Her eyes blaze with revulsion. “I almost cut his tongue out for daring to ask, but I didn’t in order to get to the bottom of the truth, so I accepted the deal.”
The silence that follows is deafening, broken only by the rasp of my own breath. Elder Varkos wasn’t just a traitor. He was a parasite. A vulture feeding on the scraps of darker men. And my undle was no different—perhaps worse. Yet he still haunts the shadows, free, plotting.
“If Elder Varkos confessed, then he’s the true mastermind–not Malik. Instead of offering him your blood, you should’ve slit his throat. He was the one who ordered the kidnapping. My uncle. My jaw tightens, fury boiling inside me. “His soul was mine to claim. His body was mine to kill. I hope you understand that, my Queen.”
But the Queen shakes her head, her voice trembling, yet firm. “No, ack. You don’t understand. According to Elder Varkos, Malik is wielding a higher form of dark magic–the same kind Varkos himself once tried to harness as High Priest, but failed because he lacked royal blood as the key ingredient. For Malik, however, it is stronger. Far worse. That magic is being fueled by something other than royal blood… something powerful enough to shatter the world itself.”
Her eyes darken, heavy with a fear she cannot entirely conceal.
“And even an Alpha King wolf cannot stop him.”
Her words strike me like a blade to the chest. My muscles lock, and the memory of those endless, wasted hours chasing Malik through the cursed woods claws at my mind.
“That’s right, my Queen. I spent eight fucking hours running through those woods after him. Eight hours, and still I couldn’t track him. He cloaked himself in a magic so vile it drained the very life from every creature around him. He was untouchable- untraceable. And that’s why I came back here. To find Fury. He’s the only one who’s ever managed to come close to him, though it nearly cost him his life. Fury must know what Malik is feeding off–because whatever it is, it’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”
The Queen lowers her face into her hands, rubbing her temples as though her skull is splitting from the weight of it all. When she lifts her gaze to mine, her eyes glimmer with something raw fear, anger, desperation. “My necklace…” Her voice cracks, and my heart lurches. “I fear it’s my necklace Malik is using. He must have deceived Celestia, given her a false one after she stole it from my daughter, while keeping the real one for himself to fuel his magic.”
I stare at her, stunned. “Your necklace?”
She nods. “It’s not just a jewel, Jack. Half of my soul is inside it. I feel it–like my blood is being drained drop by drop. Dizzy spells. Weakness.” She presses a hand to her chest as though steadying herself. “The necklace is bound to me. If Malik has it… then he has a part of me. I don’t know how he holds it without being burned alive, but if he’s using it…” Her voice sharpens, fierce despite the pain etched across her face. “Whatever he’s planning, I swear, it will become his downfall.”
A chill races down my spine, my mouth going dry. If it’s true–if Malik is using the Queen’s necklace–then she’s already standing in the shadow of death.
“My Queen…” I swallow hard, forcing my voice steady. “If that’s the case, then your life is already in danger. I’ll summon Fury at once. He must return immediately.”
But before I can move, her hand shoots up, commanding me to stop. Her eyes flash with authority. “No. Not here. We’ll go to him. At his father’s house.”
I blink, caught off guard. “Why? We can send word-”
“Because,” she cuts in sharply, rising from her chair with the grace of a warrior queen despite the weariness dragging at her body, “I suspect Malik still has eyes and ears in this palace. Don’t forget–he once walked these halls as a messenger. He knows every crack, every whisper.”
The thought makes my stomach twist. She’s right.
“I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing our plans. We move in silence, that’s the only way to defeat him. Besides❞—a
ghost of a smile crosses her lips “it will give me the chance to face Tom’s father again. He was once my most loyal bodyguard,
and fowe him that much.‘
I bow my head slightly, though my jaw remains tight. “As you command, my Queen. But if he has your necklace…” My voice drops, low and dangerous. “Then I will not rest until I carve it out of his cursed hands myself.”
