Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 440: The Punished Guilty II

Chapter 440: The Punished Guilty II

The sight of Daphne safe and sound had originally calmed Atticus’s racing heart down. When he had learned that Jean Nott had been making secret trips to visit his wife and that even the palace of Xahan wasn’t a safe place to hide from this terrorist, Atticus had felt unbridled rage curl from within him. However, there was little he could do about it.

Jean Nott was the leader of the Order of the Serpents, a notorious and nefarious criminal organization that had its heads and tails deeply intertwined with the black market. It was a difficult task capturing him when he could easily burrow into the soil and disappear from the land of the living for however long he liked.

Thus, no matter how angry Atticus was, there was nothing he could do but wait. He had to be patient, biding his time until Jean Nott was found― and he would be. That was because Atticus knew that there was something Jean Nott could not resist, evident by the deal he made with Prince Alistair.

Daphne Molinero, Atticus’s wife.

And lo and behold, he had shown his face again. Atticus had no doubt that this wouldn’t be the last of him. He would appear before Daphne once more, and when he did, Jean Nott would be relieved of his head.

Nonetheless, Atticus was not a very patient man. He wasn’t a man who could easily contain and control his fury, and he believed that emotions would always need an outlet eventually. Instead of waiting for Jean Nott to show his scumbag face, Atticus now had a readily available punching bag who had nearly as much fault as Jean Nott when it came to Daphne’s miscarriage― Zephyr.

As if sensing the bloodlust in the air, Zephyr stilled where he stood. His eyes slowly trained on Atticus, who was staring at him as though the griffin had annihilated his entire kingdom and more. Just one glare from that man sent shivers down Zephyr’s spine.

Even Nereus, who was usually calm and collected with nearly no emotion on his face, frowned at the sight.

"He knows," Zephyr murmured under his breath. "He knows. The healer told him."

"You didn’t mean it," Nereus said, trying to console him. "Daphne wouldn’t allow him to do anything to you."

"Daphne wouldn’t allow it..." Zephyr trailed off. His line of sight was starting to blur and it didn’t register in his brain that he was crying until a drop of his tears hit the back of his hand. He looked down dazedly at that drop of water, watching as more followed. "But what if... what if I’ll allow it?"

"What―"

Nereus barely even had the time to fully ask his question when all of a sudden, an extreme force blasted Zephyr right out of the window he was standing in front of. It barely missed Nereus, who was just a couple of inches away, and the kelpie was left wide-eyed and surprised as fragments of glass and splinters of wood flew across the room.

"Zephyr!"

"Atticus, wait!"

Both Nereus and Sirona had shouted out at the same time, but none of the two people bearing those names looked back at them or returned a word. As soon as Zephyr was vaulted out of the window and onto the lawn below, Atticus had flown out after him.

Sirona barely even had the time to shield Daphne’s body from the flying wood before she realized that Atticus had already cast a protective bubble over them to protect them from the debris.

Zephyr collapsed to the ground outside with an explosive crash, skidding against the grass before sliding across the mud. He barely reacted in time, using his wings to protect himself from the fall as he groaned in pain. However, he wasn’t given the time to react.

A hand held him down by the throat, slamming his head back against the dirt before he could even get it up. Instinctively, his fingers came to claw at his neck, trying desperately to fight for air. Yet, even though he was a magical beast who had little to no enemies that could even compare, he wasn’t able to fight back against the iron grip that had him pinned down.

When he opened his eyes, what met him was the glowing pair of golden eyes that belonged to the tyrannical monster that ruled the North. His irises were gleaming like the sun of summer, bright and ablaze with unbridled fury. Fire danced in King Atticus’s eyes, raging like an untamable inferno that would quickly consume them both.

"You!" Atticus hissed out, venom coating every intonation and every word. "You’re the reason why Daphne is in this state! You’re the reason why our child is dead!"

Zephyr struggled against his grip, wriggling like a worm beneath his hand. It was unheard of for a human to so easily overpower a griffin, much less one that had evolved from the flame of a dragon. Even though Zephyr wasn’t considered fully grown, he still had enough strength to go head-to-head with the strongest of his kind.

Yet, there he was, rendered powerless against a mortal man who had no weapon on his body except for a charmed ring that reeked of magic.

A turbulent storm of emotions raged within Atticus’s head. He felt suffocated, his chest brimming with raw, primal anger that desperately needed to be set free. His fingers tightened around Zephyr’s neck, magic spilling around their surroundings in the form of a purplish-black fog that swept through the gardens.

"Atticus, let him go!" Sirona screamed from the infirmary above, looking down from the hole in the wall where the window previously was.

A crowd had gathered, consisting of curious servants and wary knights who had pointed their weapons in their direction, afraid that Atticus would redirect his rage at them. If this went on, it would only be a matter of time before Queen Lavinia would come rushing over. Atticus had just destroyed a portion of Xahan’s royal palace; they could be kicked out!

"I should have your life for this!" Atticus hissed, sneering as his fingers tightened around Zephyr’s neck.

A choked cough left Zephyr’s lips, his feet kicking as he struggled to catch just one tiny breath of air. His face was quickly turning purple and he was starting to see stars.

Was he about to die? Perhaps like this, Daphne would forgive him for what he had done.

"Atticus, stop! Calm down for a second!"

Unfortunately, Sirona’s words fell on deaf ears.

Quickly, Atticus’s eyes scanned the crowd of knights that had gathered around, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He clenched his jaw, his eyebrows furrowed as his eyes landed on a target. Holding out his hand, a glistening blade was yanked right out of a guard’s hand, flying over to Atticus like two opposite ends of a magnet.

The crowd gasped in surprise, watching as the weapon flew away from its owner.

Atticus’s fingers wrapped around the handle of the saber, his veins popping out visibly on the back of his hand as he turned his attention back to Zephyr. He breathed out heavily, each word spoken slow and filled with killing intent.

"A life for a life."

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