The Assassin And The King [Completed]

| Chapter Twenty-One : The Lie |

▪︎ Valerian Kingston ▪︎

If there was a word which could describe everything going downhill in a single moment and at the same time, then it would show my situation well right now.

As if letting Kaitlyn know about our mate bond and her original bloodline wasn't enough putting her in danger, Narcissa had to show up now out of all times. I don't even know why she's here now when she was supposed to be here yesterday at the ball.

I shift my eyes from Kaitlyn's white wolf to the lycan queen standing at the door. Trying to even my thundering heart, I give her a tight nod of acknowledgement.

"Queen Narcissa," I address the honey blonde haired woman, "Could you wait in the study? I'll be there in a moment."

"But princess. . . ." The woman's eyes didn't leave Kaitlyn's wolf even for a minute as she stared at it with an ashen face.

"You don't even know if it's your princess." Marilla snorted, "She could be Eleanor's secret daughter. Even she's a royal lycan with white fur. Every royal has white fur. What makes you think she's your princess?"

Sometimes, I feel like Marilla does have brains but Eleanor's secret daughter? Really?

"That." Narcissa points at Kaitlyn's lycan.

I follow her slender fingers only to bite back a curse at spoting the silver amulet whose eyes shone golden. While she was shifting, why didn't that chain snap?! One of these days, the amulet was going to get her killed.

"That's the amulet my brother had re-made for his daughter. Our family heirloom. The gem in the eyes only shines golden when the owner wears it. And it only stays intact on the owner's lycan. Otherwise, it would've snapped while shifting." The lycan queen says with a haughty look Marilla's way, "That's how I know it's our princess."

My insides still while Kaitlyn's lycan stares at Narcissa with it's golden wolf eyes before looking my way. She tries to take a step towards me but I stop her with a subtle shake of my head so that Narcissa doesn't see it.

My heart beats louder and I feel my stomach sink thinking how all this is going to cause so much trouble. How it's going to put Kaitlyn in so much danger. Why? Why did she have to get in danger because of me?!

"Narcissa," I address, this time with a sterner tone, "Go to the study."

"But pri-" She tries to say only to be cut off.

"Now." My voice takes on a chilly tone and I see her shiver at the warning lurking in them.

Stealing one last glance at Kaitlyn's lycan, she storms out of the room saying us to be quick. Who does she think she is?

Only if she wasn't wearing the oak, I could've compulsed her to forget whatever she saw. But I could ask Marilla to snatch the pendant from Narcissa's neck and then compulse her. Yes, I could do that.

As if knowing exactly what I was thinking, Eleanor turns her head to me and shakes her head.

"No, you can't." Eleanor says making me give her a confused look.

"She has oak in her system. She's consuming it in liquid form. I could smell it from a distance. Your compulsion won't work on her, son." My step-mother sighs. Dulcamara nods along making my last hope waver.

"Yeah, that woman is too smart to come here unprepared and unprotected." Marilla huffs, "But how dare she speak to me like that. Does she want her body to be delivered as my nymph's food?"

"Marilla, it's not the time for your inflating ego." I deadpan before looking towards my mate who stood silently watching us in her lycan form.

My eyes softened as I saw the raw confusion in her eyes. Sighing, I took a step towards her. She tilted her wolf head sideways as I approached her and scooted down in front of her lycan.