CHAPTER 95: _WHO DARES TOUCH WHAT’S MINE?!

Kyren’s POV

*****

"My lord..." Farrell’s voice interrupted his meditation from the other end of the door in his hex chamber.

The "hex chamber" was a room of pure mana, underneath his palace which he used for meditation and increasing the power of certain spells.

It had a high concentration of magic energy and was completely empty, save for a scrying mirror on a wall, the red crystal lights on the walls and the shimmering white pool, where the magic was concentrated the most.

No one except Kyren and Farrell was allowed in here.

Kyren, who was naked, let out a small sigh, opening his eyes as he glanced over his shoulder at the door behind him. "Farrell, whatever it is better be news on my mate."

"It actually is, my Lord," Farrell said with what sounded like excitement. "The spies we sent there found Estella Thorne and Baron Magnus, the princess’s mate. They both colluded to capture Elian and—"

The second Kyren heard that, the red lights in the room flickered before blackening, the shadows dispersing like they were scared of his presence.

"What?!" Kyren bellowed, rising from the waters and twisting his right wrist.

That motion caused the runes on the door to light up before the door itself opened, and Farrell levitated inside against his will.

The door shut as Farrell’s eyes widened with confusion and fear, his legs dangling in the air.

"Estella and Magnet," Kyren said those names coldly but Farrell managed to correct him.

"M–Magnus, sir. A Baron of the em..." His words died in his throat when Kyren’s eyes flashed with a bright red light.

Kyren pulled him closer until he was only a few feet in front of him, squinting. "Why then did you sound excited delivering such news?"

Farrell shivered, shaking his head. "It’s not what you think, my lord. I..."

The commander struggled to stay composed with him naked, looking away briefly with flustered cheeks. Seeing that, Kyren finally released him, turning away from him when he plopped to the stone floor.

"Well, go on," Kyren said calmly, a red robe materialising on him. "I’m listening."

As he adjusted the robe, the crystals flickering back to their red colour, Farrell managed to continue speaking despite being shaken.

"The good news is, the spies bombed the place before fleeing," Farrell said, causing Kyren to arch an eyebrow.

The rogue king turned to him slowly, squinting. "They ran? Without saving my mate?"

His fingers twitched, his inner wolf, which was usually quiet, howling with bloodlust inside him.

Farrell paled, shaking his head. "B–But, sir, you said they shouldn’t interfere for any reason. The bombing was to disorient Estella and Magnus and give Lunarian soldiers time to find the hideout."

Kyren brushed his right hand down his face. "I said they shouldn’t interfere BEFORE finding out my mate was under captivity."

Kyren turned away from him yet again, closing his eyes and stretching out his right hand. He focused on his magic as his palm lit up with a bright red light.

"My Lord?" Farrell called with hesitation but Kyren ignored his existence.

When he opened his eyes again, there was a glowing red orb floating above his palm, shimmering like a mirror.

"Show me my mate." He whispered, blowing air on the orb.

Soon, a live image appeared on the orb’s surface, showing him his mate’s situation in real time.

To his surprise, the omega broke free and was on the run, the princess running behind him.

"Interesting..." Kyren smiled, feeling an odd sense of pride surging inside his chest. "It seems my mate isn’t so helpless after all."

He glanced at Farrell, who nodded in agreement, even though he probably couldn’t even see what was on the orb.

However, Kyren’s face deformed into an ugly scowl when he saw what happened next.

Another explosion hit the building, this one hitting the hallway Elian was running through. The force knocked him out, causing the mate bond to flicker and weakening the surveillance spell.

"No, no, no!" Kyren roared, the shimmering white pool spiralling like a vortex in reaction to his anger. When Elian fell to the ground and struggled to breathe, the orb faded out, leaving the rogue king in the dark.

Kyren’s jaw tightened as he swerved his head to Farrell who was already getting on his feet.

"Did those stupid spies bomb the place a second time?!" Kyren snapped, a pressuring force descending on his commander.

Farrell gasped, air leaving his lungs from the brunt of the attack. "N–No, my lord! It was only... It was only one explosion. They used one of your mana bombs and then teleported back here. I swear!"

Ugh, the lad was telling the truth.

Kyren grunted, releasing him from the pressure before his eyes flicked to his oval-shaped scrying mirror on a wall.

That was another way he could view what was happening.

Kyren waltzed to the mirror, his robe dragging against the runes etched into the stone floor. The scrying glass glowed faintly, showing only static streaks of red and black.

His scowl deepened.

"Work," he commanded, making a cut on his palm with a dagger, drawing blood.

When he pressed his palm on the glass, it rippled like disturbed water, then sharpened into a fractured image.

For the briefest moment, he caught sight of Elian again—half-conscious, blood on his lips, body cradled in someone else’s arms.

But not Aurora... Those arms belonged to a man.

The bond thrummed in his chest like a maddened drum, his inner wolf snarling and slamming against the cage of his ribs. Kyren dug his nails into his palm until more blood welled, grounding himself through pain.

"Who dares touch what is mine?" His voice cracked through the chamber, low and lethal.

Farrell flinched. "My lord, perhaps it’s Lunarian reinforcements—"

"If it were them, he’d be on a stretcher, not held like a treasure," Kyren snapped, cutting him off.

The pressure in the chamber spiked, forcing Farrell to stumble back on his knees. The red crystals on the walls shattered one by one, the shards orbiting Kyren like blades ready to draw blood.

He dragged his eyes back to the mirror, but the vision had already faded, leaving only his reflection staring back at him... fangs bared, his eyes glowing crimson and his veins dark with fury.

The rogue king exhaled through his nose, forcing the wolf inside him down though it clawed and howled, demanding blood.

Elian had been found. But not by him.

That reality twisted like a knife in his gut.

"Farrell." His tone was eerily calm now, almost worse than when he was raging.

"Y-Yes, my lord?" Farrell croaked, sweat dripping down his temples.

"Summon every shadow unit at my disposal. I want Estella and Magnus dragged to me in pieces." Kyren’s lips curved into a dangerous smile, his sharp canines flashing.

"As for whoever grabbed my mate..." He paused, his eyes narrowing, voice dipping into a growl. "Find out who it is..."