The Witch and Her Four Dangerous Alphas-Chapter 239: The king is dead

Selene’s POV~

I was sleeping soundly in my room when everything changed.

It was already midnight. The palace was quiet, wrapped in a silence so deep that even the candles seemed afraid to flicker.

I had been alone, curled beneath my blankets, drifting in a dreamless sleep. But suddenly my brows furrowed, my chest tightening for no reason at all.

A strange pressure pressed against my back, a presence so familiar yet so heavy that it dragged me out of sleep in a single breath. My eyes flew open, my body stiff, and when I slowly turned my head, I met a gaze that looked exactly like mine.

Eyes that carried centuries of burden and were filled with immense pain.

"Father," I whispered in a hoarse voice. "You are here."

Before I could say anything else, before I could even sit up properly, Maximus’s voice cut through the darkness, sharp and urgent. "Get up, my daughter. We have to get away from here. Now. Hurry up."

I pushed myself upright immediately, the cold air biting into my skin as confusion flooded my mind. "What happened?" I asked, my voice unsteady. But he did not answer.

Instead, he reached for me, his fingers clenching around my wrist as he dragged me away from the bed. His grip was tight, not painful, but desperate. That was when I saw his face clearly in the dim light, the worry carved deep into his features, the tension in his jaw, the anxiety he was trying and failing to hide.

"Father," I said again, this time firmer, pulling slightly against his hold. "What happened? Tell me. I am not a child that you can hide things from."

He stopped.

For a moment, the world felt like it was holding its breath. Then Maximus took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling as if the weight of the palace rested on them alone. When he spoke, his voice was low, heavy, and final.

"The king is dead."

The words struck me like a blade to the chest. My knees weakened, and I stumbled forward, my hand flying to the edge of the bed to steady myself.

And now I realized why there was such a grief on his face. Because the king was dead, I knew my father did not like his younger brother much, but still he was his kin, his blood brother.

Even if he did not like him, it did not mean there was no relationship between them, and so he was very much affected by his brother’s death, even though he was trying to calm himself.

"The king is dead?" I repeated, unable to believe what I had just heard. "How? How could he die so suddenly?" My mind raced, panic mixing with disbelief. "I stabilized him," I said quickly. "I did it myself. He should have lasted at least two or three more days. I was sure of it."

Maximus’s eyes softened for just a second before hardening again. "My child, this is not the time to think about that," he said. "The werewolf council has surrounded the palace. They are forcing us openly now. They poisoned the king, and with his death, they have become bold." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

My heart dropped. Being surrounded meant that the council was ready to attack us.

He moved fast then, pulling a dark cloak around my shoulders, fastening it tightly as if he could shield me from everything with just cloth and willpower. "You are not safe here," he said. "You, me, and Vaelen are lycans. We have the right to the throne. They will not hesitate to kill us."

He dragged me out of the room before I could say another word. My mind felt numb as my feet moved on their own. The king was dead. The palace was no longer safe. Everything I had known, everything I had tried to protect, had collapsed in a single night.

"What about Vaelen?" I asked suddenly, the fear finally finding its voice. "Where is he? Shouldn’t we take him with us?"

"He has some things to do. We cannot surrender like this," Maximus replied without stopping. "Do not worry. Vaelen will find his way."

He stopped just long enough to cup my cheeks, his touch warm and grounding. "My first priority is you," he said softly. "I will make sure you are safe. I will save Vaelen too. He is like my own child. But if we stay here any longer, this palace will become our burial ground."

I followed him in silence after that, my thoughts tangled and heavy. As we moved through the palace halls, the air changed. The silence shattered. From outside the walls, countless howls rose into the night, sharp and powerful, sending chills down my spine. Alpha growls echoed, layered and aggressive, filled with hunger and dominance. My hair stood on end as fear crawled through me.

They had called everyone.

The entire werewolf community.

The council was vast, their influence stretching into nearly every pack. Thousands of wolves stood outside the palace now, and the guards within these walls would never be enough. It was illegal to enter the capital without the king’s permission, but with the king dying and poisoned, they had taken full advantage of the chaos. Now they were forcing us to bow.

We were only three people against an army.

As we fled, a sudden thought made my heart stop.

My mates.

Where were they?

Had they escaped? Were they in danger like me? The need to find them burned inside my chest, fierce and uncontrollable. I wanted to turn back, to search for them, to make sure they were alive. But when I looked at my father’s back, straight, unyielding, driven by fear for me, I knew how impossible that was.

In his eyes, I was still a little girl.

But I was not.

I was powerful. I could protect myself. I could protect the people I loved. I could not leave without my mates or my brother. As the howls grew louder behind us, one truth settled deep within me.

No matter where this escape led, I would not run from here, and definitely not without them.