Chapter 197

[Evelyn’s POV]

I probably should have felt more uneasy than I did.

Hell, I almost broke out into a fit of laughter. I mean the man was literally threatening my life and yet all I could think of was how Alexander very likely verbally tore the man up.

“I truly hope for your sake that you didn’t say those exact words to Alexander,” I told him evenly. “If it’s one thing I learned since first meeting him, Alexander does not respond well to threats. Especially when it pertains to the people he cares deeply for.”

Gregory narrowed his eyes while the man in the back took another long drag of his cigarette.

“This one has a bit of spunk to her, huh?” he chuckled.

I ignored his remark and kept my focus on the King.

“Alexander gave you a choice. He didn’t have to do that at all, yet he wanted you to be able to walk away with some semblance of dignity. And you went ahead and kidnapped me as a form of—what? Showing your dominance?”

“He should have kept his nose out of business to begin with. Now he’s gone ahead and caused trouble.”

I pulled myself forward as far as the restraints would allow.

“The only person who’s caused all this trouble is you,” I said daringly. “Alexander is just the one who is calling you out on it now.”

I was either being really confident or really stupid to speak the way that I was. Gregory had every opportunity to hold good on his great to hurt me. What would he care if he decided to snap and take my life?

His situation was very much how Fiona was at the end. She knew that if she didn’t at least try to retrieve the dagger then she was likely to face the consequences of her actions. The fact that Gregory was merely using me as his bargaining hip against Alexander just showed how much power Alexander had in the situation.

The King’s face twisted into a mean sneer. Just as he was about to speak, he stopped. The low-hanging lights above started to gently swing back and forth. Soon, the hinges on the cell door began to rattle due to the sudden vibrations that shook the entire place.

It felt like an earthquake, but Gregory and I both knew that wasn’t the case.

“What the hell?” he grumbled.

“Your Majesty!”

A slew of guards stood in the open doorway with looks of troubled panic.

“The palace is being invaded.”

“What are your orders?”

The King looked at me long and hard, knowing the person responsible for this sudden invasion. He dropped his gaze to the ground.

“Kill anyone who gets in your way.”

[Third-Person’s POV]

Alexander’s mentality had become clouded along with his judgment. He tried to be peaceful—tried to be the bigger person by giving someone as low as Gregory a choice in his future. Well, he was done being nice.

Before he set out for the palace, he addressed his army and gave very thorough instructions.

“The time has come for a new power to control the region. The King and selfish, corrupt reign come to an end now! Let it be noted that this is much more than just a takeover. It’s become a rescue mission as well. Your Luna has been taken and I will stop at nothing to get her back in one piece. Am I clear?”

Every standing pack member nodded their head and shouted. “Sir, yes sir!”

“When we storm that palace, kill any guard who dares to stop you. Women and children are to be gathered up and escorted off the grounds. All Princes of the Royal family are to be exiled. Should they decide to give you trouble, kill them as well,” he ordered viciously.

All of his soldiers got into formation. It was an impressive sight to behold as Alexander looked out on the large sea of men who had specially trained under his command for years.

“One last thing...If you manage to lay eyes on the King—leave him. He’s mine to kill.”

The ground was shaking and rumbling beneath their feet. Naturally, he and Oliver raced ahead of everyone else. But given the fact that Evelyn had become too personally involved in the situation, Alexander gave the special honor to Erik and Thomas to ride alone with them.

It was their specific job to recover Evelyn if he wasn’t able to find her first.

The moment the palace came into view, Alexander felt an invigorating surge of rage course through him. As usual there hardly looked as though there was any decent security surrounding the grounds.

“This is going to be easy,” he muttered.

He raised his hand up, signaling to the rest of the soldiers to hold their stance. The second he let his arm drop to his side, the horde of his army descended from all different directions. Soon the air was filled with frightened screams and the guttural sound of blades seeking their targets.

It was chaos. Sweet, sweet chaos.

It brought back a disturbing wave of nostalgia for Alexander. But now wasn’t the time to get caught up in his emotions. He had to keep the task at hand. Find Evelyn. Dispose of Gregory.

He made it through the front doors with little to no issue. The floors were already splattered with blood and littered with fallen guards.

Women were being dragged along with their screaming children in tow. It was the one thing he couldn’t stand about the endeavor. Not the endless rivers of blood or the animalistic cranage, but the frightened looks on the young children’s faces. Their eyes filled with tears, not having a single clue what was going on.

He tuned out all the noise and began searching the place for any sign of either Evelyn or the King.

Alexander went room by room but found nothing. His worry continued to grow the further his search took him.

“Alexander!” Oliver called out harshly. “On your right!”

He unsheathed the long blade he kept on his lip and turned to face his attacker. The King’s hired hand. Alexander instantly recognized the man’s apparel, seeing the old royal emblem, and made the spontaneous connection.

His eyes flared with a mixture of anger and excitement. “Well, well...If it isn’t the failed assassin.”

“I only failed because I had to work with that idiot brother of yours,” he hissed.

Alexander chuckled. “Can’t fault you there. Michael had never been one to carry out a job correctly. Perhaps, you ought to take that up with Gregory, he’s the one that keeps in shitty company.”

He swung his blade numerous times and only managed to nip the guy once. He was considerably fast for a man who had a good handful of years on him.

“If I had to guess, you’re the one that swiped Evelyn too, aren’t you?”

The man smirked. “She’s feisty. Wasn’t expecting her to put up so much of a fight.”

That’s my girl.

“She’s a fast learner.”

“Daring too,” he commented. “I’ve never seen anyone talk to Gregory the way that she did before you showed up.”

“She shares in my disdain for your King.”

Alexander spun and thrashed his blade. His opponent may have been fast, but he was faster. He’d gotten behind his attacker and stealthy held the edge of the blade up to his throat.

“Careful, Alexander.” The voice of the King echoed across the room. “You kill him and I’ll have no choice but to add your wife to the pile of dead bodies as well.”