The Alpha's Blind Fate
Chapter 124: Her Mission

Chapter 124: Her Mission

ZINA

Zina found she couldn’t move from the bed as his words travelled to her like the caress of something that tasted bad.

"What?" She asked, feeling judged.

Daemon stopped at the foot of his bed, and something about the unnatural darkness of the room enshrouded the both of them as if drawing them together to become one.

"I am punishing you as I will punish everyone currently in the Great Hall, Theta. Do you still not know your crimes?"

Her crimes?

Zina knew them in fact... she just never thought that Daemon would actually point them out for what they were. She bowed down her head as an emotion akin to a mixture of defeat and shame filled her.

Whether she claimed to know it or not, it was true that her name had been used to exploit other people. And she had implicitly allowed it to happen. She didn’t understand how serious what happened could be, but if the inept, gambler and drunk approached her, then it must be pretty serious.

Because she didn’t want to appear like someone who didn’t take her position seriously, she objected in a small voice. "I couldn’t do anything against Eldric."

Something flared in Daemon’s eyes like ice kept in a cooling pit, and his power and authority easily radiated in the room. Even without his Alpha eyes staring down at her, Zina could feel herself giving him the submission he easily requested for.

In a voice devoid of hate and held all the formality in the world, Daemon said. "Your official seal was used to collect double taxes easily from the regional Alphas. When they were taxed, they in turn taxed the people using your name. Even when they were down to their penny, once they were told that the Theta who foretold the great famine requested it, they easily gave away their life savings."

Zina felt her head drop once again in shame. She had always thought herself a victim, but there was hardly any denying the fact that she indeed did hold a high position despite her tragedies. She had prided herself over the fact that she was doing small good in the capital using the Thralgor Spy Guild, but she had totally ignored the regional areas.

"How will you punish me?" She asked in a voice small and unlike her. A fire flared in her heart as she awaited Daemon’s response. Zina feared she would fight back with all her might if Daemon decided to punish her by stripping her off her post.

The position of Theta was all that she had and it wasn’t one that would allow anyone to take away from her so easily... whether she committed an ignorant crime or not.

After a silence that stretched for way too long a time, his answer came as a stealth command.

"Your punishment is to recover the money that was collected in your name."

Zina’s eyes that had been turned down to the blankets of the room flew to his face. If Daemon’s words were intended to have any double meaning, it didn’t show in his eyes.

At least one thing stood out to her, and that was the fact that if Daemon was still looking for the money Eldric amassed despite the vast network of connections the man possessed, then the case must be even more serious than Zina anticipated it to be.

So how in the hell would she find it by herself? Daemon didn’t look like he was going to answer that question so Zina didn’t ask and simply nodded her understanding.

Another of his heated stares seared through her, and then he was leaving the room without another word... without addressing what happened last night.

It wasn’t until he reached the door that he turned to her and simply said. "I will be releasing your brother, Pia. He worked closely with Eldric so if you’re looking for where to start looking, then he should be your first point of contact."

And with that he left Zina behind in a puddle of cold water that was poured all over her again. The word ’brother’ bounced off the walls of the room and kept ringing in her ears as if to remind Zina of the existence of the boy she pretended she had forgotten about.

It was then that something struck her. When Zina was preparing to go to the GreenLands, Eldric had mentioned that he would send Pia with her for her protection... but he never did. Could there have been something more to it, or was she just overthinking the entire thing?

No matter, Zina stood from the bed, wrapping the quilt around her as she made her way to her room. The servant guarding the door informed her that Daemon had given explicit orders for her to not leave the room, but Zina of course ignored her.

She reached her room and slipped into a more presentable dress. She was just about to battle with her hair when Seraph bolted in the room. Considering the amount of emotional shock the girl had experienced in the past days, it wasn’t underwhelming that she could not muster any evident expression of relief or something else.

Zina was at least grateful that she wasn’t going into a crying fit over her wellbeing, instead Seraph just took over wrangling her silver hair into something more presentable.

"Well you’re alive Theta." she said sarcastically, and Zina found herself smiling in spite of herself.

"Are you getting used to it yet?" Zina said, referring to the high riskiness of her life and everything related to her.

"I have no choice but to get used to it." Seraph said in a dramatic voice, "in fact, you won’t believe it but yesterday night, instead of worrying so much about you, I was actually lurking around the castle trying to sniff any crumb of information."

Zina’s eyes flew to Seraph’s through her dressing mirror. The girl was twisting her hair together into big braids.

"Did you find anything unusual?" Zina asked, remembering whether mate or not, Daemon NorthSteed was now her Alpha King and she had to be politically guarded against him... and that involved knowing to a large extent some of his movements

"A body showed up at the Castle Gates." Seraph announced, her eyes shining with her cleverness. Ever since she discovered that she had been followed when she had been meeting up with the tales man, she hadn’t taken the blight lightly.

"A dead body?" Zina repeated, frowning. Bodies were not exactly uncommon.

"Not a dead body. The woman was bloodied and battered alright, but she wasn’t dead yet." Seraph rattled off with a light to her eyes as if she was sharing a huge secret which Zina supposed she was.

Indulging her suspense, Zina inquired. "What about it?"

"Nothing much. Except that Yama man discovered it and then quickly informed the Alpha King about her...." She trailed, her face twisted as she referred to Daemon’s brother by his notorious nickname as ’Yaren-Man’.

"And?" Zina probed, honestly lost as to where Seraph was driving. The girl frowned like she couldn’t believe Zina wasn’t getting her flow. So Daemon was informed so what? As Alpha King he was supposed to know what was happening in his castle.

"And the Alpha King personally carried her to his royal chambers!" Seraph screeched in despair, "Everyone says that you’re the Alpha King’s mate and yet he had you in his old room while he carried his mistress to his royal room! Don’t you understand this much, my Theta?!"

Zina gaped at Seraph through the mirror, stunned for reasons the girl probably didn’t expect.

Daemon had... who?!

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