Rewriting Her Destiny With The Lycan Kings-Chapter 69: The Manipulative King

She stepped closer to him, her gaze cold as stone. In the next second, she wrapped a power spell around his throat, squeezing it tight. Albus gasped for breath, his face turning blue under the crushing force.

"You will pay for everything you’ve done, Albus," she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "I will drag you to the depths of hell, and you will use your last breath to beg for my mercy. That day is coming. sooner than you think."

With a flick of her wrist, she released him. He collapsed to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. Just as she stepped toward him again, a sudden burst of light flashed, and everything went dark.

Albus jolted awake, his breath ragged. His heart pounded as he sat up with a jerk, his frantic eyes searching for her. But Seraphina was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Fiona, his wife, was sitting beside him, her face pale with worry.

"Albus! What happened? Are you struggling to breathe? Should I call the doctor?" she asked, panic thick in her voice.

He was trembling, his body drenched in cold sweat. It felt so real. too real. He ran a shaky hand over his neck, exhaling in relief. But the moment his fingers brushed against his skin, he winced in pain.

Fiona’s eyes widened in horror as she noticed something on his neck. A dark, bruised imprint. an unmistakable mark, as if someone had strangled him.

Albus traced the bruised line, his fingers trembling. His throat went dry, and he struggled to swallow.

It wasn’t just a nightmare. It was real.

A violent shudder ran through his body as fear gripped him. He clutched Fiona’s hand, his grip desperate.

"Fiona... My end is near. She hasn’t forgiven me. She’s coming for me," he whispered, his voice breaking into a sob.

Fiona’s heart ached at the sight of her husband in such a miserable state. She had never seen him this terrified. this broken. Tears welled in her eyes as she silently prayed for a miracle, for a way to save him from this impending doom.

...

"Maybe we can help you, Albus."

A majestic voice echoed through the small room, commanding attention. Both Albus and Fiona jolted, their heads snapping toward the doorway.

There, standing tall and imposing, were Denzal and Devonte. The mere presence of the Lycan Kings filled the room with an overwhelming aura of dominance and control. Their piercing gazes bore into Albus, radiating an authority that made it impossible to ignore them.

With slow, deliberate steps, they entered the room, their movements exuding power.

"We can protect you from whatever danger is coming for you, Albus," Denzal declared, his tone unwavering. "We will ensure your survival."

Albus and Fiona exchanged stunned glances, their expressions filled with disbelief. They had never expected such an offer from their kings. Before they could process it, Devonte spoke, his voice edged with warning.

"But in return, you must reveal everything you know. Every single detail. From the very beginning. Nothing can be left out."

His tone was laced with an unspoken threat. one that made it clear lying was not an option.

Albus felt his entire body tense. He knew what was coming. His mind flashed back to the chilling encounter with Seraphina. the nightmare that wasn’t just a dream. The dark thread-like bruises on his neck were proof of that.

He could feel death’s shadow creeping closer.

And if the Lycan Kings were offering a chance to escape it, he had no choice but to take it.

With a long, shuddering breath, he finally spoke.

"I... I’ll reveal everything."

His voice trembled with the weight of his sins. His heart pounded against his ribcage, as if warning him of the storm he was about to unleash.

Because whatever came next... would be the reckoning of a cruel past he had tried so hard to bury.

•••

"Ten thousand years ago, I was the Gamma of Queen Seraphina," Albus began, his voice heavy with the weight of the past. "It was the time when she had just ascended the throne as the crowned queen."

A heavy silence filled the room. No one spoke. No one moved. Every ear was sharply tuned to his words, hanging onto each syllable with bated breath.

"Even though I was the lowest in the chain of command, she made sure I was treated with the same respect as the other commanders. She never allowed anyone to look down on me. She protected me. more than anyone else. because I was the first creature born without a wolf. To the world, I was an outcast. An anomaly. An unwanted.

"But to her... I was still worthy. And for my battle skills, she made me Gamma."

His voice softened as if his mind had already drifted ten thousand years into the past.

"Life in the kingdom was thriving. Everything was perfect. Then, one day, news spread across the land. news that changed everything.

"The queen’s fated mates had been found."

The corners of his lips twitched into a bittersweet smile as he recalled the memory.

"Xavian and Lucian Blake Knight, the kingdom’s greatest commanders, were revealed to be her destined mates. The entire kingdom rejoiced that day. It was a joyous occasion. one that brought newfound hope to our kind."

His fingers clenched slightly as he continued.

"After their union, the kingdom’s power surged tenfold. No rival dared to wage war against us. Our enemies trembled at the mere mention of Queen Seraphina and her two powerful mates. Together, they ruled with an iron grip, unmatched in strength and strategy."

His voice faltered, his expression darkening.

"But then... everything changed."

A visible shudder ran through his body, his face turning ashen.

"The peace we had once known began to crumble. A shadow crept into our world. And it all began when he entered our lives."

Albus swallowed hard, his voice now barely above a whisper.

"Maldrak. The King of the Rogue Clan."

As soon as Albus uttered those words, both Denzal’s and Devonte’s eyes darkened, turning an eerie shade of red. Their jaws clenched, and their knuckles tightened as if they were fighting to keep control of themselves.

"He entered the kingdom with one goal. to seize the throne," Albus continued, his voice laced with unease. "He wanted to strip the Knight brothers of their power and take their place. His ambition was boundless, his hunger for dominance insatiable. He believed that if he could eliminate them, everything would fall into place for him.

"But... something... something changed everything."

Albus’s voice wavered, his body trembling as if recalling a memory too dreadful to bear. The tension in the room thickened. The Lycan Kings felt it too. an inexplicable force pressing down on them. Their hands curled into fists, their nails digging into their palms as they braced for his next words.

"He plotted in the shadows, preparing to kill the kings, never once meeting the queen. But then... the day came when he stood before her for the first time.

"And that day, he discovered the ultimate truth. The Truth is, he was her chosen mate as well."

The moment those words escaped Albus’s lips, Denzal and Devonte froze.

Their bodies turned rigid, their breaths caught in their throats. Their minds reeled as if the sky itself had collapsed upon them.

"What?" The word left their lips in a whisper, shaken, disbelieving.

Albus nodded, confirming the shocking truth.

"Yes. He was one of her mates. His bond with her was just as strong as the one she shared with the Blake brothers. She couldn’t reject him. doing so would have cursed the entire kingdom. Banishing him was out of the question. With no other choice, Queen Seraphina allowed him to stay... alongside the blake brothers."

His voice dripped with bitterness, his expression twisted with resentment.

But despite the revelation, something darker still lingered beneath the surface.

Because the real storm was yet to come.

..

"The revelation of his identity didn’t sit well with the kings," Albus continued, his voice low and heavy. "They despised the idea of him lurking around Queen Seraphina. Yet, they were powerless to change fate. he was her chosen mate, just as they were.

"They tried to accept it. Tried to tolerate his presence. But their restraint shattered when they uncovered the truth. Maldrak still intended to steal the throne from them."

Albus paused, his gaze dark and distant, as if reliving the past. When he spoke again, his voice wavered.

"While Queen Seraphina was searching for a way to adjust to this new reality, Maldrak was scheming behind her back. His mind was filled with nothing but deceit and treachery."

A shiver ran through Albus’s body as he continued.

"He possessed the power of the serpent. the ability to shape-shift at will. He was a master manipulator, weaving lies so skillfully that even the strongest minds could fall prey to him. And he did exactly that.

"He used his power to bend others to his will, to turn them into his puppets.

"And I... I was one of them."

Albus’s voice broke as he admitted the bitter truth. His hands trembled, shame clouding his eyes.

"I was tempted. Corrupted. Manipulated by his words, just like so many others..."

A thick silence settled over the room, heavy with the weight of his confession. But this was only the beginning.

Because the true betrayal was yet to be revealed.