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“Your Highness,” Zach sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Elijah and Fiona had already turned around, trying to leave. How could Zach allow that to happen? “Why would you protect someone like her? Someone who’s already broken, damaged goods. Are you really willing to risk everything for that?”
He felt Elise pinch his arm, but ignored it. Zach could no longer stop himself from asking questions that bothered him since. Fiona left the pack. Why her? Why the hell would he choose her?
Elijah halted mid–step, the subtle shift in his posture making Fiona glance up at him in concern. Slowly, he turned around, his calm expression still in place, but something in his eyes had changed. His normally gray eyes seemed darker, shadowed by an intensity that made the air around them feel suddenly thick.
Fiona could sense the ripple of unease that passed through the crowd as Elijah faced Zach again. Even Zach’s stance faltered for a moment, his wolf instinctively reacting to the presence of the prince.
Elijah’s eyes fixed on Zach, unblinking. “Repeat that,” he said, his voice low and chilly. By now, even the older Alphas couldn’t help but frown as they looked at Elijah’s display.
Meanwhile, Zach’s wolf stirred within him, the primal part of him recoiling under the prince’s gaze. He took an involuntary step back, his body tense, trying to mask his reaction. But there was no hiding it–Elijah’s authority seeped into every corner of the room, and Zach was suddenly very aware of how much power stood before him.
Elijah took a slow, measured step forward, closing the distance between them. “You said I’m risking everything for her.” His words were deliberate, each one landing like a hammer strike. “What exactly am I risking, Mr. Yelchin?”
Zach’s mouth opened, but no words came out immediately. He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected Elijah to confront him so directly, so decisively. He thought the latter wouldn’t do anything like that in front of the others, in front of the King. What the hell was this man thinking?
Fiona stood still, watching Elijah carefully. She knew he was giving Zach a chance to back down, but she also knew he wouldn’t take it. Zach was too proud, too arrogant to admit he had overstepped.
Zach forced himself to meet Elijah’s gaze, his wolf pushing against him to retreat. But his pride wouldn’t let him back down. “I’m saying she doesn’t belong here,” Zach finally spat, trying to regain some ground. “You’re a prince. You could have anyone, and yet you choose-” His words trailed off as if even he knew he was walking a dangerous line.
Elijah’s eyes never wavered, never blinked. “You think Fiona doesn’t belong here?” He took another step forward, forcing Zach to hold his ground, though the strain of it was evident in the tension of his jaw. “Who are you to decide that?”
Zach’s fists clenched again, his breathing shallow. “She’s not one of us anymore. She’s a liability. You’re blind if you can’t see
that.”
Elijah’s expression hardened. “I see a lot of things, Mr. Yelchin,” he said quietly, almost too quietly. Then he added, “I see someone clinging to a past that no longer exists. Someone who thinks that by tearing others down, they can make themselves feel bigger.” He paused, letting the words sink in.
Elijah didn’t give Zach a chance to answer. Without warning, he pulled out a small pouch from his coat, its leather surface barely visible as he opened it in front of Zach. Before anyone could react, he crushed the pouch in his hand, releasing a fine, powdery substance into the air. The powder mixed with the air around them, barely visible, but it immediately made Zach’s eyes widen as he breathed it in.
Almost immediately, Elise, who was standing next to Zach, took a couple of steps away from him.
Then Zach began coughing violently, his body convulsing as his lungs struggled against the foreign substance. His hands gripped his chest as he gasped for air, his wolf fighting against the sudden weakness that flooded through his system.
The crowd watched intently, but it didn’t take long for them to begin murmuring, their whispers mixing with the gasps of shock that spread through the room.
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Elijah stood still, his calm demeanor unchanged, as he watched Zach struggle before he spoke. “That powder was laced with a special kind of poison,” Elijah said, his voice wasn’t loud but the werewolves around them and easily hear him. “One designed to weaken werewolves.”
Zach’s coughing intensified, his face growing red as he struggled to breathe. His eyes were wide with what looked like fear and disbelief. “Impossible…” Zach rasped between coughs.
The crowd was in shock, and even the older Alphas, those who had seen countless battles and threats, began to murmur among themselves. Their wary eyes flicked toward Elijah. Only he would dare do something so bold!
Suddenly, a figure broke from the crowd. It was Alpha Cris, Zach’s father, with Lord Rosenthal close behind him. Their faces were etched with concern as they approached quickly.
“What is the meaning of this?” Alpha Cris demanded. He glared at Elijah as he tried to control his anger. Before he could say anything more, he too breathed in the remnants of the powder, and his body stiffened, followed by a sudden, sharp cough that echoed across the ballroom.
Lord Rosenthal, arriving just behind him, took a whiff of the air and began coughing too, though his reaction was less intense. He quickly recovered and placed a steady hand on Alpha Cris’s back. A faint, glowing light seeped from Lord Rosenthal’s palm, and within moments, Alpha Cris’s coughing ceased.
Without a word, Lord Rosenthal moved to Zach, placing his hand on his chest. The same light emanated from his palm, and soon enough, Zach’s violent coughing began to subside. Both Alpha Cris and Zach were breathing heavily but no longer convulsing.
Lord Rosenthal straightened, his eyes blazing as he turned to Elijah. “What the hell were you thinking, bringing a poison like that into this place, Your Highness?” His tone was sharp, his posture rigid as he stepped forward.
Elijah didn’t flinch, his expression as unreadable as ever. He met Lord Rosenthal’s gaze head–on, unyielding. “I brought it because someone gave it to me,” Elijah said calmly. “And Fiona was the one who detected its presence. Without her, I wouldn’t have known it was there.”
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder, disbelief and shock spreading through the room.
“You’re lying… Fiona couldn’t have detected something like that. She… she doesn’t have the ability.” Zach somehow managed to croak out his words as he tried to catch his breath.
Elijah’s gaze shifted back to Zach, his eyes narrowing slightly. “And yet, here you are, weakened by it, while she and I stand untouched.”
Lord Rosenthal’s eyes narrowed sharply at Elijah, suspicion clouding his expression. He opened his mouth, ready to say something, but hesitated. No words came out. It was as though he had realized there was more to this than what appeared on the surface.
Before he could gather his thoughts, Alpha Cris cut in. “Why the hell would you dare open that pouch here, in front of everyone?” His eyes flicked to the remnants of the powder still hanging faintly in the air, clearly furious.
Elijah’s lips curled into a smirk. “Isn’t it obvious?” he replied smoothly. “I wanted Lord Rosenthal to show what he can do.” He gestured grandly around the room, his voice echoed as he addressed the gathering. “After all, when do we get to see the strongest healer in the werewolf world in action?”
The murmurs in the room grew louder. All eyes immediately turned to Lord Rosenthal, who stood there, his face reddening as he realized what Elijah had orchestrated. Alpha Cris clenched his fists, his own face flushing with rage as he began to see Elijah’s true motive.
Elijah wasn’t done. He took a step forward, raising his hand toward Lord Rosenthal in a mock gesture of reverence. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “I present to you the strongest healer among us. Isn’t that something worth applauding?” He smiled, clearly expecting the crowd to react as if waiting for them to clap their hands and cheer for the spectacle.
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But no one moved. He wasn’t merely revealing a healer’s talent he was forcing attention on the Rosenthal family, ensuring that no one in the room could ignore their power.
Lord Rosenthal’s jaw tightened, his chest rising and falling heavily as he glared at Elijah, who remained unperturbed. He knew exactly what he had done. The Rosenthal family, long–standing in the shadows, was now back in the center of attention, whether they liked it or not. This display had just reminded everyone of their forgotten strength.
Alpha Cris shot a look at Lord Rosenthal, understanding dawning on him too late. They had been manipulated. Elijah had not only set up Zach, but also orchestrated a situation where the Rosenthals couldn’t downplay their influence, no matter
how much they tried to avoid the limelight.
This man is turning them into a spectacle
