Betrayed By My Mate, Claimed By His Lycan King Uncle
Chapter 130: Secrets.

Chapter 130: Secrets.

In Lupien’s chamber.

He sat down heavily on his bed, his face pale, lips parched, and eyes swollen from days without sleep. Across from him, Sorayah stood silently. All other servants and eunches are absent leaving only Sorayah and Lupien in the room.

Just as Dimitri had said before, she would remain assigned to Lupien’s chamber for some time before she would finally be free. Now, that time was drawing closer.

For the past two weeks, Sorayah had been carefully administering the deadly poison, one that caused hallucinations and internal decay into Lupien’s morning tea. It had reached its most dangerous stage now. His suffering was irreversible.

"I feel like I’m dying slowly, Sorayah," Lupien croaked, his voice weak and cracked from coughing. His body shook with another violent cough, his hand pressing against his chest. "I dream too much at night. Strange dreams, long, endless, confusing. That’s why I can’t sleep soundly. The healers... they have no idea what’s wrong with me. And now... all I can do is wait for death."

Sorayah swallowed hard, her heart pounding, though she kept her head respectfully bowed. Her voice, when it came, was low and laced with practiced sympathy.

"I am sure the healers will discover the cause soon, Your Highness. They’re working tirelessly, I promise you that."

Lupien shook his head slowly, another coughing fit tearing through him. When he pulled his handkerchief away from his mouth, the fabric was stained red with blood.

"Even if they find out what’s wrong... I fear it may already be too late to save me," he murmured.

"I’ll ask your eunuch to summon the healer again," Sorayah offered, her voice steady as she turned toward the door.

But before she could take a step, Lupien’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, halting her in place.

"Your Highness..." she began, startled.

Before she could finish her sentence, he pulled her abruptly toward him. She lost her balance and fell onto the bed, and in a sudden movement, he positioned himself on top of her.

It shocked her how he still had the strength to overpower someone, even in such a weakened state. Shouldn’t he be preserving his breath, conserving his energy to stay alive for some time?

"What are you doing, Your Highness?" Sorayah gasped, raising an eyebrow. Her palm pressed against his chest, attempting to push him away, but he remained firmly in place.

"I have no heirs, Sorayah," Lupien whispered, his breath ragged. "None. The women in my harem are useless, they cannot conceive. If I die now, the Beta Lord will inherit my throne. But... if I had an heir, if a child were already growing in his mother’s womb, that child would become Alpha Emperor the moment he is born. And until then, his mother would rule as regent in his stead."

"You can bring more women into your harem, Your Highness," Sorayah countered quickly, still trying to free herself. "There are many women outside the palace. If the current ones can’t give birth, others surely can."

"It’s too late for that now," he rasped. "Besides, it’s as if I’m cursed. Cursed to die heirless. But you....you are not a werewolf. You’re human. Your body might respond differently. You might be able to carry my child."

His words sent a wave of cold horror down Sorayah’s spine.

"I want you, Sorayah," he said with a trembling voice. "I love you. And what’s so wrong with the idea of you carrying my heir? Yes, there will be opposition. Many will talk. But no one will dare to touch you once they know you’re carrying my child. You’ll be protected, for eternity. You and our son."

Sorayah’s entire body tensed beneath him. The poison had likely already damaged his reproductive organs beyond repair, though he didn’t know it. There would be no heir, not from him. Ever.

"You’re just sick, Your Highness!" Sorayah shouted, a flare of fury flashing in her eyes. This time, she gathered all her strength and shoved him off her, sending him crashing to the floor with a heavy thud.

Lupien coughed violently, blood staining the corners of his lips. His eyes were red, his breathing labored.

"Please, Sorayah," he begged weakly. "My throne cannot fall into Dimitri’s hands. That bastard... he doesn’t deserve it."

"And you do?" Sorayah hissed, rising to her feet with anger and grief twisting her features. "You murdered your own brothers to get that throne. That alone makes you unworthy. And just so you know, Your Highness, you’re about to die in the most painful way imaginable. You’ll bleed from every organ in your body, and no one will be able to save you."

Lupien’s bloodshot eyes widened. "How do you know that...?" he breathed. "Wait... Are you the one responsible for this?"

"Oh no, Your Highness," Sorayah said, sarcasm dripping from her tone. "How could someone like me possibly manage that? As for your brothers, someone refused to tell me everything, but I’ve been investigating since the moment I entered this palace. Do you know why the palace maids kept disappearing? Replaced so easily? It was your brother. The one who lost his mind."

Shock spread across Lupien’s face, but Sorayah continued, her voice rising.

"Oh don’t give me that look. You know. He killed Lily. She died because he couldn’t kill me that night. Lily gave her life for mine. And you, you are the reason your brother went mad. You enabled it. You allowed this palace to become a graveyard of innocent lives."

Tears sprang to her eyes as her voice cracked with rage. "You killed my family too, Lupien. Let’s drop the pretense about my so-called twin sister. I’m the one you met in the human kingdom. I am Sorayah."

"You... I knew it," Lupien whispered, tears streaming down his face. "The hatred in your eyes... it told me everything. But Sorayah... I didn’t kill my brothers, not in my right mind. I was manipulated. Used like a puppet by those who call themselves my masters."

His voice grew fainter, more broken. "I’m not the true villain here. The Empress Luna’s family... they are. And the Beta Lord you trust so much? Don’t be fooled. He’s the one who instructed you to poison me, isn’t he?"

Sorayah blinked, stunned for a moment. Lupien gave a hollow, bitter smile.

"Don’t think I didn’t know the tea was poisoned. I knew. Every morning. But I drank it anyway... because it came from you. And yes, I was tired. So tired of this throne. Of all of it."

He sank back against the floor, coughing blood again, his eyes glazed with pain and sorrow.

"And do you even know the kind of person the Beta Lord is?" Lupien rasped, his hand clutching his chest as a fresh wave of pain surged through him. "Do you really believe he’s my uncle? He doesn’t even know we’re not related... or maybe he does. Maybe that’s exactly why he started poisoning me in the first place."

His breath came out in shallow gasps, his pale lips trembling as he continued, "And you... did you really join hands with that devil? Oh, Sorayah, you’ll regret it. You’ll be hurt. You think you know Dimitri, but you don’t. The hatred he harbors for the human kingdom is far deeper than what he feels for the werewolves. Once he gains power, he’ll burn everything to the ground. He’ll destroy your kind without a second thought. He’ll ruin every last human kingdom."

"Just shut up!" Sorayah snapped, her voice shaking with fury. She let out a bitter scoff, her eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint.

"I can’t," Lupien choked out, the desperation in his voice now layered with pain and regret. "Because you’re making a terrible mistake... one that can’t be undone."

He struggled to sit upright, his eyes glistening with a mixture of sweat and tears. Blood still tinged the corner of his mouth as he whispered hoarsely, "And don’t think I don’t know your secret, Sorayah... the truth behind your identity as the Crown Princess of the human kingdom. There was never a prince but a princess instead. A princess born with the dragon powers."

Her breath caught.

"I know everything," Lupien continued, barely above a whisper now. "And so does Dimitri. You should ask yourself, why hasn’t he killed you yet? Despite all the times you stood before him with lies on your tongue? Despite the times you failed him? Why do you think he protects you?"

Sorayah’s face went rigid, her posture stiff. For a moment, the flicker of doubt in her eyes betrayed the hardness in her voice. But she masked it quickly.

"You don’t know anything," she hissed. "You’re just a dying man clinging to delusions."

"Maybe I am," Lupien murmured, sinking back against the bed, his body wracked with tremors. "But even a dying man can see the truth when it’s right in front of him but you can’t. What a pity."

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