92. A Broken Promise

YILEYNAKilled by a Siren… I was unable to ignore the pang of pain that washed through me. No matter what he had done, his mother and sister were not a part of it, and my heart broke for them. So, that was why Theon held so much hatred towards the sirens. This war between our species had gone on for far too long. How long would the two species carry on like this? What started it? Was there a way to end it all?

I didn’t let my emotions show, and instead, I raised my eyebrow challengingly, trying not to be drowned by his scent.

"Well, I'm sure you will at least be pleased when I lose my head," I replied icily, turning away from him.

Deep down, I was unable to shake off the fact that he had warned me about his father and was telling me to keep my heritage a secret from him. Was there a part of Theon that knew his father was wrong? Was there anything in him that I could justify?

"I'm warning you. From tomorrow, I will take you to train as Dad wishes. Be on your best behaviour, Yileyna, because no one is here to play."

"No promises," I muttered, wanting him to just leave. I could no longer feel my abilities in here, almost as if whatever was in the air was sucking it away. I heard him walk towards the door, and he paused.

"You could have tried to run when I took you to Dad… why didn’t you?" He asked quietly. I frowned, confusion hitting me at his question, and I turned to look at him.

I hadn't even considered it. After all, how could I when there were so many of our people here? This wasn’t just about me.

"I won’t abandon my people. I'm Alpha, now, remember?" I replied coldly.

"You are no use as an Alpha if you don’t take the hard path and make sacrifices. Sometimes you have to let those beneath you suffer the consequences of an action that would ultimately favour the rest.… Dad assumed the same. He didn’t think you would risk running away when he has those you care for hidden away. One wrong move, and he will kill them. Remember that…" I frowned, hating how he was talking as if this was just a light conversation. "Oh, and one more thing… it's funny that not once did you ask about Charlene. How did you know she’s not here?" My heart skipped a beat, but I simply glared coldly at him.

"Because I made sure they were taken away," I shot back.

"Yet they didn’t take you."

"As I said, I'm the Alpha," I replied, clenching my jaw.

That may have seemed like a distant statement at one point, but now the meaning of it was embedded into me, weighing down on me with the sheer truth that I was indeed in charge of the Silver Storm Pack and that it was my duty to protect them. To find a solution for all of this.

"You’re crazy," he said before he opened the door and stepped out, leaving me alone.

I sighed heavily, looking around the empty place. It was stripped of everything. It had been cleaned up, but there was no furnishing left here. At least I wasn’t bound to one spot.

If Theoden thought I would be this meek, obedient doll for him to use, then he had another thing coming. But for now, I needed to think of a plan properly. This didn’t just involve me but everyone…

Was I enough? Was I doing the right thing? Will I manage to do something? Okay, breathe…I took a deep breath, slumping down against the wall and staring at the ice-covered floors. A plan…

Raiden? Charlene? Ryan?Nothing. So this room blocked my mind link.

Fine, I’ll think of a plan and then when I'm out of this room, I’ll contact them.What do I do… What do I do…

Should I try to kill Theoden Hale? Was this endless cycle of killing for revenge and victory the right thing? No, it wasn’t.

I needed to get through to Theon. Something told me that I needed him on my side to stop this cycle, for him to realise that his father may not be who he portrayed to be. I rested my head against the wall, trying to think over everything that had happened. My heart squeezed at Theon’s words on the balcony.

“Please…”Theon never said please. I wanted to say he cared somewhat, even if everything he had done was unforgivable.

This wasn’t about him and me. That was long over, even if he was my mate.

I sat forward, crossing my legs as I tapped the icy floor with my nails, wondering why no one had de-iced the castle, or at least some of the rooms. I shook my head, pushing the unnecessary thought away.

Theon was behind everything that happened to my parents… and I could never forgive him for it. However, I needed to follow my instincts and prove to him that Theoden was a monster, otherwise, this cycle of hatred would never end. I had to put an end to this game of power over a title and throne, and I would do it the right way, even if it was going to be extremely difficult. For that, I needed to try to get through to Theon, something that was going to be almost impossible, as well as extremely painful for me, knowing that he was my mate who had ruined everything. I never thought I’d ever find my mate, but the moon goddess had other plans…

I stood up, pacing the room as I pondered over everything I had learned, from what Andres said to Theoden’s version… someone was in the wrong, or there was a misunderstanding.

One thing was clear – Theon was vital in this plan. He was the Alpha of the Obsidian Shadow Pack after his father. I refused to believe that there was no part of Theon that didn’t care. In his own way, he had looked out for me, and I had no choice but to hold on to that. I needed to show him the truth of his father’s wrongs, but the most important question was, how do I do that?

I ran my hand through my hair, glancing around the room as if it would give me the answers.

Something told me if I wanted, I’d be able to break out of here as well. Didn’t Theoden tell Theon to keep me full of wolfsbane and silver? Theon wasn’t careless, I just wished I knew what exactly was going through his mind…

Do I pretend to be on his side? Or was it too late to do so? Or more importantly, would I be able to pretend to when my heart had been crushed by him?

Goddess, what do I do?-----

THEONNothing went the way I had wanted it to… nothing.

As I walked through the iced halls, ice that no mage or fae had been able to get rid of, I sighed inwardly. Seeing her bound so roughly in the cells had angered me, but how do I tell her without making it obvious that she needed to leave from here?

Things weren’t as I thought… Dad was hell-bent on his revenge, and it was justified, but seeing the way Yileyna, who was innocent in all of this, was treated, didn’t sit right with me. It fucking hurt, and I wished I had managed to get her away, but there had been no way for me to do that.

Seeing Hunter in Westerwell had thrown me; although I had been raised in secrecy since our Pack was already considered a rogue or criminal pack, there were still a few who knew who I was. Not even the enchantment on me would blind those who knew who I truly was. Hunter and I weren’t exactly on good terms… but he hadn't said anything.

After I had knocked Yileyna unconscious and the party had come to an end due to the staged attack, I had met up with him. His words still niggled at the back of my mind, and I knew Dad wouldn’t approve, but I needed to see him again.

"Theon."

Fuck, I didn’t hear him again.

"Dad," I said indifferently, turning.

"You seem far more distracted than you once used to be… tell me, has being under Andres’s command lessened your sense of vigilance? Moments of distraction can cause you to lose your head or heart," he said, his hard eyes on me.

"I was thinking about the ice," I lied, not wanting him to push me further. He seemed to have bought it.

"Powerful magic," he said, knocking against the ice wall. Even with his strength, it didn’t crack or chip. "Imagine shields or armour of such calibre…"

"Yeah," I responded. "What is your plan from here? We have Westerwell, the city and the kingdom have been notified that we have taken over. Now what?"

"You seem in a rush. You know it’s not that easy. We need the other packs to accept me as the king, and for that, we need the heart."

"Do we really need her? We are strong enough without her."

"The marriage still needs to take place. You need to mark her, train her, and then we will reveal the prophecy to the world. When people know that we have the prophesied one by our side, they will bow to us." I wouldn’t mark her. Ever.

I nodded.

"I see, so you want me to train and mark her so we can use her… efficiently?"

"Yes, exactly."

"She’s the heart, I don’t think she’s made to be controlled."

Our eyes met, but I didn’t look away. I hated how he was observing me as if he was looking into my soul. He looked away after a moment and nodded, once again examining the iced-over walls.

"You are right. We need her to obey. Arabella has already said her powers are far too strong to contain… if she wanted to, she could break out of those quarters, but she seems naïve. Otherwise, I don’t think she’d still be here." Maybe, but in this case, she’s too fucking concerned for others."Hmm, most likely."

"But we can’t have her chained… it may just trigger her… we need to do this wisely. As long as you keep her heavily dosed on silver and wolfsbane, she will be weakened to an extent. You seem to care for her anyway. Perhaps you can use that to seduce her to our side?" He suggested so nonchalantly, as if we were discussing the weather, but I didn’t miss the subtle remark about caring for her.

"I did as you said, however, the attack that took place took away the chance for me to mark her… and then, of course, everything went down," I reminded him emotionlessly.

"Ah yes, that… attack…" He turned to me, running his fingers through his beard. "It was a rather interesting one, wouldn’t you agree? I wonder what the assailant's attempt was… knocking the Alpha princess out instead of killing her."

I nodded, not giving away anything. I wasn’t stupid. I knew Dad wasn’t the type to buy just any story. I frowned, placing a slightly thoughtful expression on my face.

"Hunter was there," I said, making Dad freeze. His heart skipped a beat, and he turned to me sharply.

Perfect"Hunter…" His eyes blazed and he punched the wall, yet despite the cracking sound of his knuckles, the ice didn’t move or break.

"I'm not certain if it was him, but it could have been. He knows of the prophecy after all."

"That bastard…" Dad thundered with rage. "He has done nothing but thwart my plans!"

"He’s never liked Andres either. I think he’s neutral," I reminded him.

"No, but it does not mean he isn’t a bastard! No matter what I attempt, he doesn’t fucking die."

Attempt? My head snapped towards him, my eyes flashing with surprise.

"Have you tried to get rid of him?" I asked sharply.

"Of course, he knows far too much," he spat. It took my all to contain the emotions that wreaked havoc inside of me. Gold eyes met orange, and I was unable to stop the burning anger that accompanied the statement that left my lips.

"You promised Mom you would never touch him."