CHAPTER 216: _EVERYTHING WON’T BE OKAY

Elian’s POV

*****

"What’s happening to the king?"

"Someone get help!"

"Poison?"

"Is the wine poisoned?!"

"Don’t drink the wine!"

Elian watched as the event hall erupted into utter chaos, the guests gasping, murmuring and screaming in terror while the Alpha king fell to his knees.

Arian had his right hand clutching his chest, his breaths haggard. His wife was the first to act, rushing to his side and grabbing him by his shoulders.

"Arian? Arian... Stay with me." She spoke with a shaky voice, gently helping him lay on her body while she sat on the floor.

Meanwhile, Kyren and Lucian went into action, getting on their feet.

"Definitely the Dark hand at work." The Rogue king spoke with his usual calm, although there was a hint of shock deep in his voice.

Elian’s eyes flicked to Lucian, watching his expression shift.

The Alpha Prince tried keeping a calm face but he was clearly shaken. Disoriented.

Lucian blinked at his father as he struggled for breath, grabbing his wife like she was a life line. The black veins multiplied across his hands, crawling like snakes and pulsing in a way that made Elian’s skin crawl.

’System... Stats!’

[His vitals are shutting rapidly. The corrupted mana signature ravaging his system tells me it’s some kind of curse. One powerful enough to make a celestial level Alpha drop...]

Elian’s jaw tightened, his gaze scanning his surroundings.

The people below the dais were still panicking but guards acted quickly, doing their best to calm them. It was like a ripple effect, thousands of people getting word of what was happening on stage from tens of meters away.

"Dad?" Aurora got on her feet as well, rushing to the Alpha king’s.

Her voice finally snapped Lucian out of his trance. Slowly, the Alpha Prince walked to his father’s side, crouching beside him and his mother.

"Who... Who would’ve imagined that they’ll come directly for the Alpha king?" Seraphyne whispered with dread, sticking close to Elian’s side. "I doubt they poisoned the main source of the wine."

"Just the Alpha king’s," Kyren confirmed solemnly, his tone clipped. "Which means someone close to him and his goblet found a way to slip the curse into his drink."

Elian hesitated, glancing at Kyren and the dying Alpha king repeatedly.

There really was nothing he could do here and—

"Stand back." Kyren stretched out his hands as he moved like a shadow toward the Alpha king.

His fingers lighted up with crimson sparks while Aurora and Lucian stood back.

"What are you doing?" Aurora questioned, her face already streaked with tears.

But Kyren didn’t say anything to her, instead muttering a few words in the old tongue before pointing his hands at the Alpha King.

A stream of his magic shot into the Alpha king’s body, causing him to jolt in Elowen’s arms.

"He’s dying!" The Luna Queen’s voice cracked, trembling with a fear so primal that even Elian felt it from where he stood. "The palace doctors! P–Please—"

"Your husband needs your presence right now more than the doctors, Luna Queen." Kyren had most of his focus on Arian. "Your mate bond links your strength to him. It’s keeping him stable but—"

"Is my father going to make it or not?!" Lucian barked, turning to face Kyren.

The Rogue king and Alpha Prince locked eyes, the tension thick enough to suffocate.

Then—

"I’m sorry, Alpha Prince..." Kyren whispered in a soft voice that stunned Elian. "All I can do is stabilize him for a minute or two at best. The curse is ravaging his body, his Alpha king aura—probably even his soul."

Elian felt the pain thrumming through Lucian from where he stood.

He felt like grabbing him. He felt like pulling him into his arms and telling him everything’s going to be okay.

But no.

Everything wasn’t going to be okay.

Elian’s fists slowly curled beside him as he forced himself to take the first step. Then another.

As he walked toward the others, he subconsciously glanced around himself, his features set with tension.

Beta Axel still stood in front of his seat, watching the Alpha King’s situation with a nervous expression. His golden eyes briefly met Elian’s in a warm gaze tinged with worry.

At the other side of the high table, Seraphyne stood with her right hand in front of her face, staring like she was mentally blaming herself.

Aurora stood a few feet away from her parents, trying hard not to crumble even though her hands still shielded the sobs breaking out of her in waves.

And then the crowd below...

They all finally became silent, their eyes fixed on the stage and what was happening on it.

Some prayed. Some looked away. Others whispered judgementally, spouting all kinds of conspiracy theories.

Hovering above the hall were large holographic screens broadcasting everything across the city and all of Lunarian at large.

The fall of a ruler had become a publicity stunt.

"L–Lucian..." Arian weakly stretched out his right hand, searching for his son. "My heir. C–Come to me."

Lucian rushed to his father’s side again, ignoring the side glance Kyren gave him. The Rogue king was too busy using his magic to stabilize the Alpha king anyway.

"This... This is the Dark Hand’s doing." Arian continued, coughing heavily.

When he coughed, blackened blood spilled out of his lips, staining his royal robes and his wife’s gown.

The Luna Queen didn’t even flinch, sobbing with her forehead pressed against her husband’s.

"I’m here, father." Lucian mumbled, keeping his expression plain despite the tremor in his voice.

But Arian wasn’t satisfied, grabbing his son’s pants and forcing him to crouch lower. When Lucian did that, the Alpha king brought his lips closer to his ear and whispered something inaudible.

It took a few seconds of struggle but when Arian finally let go of his son, the latter froze, clearly stunned by whatever his father told him.

"W–What?" Lucian whispered, taking a couple steps back.

Unfortunately, the Alpha king didn’t have time left to elaborate. His body twitched violently, his back arching as a strained gasp left his lips.

"Arian?" The Luna Queen cried out in a panic. "Arian... Arian, please! P–Please..." Her voice shattered, her tears falling like rain as she pulled him closer to her chest.

Elian turned his gaze to Kyren who withdrew his hands to himself, his expression stoic but his eyes glinting with something foreign.

Helplessness.

Arian continued jerking, his eyes darkening and the black veins coiling with more power within him. His skin began blackening like ash, his forced breaths ghastly.

Almost unnatural.

Lucian reacted quickly, grabbing his mother and pulling her away from the Alpha king despite her wails.

"No! No! P–Please! Don’t leave me, Arian! I beg you!" She screamed, struggling to pull Lucian’s hands off her. "I’m... I’m sorry for ever doubting your rule. Please, just fight!"

Sadly, her cries were futile.

After a few more moments, Arian eventually stopped jerking. His body went limp, his lips parting open and his eyes widened with pain.

He stared at the ceiling during his final seconds. And when his last breath flowed out, it took the colour of ash, his body sparkling briefly with silver light.

Suddenly, Elowen released a sharp cry, her chest lighting up with a bright silver light as the mate bond shattered. She clutched her chest, her screams mixing with her sobs while Lucian tried pulling her together.

At this point, Beta Axel stepped forward, thundering at the crowd with a loud voice:

"Guards! Lead the people to the exits, quickly!"

Elian froze, heart hammering in his chest, as the crowd reluctantly obeyed Axel’s command. Panic and fear still hung thick in the air, but the hall was slowly clearing, leaving a small, tense circle of family, guards, and a few trusted allies around the fallen Alpha king.

Elowen collapsed entirely, leaning against the dais as sobs wracked her body.

Her hands shook violently as she pressed them to her face, tears soaking the fabric of her gown. "No... no... not him... not now..." she cried, her voice breaking like glass.

Lucian knelt beside her, awkwardly trying to hold her trembling form. "Mom... we’ll handle this. We’ll—"

His words caught in his throat as he looked down at his father, unable to mask the tight coil of grief in his chest.

Elian remained frozen, his own throat tight, eyes locked on Arian’s ashen, lifeless face. The silver spark of his final breath still lingered faintly in the air, a cruel echo of the man who had ruled with strength.

Kyren stepped closer, his boots silent on the polished floor, hands clasped behind his back.

His eyes scanned the scene, sharp and calculating.

"This was no mere hit and run assassin," he murmured, voice low but laced with an edge that made Elian flinch. "The killer... they didn’t need to sneak in. They’re closer than we think."

A hush fell over the small gathering.

Every eye flicked to every person present, suspicion slicing through the grief. Even Axel’s usual confident stance stiffened, and Elowen’s sobs paused for a mere second, her gaze darting nervously.

Elian swallowed hard, his fingers curling into fists. The weight of the realization pressed on him like stone.

Someone here, someone trusted, had done this. And if Kyren was right... The danger was far from over.

The circle around the Alpha king’s body tightened as they silently processed the unthinkable: their king was gone, and the enemy... was already among them.