Chapter 2 Prologue 2

While still thinking of what to choose, my mother made a decision for me in a cold, final and resolute voice. "Since you don't answer, I've already picked for you. Kill him, Bryson. There's no need for him to live, not if she's to be completely obedient to us."

"Kill him," my father ordered, his words dropping like a guillotine blade.

I crumpled to my knees before him, desperation clawing at my throat. "Dad, please don't do this, leave him alive! I promise to do everything you said, I'm ready to reject him, please don't kill him, Dad."

"Do it," he said to his guards, his voice a stone wall.

They moved, swift and merciless. Kieran's life ebbed away in a brutal flash and I felt it, oh I felt it like a ripping wound in my soul. Selena howled in agony inside my head, a scream of raw pain echoing through every fiber. The hurt was crushing, like my heart was being torn apart, shredding with every fading beat of his life. It hurts so much.

"Why, why do you do this?" I demanded, words trembling with hurt. "Am I even your daughter? Why can't you just give me what I want, this once? Am I just a pawn in your plan to overthrow the royal family? Is that all I mean to you?"

My mother's smile was a cold, cruel curve of her lips. "You're right you aren't my daughter. To me, you're nothing but a puppet, a tool to push us closer to our goal, to pave the way for my son. But biologically, you're your father's daughter to another woman."

The words hit like a slap; I felt my breath catch. What did I just hear? Was she speaking in rage, or was it the truth? My mind reeled, trying to grasp it.

"Why do you tell her?" my father asked, a low warning in his tone.

"Why wouldn't I?" she spat, venom in her eyes. "I hated her so much because of her mother."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my voice a bewildered whisper, confusion swirling like a dark fog in my mind.

My mother's eyes gleamed with a hard, bitter light. "You aren't my child. You're his mistress's daughter, she died giving birth to you."

My breath caught in a sharp gasp. "That's not true! Grandpa would've told me if I wasn't born to you," I said, denial rising like a desperate shield.

My mother Elena laughed, a low, mirthless sound. "If he would've known. But he doesn't. Everyone thinks you're my daughter. That's what we've told them and what the world knows. I got 'pregnant' at the same time as the woman who actually bore you. But I gave birth to a son who's been training in secret to become a capable prince. After your father becomes king after we overthrow the royal family he'll be ready."

The words sliced into me like cold knives, leaving jagged wounds. I felt myself unraveling, thread by thread.

"Who was she?" I demanded, anger burning like acid in my veins. "Tell me who my mother is. Right now."

Elena's gaze locked onto mine, her eyes glinting with a mix of triumph and malice. "Your mother was the princess of the royal family who was lost to them since she was a teenager. Actually she was kidnapped by your paternal grandfather, used to birth a child with royal blood. A legitimate heir, crafted for the day they'd overthrow the Royals themselves."

The words hit me like a storm surge, crashing against everything I'd thought I knew. Royal blood. Kidnapped princess. The pieces twisted in my mind, jagged and brutal.

"I'll kill you all," I spat, venom in every word, disgust churning like bile in my gut. "I hate you. How could you do this for power? So disgusting. You hid your son, made me a pawn to draw you closer to the royal family, to help you kill my mother's family. I hate you, I won't participate in this."

The thought of Bryson blood in my veins turned my stomach; I felt tainted, fouled by the very lineage I now loathed.

"Do you know why I'm telling you all this?" Elena said, her smile a cold slash across her face. "Because after this, we'll wipe out all your memories. And you'll still be the obedient daughter you've always been after today."

As she spoke, something sharp and merciless struck me. Darkness swooped in like a black wing, and I plunged into unconsciousness.

"You shouldn't have told her all those things," Bryson said to Elena, his voice a low, warning rumble.

Elena's lips curved with calculated calm. "Don't worry the witches are already waiting in the house. They'll erase all her memory, and she won't remember a thing when she wakes up. Not even her darling mate who just died."

Bryson's gaze narrowed, shadows dancing across his face.

Elena said as she continued. "And not many people remember the princess who was announced dead. I wouldn't even know there was once a princess in the royal family if you hadn't told me."

Bryson's voice dropped, edged with command. "But next time, be careful. I don't want us to talk about any of this again. I'll announce Alpha Kieran's death, and accuse him of treachery. Make his death just nothing. We've taken too many steps for our plans, don't ruin it by not controlling your mouth."

The air hung thick with unspoken threats, the weight of their plotting palpable.

"I'll be careful from now on," Elena said, her voice a smooth whisper. "Thank god I noticed something was off at the mating ball. I made someone follow her every move. Or else she'd have run away with him and ruined our plan."

Bryson's nod was sharp, decisive. "Good. Let's go."

With a curt gesture, they ordered their men to clean everything, scrub the forest clean, leave no trace. Efficient, silent, the shadows moved to obey. And with cold finality, Bryson and Elena turned to leave the forest, swallowed by the darkness they'd crafted.