The King’s Tainted Mate
Chapter 52

"There is absolutely no doubt those wretched beings are her mother and father!" Liira ranted the moment she entered my study. "Even though, after today, I gather they'll think twice about making it known openly."

I leaned back in my seat. "Are you certain?" I had seen it in their eyes, felt the conviction in their words. There was no struggle against my command, but I thought a second opinion from probably one of the best wolves I knew could sniff out a lie couldn't hurt. Liira had been more than glad when I had laid out the entire events leading up to my rejection of my mate.

"Is that not the reason you'd let me at them?" Liira tugged at her cloak a little too forcefully, an indication of her frustration. "Although, I can't promise that I stuck to your expectations of me." That meant many things, but I wasn't going to linger on any of those she'd chosen. Because whatever it was, I was sure it was still less than what they deserved.

"Well, that settles their surprise at their own daughter having shifted too soon." Rakon mumbled from beside me.

Liira scoffed. "With what they have done, I wouldn't put it past them to use that fact for their own benefit." That had been another reason I'd agreed to their request. Despite Shyla's parent's seemingly repentant hearts, I still did not wish to give them a reason to use their daughter or anything about her as a reason to secure their own safety.

"Unfortunately, this still leaves us pretty much in the same position." I sighed. It still left Shyla in the same position. If not, worse.

The ride back to the palace had been quiet, with her gaze lost on the world outside. She had not even once asked what her parents had asked of me. I was grateful for that. Because even when I knew that she did not wish for them to suffer, knowing they'd asked a favour of me so soon and that I had granted it would have only added to her anguish.

Once we got back, she had wished for nothing but sleep and my presence. I had been happy that she'd asked me to stay, but my happiness had faded with the sight of how the events of the visit to her parents had taken a toll on her. She'd tossed and turned almost the entire night when she slept. Her whimpers had filled the vast room of her chambers, not even my touch meant to comfort felt enough.

"Not exactly." Liira wore a satisfied smile. "Your would be inlaws, as promised, had quite a bit to say besides trying their hardest to convince this old wolf that they spoke the truth."

"Which is?"

"Your queen, it turns out, has not always been the selfish piece of work that you wedded. Even though quite ambitious, once upon a time she was just as sweet as they come. Until the day she'd set her eyes on the palace." Liira paused at the sound of a knock on the door while I tried and failed to picture Myrna as anyone sweet.

"Your tea, my lady?"

"Oh thank you Astryn." Liira sipped before continuing. "It so happened that after shifting and during a trip to the capital, she caught sight of a prince and fell in love at first sight. Oh so she'd told her parents. The tale would not end there either, as even when she was certain she was not mated to you, she already saw herself by your side."

The very idea unsettled me. "How in the world did she get exactly what she wished for?" Not even fate was that thorough.

"That, my dear king, is what brings me to my second point." Liira suddenly lost all her charm as she moved closer to the edge of her seat. "Gol's theory is apparently not so far from the truth. Fate may have had something to do with how you met your chosen mate, but that is not all there is to it. According to her parents, it began with simple jewellery, a few fancy dresses, small pouches of gold. It by no means made them rich, but it was enough to entice them into agreeing to her plan of being the one to be chosen. Their assumptions place whoever had been the one to whisper such thoughts into their daughter's ears right in your palace."

"That makes no sense. Why drag my mate into their plot? Why couldn't they do this without her?"

"I think the question should be why Myrna who happens to be the sister to the mate you almost did not find? The mate they made sure was unacceptable even if you did find her." All eyes landed on Rakon, but it was Gol who seemed to have the most ridiculous answer, yet terrifying for me.

"I think the question should be why Myrna who happens to be the sister to the mate you almost did not find? The mate they made sure was unacceptable even if you did find her." All eyes landed on Rakon, but it was Gol who seemed to have the most ridiculous answer, yet terrifying for me.

"Because whoever it is, knew or knows something about your mate." Memories of the attack in Dovah, the demands the attackers had made rang in my head. I still did not know why they were after Shyla. All my investigations had been dead ends. I turned to Liira. "Grandmother?"

She cursed in response. "Perhaps we've been looking at this wrongly all this time."

"You must focus on every noble house. Important or not." Gol spoke up. I'd done that. A thousand times already and still nothing.

The riots that seemed insignificant were growing in size each day and the restlessness of the people had become something that could not be ignored. And those strings I knew were being pulled in the shadows, were getting tighter as even those districts unknown to get rattled by such were slowly being sucked in.

Council meetings held to try to sniff out the culprit holding the other end of the leash had yielded nothing. The noble lords still remained their usual pain, but none had let anything incriminating themselves slip. Not even Evarius had stepped a toe out of line. The only thing unusual was his unwavering support for the upcoming royal banquet that he seemed willing to empty the entire coffers of his noble house for, just so the event turned out grandeur than those held in times past.

I could drag Myrna out. Force a confession out of her, but even I knew from history that the enemy never showed their hand so easily. Not if their eyes were set on a high prize like the throne of Xatis. Perhaps I could take a lesson from history once again. I turned to Gol. "Tell me about Carene."