CHAPTER 77: _CAN’T BEAT THE KING AT HIS OWN GAME

Kyren’s POV

*****

"Sir..." Farrell walked into his war room where he was looking through plans against Arcadia with his Dukes.

The rogue king’s war room was dimly lit with red lighting on the walls, and a metallic round table at the centre.

Standing at the other end of the table was Kyren and around the table were the seven Dukes of the dark lands. They all had solemn expressions... Well, all of them except Kyren, of course.

"Yes, Farrell?" Kyren raised an eyebrow, fixing his gaze on his commander when the black metallic door closed behind him. "Any news on Arcadia?"

Farrell scanned his gaze on the faces of the others before he walked closer, heading to Kyren’s left side. He brought his mouth close to his ear and whispered.

"No, but I have some news on the Lunarian royal palace."

Kyren scoffed. "Those charms you placed in their Beta and Alpha Prince’s rooms already help me enough to know what’s happening, Farrell. You don’t need—"

"That’s the thing, my Lord." Farrell’s voice dropped lower, his face tenser than his tone. "The charms are... Gone."

Kyren stiffened, blinking with disbelief.

But to confirm, he quickly fluttered his eyelids, his eyes glowing with a bright red light. But when he tried to get a view of the palace and its golden walls, he saw nothing.

Just darkness.

"I’m sorry, Lord Kyren." One of his dukes, a she-wolf in her late forties wearing all black apparel, spoke up with curiosity. "But are you talking about the Lunarian palace? I thought you were scheduled to meet them by the next full moon next month?"

Kyren’s jaw clenched as he locked his gaze on the woman. "It was obviously a private conversation, Onika."

"And this is obviously a room filled with wolves. Literally and figuratively." She shot back, keeping her chin high. "We need to be sure you don’t plan to add Lunaria as our enemy in this war. We prefer them as... Allies."

The dukes of the dark lands were the most powerful rogue wolves in the land, both in terms of influence and actual raw power.

Each of them was an Alpha-class wolf, like Farrell, except they also had magic technology and fleets of soldiers under their control.

Kyren may be the Rogue king, but they were like a council... Overseeing things in all the districts.

In conclusion, they could be a real pain in the ass if left unpleased.

"I assure you..." Kyren wore his brightest smile, placing both hands on the cold table’s surface. "I have no intentions of making Lunaria an enemy. We don’t have nearly enough competent people on board to deal with them."

The faces of the dukes twisted like they had acid thrown on them but Kyren didn’t care, stepping away from the round table and walking toward the exit.

"What about the meeting?" Onika questioned behind him while Farrell tried to keep up.

"You can have one behind my back without me. Wouldn’t be the first time." Kyren remarked casually, glancing over his shoulder and giving them one final sweet smile before he closed the door behind him.

.

.

"How could my charms get destroyed?" Kyren asked with a booming voice, more confused than enraged as he and Farrell walked into his throne room.

The black marble floor was bathed with scorching red light from the morning sun peeking through the glass dome on the throne room ceiling.

When he got to his throne, he sat, crossing one leg on top of another while Farrell cleared his throat.

"I was just as confused as you when I checked on them in your Hex chamber. Do you think Lucian or Axel—"

"Found them and destroyed them?" Kyren completed the sentence, shaking his head with a scoff. "Last I spied on them, they were in the middle of beginning investigations on the assassins sent to kill Elian... Which I wouldn’t have known about if I didn’t have you place those charms in the first place."

Farrell nodded. "I understand, my lord. But—"

"No. You don’t." Kyren said plainly, his voice devoid of emotion. "I can only spy on Elian through the mate bond. But it has limits, not to mention I wouldn’t be able to intervene with my magic whenever I please. Which would mean..."

He paused, his voice becoming colder. "I’ll lose control of the entire situation. And you and I know how much I HATE losing control."

Farrell seemed like he was staring at a ghost but tried his best to keep his composure, nodding his understanding despite his spiking heartbeat.

Cute.

"I doubt Lucian and Axel would actually destroy them if they found them," Kyren noted more to himself than Farrell, rubbing his chin. "They would at least try investigating or tracking where they came from. Unless..."

His mind reeled through so many possibilities at once until one clicked into place.

His eyes widened as he fixed his gaze on Farrell who stood down there innocently.

"Do you think one of them is a traitor. To Elian?" He asked, the mere idea both fascinating him... And annoying the shit out of him. "It would make sense that they wouldn’t want someone monitoring their little shenanigans if that’s the case."

Farrell stuttered with hesitation. "S–Sir, don’t you think that’s a reach? They both seem obsessed with him."

Kyren tilted his head, shaking his head. "Don’t be naive, Farrell. Obsession isn’t love. Either of them could still very much use the lad for their selfish needs. Lucian with his ego and Axel with... Well, whatever drives his daily drills."

Farrell remained silent but gave a little nod.

Kyren ignored his existence for a second, squinting his eyes as he went into deep thought.

He needed eyes on the Lunarian palace.

Something was brewing, and he’d be damned before he let whatever it was ruin his plans... Or harm his mate.

"Send some of our top spies into Lunaria and see what the situation in Moonhaven is. Specifically the royal palace." Kyren snapped his fingers at Farrell, shooing him.

As his commander bowed and walked out of the throne room, Kyren smirked.

"Whoever you are... You can’t beat the king at his own games."