The Queen's Conquer

Chapter 64 : The Rise of Our Fall

Viewer Discretion Advised

Cruor • [crew-or]
Blood, gore; murder, bloodshed.

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~ Anastasia ~

The corpse of my husband lays beneath me. Samuel's cold, stiff body...

This is something I'd never imagined myself attempting to accept. And even though this timing is fucking horrible—even though we're in the middle of a Goddess-damned battlefield—I can do nothing but cradle his body in my arms; touch the soft hair of his scalp; breathe in what's left of his scent—what's not already covered by his grime and blood.

The air has fallen silent. Even the rogues and warriors who'd been battling one another from a distance seem to cease their actions. Perhaps as a way to pay their respects. A dead alpha...it should never be taken lightly. But my dead husband...

I lay my head against his chest, hoping there will be a sign of a faint heartbeat in there. Some form a life. Something that proves this is all a lie.

With little hope, I find nothing. A sob breaks from me as I squeeze my eyes shut, nuzzling my face into the crook of his pale neck. I don't think anyone knows what to do anymore. I know they're watching me—all of them. I know many also mourn, but the kind of torment this feeling in my chest is is simply indescribable.

There are several long minutes where I'm left alone, given the chance to grieve. But the moments are short-lived when a shadow stalks forward from the other side of my mate's body—a male figure.

Still sobbing into my mate's crimson-tinged chest, a familiar general says, "It's over, daughter." There is no kindness in his words. No remorse for the actions he just committed.

Someone tries to approach—to stop Maddox from doing further damage to me or anyone else. But there's a deep growl that erupts from his chest, stopping the pursuer.

"Do not involve yourself with this," he orders.

"You sick sonofabitch!" an enraged Lilith screams out. "How dare you order me around after killing my alpha! After killing my luna's mate!"

"He was never the true leader you needed," he spits out. Then, now speaking to the crowd, he bellows, "There was NOTHING he could have offered you that I couldn't provide more of!"  

He paces the earth for a moment, staying near me and my mate. Every crunch of the grass with his bare feet makes me cringe and recoil.

"Where's the stone?" he orders to the throng of onlookers.

"You really think we'd willingly give it to you after all that you've done?" Killian growls.

"You should be bowing at my feet, boy," Maddox snarls. "Samuel Knight is dead. You've lost."

My fingers clench around Samuel's icy hand. My spine straightens slowly. Still unable to look up at the man who'd slaughtered my mate, I manage to say with the knot in my throat, "Samuel was everything that you could never amount to." Embers spark within my blood, beginning to thrash around like a wildfire coming to life.

I feel a looming, menacing gaze on me. And when I finally look up through the strands of my hair, I see the eyes of my father glowing with animosity. With engrossed authority. With anything but what a real father should be consumed by.

I continue, though. "Even he was once a ruthless man. But at least he had the heart to change. For love. For loyalty. For his fucking family!" I feel ire rise deep inside of me, building and building with my burning lungs and bones.