The Mad Alpha's Substitute Bride-Chapter 86: You Are King

(MAYA)

The witch.

A woman in her forties, her black hair in soft, gentle curls, her gray eyes cold, holding an animosity aimed toward the two of us. Her feet are bare and leave a burst of greenery in their wake, as if she’s breathing life back into the damaged land. Flowers and grass grow right before my eyes, blooming and turning green.

"Griffin," she says, her voice smooth and cold.

"I should’ve known it was you." I glance at him. He doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t speak.

Her eyes trail over him like a blade, slow and sharp. "You have a lot of nerve walking into my woods."

"I didn’t come here by choice," he says, his voice calm and steady. "We are only passing through."

She circles slightly, not touching him but close enough to make me uneasy. Her gaze lingers on his neck, the side of his ribs, his wrist, where the skin looks thinner, almost raw.

"I can see it on you," she murmurs. "The years. The chains."

He doesn’t answer.

"You’ve been gone a long time," she adds. "Most assumed you were dead."

I blink. How does she know so much about him?

The witch’s lips curl into something that might be amusement, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. "And now the lost king crawls back from whatever pit held him. What a surprise."

My stomach twists. "King?" I ask, too loud in the unnatural quiet.

Griffin’s expression doesn’t change, but I see it, the glint in his eyes. He doesn’t deny it.

"You’re a king?"

He glances at me, just once. "I was."

The witch snorts. "Was? You still are. Whether you want it or not. Your brother has never once stopped looking for you. Erik’s a fool to have waited so long."

I take a step back without meaning to. My breath fogs in the chilled air, though it’s not that cold. The weight of the moment presses down like wet stone.

He lied. No, he didn’t lie; he hid the truth. All this time in that cabin, all the times I mentioned Erik, all the times he did... No wonder Griffin knew so much about him. No wonder he seemed so familiar with the king of the Human Wolf Kingdom.

I recall Corrine telling me about Erik’s older brother going missing, but I never paid much attention. It was Griffin? The witch turns to him again, dismissing me entirely.

"You brought intruders into my territory."

"I was seeking to evade them. I did not mean to bring harm to your land."

She tilts her head, studying him like a puzzle piece she doesn’t remember losing. "You’re heading home."

"Eventually."

She steps closer, and something in the air constricts. I feel it in my teeth, my spine. Magic, coiled and waiting.

"Don’t mistake my tolerance for forgiveness," she says. "You brought your curse into my woods. If I had known sooner, the rain would have fallen harder and burned down that cabin, you and your human pet with it."

I hiss, but Griffin dips his head slightly. Not in fear. In acknowledgment. "We were waiting for the rain to subside. We will take our leave now." She studies him for a beat longer, then finally turns.

"I am offering you safe passage, but know this, a welcome gift to a king long gone, your heart will wither in your own hands. What’s meant to be will not survive. The Goddess gave you not a gift but a curse, your undoing. The fates do not intend to be kind to you."

Griffin goes still, and before either of us can respond, she’s back in the trees, vanishing between the trunks like smoke, leaving a trail of green life behind her.

I exhale.

The quiet returns. It’s not peaceful, just empty.

I look at Griffin. He’s staring at the place where she disappeared, his face unreadable. "So," I say, my voice hoarse, "you’re the king."

He closes his eyes briefly. "I was taken ten years ago. Captured. Imprisoned."

"And now you’re not."

"No."

I cross my arms, more to keep steady than out of anger. "You could’ve told me."

His gaze returns to me. There’s no apology in it, but something quieter. Regret, maybe.

"I was still piecing together my memories. I wanted to be sure of everything before I said anything."

I huff. "That’s one hell of an answer, but I don’t blame you if you didn’t trust me, or still don’t. After what you’ve been through, I wouldn’t trust a stick."

We stand there silently, surrounded by the ghost of steam and scorched leaves.

The King. Erik’s brother.

I let out a shaky breath. "Well, I guess we’re going the same way, then. Come on. Let’s get out of these woods before she changes her mind."

***

The edge of the forest breaks suddenly, like we’ve crossed some invisible line. The trees thin out, the ground softens beneath our feet, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I can see the sky.

It’s a dull gray, heavy with clouds, but it’s sky nonetheless, and it’s not dripping acid, so I’ll call that a win.

I glance at Griffin as we keep walking. He moves like he’s measuring every step, quiet and certain. Even out here, he doesn’t seem relieved. Just focused.