Chapter 217: Under no circumstances
Parked within the palace, Renzo sat in the darkened backseat of the car, his eyes glued to the glowing laptop screen.
The original plan had been simple reconnaissance, but Lucien had changed the strategy at the very last second. Tucked discreetly into the top button of Lucien’s shirt was a microscopic camera and transmitter.
Lucien’s plan wasn’t just to gather evidence. It was to force Francis into a public confession.
The moment the Alpha King uttered those damning words, boasting about poisoning Leia’s mother and executing an entire divine lineage, Renzo struck the key on his keyboard, instantly routing the feed to every broadcast network, pack frequency, and public screen across the world.
Across the territory, millions of wolves watched in horrified silence as their revered Alpha King laid bare his own tyranny, completely unaware that his grand confession was playing live for the entire world to see.
Meanwhile, inside the chamber, Lucien’s composure fractured into open rage as Francis admitted his intent to execute Leia.
"You murdered a defenseless mother in cold blood, and you still dare to call yourself the protector of wolves?" Lucien sneered, his voice heavy with contempt.
"Anyone who stands against me will meet the exact same fate as that pack and their people," Francis said, stepping closer until he towered over Lucien. "If you want your mate alive, if you want your brothers breathing and your pack left untouched, you will bring Grayson and Renzo to me. They were supposed to die years ago. I am offering you mercy, Lucien. I am giving you one last chance to obey."
"I will never hand them over to you," Lucien spat, his jaw set as he fought the oppressive magic pinning him down. "You slaughtered an entire pack with the help of blood witches. You murdered my parents, let my uncontrolled wolf out, and manipulated me into executing that coven to hide your own trail. I see through every layer of your pathetic scheme now, Francis, and I will never cooperate."
Francis clenched both his fists, his knuckles turning white. Subduing Lucien was proving far more difficult than he had anticipated; the younger alpha’s sheer resistance was unwavering.
Fortunately, Francis rarely relied on a single strategy.
"Are they here?" Francis asked, turning his head to glare at his beta knight.
"Not yet, Your Majesty," the knight replied, bowing his head slightly.
Lucien watched the exchange, his brow furrowed as he tried to decipher what the tyrant meant.
"Allow me to end your curiosity, Lucien," Francis chuckled, a sound that echoed off the walls. "Your mate and your dear brother will be joining us shortly. Did you truly believe I wouldn’t secure leverage over you?"
"What?" Lucien’s eyes widened in shock. "Don’t you dare, Francis!"
"Why shouldn’t I? When I offered you a peaceful path, you should have obeyed," Francis smirked, his eyes glinting with twisted triumph. "Tonight, you will slaughter your mate and your brother with your own bare hands under Molly’s magic. And what will everyone think? They will see a rogue, unstable alpha who went mad and butchered his own family. That is how your lineage ends. Lucien will become broken and disgraced."
Meters away inside the darkened car, Renzo’s pulse hammered against his ribs as he watched the live stream. Panicking, he grabbed his phone and rapidly dialed Grayson’s number.
"Come on, pick up!" Renzo hissed through his teeth. He immediately terminated the call and dialed Leia.
"Dammit!" Renzo cursed, slamming his fist against the steering wheel. He stared back at the laptop screen, watching the Alpha King’s sinister smile, knowing time was running out.
Renzo gripped the steering wheel as his hand hovered over the door handle. He wanted to burst out of the vehicle and tear through the palace, but Lucien’s parting directive rang loudly in his head.
"Under no circumstances will you leave this car. If you do, everything falls apart."
Forced to stay put, Renzo turned back to the laptop and opened the live broadcast’s side feed, scrolling rapidly through the overwhelming flood of incoming comments and reactions.
Everyone watching the live was reacting in real-time. Shock, and absolute outrage were spreading like wildfire through the packs as thousands of wolves witnessed their leader casually plotting a forced fratricide.
"He has no idea the entire kingdom is watching his every move," Renzo muttered.
If Francis believed he still controlled the room and held the upper hand, he would keep escalating his cruelty. Renzo needed to shatter the tyrant’s illusion of control before those reinforcements arrived with Leia and Ronan.
~~~~~~
"Cesar, I’m going to give birth soon. I am so excited to bring our pup into the world," Laura said with a soft smile, gently resting her hands over her rounded belly.
Before Cesar could offer a comforting reply, a sharp, urgent knock rattled the wooden doors of their quarters.
"Your Highness, you need to see this. Right now," a palace maid called out from the corridor, her voice trembling.
"Wait here," Cesar told his wife, stepping out into the hallway.
The maid held out a glowing smartphone, the screen playing a live-streamed video. Cesar frowned, taking the device from her hands. "What is this?"
His confusion evaporated in an instant, replaced by a cold shock. On the screen, he watched Lucien pinned to the floor by dark magic inside his father’s chamber. Francis stood over him, issuing violent threats while a live chat scroll flooded with thousands of horrified comments from across the kingdom. The entire kingdom was watching his father’s tyranny laid bare.
Handing the phone back without a word, Cesar broke into a dead sprint down the grand corridor toward his father’s private study.
He skidded to a halt outside the heavy double doors, blocked instantly by four elite guards standing shoulder-to-shoulder with hands on their swords.
"Move," Cesar ordered, his voice ringing with authority. "I need to see my father right now."
"Your Highness, pardon me but the Alpha King has given strict orders that no one can enter in. Not even his own son," one of the guards stated.