Betrayed By My Mate, Claimed By His Lycan King Uncle
Chapter 97: Where’s Rhys?

Chapter 97: Where’s Rhys?

Meanwhile, in an exquisite room adorned with rich purple drapes and intricate gold designs, Anaya sat quietly. The delicate scent of lavender hung in the air, blending with the faint glow of golden candlelight reflecting off the polished surfaces. She was now dressed in a flowing purple blouse paired with a matching skirt, her long hair intricately styled and adorned with golden hairpins that shimmered like stars.

She sat at a carved wooden table, where a piece of parchment and a quill lay before her. Her slender fingers trembled slightly as she dipped the quill into the inkwell and scribbled the same words she had written countless times before:

Where is Rhys?

Her handwriting had grown shaky, smudged with the dried traces of past tears and the fresh ones now falling silently down her cheeks. It felt like she had written those same four words a hundred times...no, perhaps more.

She had truly believed her parents would understand her heart. That they would support her, trust her judgment, and ultimately do everything in their power to ensure her happiness. That belief was what made her bring him home and what made her think it was safe.

But she had been wrong. Terribly wrong.

Bringing Rhys here had been the biggest mistake of her life.

Knowing how her parents ruled with pride, fury, and a dangerous sense of justice, Anaya feared the worst. If they truly believed Rhys had harmed her, they might actually kill him.

And if they did... everything she had fought for would be lost.

"I told you to forget about that man," her mother said suddenly, her voice breaking as she knelt by Anaya’s chair, stroking her cheek with trembling fingers. Tears rolled freely down her face, glittering in the soft light. "He will not leave that prison until he tells us exactly what he did to you. I swear on the moon itself...I will ruin him, Anaya. I will make him die a slow, painful death."

Anaya shook her head violently and grabbed the quill again. More tears fell, mixing with the fresh ink as she wrote in bold, uneven strokes:

Where is Rhys, Mother? I know you locked him up. That’s why he hasn’t come. Rhys is not a bad person.

"He deceived you, my lady," said her personal maid, a graceful young woman with cascading red hair and pale green eyes. She stepped forward with a silver tray, carefully setting down a bowl of broth and a plate of soft bread. "Please... eat something. You look so frail, so pale. You haven’t touched anything in two days."

But Anaya ignored the food. She only wrote faster, harder:

The pendant is what caused me to lose my senses. Rhys only tried to help me. He saved me. You must free him... or I swear, I will take my own life.

Gasps echoed through the chamber. Her mother staggered back, clutching her chest, eyes wide in disbelief.

"The pendant did this because of your reckless choice!" her father roared as he stormed into the room, his regal robes sweeping the floor like a violent storm cloud. His powerful frame trembled as he pointed a shaking finger at her. "You gave your power to protect someone? Who was it, Anaya? Was it him? You sacrificed your senses just to save that man?"

Anaya didn’t answer. Her hand kept writing, but the letters were distorted by tears.

"Foolish girl," he spat, though his voice cracked with pain. "You threw everything away... and for what? A human! Yes I know what he is. That disguised scent might have fooled others, but not me. He’s no werewolf, and he certainly doesn’t love you. If he did, you would not be lying here in this wretched state!"

His voice broke entirely, and he turned away sharply, covering his face with one hand as he stumbled toward the door.

"My daughter," he muttered in a raw whisper, barely audible. "What have they done to you... What have you done to yourself?"

Then he left, the heavy doors groaning as they shut behind him.

The room fell silent again, save for the soft rustle of Anaya’s skirts and the faint scratch of her quill against the paper.

"And you will not kill yourself, Anaya." The Luna’s voice was low, but firm with a finality that echoed like a blade drawn in silence. "Yes, you love that man...that human and that’s why you acted so foolishly. But as your mother, I will make sure that man suffers every agony you’re enduring right now."

Her eyes blazed with fury, even as her voice cracked under the weight of restrained grief. "I’ll rip his eyes out and feed them to the crows. I’ll shatter his eardrums until he can’t hear a thing, and I’ll destroy his voice box so he can never speak again. That man who turned my daughter into a shell, i’ll break his spirit until there’s nothing left."

She knelt beside Anaya, brushing a trembling hand across her daughter’s pale cheek. Her fingers lingered there, as if trying to summon the girl Anaya used to be.

"I know you can’t hear me. And maybe someday you’ll hate me for what I’ll do. But I don’t care." Her voice cracked, a sob slipping past her lips. "I will destroy the one who made you like this."

The Luna rose slowly, wiping her tears. "Just take care of her, Kisha," she added, her voice now directed at the red-haired maid standing silently nearby. "Make sure she eats. And keep all sharp objects away from her. I don’t trust what she might do in this state."

"Yes, Your Highness," Kisha replied with a deep bow.

Without another word, the Luna turned and swept out of the room, leaving Anaya and Kisha alone in the silence that followed like a shadow.

---

Back at Dimitri’s manor...

Sorayah was now dressed in a modest brown blouse tucked into a long, pleated skirt. Her golden hair, once flowing wildly, was tamed and pinned into a loose knot with a simple wooden hairpin. It was a disguise of simplicity, a calculated contrast to the storm raging in her heart.

The bitter taste of the abortion concoction still lingered on her tongue, an unwanted necessity prescribed by the royal physician. Just after taking it, she had been summoned by Lupien’s eunuch. Now, she stood in the moonlit courtyard, summoned to face the man who had upended her life.

The courtyard glowed under the silver wash of the half-moon. Around them, guards and servants stood at a respectful distance, their eyes turned away on Lupien’s order. But their presence was still felt, like distant stars on a clouded night there, but far removed.

Sorayah stood behind Lupien, her gaze lowered, her body stiff with suppressed rage. Her hand hovered close to her hair, where the sharp edge of the wooden pin could serve as a weapon. But she restrained herself. Killing Lupien here would be foolish. She had more enemies now more reasons to survive.

The silence stretched, growing oppressive. The wind whispered secrets as it danced through the courtyard, and birds chirped their nighttime lullabies. Her legs ached from standing, but she dared not voice a complaint.

Finally, Lupien turned. His gaze swept over her, first to assess, then to examine. He moved closer, each step deliberate.

Sorayah instinctively stepped back, the instinct to flee rising like bile in her throat. But he kept advancing, and when she lost her footing, his hand caught her by the waist. Her breath hitched. The wooden hairpin slipped free, and her golden hair tumbled down her back like a waterfall of light, brushing over her face.

Lupien stared.

"Those eyes..." he murmured, almost to himself. "The same. The same eyes, the same nose, even the same lips..."

He reached forward to touch her lips, as though confirming his illusion.

It snapped Sorayah out of her daze. She jerked back, breaking the spell, her eyes sharp with alarm.

"How are you not Pearl?" Lupien asked, his voice suddenly rough. He cleared his throat. "Do you know the consequences of lying to the Alpha Emperor? You could lose your head."

"I wouldn’t dare lie to the Alpha Emperor," Sorayah replied swiftly and quickly picked up the hairpin and tied her hair back into a bun. She then dropped to her knees in a show of submission, her tone respectful yet steady. "My twin sister, Pearl, is dead. I am the only one left of my family."

There was a pause.

"Stand up," Lupien commanded.

She rose, her head still bowed.

Then came the question she hadn’t expected.

"Do you hate me?"

The words struck like a whip. Her head lifted, her eyes meeting his. And in them, fire burned raw and untamed. She didn’t need to speak. The fury in her gaze screamed louder than words.

If there was a word stronger than hate, she would have used it.

Lupien met her gaze without flinching. "You must hate me," he said, his voice quieter now. "I destroyed your kingdom. I killed your family. But you must understand... Pearl and I weren’t just friends. We were lovers."

Sorayah’s heart nearly stopped.

"She was the first woman I ever loved," he continued, voice heavy with emotion. "The only one who taught me what love truly meant. I lived in fear all my life, until she came and gave it meaning. When I was ordered to destroy the human kingdom, I tried to resist. I searched for her everywhere. I never found her."

He turned away slightly, gazing at the moon as though it could justify his past.

"And now you’re here. Even if you’re not her, you’re her sister. You carry her blood. Maybe this is fate. A second chance... from the heavens."

’Second chance?’ Sorayah scoffed inwardly, her expression cold. You think this is a gift? You dare call this fate?

No. This wasn’t fate. This was a curse.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.