The Witch and Her Four Dangerous Alphas-Chapter 223: Poisoned?

Many days had quietly slipped by, and Selene found herself buried more deeply than ever in the complicated games she was weaving with her four mates, because every spare moment she had was spent trying to pull information out about the council.

Those shadowed men who ruled from the capital’s core, hidden so deeply that reaching them was almost impossible, let alone killing them, because even going near their stronghold was suicide unless they willingly stepped outside.

And for now they rarely did, making Selene’s mission feel like chasing smoke with bare hands, but she persisted because she had no choice and because time was running out for everyone she wanted to save.

She hardly had any time for herself anymore, and the very few minutes she managed to brush her hair or catch her breath were always stolen moments, taken quickly before someone noticed, and especially before her mother.

Her infuriating, persistent, sharp-tongued bitch of a mother appeared again to interrogate her, judge her, press her, and hound her like a wolf on a wounded deer.

And Selene was exhausted, so exhausted she sometimes wondered why her mother never left her alone, why she hovered endlessly instead of going back to wherever she should be, why she kept harassing her with questions and suspicions and pressure until Selene felt like smacking her hard.

But today, finally, something different happened, because it was the first day of the new week and she finally met Vaelen.

She knew instantly something was wrong because the moment she laid eyes on him she saw the dark circles under his eyes, the paleness of his skin, the sluggish way he moved like a man who had not slept for nights on end.

Selene’s instinctive worry spiked sharply as she walked to him and said softly, "Brother, what happened, are you not feeling well?"

But Vaelen only gave a tired smile and shook his head, brushing it aside with that calm, patient voice he always used around her, saying, "Nothing happened, I have not seen you for many days, let’s have breakfast together today," and he gently took her wrist and pulled her out of her room before she could protest.

In these past few days Vaelen had been so busy she rarely even caught glimpses of him, which made her worry a little, but in truth it had also helped her because she could meet her mates more freely without feeling like she was betraying his trust every time she walked into one of their arms.

Because Vaelen had shielded her from them because he hated them, and she carried that guilt heavily because she knew his bitterness toward them was tied to her, tied to the things she had done, and even though he never said it outright she understood, she felt it.

And yet, even with Vaelen gone, her mother had still kept tormenting her, hovering, watching, following her every step as if she could sniff out the truth behind Selene’s excuses, and Selene’s patience was wearing thin.

But now, for the first time in days, it was peaceful, just her and Vaelen sitting down at the long table with warm food still steaming between them, and for a brief moment Selene felt something like comfort, almost happiness, because she loved these quiet mornings with her brother, the ones where neither of them had to pretend or hide anything.

Vaelen poured tea for her with tired hands and she served him bread, and they ate slowly, silently, enjoying the rare quiet, until suddenly the door slammed open so violently that both of them flinched.

A royal guard rushed in, breathless, and shaking, and Vaelen’s brows drew together in irritation as he put down his cup, his voice clipped and suddenly cold as he said, "Not now. Come later. I am having breakfast."

But the guard didn’t leave. He stepped forward again, panic written all over his face, and Selene instantly felt her stomach twist because something was definitely wrong, and the guard swallowed hard, shaking as he tried to speak.

"T-The king... the king is..." he stammered, and Vaelen snapped, his patience breaking as he stood up sharply and demanded, "What happened?"

But the guard’s eyes flickered nervously toward Selene, like he wasn’t sure he should speak openly in front of her, and he shook his head, stepping back slightly as he said, "Prince... you must see for yourself, I don’t think I should say it here... not in front of..."

Vaelen’s voice turned icy with authority, his eyes narrowing as he stepped between Selene and the guard, "She is my family. If you have something to say, say it. Do not hide anything."

The guard hesitated only a heartbeat longer before the fear and urgency in him overwhelmed everything else, and he blurted it out in a trembling voice, each word dropping like a stone into the quiet room.

"Prince... the king has been poisoned."

The world seemed to freeze in an instant.

Selene’s breath stopped in her throat, her mind blanking as a cold shock rippled through her body, because she had never imagined something like this happening inside the palace, and the sheer weight of the words left her unable to speak.

Vaelen’s eyes widened, his face draining of color, and for a moment he didn’t breathe either, standing perfectly still as though struck by lightning, before he finally managed to force out a hoarse whisper, "Poisoned...?"

The guard nodded frantically, "Yes, Your Highness. The royal healers are with him now, but his condition is worsening...please, you must come immediately."

Selene felt her hands go cold, her heart pounding wildly as she exchanged a shocked look with her brother, both of them frozen by the enormity of the news, because if the king had been poisoned, then someone capable of bypassing all royal protections had acted, and this changed everything.

And in that moment, their peaceful morning shattered like glass.

Vaelen didn’t waste another second after hearing the guard’s words, because the moment the shock settled into his bones he snapped back into motion, pushing past the guard with quick, urgent steps.

And Selene, who was still frozen for a heartbeat longer, finally jolted into movement and rushed after him, her mind swirling with too many thoughts and fears that made it hard to breathe.

Because she didn’t understand how the king could possibly be poisoned inside the palace, inside the safest place in the entire werewolves kingdom, and her heart started thudding painfully in her chest as she followed Vaelen down the hallway.

Her thoughts were running faster than her feet as she tried to piece together what was happening, because the council had been silent for weeks, but she and her mates had been constantly pushing, constantly pressing for information, constantly trying to break into the edges of their influence.

And suddenly the king had collapsed from poison, and the possibility that this was retaliation squeezed her lungs, because if it was true, then she, without even realizing it, might have played some part in triggering it.

But why would they poison the king? He had always been loyal to the council, he had never gone against them, he always respected their decisions, and yet they struck him down instead of someone openly rebellious.

Selene could not make sense of this as she ran behind Vaelen, who was nearly sprinting now as his face was starting to lose all color.

The palace guards caught sight of Vaelen’s furious expression, his burning eyes, and the royal symbol flashing at his waist, and none of them dared to step in his way;

They immediately parted, bowing quickly and allowing him through without a single question, and Selene stayed right behind him, so close that the guards assumed she was part of the prince’s command, and none of them dared to stop her either.

Their footsteps echoed sharply through the hall as they reached the entrance to the king’s palace, and Vaelen shoved the doors open with enough force that they struck the walls, but he didn’t even wait for them to settle before rushing inside, and Selene slipped in right behind him, her breath uneven as she took in the sight.

The room felt heavy, suffocating with the tense air of healers, guards, and servants standing around in frozen panic, and her eyes landed immediately on the bed where the king lay, and her stomach clenched hard because the sight of him was worse than anything she had imagined.

The king was lying helplessly on the grand mattress, his body shaking uncontrollably as thick white fog kept spilling out of his mouth, rolling out like smoke while his eyes were rolled upward until almost no color could be seen, leaving only the whites showing, and it looked like he stood one step away from death’s door with nothing holding him back except the desperate hands of the healers trying to suppress the poison.

Beside him on the bed was the queen, her fingers clawing helplessly at the sheets as she leaned over her husband, her eyes red and swollen, either from crying or anger no one knew which but the expression on her face was terrible to look at, intense enough to make even the guards tense up around her.

Vaelen froze only for a split second before he moved to the bedside, his voice trembling with fear and anger as he called out, "Father".

And Selene, unable to hold herself back, slipped inside the room fully and stood near the corner, her eyes widening as she took in the chaotic scene.