "T–Thank you for helping—"
"Don’t even mention it." Kyren shushed him, bringing his thumb to his soft lips. "I just... Regret not being able to torture more info from that bastard before he took the easy road out."
Suddenly, the holographic screens close to the sliding balcony door flickered again, but this time they merged, forming one large screen.
That large screen proceeded to glitch a bit before literally pooling out of the wall, landing on the ground in a stream of lights and forming the colored and as-real-as-life holographic projection of a woman in her late thirties holding a few papers.
"Oh, looks like it’s time for the late morning news." Kyren grinned, turning to face the image with Elian wrapped around his right arm.
"I–I never had one of these back in my room," Elian said with an annoyed tone, causing Kyren to chuckle as he glanced at his adorable face.
He pinched Elian’s cheeks with his free hand, making his face even redder.
"Relax, little flame. They probably didn’t see the need to add one to your room because the news would get boring to you."
Elian pouted. "That makes it much worse."
Kyren stared at him for a couple more seconds until the holographic woman cleared her throat and began.
"This is the late morning news for the Lunarian News Network. As usual, I’m your host, Cristal Ravenheart, here with the headlines from Lunaria, Evaros and indeed all of Solara..."
She paused after saying that, a small smile curling her lips. "Or, at least the parts of Solara we’re able to cover anyway."
Elian glanced at Kyren just then. "Wait, there are continents outside Evaros that our news can’t cover? W—"
"There are races on this planet more mysterious and larger than anything this continent has to offer," Kyren revealed casually, tightening his grip on Elian’s waist to keep him quiet.
That worked like a charm.
"To begin the news, as tension between Arcadia and the Dark lands seemingly reduced in the last two days, rumours have begun spreading of Arcadia preparing something... Massive. Many Lunarian citizens remain adamant that we stay out of the conflict, with a staggering sixty per cent in a recent survey agreeing to this move."
Kyren’s jaw clenched when he heard that, but he kept his emotions in check as the news anchor continued.
"Meanwhile, in the capital city of Moonhaven, within a tier one hotel in the industrial district last night, many eyewitnesses claim the Alpha Prince, the Beta, their mate and the princess battled an Umbra beast."
"While it’s unknown who sent the creature, some suggest a mysterious organisation known as the ’Dark Hand’ might be linked to it. But if that’s the case, there’s one burning question..."
The woman paused, her eyes becoming serious as she lowered the papers in her hands.
"What is the Dark Hand... and what ultimate end goal could they possibly have?"
The Dark Hand...
Hmph.
Kyren’s eyes flicked to Elian at that moment.
Regardless of who they are or what their "end goal" was... he’ll make all of Evaros bleed before they touch his mate.