[NOUR]
"Please tell me he is okay," King Cassius said as he looked at Ferhat who was the only one left beside him. He looked so devastated that the king felt like all his life was leaving him right at that moment.
"Sire… I'm so sorry," Ferhat said with a bowed head. He didn't know how else to explain to the father that his son had been molested and bruised. That his dear son had been ruined by the same man he had handed power to.
He didn't know how to explain to the king that there was a chance they would lose the prince. It was not anything that a father wanted to hear, so Ferhat stared in earnestly, the sadness in his eyes obvious.
"No…" the king breathed defeatedly before he rushed to his son's chambers to see the state he was in. However when he got there, the sight before him broke his heart and shattered it to very many pieces.
This wasn't what he and his Soraya had agreed on. This wasn't how he had promised to take care of their child. This wasn't the life he had sworn he could give his son and eight now he felt like the world was ruining his life intentionally.
His son was hurting, and looked so pathetic, that it was almost impossible to tell whether there was anything that he could do about it. And so, in defeat, the king let out a pained growl that was heard by the entire kingdom, bringing all activity to a halt.
The last time the king had that happen was when he had lost his Soraya. It had been the worst year for the werewolves and they truly understood what it meant to lose a mate. The king had been in his grief, and he never truly came out of it.
He had always stayed in his chambers, only ever coming to the throne room once every few months, but that had been it.
"I failed my son, Ferhat. I failed my baby. I…" King Cassius cried out as he went on his knees defeatedly. This was the cruelest sight he had ever seen since he became king and he couldn't even fathom what he would do to Grant.
"What the fuck happened to the king, Ferhat?" Farah asked along with the Lycans who were in Delbert's house. They looked like they were ready to go to war, while the king cried shamefully next to his son's bed.
"Oh, goddess. What the fuck happened to Nour?" Sofia questioned angrily.
"No…" Darius whimpered white Anhora stared coldly, his eyes filled with pain.
"We need to clean him up before Zaire sees him like this, hurry," Sofia said as she rushed into the room with Farah. Ready to carry the young prince to the showers. Nour looked terrible but he also looked like the final straw in Delbert's sanity.
"Leave me be with my son," the king commanded painfully and the Lycans just looked at him with sad eyes, almost like they knew something the king didn't. Granted, King Cassius was very aware of the Lycan in his kingdom, but that was just it.
"I'm sorry, I'm sore. But if you want Acrod to remain standing, you might reconsider your decision. I know it's not the best sight for a father and a son, but if his rasta sees him like this, we might as well consider a nonexistent kingdom," Darius voiced.
The king lifted his eyes to look at the warrior who was talking to him like this was supposed to be a group project. His son was his child and while he may have failed to protect his son, he wasn't about to let him suffer again.
"I said no. Your time in Acrod is also up. You need to leave and come back some other time," the king said dismissively and Darius sighed before he knelt down to the level of the king, like he wanted to pump some sense into the werewolf king.
"Listen here, Cassius. Your son is mated to one of the Merdel twins. And by now you already know Delbert is Alanor's twin. I know that isn't supposed to be threatening, but the horrifying stories about the Merdel twins? They are all true.
"You have heard of what Alanor did when Heide was hurt in the midlands. That isn't even close to what Zaire will do if he sees his erasthai like this. You will have to choose between your people and your son—"
"Then let him come," the king sighed in defeat, as he crawled to hold onto his unconscious son. He hated this. He hated it so much that it led to everything in him not to order Grant burnt at the stake of Acrod.
"Why the fuck are you stu—" Farah began, only to be interrupted with a calculated growl, as the thick wooden scent hit their noses, a sign that the person they hoped wouldn't come, was here.
"Shit," Anhora voiced slowly as Delbert made his way through into the werewolf prince's chambers.
"Mine…" Delbert's voice broke as he looked at Nour on the bed. He couldn't believe what had happened to his erasthai and he didn't want to believe it truly because this wasn't what he had promised his erasthai.
He had sworn to stay away and watch from a distance, but here and now, the Lycan psycho could only think of blood. It was what he had been planning for Grant, but this time, there wouldn't be a Nour to save Grant again.
"Explain," the young Lycan demanded and the silence in the room was thick as the king stared at his junior warrior, the Lycan he had given a chance in his home. He had been told about the kid that needed refuge and he never paid too much attention to it.
However, here and now, with Delbert sounding a lot like a pissed Alanor, the king stared at him, worried on his face. King Cassius wanted retribution for what Grant had done to his son in the worst of ways.
He wanted to see Grant suffer and he was willing to do whatever it took even if there was blood getting nailed in the process. He wasn't going to let anyone hurt his dear son again, and perhaps that was why he spoke the words no king would ever have.
"Death or eternal agony?" the king asked, his voice stiff as he looked at his young son who had been ruined. The king was angry and if Delbert didn't make the choice for him, then King Cassius would take matters into his own hands.
And that wouldn't be pretty.
The last time the king had gone to war for someone he cared about, the battlefield had no one left standing. He had wiped away people in literal minutes and left the mutilated bodies there for everyone to see.
King Cassius Burda was a dangerous king, one who never had any reward for life until he met his Soraya. However, now that his child with his Soraya was being threatened, King Cassius didn't have anything left to lose.
"Remove the red tape," Delbert voiced coldly.
"There has never been when it comes to my son."
"Eternal agony it is."
"Good choice."
"Can I take my erasthai, sire?"
"Take care of him—"
"He is more important to me than my life, your Grace."
"I hope so."