Defying the Lycan King-Chapter 49: Not On My Hands

"You tried to kill me." Kira stood in the cold, drafty cell of Dravengard’s dungeon, staring at the woman who had poisoned her. "Why?"

Clapped in silver chains and chained to the floor of the cell, a young lady named Lara met Kira’s words with a flat stare and stubborn silence.

"Answer your Queen," Derek growled behind Kira.

Lara looked up then, her eyes igniting with a brand of hatred Kira had never seen before.

"She is not my queen," Lara spat, "and she will never be. I would rather die than bow to the daughter of the enemy who betrayed my people."

Lara was a local farmer from the lower villages who regularly supplied the palace with fresh herbs. That was how she had gained access to the servant quarters and kitchens without raising suspicion.

Kira recoiled, staring at the woman in total disbelief. She had known the Lycans hated and distrusted her kind. She had known about the long war between Lycans and werewolves. But she had never imagined this level of personal, seething hatred. She had come down here hoping to pull some confession about Ruby’s involvement, but this kind of venom didn’t need any outside instruction. It was a fire that fed itself. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Lara’s lips curled into a sneer. "Yes, I poisoned your tea with Somnara Bloom. I used enough to make sure you would never wake again to bless our crops. You are not worthy of our soil." Her eyes gleamed with malice. "And do you know what I wish for you? I wish you would rot alive from the inside out. I wish—"

A low growl erupted in the dungeon, making Lara flinch for once as Derek moved in a blur, stepping between Kira and the cell bars as if to shield her from Lara’s venomous words with his large body. Lara gave the king a blank, innocent stare — one that reminded him he was guilty of the same crime.

A small, dark part of him understood Lara’s rage. That part of him that still hated Rolf and everything connected to werewolves. He wasn’t just angry at Lara. He was angry that she had voiced the very thoughts he had been trying so hard to suppress. Her father and brother had also died in that werewolf ambush years ago, and just like him, she had never been able to let go.

Had his plan to marry a revenge bride been more disastrous than he had realised? How many more of his people carried this same fierce conviction against Kira? If he didn’t punish Lara because he felt guilty himself, how many others would think it was acceptable to harm the queen? How many more lives would he have to take for committing treason against her? What would that make him? A traitor to his own people?

However, Derek had a plan, one that required Kira to be alive and whole until he got what he truly wanted.

"You have committed treason against the Queen," he finally spoke, his voice low and cold. "Any slight against her is an act of treason against me. You will not go unpunished, and this will serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can take the law into their own hands."

He turned to the guards standing at attention outside the cell. "Take her deeper into the cells. Torture her with silver until she confesses who her accomplice is. Leave her with no food and no access to anyone until the queen decides her fate."

He knew someone inside the palace had helped her. Otherwise, those security footages wouldn’t have conveniently gone missing.

"Yes, Your Grace," the guards replied in unison.

Derek turned to Kira, who was standing there, still looking dazed. For the first time since he had brought her to Dravengard, he saw a raw vulnerability in her eyes that he had never witnessed before. It made his beast stir. Without a word, he gently took her arm and led her out of the dungeon, followed by Declan, Kai, and Connor, who had remained completely silent throughout the exchange.

When they returned to the palace, Kira quietly requested to be left alone. Derek respected her wish, even though his beast urged him to stay close and comfort her.

***

When Kira came down for breakfast the next morning, the two maids who had served her on the day of the blessing ceremony were already standing by the table. Derek was already seated, nursing a coffee. The maids bowed low as she entered.

She was relieved that Nana wasn’t at the table; Kira didn’t have the strength to play the role of the blushing bride today. Without a word, the maids each took a small bite from the platters before Kira could even reach for her fork. She looked up at them with a raised brow, then her gaze settled on Derek, puzzled.

"From now on, they will taste any meal before it enters your mouth," he provided, not looking up from his cup.

"Are they poison-proof?" she asked.

His eyes flicked up to meet hers. "It will encourage them to give more accurate accounts of what they see next time."

Kira looked at the maids, who avoided her gaze, keeping their gazes to the floor. She sighed slowly, knowing she shouldn’t care about them at all. They had twisted the story and painted her as a liar. But something inside her couldn’t sit back and watch other people put at risk because of her.

"Punish the one who actually committed the crime," she said quietly, stirring her coffee instead of eating. "Not the ones who were only following orders."

Derek stared at her for a moment but said nothing. She was clearly not in her usual bubbly mood, and he was too exhausted to argue with her right now. What Lara had said yesterday had clearly shaken her, and this time she hadn’t bounced back as easily as he had come to expect.

He waved the maids away and took a sip from his own mug. "Why didn’t you just say something about the hospital that night?" he asked after a long silence.

Kira sipped her coffee. "Try being surrounded by an angry family accusing you all at once of something you knew nothing about, and see how you fare when they believe every word that leaves your lips is a lie."

Derek remained silent for another moment. "Still, you should have tried to prove yourself the following morning."

"Proving myself is all I’ve done my whole life," Kira said softly. "I’ve reached the point where I really don’t care what anyone thinks of me anymore."

Another heavy silence stretched between them. Then, "About that night," he said eventually, his voice lower. "I shouldn’t have let my temper blind me to the fact that you were suffering."

Kira didn’t say anything. She just chewed her food in silence.

Derek reached under the table, produced a small gift box, and slid it across the table toward her. "Here’s a new phone for you. My number is saved as the primary emergency contact. Alert me the second you sense trouble. I will text you when I get to the office."

Kira took the phone, examining the sleek device without a word. Derek wondered what she was thinking and why she had suddenly gone so quiet. She was usually snarky when she was upset.

"Thank you," she said in a low voice.

"Ruby will render a public apology to you after breakfast for the ’mistake’ regarding the ceremony time."

She merely nodded.

"Whatever verdict you decide for the traitor would be carried out," he added after some time.

Silence.

"Kira? Have you heard a word I’ve said?"

Kira nodded before replying. "Of course I’ve heard everything," she said with a sudden bright smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She pushed her chair back and rose to her feet. "I’m only glad that I wasn’t the lying little bitch after all." Her smile stayed plastered on her face. "I’ll be waiting in the car, darling," she said sarcastically and turned away.

She turned toward the door just as it swung open. Connor entered, dressed in his usual dark suit and sunglasses. He offered her a polite nod. "Your Highness."

"Connor," Kira piped up, her voice lighter than she felt. "It’s good to see you. I’m ready for the day."

Connor looked uncertain as his gaze moved past her to the seated king. "I have come with news."

Kira’s brows furrowed. "What news?"

Connor hesitated before he spoke. "Lara has taken her own life," Connor said, stepping into the room. "She left a note. It said she would rather end it herself than let a werewolf Queen decide her fate."

Kira didn’t feel much of anything. She felt strangely numb. She simply shrugged. "Good riddance, then. At least I don’t have her blood on my hands."