Betrayed By My Mate, Claimed By His Lycan King Uncle
Chapter 86: Now it’s time for you to die.

Chapter 86: Now it’s time for you to die.

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle like a stormcloud between them.

"And the same people you claim ’saved’ you," he continued, his voice low and unyielding, "might very well be the ones who tried to kill you. You can’t know for certain unless they’re properly questioned..." His eyes darkened, lips curling into something grim. "Even if that means torturing them to get the truth."

Sorayah’s heart pounded violently against her ribcage, the cold edge of his suspicion pressing against her like a blade.

’Rhys was right afterall,’ she thought bitterly. ’Dimitri would have executed them the moment he got the chance.’

But she couldn’t let him see that truth flicker in her expression. She forced herself into character....wide-eyed, innocent, shocked.

"Aimed at me...?" she whispered, eyes rounding as if the idea had never occurred to her. "Someone wanted me dead during the battle?"

Dimitri didn’t flinch. His expression remained carved from stone.

"And those so-called ’saviors’ are suspects," he said with chilling certainty. "Fortunately, Liam will be leading a search to track them down. They won’t get far."

A tremor of fury rippled through Sorayah. She clenched her fists at her sides, fingernails biting into her palms. Still, she held back, pressing her rage down beneath the surface.

"They know nothing about this," she snapped, her voice taut with emotion. "They only saved me. You shouldn’t treat my rescuers like prisoners."

There was power in her tone...raw, sincere, resolute. Enough that even Dimitri’s icy stare flickered, a crack forming in his conviction. But it didn’t disappear completely.

His lips curled into a smirk, sharp and taunting.

"You don’t trust anyone, Sorayah. As a warrior, that should come naturally. But I suppose you’re not quite familiar with that word," he said with mockery dripping from his voice. "You trust people too easily. You might get yourself killed that way. And if you ask me, that’s a foolish way to die."

Sorayah lifted her chin, her eyes narrowing.

"Can I trust you, then?" she asked, her voice laced with defiance as she swallowed hard. "You said you wouldn’t kill me. You said you’d spare the human slaves too. Can I really trust you, Your Highness? Or are you the very person I should be running from, the moment I get the chance?"

A heavy silence fell between them.

Outside, the distant roar of celebration echoed faintly, warriors reveling in victory. Inside, only the quiet sound of water shifting as Dimitri moved through it betrayed that time hadn’t stopped.

When he finally spoke, his voice was tinged with dark amusement.

"What exactly do you use your ears for?" he asked with a smirk, turning his gaze away from her. "Didn’t I just say that trusting people could get you killed?"

He paused, letting the meaning sink in, before continuing:

"But when I make a promise..." His tone softened, just barely. "I fulfill it."

Sorayah’s eyes narrowed, but the trembling in her throat betrayed her inner turmoil.

"Oh, I don’t believe that, Your Highness," she said quietly. "I admit I was foolish. I didn’t consider that those couples might have had other motives... that perhaps they saw me as their ticket out. Maybe they believed kidnapping the Beta Lord’s men, the very man who went to the slave market alone with him and was kidnapped after was enough to distract you. Maybe they thought using me as bait would shake your focus..."

She paused, breathing heavily, her voice thick with the burden of truth.

"But it didn’t, did it? Your man ran instead of chasing after them. He let them go."

Dimitri turned to her sharply, his eyes flashing, but she held up her hand before he could speak.

"I told those couples to run again," she said, each word slow and deliberate. "Because I didn’t trust you. I feared you’d kill them without even hearing their side. And maybe I was wrong. Maybe now...after hearing you say that you keep your promises...I should start believing you. Or maybe not."

She stepped closer, her voice lowering to a whisper.

"After all, you just said that trusting people could be the end of them. So tell me, your highness... what exactly am I supposed to believe?"

"Oh, I see..." Dimitri replied, a wide grin plastered across his face, though his eyes held something far colder.

Silence settled again.

But Sorayah’s thoughts drifted, not to the sounds around her, but to the destruction of the pack they had just left behind.

What was his real reason for attacking that place though?

"So..." she said finally, lifting her gaze with careful curiosity, "who did you save today, Your Highness?" Her fingers moved with practiced grace as she resumed scrubbing his body. "I didn’t see anyone except for your soldiers when I returned to the camp. All the human and werewolf slaves were gone."

"They’re safe," Dimitri said, his tone sharpening with quiet authority. "Liam took them to a temporary refuge. They’ll stay there until I decide on the next phase."

"I see..." Sorayah murmured, swallowing hard. But despite the answer, her heart remained unsettled. He’d only addressed the second part of her question.

Her brows furrowed slightly. "But why destroy that pack?" she asked again, pressing, her voice firmer this time. "I know you didn’t go there just to save a few slaves. There were others, weren’t there? Who were they?"

Dimitri turned to face her fully now, the shift in his presence like a current in the water. "You’re getting bolder," he said, voice low. His eyes darkened with something unreadable as he lean closer, prompting her to instinctively lean back. Her foot slipped slightly on the wet floor but before she could fall, his hand shot out and caught hers, pulling her forward.

Her palm landed against his wet, bare chest.

She quickly averted her gaze, discomfort crawling up her spine like ice.

"Your Highness..." she said, hoping the title would remind him of boundaries.

But he didn’t let her go.

"If I tell you who I saved other than the slaves," Dimitri said, voice edged with steel, "then you’ll die right after. Because the dead are the only ones who can truly keep a secret." His gaze burned with a fury that had nothing to do with her. "So I’ll ask you... do you want to die?"

"No," Sorayah replied instantly, fear prickling at the edge of her voice.

Why? she wondered, Why is it so dangerous to reveal who he saved?

She struggled to free her hand, but his grip remained like iron until, without warning, he released her. She stumbled backward and fell, landing painfully on her rear. A sharp ache shot through her spine.

This bastard! she cursed inwardly, biting her lip as she placed a hand on her waist and buttocks, trying to ease the throbbing pain.

She didn’t speak further, just moved to finish washing him, wanting to be done quickly so she could leave. Her hand moved across his skin in silence, though her thoughts raced.

"I saved a little princess and prince from the palace," Dimitri said suddenly, shattering her thoughts like glass.

Sorayah’s head snapped up, eyes wide. "What?"

"Yes." He nodded solemnly, his voice distant, like he were reliving the past. "I made a promise to save them once I was strong enough. The time finally came."

She stared at him, brows pulling together. "Why?" she blurted out. "Why would you save the prince and princess of that pack? Are they related to you somehow? Why destroy the entire pack just to get them?"

"They are my elder sister’s children," he replied quietly, but his voice carried deep weight. "Her young prince and princess. That was her last wish....to see them safe. And it was finally time to take revenge on the pack her husband ruled."

A single tear slipped from his eye.

But it wasn’t white.

It was blue.

Sorayah froze, eyes widening as that strange, shimmering tear rolled down his cheek. Blue tears...? Her heart skipped a beat in disbelief. She’d never seen anything like it.

He wiped it away quickly.

Then his expression darkened.

And the next words he spoke sent a chill through her veins.

"Now it’s time for you to die."

"What?!" Sorayah gasped, stumbling back again. "I didn’t ask you to tell me anything! You’re the one who started talking!"

"And you listened," Dimitri replied with a wicked smirk.

"Was I supposed to cover my ears or something?" she snapped, her voice rising with frustration. "I didn’t make you say anything!"

"You should have," he said coolly, "but you didn’t. And now... well, that means you must die."

He stepped out of the bath and thank the gods....he was putting on a white short. But the water clinging to his skin did little to conceal the hard lines of his erect dragon. His muscles glistened, and even through the thin fabric, she could make out his taut, defined dragon.

He advanced on her slowly.

Sorayah backed up until her spine hit the tent they’re in, disbelief and outrage tightening every muscle in her body.

"Don’t come any closer..." she started, but too late.

Just as Sorayah was about to run pass Dimitri, his arm shot out, pulling her against him in a firm grip. Her face was pressed to his soaked chest, and his arms encased her like a trap, water seeping into her clothes.

Shock surged through her like lightning, paralyzing her in place.