The Princess's Revenge Chapter 65

Logan’s POV

The ancient stone archway loomed before us. Even from here, I could smell it. Death. The herbs they used to mask decay. My stomach turned.

We stopped our horses twenty feet from the entrance. Dark stones covered with moss. The same oppressive weight that pressed down on your chest when you got too close.

Dr. Vance pulled out an iron key from his pocket. He inserted it into the rusted lock, turning it with effort until the mechanism clicked.

"After you, Alpha," he said, stepping aside.

I ducked through the low entrance. The temperature dropped immediately. Cold. Damp. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness.

The narrow stone stairs descended into blackness. Each step was worn smooth. Water dripped somewhere in the depths. The sound echoed off the walls.

I started down. My boots scraped against stone. The walls pressed in on both sides, barely wide enough for my shoulders. The smell got stronger with each step. Musty. Rotten. Like wet earth mixed with something sweet and sick.

Dr. Vance followed behind me. His breathing was loud in the confined space. "Watch the seventh step, Alpha. It's loose."

I stepped over it. The darkness grew thicker. The air felt heavy, like breathing through wet cloth.

The stairs finally ended. We emerged into a larger chamber. Stone shelves carved into the walls held wrapped bodies from generations past. Some were just bones now, wrapped in decaying cloth. Others were more recent. The smell here was overwhelming.

"This way, Alpha," Dr. Vance said, moving past me with a torch he'd lit from a sconce on the wall.

The flame threw dancing shadows across the walls. I followed him deeper into the crypt. Our footsteps echoed. The ceiling was low enough that I had to duck in places.

"The newer arrivals are in the back chamber," Dr. Vance explained.

We turned a corner. The sight that greeted me made my chest tighten. Dozens of them laid out on stone slabs in neat rows.

"Elias brought them back during the night?" I asked.

"Yes, Alpha," Dr. Vance confirmed. "He worked through the entire night."

"Where is he now?"

Dr. Vance's expression grew concerned. "He left again this morning. The deaths hit him hard. Especially Clarence."

Guilt twisted in my gut. Clarence. My fault. I should have seen the trap. Should have protected him better. The memory of his screams still echoed in my mind.

"He seemed... lost," Dr. Vance continued. "I tried to get him to rest, but he said he needed to be alone."

Sometimes grief was too heavy to share. He needed to carry it alone until he could bear to let others see his weakness. Knox said in my mind.

I moved deeper into the chamber. The bodies were arranged by rank. Warriors together. Servants in another section. Each wrapped in simple cloth.

Then I saw him.

Clearance.

He was still in the same clothes he'd worn when we rode out. His leather armor was torn and bloodstained. The blood had pooled in his arm and neck, leaving the visible parts pale as wax. I could see his skin gray and mottled. and dried blood caked around the wounds on his throat.

My mind flashed back to the ambush. Clarence on his knees, sobbing as his wolf abandoned him. The sound when the enemies' teeth found his throat.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I couldn't breathe. The walls felt like they were closing in.

"Alpha?" Dr. Vance's voice seemed to come from very far away. "Alpha, are you alright?"

His voice pulled me back. I blinked hard, forcing the memories down. "I'm fine."

I forced myself to keep walking. Past Clearance and warriors who'd died at Thornridge Pass. Each one had families.

Then I saw another body that made me stop. Xander. But his treatment was completely different from the others.

"He's been prepared," I said, surprised by the silk shroud and the obvious signs of embalming.

"Yes, Alpha," Dr. Vance replied. "Amara insisted on doing it herself. She prepared her brother's body. She wanted him to have dignity in death."

I stared down at Xander's shrouded form. "How is Amara?" I asked.

Dr. Vance fell silent for a moment. Then he spoke, his voice heavy. "She's not good, Alpha. Her emotional state is... very bad."

I looked at him, waiting for him to continue. He seemed to have more to say.

"She's extremely hostile toward Valencia," he said carefully. "Yesterday, she attacked Valencia. And she's made it clear she intends to kill Valencia during the challenge."

Rage flooded through my chest. "HOW DARE SHE!" I growled.

"I know, Alpha. I've been thinking about this situation."

"But in her current state, she can’t win Amara," Dr. Vance said honestly. "Valencia is improving with training, but she's still wolfless. Amara is a trained Gamma warrior."

He continued, "And according to the rules, no one can intervene during the challenge until it's finished. Alpha, you could try convincing Amara." Dr. Vance looked at me, but I shook my head.

"Once Amara has decided something, no one can change her mind," I said. "If I tried to persuade her, it would only make things worse."

Dr. Vance's shoulders sagged. "What if we let Valencia surrender after first blood is drawn? That way everyone would accept it."

I shook my head again, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me like a stone. "To surrender, she would have to expose her vulnerable throat to her opponent. The moment Valencia tries to surrender, Amara will kill her. I wouldn't be able to stop it in time."

Dr. Vance let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Then what can we do?"

I remained silent. This problem was truly troublesome. I walked further into the crypt, and my eyes fell on Landon's corpse lying on the stone slab.

"How did Landon die?"

Dr. Vance's expression grew serious. "Landon was one of Dorian's men. He was also a traitor. Valencia killed him."

I felt a slight shock run through me. Valencia did so much for the pack during my absence. Even though she's still weak now, her potential is limitless. I find myself liking her more and more. She's become my only comfort now.

As we walked toward the entrance of the crypt, I thought about my previous conversation with Valencia in front of the dungeons.

"Valencia might not be wolfless," I said suddenly. "Her wolf might just be dormant."

Dr. Vance stopped walking, his eyes widening with shock. "How is that possible?"

"She told me that during battle, she felt an angry energy inside her body that gave her strength," I explained.

Dr. Vance frowned, thinking deeply. He muttered to himself, "She's also not afraid of fire..."

I stopped walking, staring at him in shock. "What? Valencia isn't afraid of fire? How do you know that?"

Dr. Vance explained what he had witnessed during the castle fires. When he finished, I was still stunned.

"She's also not afraid of cold," I said. "The winters in the northern territory are extremely harsh, but she only wears one layer of clothing."

Dr. Vance nodded thoughtfully. Then his expression grew mysterious. "Alpha, most importantly, she has purple eyes..."

I could see those beautiful purple eyes in my mind. "What are you getting at?"

Dr. Vance's voice dropped to an almost whisper. "Legend says purple eyes were the exclusive trait of Aldermer's former royal family - the Ogden bloodline..."