Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 879: No Interference ()

The throne room fell into pin drop silence as Alessio and Neveah appeared in the doorway.

The hall was already occupied by a few dozen shifters. Alphas, Lunas and Elders of the royal pack, all present to bear witness to the Alpha King’s bonding ceremony.

As they walked down to the front of the hall where the throne sat, all the guests bowed low.

Meanwhile, Neveah’s mind reeled with thoughts.

’Where is he?’ She wondered, suppressing the urge to glance over her shoulders.

Lothaire, that bastard was meant to have already arrived to challenge Alessio in the presence of all the Alphas.

Yet he was nowhere to be seen.

Neveah spared a glance to the window. It wasn’t too far beyond the time frame she had given Vilma yet, but she couldn’t help feeling unsettled.

Though she didn’t want to contemplate, the truth was that there was every possibility that Lothaire would not show up.

She had set him free from the ice chamber, and sent him to his wife to fulfill her end of the bargain to let him see what had become of the unborn child he knew nothing of.

Vilma had vowed repeatedly that she would fulfill her end, but Neveah knew not one amongst the two could be trusted. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

At this very moment, they may be long gone from the palace. Or plotting a means to escape by themselves, leaving everything behind for their own safety.

She wouldn’t put it past Lothaire to renege on the agreement. He was a man who had no difficulty going back on his word. It was obvious, especially after what he’d attempted in the ice chamber.

Setting him free had been a risk. Colluding with Vilma in the first place had been the greatest risk of all. Knowing that Vilma had repeatedly made attempts on her life in a time beyond what her memory afforded.

But Neveah had placed her bets and was willing to face the results.

Colleen had warned against trusting Lothaire and Vilma. Even if Vilma was willing to keep her end of the bargain, Lothaire was a slimy bastard. Dishonest and dishonourable.

But Neveah didn’t trust the man, she trusted in her instincts. And even now, they told her, that a man who had been King as long as Lothaire had been would not be able to live any other life.

Even if the chances were slim to recover his title. Even if it meant he had to place his life on the line, Lothaire would sooner confront Alessio and die fighting for the throne, than live as one of the commoners he so greatly detested, constantly on the run for his life.

It was yet another gamble. But she’d made enough of that lately, one more wouldn’t hurt.

They were only halfway to the throne when the doors burst open behind them, drawing Neveah out of her reverie.

All eyes moved to the doors. Alessio turned as well, but Neveah didn’t. She didn’t need to. She already knew who it was.

Once again, her instincts had proven true. A chance at his lost glory was worth more than his life to Lothaire.

The silence in the hall was even heavier now. No words were exchanged for a heartbeat, but Alessio stiffened beside her.

She could practically feel the atmosphere in the hall tense up, the cheeriness of the festivities disappearing almost instantly.

"Father." He broke the silence first, his tone dark and bristling with fury. "What are you doing here?"

Lothaire did not respond immediately, but when he did, he said "You should ask your bride that question."

It was an unnecessary statement, given that he’d come for his own purpose and she’d only aided his escape. But of course, Lothaire wouldn’t miss the chance to drag Neveah through the mud along with him.

It was for two reasons. Firstly, because bringing her into it and making it known that she’d betrayed Alessio once again, particularly on the day they would be wed, would have the most impact on Alessio.

Rather than just Lothaire breaking out on his own to crash the wedding. Secondly, Lothaire obviously had it out for Neveah after their encounter in the ice chamber and the possibility that he would lose the challenge may be more comforting if Neveah would also face consequences.

Neveah didn’t mind being dragged into it. She’d already prepared for this result. Everyone knew after the event at the moon ceremony that she and Alessio had opposing wills.

Ruining her own wedding by helping her soon-to-be husband’s depraved father escape his holding cell? It wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

Alessio’s eyes shifted to Neveah in question. It was only then she turned. Her eyes met Lothaire first, taking in his appearance.

He’d changed his clothing and even trimmed his beard. She could hardly believe he’d wasted the time making himself look presentable.

But that wasn’t all. His claws dripped blood, evidence of a recent...or many recent kills.

If there had been any resistance to him arriving in the throne room, they certainly wouldn’t be able to tell their side of the story.

Much like Alessio, Lothaire was a beast on the loose. He didn’t shy away from bloodshed and didn’t believe in dialogue. He was more than willing to take any and every extreme measure to get his way.

Father and son...they were evenly matched.

Finally, Neveah met Alessio’s gaze. There was no set expression in them, he just stared. She shrugged casually. "You took Colleen...fair game."

Alessio’s brows twitched slightly, but he said nothing. Between them, there weren’t many expectations left.

She hated him. He didn’t care that she did. And that was the end of it.

His attention returned to Lothaire. "Since you’ve come, go ahead and make your intentions known. Are you here to join in the festive? Or did you come for something else?"

Alessio’s words didn’t beat around the bush. He was obviously confident to face whatever Lothaire had planned.

"Why am I here?" Lothaire scoffed, wiping his hands on his robes. The action left smears of red on his gray robes, but he didn’t seem to mind ruining the look he’d taken the time to put together.

"Pup, don’t you think you’ve played King for long enough?"

Even now, the hall was deathly silent. The Eclipse Alphas present had probably begun contemplating the result of this meeting, and what side they would take if they were made to pick a side.

But no one dared speak. Alessio was still the reigning King, and while his legitimacy could be questioned by Lothaire, without the backing needed to defeat Alessio, just Lothaire alone couldn’t change much.

Neveah knew it. And Lothaire probably did too.

And so it was no surprise when a group of men in pitch black robes emerged from behind Lothaire.

The first thing that struck Neveah as she studied the men, was a strong smell of magic. She’d only come to recognise it from Karan.

And she’d known then that he wasn’t a shifter like the rest of them. These men weren’t either.

"Raven guards." Alessio hissed beneath his breath, "You gave me your word you wouldn’t interfere!"

Neveah wasn’t sure who these men were but their presence alone sent a wave of uncertainty through the hall.

How Lothaire had gotten in contact with them so soon after his escape was beyond Neveah. She guessed Vilma hadn’t been as honest with her, just as she anticipated.

The two did have their own plans, and it wasn’t to flee to safety.

Lothaire laughed sinisterly, "I offered them a better deal."

One of the men stepped forward and with a wave of his hand, a glowing blast shot right at them at a blinding speed.

She was right beside Alessio and there wasn’t enough time to get away.

Instinctively, Neveah threw out a hand, the rush of magic came quickly and a blinding light exploded through the hall, forcing her to squint. It was soon followed by an earthshaking explosion that rocked the throne room.

When Neveah’s eyes came open, a glowing barrier shielded them some pace ahead of her. And the raven guard that had made the attack was thrown across the room from the force of the recoil.

Neveah hissed beneath her breath. She hadn’t planned on letting her magic become known just yet.

She glanced over at Alessio. He was already staring at her, a complicated look in his eyes.

His eyes weren’t the only ones fixed on her. Everyone in the throne room, Lothaire included regarded her with a wary expression.

Neveah wasn’t certain why Lothaire was still so surprised. How did he think he’d made it out of the ice chamber earlier?

"Are you going to protect him?!" Lothaire snarled.

She hadn’t meant to. The last thing she wanted to do was interfere but the raven guards clearly intended to take them both out, and Alessio was just close enough to reap the benefits.

Sucking in a sharp breath, she stepped forward, her gaze fixed on the other raven guards.

Somehow, she knew she could reason with them.

"This is about the legitimacy of succession. It is not something for anyone else to interfere with...if you stand down, so will I."

"Let the Rauls battle it out."