The Princess's Revenge Chapter 58

Valencia’s POV

I stared at the head, trying to place the face. It looked familiar, but I couldn't quite remember where I'd seen it before.

"Dr. Vance?" I asked carefully. "Who is he?"

Dr. Vance swallowed hard, his voice shaking as he answered. "That's Zephyr. Beta Zephyr of the Emerald Grove Pack."

The words hit me like a physical blow. "Alpha Elton's Beta?" I gasped.

"Yes," Dr. Vance whispered, his eyes wide with horror.

Around us, the warriors who had gathered to see began backing away, their faces filled with shock and fear. Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Elton's Beta," one of them whispered. "Alpha Logan killed Elton's Beta."

"This means war," another voice said fearfully. "Open war between the packs."

Dr. Vance seemed to shake himself out of his shock. "We need to get Alpha Logan back to his chambers," he said firmly. "He needs to rest in his own bed. And we need to wait for him to wake up before we can understand what happened."

"You put the body and head in the crypt. Lucian will show you where." he handed the key over to Lucian.

"Yes, sir," Finch and Lucian replied immediately.

"Leif!" Dr. Vance called out.

Leif emerged from the stone house, his expression serious. "Yes, Dr. Vance?"

"Help me carry Alpha Logan back to the castle," Dr. Vance commanded. "He needs to recover in his own room."

Leif nodded and disappeared back inside. Within moments, he returned, carefully lifting Alpha Logan's unconscious form in his arms.

I couldn't take my eyes off Alpha Logan's face as we walked. His brow was still furrowed with distress, his head occasionally turning from side to side as if he was trying to escape whatever nightmares plagued him.

My heart ached seeing him like this. What did you go through out there? What kind of hell did you survive?

The walk back to the castle felt like a funeral procession. Every servant and warrior we passed stopped what they were doing to stare at Alpha Logan's unconscious form being carried by Leif. Their faces showed a mixture of shock and fear.

"Is he going to be okay?" a young servant whispered to her companion as we passed.

"Look at all that blood," another voice murmured fearfully.

Before we even reached the castle entrance, a piercing scream cut through the air.

"XANDER! WHERE ARE YOU? XANDER!"

I felt my blood turn cold. Amara's voice echoed off the stone walls, filled with desperation and growing panic.

"SOMEONE TELL ME WHERE MY BROTHER IS!"

I looked at Dr. Vance with worry. His face was grim, and I could see the anxiety in his eyes.

"I'll handle this," he said quietly, but his voice lacked conviction.

We approached the main entrance where Macsen waited with a stretcher and two servants standing ready. His face was respectful as he bowed to Dr. Vance.

"Everything is prepared, Dr. Vance," Macsen said. "The Alpha's chambers are ready, and we have clean bandages and hot water waiting."

"Good," Dr. Vance replied. "Leif, place Alpha Logan on the stretcher. Be careful with his head."

Leif gently transferred Alpha Logan to the stretcher. I watched anxiously as Alpha Logan's head lolled to one side, his face still twisted with whatever nightmares plagued him.

"XANDER! ANSWER ME!"

Amara's voice was getting closer, and I could hear her footsteps echoing from the direction of the food storage area. My heart began to race as I realized she was heading straight for us.

She appeared around the corner, her hair disheveled and her eyes wild with panic. When she saw our group, her expression immediately shifted to one of venomous rage as her gaze fixed on me.

"YOU!" she snarled, stalking toward me with her hands clenched into fists. "This is all your fault! Everything that's happened is because of you!"

"Amara," Dr. Vance said firmly, "Alpha Logan has returned. He's been seriously injured and needs immediate—"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE ALPHA!" Amara screamed, her voice echoing off the stone walls. "I only care about my brother! Where is Xander? What have you done with him?"

I heard Dr. Vance give quiet orders to the stretcher bearers. "Take him to his room. Quickly."

The four men lifted the stretcher and began carrying Alpha Logan toward the stairs, but Amara barely glanced at them. Her attention was focused entirely on me, and the hatred in her eyes made my skin crawl.

"Where is he?" she demanded, stepping closer. "Where is my brother?"

My heart hammered against my ribs. I could see the desperation beneath her anger, and it made my chest tighten with sympathy despite everything she had done to me.

"Amara, please," I said carefully, "you need to calm down and—"

"DON'T FCUK TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" she shrieked. "TELL ME WHERE XANDER IS!"

Without warning, her hand shot out toward my face. I jerked backward, dodging the slap by inches. The near miss sent adrenaline coursing through my veins, and my hand instinctively moved to Dragon Claw's handle.

"You little bitch!" Amara snarled, seeing my defensive movement. "How dare you draw a weapon on me!"

She lunged forward again, this time with both hands reaching for my throat. I stepped back and pulled the dagger from its sheath.

"Stay back!" I warned, my voice shaking with tension.

"ENOUGH!" Dr. Vance's voice boomed across the courtyard with such authority that everyone froze. "AMARA, STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!"

The anger in his usually gentle voice shocked everyone present. Servants and warriors who had gathered to watch the confrontation took a step back, their eyes wide with surprise.

Amara turned toward Dr. Vance, her face twisted with rage. "You can't order me around, old man! I want answers about my brother!"

Dr. Vance's face was flushed with fury, his hands trembling as he pointed at her. "Xander is dead!" he shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. "Your brother is dead, Amara! He died fighting to protect this pack!"

The words hit the assembled crowd like a physical blow. Gasps and murmurs rippled through the servants and warriors. Several people made religious gestures, and I saw tears in more than one pair of eyes.

My heart sank as I watched the news hit Amara.

For a moment, she just stood there, perfectly still. Her mouth hung open slightly, and her eyes went completely blank, as if her mind couldn't process what she had just heard.

Then her pupils dilated with shock, growing so wide. The color drained from her face until she was pale as death.

"No," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "No, you're lying."

She took a stumbling step backward, her hands reaching out as if trying to steady herself against something that wasn't there.

"You're lying," she repeated, her voice growing stronger but taking on a desperate edge. "Xander isn't dead. He can't be dead. He was just... he was just here this morning. We had breakfast together. He told me he was going to patrol the borders."

Dr. Vance's expression softened with pity. "Amara, I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. But it’s real. He died bravely, protecting—"

"NO!" The scream that tore from Amara's throat was inhuman, filled with such anguish that it made everyone flinch. "NO! NO! NO!"

She fell to her knees on the stone ground, her body shaking violently as the reality crashed over her. The sound that came from her then was heartbreaking – a keening wail of grief that seemed to come from the depths of her soul.

"Xander," she sobbed, doubling over until her forehead touched the ground. "Oh, Moon Goddess, no. Not Xander. Please not Xander."

Tears streamed down her face as she rocked back and forth, her hands clawing at the stone beneath her. The fierce Gamma was completely broken.

"He was all I had left," she whispered between sobs. "He was the only family I had. The only person who loved me."

Several of the watching servants were crying now, moved by the depth of her grief. Some warriors looked uncomfortable, their expressions cracking with sympathy.

"How?" she gasped, looking up at Dr. Vance with red, swollen eyes. "How did he die? Who killed my brother?"

Dr. Vance knelt beside her, his voice gentle. "Dorian was revealed as a traitor. Xander died fighting him, trying to stop him from escaping. He died with honor, Amara. He died protecting his pack."

"Dorian?" Amara's voice was thick with disbelief. "Beta Dorian killed Xander? But... but they were friends. They trained together. They..."

She trailed off as the full horror of the betrayal sank in. Fresh tears poured down her cheeks as she pressed her hands to her face.

"I want to see him," she whispered. "I want to see my brother's body."

Dr. Vance's expression grew pained. "Amara, We had to... the situation was urgent, and..." Dr. Vance said helplessly. "There was so much chaos, and Alpha Logan needed—"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT ALPHA LOGAN!" she screamed, her grief transforming back into rage. "I ONLY CARE ABOUT XANDER! HE WAS MY BROTHER!"

She looked around wildly, her eyes finding me again. "This is your fault," she said, her voice deadly quiet. "All of this started when you came here. You brought death to our pack."

"Amara," I said softly, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for your loss."

But she wasn't listening anymore.

"Logan told him to protect you this morning," Amara murmured, her voice eerily calm as she stared at nothing. Her eyes were completely empty, like looking into a dead person's face.