Chapter 220: Kill my own mate
Ronan slammed the last guard against the wall, knocking him cold before kicking down the doors to the Crown Prince’s private quarters. He charged inside, only to find Princess Laura pacing the floor with a frantic, worried gaze.
"Your Highness, where is the Crown Prince?" Ronan asked, pausing briefly to give a hasty bow. "Forgive me—I am Ronan Knightley, Lucien’s brother. He sent me to find Cesar."
"They’ve locked him away, Ronan," Laura said, her voice shaking with fear.
"Where?"
"In the lower dungeons," Laura explained quickly. "I managed to establish a weak mindlink with him moments ago, but his strength is fading. He said Francis planted a dark witch down there to keep him suppressed." She turned toward the doorway. "I’ll take you there—"
"Your Highness, no!" her maid interjected, stepping into her path with hands raised. "You are pregnant and in no condition to go near the dungeons. Let me guide Lord Ronan instead."
"I am fine, I can walk," Laura insisted, but Ronan immediately held up a hand to stop her.
"Your attendant is right. Stay here where it’s safe," Ronan stated firmly before turning on his heel and sweeping out of the chamber.
In the corridor, he grabbed the collar of one of the unconscious guards he had just leveled, hauling the man up and landing a sharp slap across his face. The guard groaned, his eyes fluttering open—only to lock directly onto Ronan’s glowing silver gaze.
"Take me to the dungeons," Ronan commanded, his Alpha voice reverberating through the guard’s mind with authority. "Now."
The guard caved under the pull of the command, and led his way to the dungeons.
The moment they breached the dungeon threshold, half a dozen elite royal guards lunged with drawn steel.
Ronan didn’t even slow his pace.
Fueled by the newfound energy of the Moonstone, he moved like a blur of silver light, shattering their weapons and dropping every warrior to the floor in a matter of seconds.
Inspecting his bloody claws for a fraction of a second, Ronan stepped up to the reinforced cell door. He grabbed the thick iron bars and tore the entire frame straight out of the masonry, tossing it aside with a heavy crash.
Inside the cell, Cesar pushed himself up from the floor, leaning against the damp wall as he stared at his rescuer in disbelief. "Ronan..."
"We don’t have time," Ronan said sharply. He reached out, grabbing Cesar’s forearm tightly as the Moonstone burst into a blinding luminescence beneath his chest. "We need to move now."
Before the remaining guards in the hallway could recover, space warped around the two men, and they vanished in a flash of silver light.
~~~~
"What was I—" Leia mumbled, stumbling backward as her mind cleared.
"I can’t let them capture me," Delia warned, extending her hand to blast back a witch who tried to rush her with a spell. "Leia, get over to my side!"
"Go to her, Leia!" Kieran shouted against his chains.
"No!" Leia refused.
Instead of retreating toward Delia, she pivoted on her heel and sprinted straight toward Lucien.
The two remaining dark witches were entirely focused on maintaining their heavy binding spell on him. Leia knew that if she could break their concentration, even for a single second, Lucien would tear the entire palace ground apart.
Before Leia could reach the witches, Ronan appeared directly in front of her in a blinding flash of silver light, grabbing her arm before disappearing again in the span of a single breath.
The world spun violently. When Leia’s feet slammed onto solid ground, she stumbled, completely disoriented.
"I’ll be right back," Ronan’s voice echoed beside her ear before he vanished into thin air once more.
Leia blinked, her heart pounding as she looked around. Shock surged through her, not just at Ronan’s newfound ability to bend space itself, but at the undeniable realization that the distinct, soothing scent she had picked up earlier belonged to him.
Looking at the surrounding, she recognized the hideout instantly: it was the secret place Ronan had brought her to once before.
Before she could process the revelation, another flash of silver light tore open the air.
The light faded to reveal Grayson and Renzo collapsing onto the floorboards.
"Dad! Uncle!" Leia gasped, rushing to her knees beside her battered father.
"Leia!" Grayson propped himself up on his elbows immediately, his breathing ragged. "Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?"
"No, I’m fine, but look at you two! What did they do to you?" Leia mumbled, her hands trembling as she inspected the deep gashes and burns covering her father’s arms before turning her worried gaze to her uncle.
Renzo winced as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, his face dark with frustration. "Was that... teleportation magic?" he asked in utter confusion. "Why the hell did Ronan dump us here?! We were supposed to stand and fight the Alpha King together! Francis has an entire army out there, and Lucien and Kieran are still trapped in that palace ground!"
"Ronan has changed. His powers have increased. We have to put our faith in him," Leia insisted, though her own pulse raced with frantic concern for Lucien, Kieran, Ronan and Delia.
Another sudden burst of silver light lit up the room as Ronan reappeared, dropping Delia right there.
"Ahh!" Delia gasped, stumbling over her feet as her boots hit the wooden floor.
"Delia!" Leia cried out, rushing forward to throw her arms around the witch.
"Are you okay?" Delia asked, holding Leia tightly before stepping back. "I’m so sorry I was late. Caleb sent me to help you all. I can’t believe the Alpha King was behind all of this!"
"Thank you for stopping me back there," Leia whispered, her voice cracking as tears welled in her eyes. "I... I almost hurt Kieran. I was going to kill my own mate."
"It’s alright, Leia. It wasn’t you," Delia reassured her, gently caressing her arm to calm her trembling frame. "You weren’t in control of your own body."