Chapter 198: Chapter 198 A Traitor Among Elders
Perry’s POV
"Bring them in," I commanded, my voice cutting through the silence like a blade. The fleeting happiness from being with my mate evaporated, replaced by a fury that burned hotter with each passing second.
Five warriors dragged in their captives—shifters bound with silver bracelets that stripped them of their ability to transform. The metal burned their skin, but not nearly as much as my rage would.
I stepped toward the trembling traitors. They couldn’t even meet my eyes, their pathetic pleas for forgiveness already spilling from their lips. Forgiveness they’d never receive.
"Tell me who else was involved," I demanded.
"No one else, my king... no one else," one stammered.
These were senior border guards—warriors I’d trusted to protect our territory. Instead, they’d sold us out to the Valeriums, accepting bribes to let enemy forces slip through our defenses like shadows in the night.
Elder Tricia had uncovered their names when another warrior confessed to witnessing the treacherous exchange.
"How many got through?"
"Five..."
"Five what?!" I roared, my control slipping. These fools had compromised everything, spitting on the graves of every warrior who’d died defending this kingdom.
"Five thousand," he whispered, then immediately began begging for his worthless life.
"Five thousand?!"
The room erupted in shocked murmurs.
"That’s a full army!"
"They could destroy us from within!"
"How could this happen?"
I silenced them with a look before turning back to the traitor. "When?"
"Royal Beta Allen arrived a few weeks ago with two thousand," he confessed, confirming what we’d learned from the landslide site. "Three thousand more came last week."
Another shifter jumped in, desperate to curry favor through cooperation. As if betraying his fellow traitors would somehow save his neck.
"How many died in the landslide?"
"Five hundred confirmed, still counting," my royal warrior reported. I could see the conflict in his eyes—pity for the condemned, but righteous anger at their betrayal.
"So four thousand enemy warriors are still loose in my territory." The words tasted like poison.
"Please, my king! Show mercy! Have mercy!" they chorused, dropping to their knees along with every other person in the room.
I felt the shift in the air—the suffocating weight of my wrath pressing down on everyone present. But I didn’t yell. Didn’t even speak. I simply stood there, watching them grovel while planning their deaths.
Closing my eyes, I tried to conjure Phoebe’s face—her soft lips, her gentle touch. But with her absent, my beast clawed at its restraints, whispering that I could unleash hell without disappointing her.
Still, the memory of sadness in her eyes anchored me just enough. I wouldn’t slaughter innocents.
But these five weren’t innocent.
I approached the first traitor slowly, savoring his terror. My claws extended as I placed my hand on his skull and crushed it like an eggshell.
The sickening crunch echoed through the room. Blood pooled beneath my feet as I moved to the second man, each squelching step making stomachs turn throughout the chamber.
No one dared speak—not even Elder Augustus, who usually opposed my every decision.
"I beg you... please, my king! Aaargh!! Help me! Help—!"
His screams died with him as my claws tore his throat open. His head hit the floor with a wet thud.
Several onlookers swallowed hard, fighting nausea at the carnage unfolding before them.
The torture continued until only one remained.
This one didn’t beg. "There’s a traitor among the elders," he gasped. "I’ll tell you everything, but spare my family. Please—my mate, my children..."
I paused. The offer intrigued me. I’d had no intention of harming their families, but his assumption gave me leverage.
"Who?"
"Elder... Elder Augustus," he forced out, accepting his fate. Watching his companions die had broken him, and he knew survival was impossible. If he was going down, he’d drag others with him.
"Elder Augustus suggested this arrangement."
"Liar!" Augustus exploded. "How dare you implicate me in your treason!"
"Check him if you don’t believe me. He’s got Valerium gold hidden somewhere."
"My king, don’t trust this snake! Yes, I’ve opposed you, but I’d never betray you! I’m no traitor—I only want what’s best for this kingdom!"
I studied both men carefully, but Augustus’s last words made my eyes narrow dangerously.
"Funny thing about that phrase," I said softly. "Some people think getting rid of me is what’s best for this kingdom."
