The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate
Chapter 110: Together Again

Chapter 110: Together Again

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In the opulent halls of the golden palace, Lennox strode into Leonardo’s vacant chamber, his sharp gaze sweeping over the spacious, meticulously arranged room. The stillness felt strange, as if the absence of its former occupant had drained the space of its life and energy.

He paused at Leonardo’s study, his fingers brushing the spines of the neatly ordered books, each one a reminder of the brother he had confined. Staring at the books reminded him of how much Leonardo loved researching things in his free time.

A heavy sense of guilt began to settle over him. He had imprisoned Leonardo out of anger, the betrayal clouding his judgment. He had been so consumed by the threat of Leonardo’s interference in the wedding that it seemed like the only solution.

But now, with Leonardo gone, a void had opened within Lennox. Investigations into the cold palace revealed nothing; no clues, no signs of the guards, no blood trails, and most disturbingly, no trace of Leo.

The silence in the chamber mirrored the uncertainty gnawing at him. Where could he be? What truly happened in that palace?

He suddenly reached for the cupboard below the table, attempting to open it, but it refused to budge. His hand lingered on the handle as his gaze narrowed in pure curiosity, realizing the cupboard was locked.

"Locked?" He muttered, his brows knitting together in confusion.

A firm knock echoed from the door, cutting through his thoughts. "Your Majesty," a guard called out, stepping into the room and bowing his head. "The council is assembled in the Moonstone hall, as per your request."

The interruption pulled Lennox’s attention away from the cupboard. Without another glance or word, he straightened and left the room, leaving the guard to quietly follow in his wake.

As he strode through the corridors, going down the stairs and ending up in the hallway, his mind shifted to the upcoming meeting. The hum of voices greeted him as he entered the Moonstone Hall, the council members already seated, their quiet murmurs filling the space. It felt all too familiar, just like the last time they gathered here, when Donovan had arrived, as he always did, to upend everything.

Lennox made his way to the head table, and the low murmur of voices faded as the council became aware of his approach. All eyes turned towards him, and they rose in unison, bowing respectfully to welcome their king. With a brief nod, Lennox granted them permission to sit.

A tense silence followed, lingering for over a minute. His presence cast a chilling weight across the room, a sharp contrast to the king they were accustomed to. The air around him bristled with an intensity that was unnerving. Recent events had clearly worn on him, and his patience was fraying.

"As you’re all aware," he finally began, breaking the oppressive silence in the air. "Leonardo’s disappearance cannot be ignored any longer. We need to uncover the truth, no matter where he may be. This matter demands immediate attention from everyone present, and I expect each of you to take responsibility during my absence."

He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in before continuing further. "I will be traveling to the North to attend an event. The Alpha has personally invited me and intends to reveal a new weapon during the event, one he believes would be of interest– my interest. I’ll be gone for three days, so it is imperative that everything runs smoothly in my absence."

His expression hardened, and the frustration he’d been carrying finally slipped through. "If Leonardo were here, I wouldn’t be as concerned. But with him missing, I need assurance that things remain in order while I’m away."

The council members seated around the grand table exchanged uneasy glances, each hesitant to voice the thought lingering in their minds. The tension was palpable, but one of them, a bolder figure responsible for overseeing the state affairs, finally broke the silence.

"Your Majesty," he began cautiously, "is it not time to consider appointing a new advisor?" His words hung in the air, heavy with the implications. "We still don’t know whether Leonardo is alive or dead, or if he’ll ever return. While we understand he was like family to you, as king, you cannot continue without someone to guide you."

The others murmured in agreement, nodding their heads in unison. One leaned forward, his voice tinged with suspicion. "And how do we even know he didn’t orchestrate his own escape? If he could betray you once, Your Majesty, what’s to stop him from vanishing and concealing the bodies of the guards himself?"

Lennox’s eyes darkened at their comments. "What exactly are you suggesting? That Leonardo escaped with the very guards assigned to watch him?" he asked, his voice sharp with unrestrained anger. "He’s not the kind of man to vanish and cause his family needless worry. His parents are just as anxious as anyone about his whereabouts."

He paused, trying to keep his tone measured before continuing. "Instead of wasting time on baseless suspicions, how about you put all that effort into locating Donovan’s hideout. If Leonardo were still here, half my problems would already be solved. Since the moment I started heeding your advice, everything had unraveled. So spare me your theories and follow my orders."

The room fell into a stifling silence the moment he was done. His frustration hung in the air, silencing the council, with none daring to respond. Lennox pressed his fingers against the temples, trying to stave off the rising headache, his irritation simmering just beneath the surface.

His thoughts spiraled back to the moment they forced the doors leading to his father’s private chamber open, revealing Donovan standing over his father, driving a blade into his mouth. The scene was grotesque, a nightmare made real, and on the floor laid Donovan’s lifeless mother.

That night, they were aware of his father’s plans to kill Madora, since losing a mate can weaken one’s bond to the partner. But what they never expected was for Donovan to snap, and since he was merely a child, killing him should have been an easy task, but how wrong they were.

Blood splattered the room, and Lennox could barely process what he was seeing before Donovan slowly turned to face him.

His mother had been with him, flanked by guards, as they opened the door. He was just a boy at that time, so he instinctively stepped back from the horrible scene. But Donovan, drenched in blood and exuding a cold, terrifying presence, made even the guards afraid to approach him. He then casually tossed a blade at the Queen’s feet.

"Kill yourself," he commanded, his voice unnervingly calm. The guards had exchanged glances, wondering if he was stupid to order such from the Queen, and that was their mistake.

Though Lennox was much older than Donovan by two years, the chilling sight before him was unlike anything he’d ever witnessed. Donovan, blood-soaked and exuding an unnatural aura, was no ordinary boy, and everyone could tell that his curse had gotten a good grip on him.

His eyes, almost otherworldly, radiated a hypnotic power that seemed to strip away reasons. As he uttered those words, Lennox’s mother was drawn into a trance. Without hesitation, as though she had no will of our own, she bent down, picked up the blade and plunged it into herself.

No amount of guards could stop his mother from obeying Donovan’s orders, nor could she look away from his eyes. He had to watch his mother kill herself, and when Donovan turned his dark attention to him, he just...ran. Fear gnawed at him, knowing fully well that he would be the demon’s next target. After all, they had ruined his family, slaughtered 80% of his pack. No royal was safe from his wrath, and true to that, Donovan did come for him with the sword.

No amount of guards could stop him, but luckily that night, the guards were wise enough to summon the sorcerer, and only through powerful magic was the sorcerer able to penetrate Donovan’s mind, halting his rampage.

The sorcerer was able to stop Donovan from going full demon on them. But with time, they realized it wasn’t only the sorcerer who could get into Donovan’s mind and stop his transformation.

Esme as well.

That’s why she couldn’t remember most of her childhood past in the palace. The sorcerer had erased those moments, wiping away every encounter she had with Donovan after his capture. All the times he told Esme they had played together as children were false, twisted memories. She hadn’t visited the palace with her father because of him; her visits back then had a different purpose entirely.

She had befriended a demon in secret, a demon who had been locked beneath the dungeons of the palace after they had successfully captured him. And that demon was Donovan.

Now, it seemed fate has brought them together again, despite not remembering their past together.

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