The Play-Toy Of Three Lycan Kings-Chapter 416: Returning IV

SAGE

I watched Peter rub a hand through his hair for what felt like the hundredth time, his confusion etched into every line of his face, and the weight of my choices settled on me all over again.

This man had been my father in more ways than blood. He had raised me. Protected me. Believed in me when I hadn’t even believed in myself.

And I had repaid him by aligning with vampires.

The shame burned. What had I done?

Why hadn’t I listened?

Why had I let revenge drag me past every warning sign, past every instinct, past the unmistakable stench of rot that clung to the vampires?

I had worked with them. Laughed with them. Watched them kill humans in front of me—and done nothing.

The memory made my stomach twist.

Was that what blind revenge did to a person? Did it empty you out so thoroughly that you stopped recognizing right from wrong?

I hated the feeling. Loathed it.

I wished—fiercely—that I could rewind time. Make different choices. Say no. Walk away. Burn the path before it led me to this point.

But time did not bend backward.

El remained silent inside my mind.

Strangely, I understood the silence. El had warned me. More than once. I had ignored every caution, every nudge toward restraint. This quiet felt like consequence, not abandonment.

I shifted my gaze to Diana.

My little sister stared down at her hands, shoulders slightly hunched, just like Laura who had, during my story, left to sit with her daughter.

The realization hit me again that the sister she had admired, defended, and idolized had turned out to be someone capable of working with monsters.

The self disgust made me nauseous.

My mind, unkind, chose that moment to flood me with memories of conversations with the vampires—their smiles, their arrogance, the ease with which they spoke of death.

I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

Finally, Peter broke the silence again.

"What do you plan to do now?" he asked, voice rough but steady. "Because the Queen can’t be allowed to continue this. She has to be stopped."

I lifted my head. "I have to kill her," I said simply.

Peter nodded once, then shook his head. "Not like this," he said. "Not alone. You should wait. Talk it over with Adam and Darius. They’re tied to you now—whether you like it or not."

I didn’t like waiting. The idea of delay crawled under my skin, itching. Every second the Queen breathed felt like a failure on my part.

But I forced myself to nod. "I’ll talk to them," I said tightly. "But I still need to see her. Before she suspects something is wrong."

Peter studied me. "Then you go carefully," he said. "And before you do—ask what you need to ask."

I hesitated, then looked at him directly. "Tell me more about the Queen," I said. "What do you really know about her? What did she owe you?"

Peter huffed a quiet, humorless laugh. "She owed me silence," he said.

Diana blinked. "Silence about what?"

He glanced at Laura, then back at me. "Because I caught her dyeing her hair."

For a second, I thought I’d misheard.

"What?" Diana and I gasped at the same time.

Laura sighed softly. "It’s true," she said. "The Queen’s hair isn’t naturally white."

My mind reeled. White hair—the mark of a chosen Queen. The divine sign. The proof that the goddess had placed her favor on a woman.

"You’re joking," I muttered.

Peter shook his head. "No. She was desperate. With the death of her sister, it came down to her and Hendel. There was no one else fit to take the throne."

Laura continued, "They were both subjected to tests. Trials. Magical assessments. The community was hopeful—desperate, even—for a strong Queen. Hendel was... difficult."

"A bully," Peter corrected bluntly.

That didn’t surprise me. Hendel had never been subtle. Even in the years I’d known him, he’d always been harsh, domineering, quick to anger.

"What sealed her victory," Laura said quietly, "was her hair turning white. That was what convinced everyone the goddess had chosen her."

"And we wanted her to win," Peter added. "So we didn’t question it. Didn’t investigate. Didn’t want to uncover anything that would ruin the peace."

My chest tightened. No wonder Makeh hated her. The Queen was a fraud.

No wonder she clung to power like a lifeline. No wonder she feared exposure. No wonder she’d built her reign on manipulation, secrets, and blood.

Peter went on, "One afternoon, I went to see her. I had demands regarding my brother. I walked in on her using magic—re-dyeing hair that had already started returning to black at the roots."

Shock rippled through me again. "She was maintaining the illusion."

"Yes," he replied. "I kept it a secret. And in return... she helped smooth the way for Laura and me. Our families were against the marriage at first."

I nodded slowly. I remembered Laura mentioning that in my early days in the community—that there had been resistance, objections.

"So she bought your silence," I murmured.

"In a way," Peter admitted. "And I told myself it was harmless. That it didn’t matter. That she was still the best option."

I swallowed hard. "And now she’s destroying worlds."

Silence fell again.

After a moment, I asked the question burning in my chest. "Why does she hate the pack so much? I know there’s the matter about her sister... but there seems to be something else..."

Peter frowned. "I can’t be certain," he said. "But if I had to guess... it might have something to do with Adam’s father."

My attention sharpened. "What about him?"

"He chose the main Queen over her," Peter said. "Publicly. It humiliated her."

Bad old Jealousy. I mused. Stinking Obsession. Just like Claire.

I exhaled slowly. "I’m sorry," I said again, standing. The word felt small, inadequate, but it was all I had. "For everything. For hurting you. For keeping secrets. For... all of it."

Laura rose too, reaching for me. "You’re here now," she said gently. "And you’re trying to fix it. That matters."

Peter nodded reluctantly. "Just don’t make this mistake again," he said. "Trust us. Even when it’s hard."

"I will," I promised.

I turned toward the door, heart pounding with purpose and dread.

"I have to see the Queen," I said. "And I’ll be careful."

Diana jumped to her feet. "You’re really going alone?"

"Not alone... with El." I said quietly. "But I can’t take you into that."

They nodded, worry etched into every face.

At the gates, however, I paused.

Then, on instinct, I lifted my hands and drew on the ancient power coiled inside me, and a shield unfolded around the entire property, stretching across the house, the fields, the surrounding land. Runes flared briefly, then sank into invisibility.

An ancient barrier. Only an Ancient could cross it.

They were the only people I trusted completely now.

Then I stepped beyond the gates and began walking toward the palace.