THE CONFLICT #2

CHAPTER 24

ZELUS

I cannot remember a time in my already long life where I’ve felt this much rage. My veins are visible against my skin as blood pumps with magic, my human form barely containing the wolf inside me.

'That means we would be free to choose another more suitable partner if we desired, right?'

I clench my fists in anger. Does she have someone else? Someone in her homeland that she preferences to me? It’s not possible, it shouldn’t be possible. That’s not how the mating bond is supposed to work! The urge to kill has never been greater. To fight out my frustrations. Just the idea of the taste of blood on my tongue makes Valour howl eagerly. How do I get her to submit to me? I am a f*****g king! I am more of a male than any man she will ever meet and yet she plays as though the universe as somehow done her wrong. My ears peak at a sound rattling to my side. The hallways are empty, my warriors elsewhere, except a lone human man. He must sense the rage rolling off me because he looks anywhere that I am not, his hands flying to gather cleaning supplies. A human man. That’s what she would prefer over me! This pathetic worthless fool is what she wants. He doesn’t even move as I grab his weak neck, his head colliding with the stone wall. My long canines sink into his jugular followed by the tearing of flesh as his throat is ripped apart. He didn’t even scream before he sinks to the cold floor broken and soulless. The kill is too quick. The only lingering effect is the warm lifeblood in my mouth, dripping onto my bare chest. I don’t bother hiding the body or covering my tracks, no one but my family would dare question my actions and they wouldn’t care enough to ask. I leave the body exactly where its fallen, my pulsing rage dulling slightly with the outlet. I pass a large decorative mirror hanging nearby on my way to nowhere in particular. The silver edges are a series of twirling designs that make the mirror seem even larger. Black eyes stare back at me, Valour’s eyes. The colour of the humanity there is completely swallowed up. Red blood is visible on my face and bare chest. Sometimes I cannot tell where Valour ends and I begin. Sometimes I wonder if I am just as much of an animal as he is. I wonder what Novena would do if I walked back to her like this. I smile to myself, Valour grinning as we entertain the idea of showing her just how brutal we can be. Her human heart might not take well to it. No, this is not a look she would appreciate. How they have managed to continually embarrass my family and country as a whole is pure madness. Despite being a Godless country, perhaps there is a god out there who gives a damn about the humans. Reluctantly, I go back to clean up my mess. I'm surprised to find Phobos standing over the body with a peculiar look clouding his features. If I had friends, Phobos would be the closest thing to one. But no one is ever close to a king for nothing. No matter how pure their intentions, you could never be one hundred percent sure if they are loyal to you or to the crown. I accepted that a long time ago. Not even family. However there is not a single other person I trust to guard the very reason my heart still beats.

"I suppose you're in a foul mood." Phobos says, without having to indicate the human man's remains.

I still feel nothing gazing upon the lifeless face. No regrets, no remorse, no nothing. Perhaps I really am the monster Novena believes me to be.

"I'll be in a less foul mood if you'd help me clean this mess up."

"Well you're in luck, I've already rung for your maid."

I trust him to handel the unpleasant mess I've left behind as I make use of the guest toilet to wash my hands and the blood staining my chest and chin.

"You seem upset." I hear as I exit the bathroom.

"It's not my place to comment." Soraya says, I recognize her voice without having to see her.

"Still, I would hear your thoughts." Since when did Phobos care about Soraya's thoughts?

"Do you know how long Bradley's worked for the royal family? Seven years. Seven years of service in these very chambers." Is all that she says.

I'm not foolish enough to not know that Phobos can hear me and is fully aware of my presence. That he knows I am privy to the conversation. I shake my head at his antics, seeing the curve of his lips.