Protect Me, Alpha King - Chapter 115: Chapter 115

Downfall
I was expecting that the alpha king would be angry at my revelations. Who would not get furious at that? Mates should have each other's back. Not betray each other.
However, the way he looked at me told me another thing. My hope started to crumble into pieces.
My strength left me, making me nearly stumble forward if not for the chair beside me.
"She said it will happen as soon as possible, Your Majesty. She will destroy the kingdom which you loved dearly," I added.
He scowled at me. His perfect brows meet in a straight line.
Then, his mouth opened and closed until his arms fell on both of his sides.
"River. Why are you telling me this?" he asked, warily. He massaged the back of his neck as if he suddenly was stressed out. "Damn. I should have broken my promise to the queen and visited you there," he murmured to himself. He watched me with pity in his eyes. "There were reports I received from Beta Valentine that five days of being alone without knowing if the sun had risen and sat was enough to make the prisoners go mad. I should have done something."
Mad.
My jaw dropped. What. The. Fuck? I was perfectly sane and not losing my sanity.
"Your Majesty. My mind is well enough." There was a burning feeling in my chest and the need to shake him to make me believe my claim was truly insisted. "The queen is no longer the one whom you used to know. She conspired against the rogues and planned to overthrow you and seize the throne from you." And the queen and I are siblings while Tristan, the leader of the rogue right now was with my parents when they ran away from the previous alpha king, I wanted to add.
The alpha king's face was in a frown. "Is that a joke, River?"
My jaw clenched. "Why would I joke about this kind of thing when I could be punished by death after accusing the queen of treason, Your Majesty? I am putting my life on the line here. I am willing to face whatever consequences I might stumble upon as long as you believe what I told you."
The alpha king shook his head.
"Not seeing the sun is the reason why you are acting like this, River," he replied, brushing off my previous statements. "I will ask the pack doctor to see you."
I am a healer, myself. I will know if there was something wrong with me or not. But of course. He did not know anything about that.
I stomped my foot. "This has nothing to do with not seeing the sun!"
Back in the dungeon, being alone in the darkness was frightening. Nonetheless, thanks to Sunflower, I was able to come out sane.
"Or was your experience at the dungeon not that appealing? Traumatic perhaps? I asked the beta to make sure you are well even if I was not there by your side. I wonder what went wrong?"
I stepped back, showing him how I was hurt by his words.
"You did not believe me? You think I am mad. Foolish. Crazy," I whispered in a soft quiet voice.
"River." He tried to touch me, but I avoided him.
The alpha king touched his forehead, instead and watched me using his solemn expression.
"River. Zenith is my queen. I have known her since the moment I bought her at the slave auction. I have known her for a couple of years already. She may act like a bitch toward you, but she is kind and dependable. Trustworthy. There is no way she would ever betray me. We pledged to each other that we would always have each other's back and will not betray each other."
"Unlike me?"
"I did not say that. You are also dependable."
Was that his way of consoling my wounded ego?
I scoffed. "You are wrong, Your Majesty. I am not like what you believed. Unlike the queen, I am nothing but a taint in your life. That is why I will never be a queen but your concubine."
"You are also important to me, River. If not for the promise I did with Zenith...."
As long as it was not a vow, he could break that promise. If he wished to. Nonetheless, he did not want to. The alpha king was true to his words and will make sure to carry on with his promises.
Even now, he was not ready to break that promise because he loved Zenith.
Something burned in my chest at the thought.
Trying to ignore it, I uttered, "I do not care about your pinky promise, Your Majesty. Nevertheless, I will continue insisting that you are mistaken in trusting your queen. She is not the angel she showed you, Your Majesty. Behind that angelic face is a devil waiting to pounce." I clutched his clothes, showing him my honesty. "Please believe me, for once, okay? Don't think I am saying this because I have ill feelings towards her. Or I want the two of you to separate. It was nothing like that. Back in the day, you were always at the forefront when fighting wars against the rogues or putting down rebellions. I do not want them to
succeed."
I wanted Zenith to accept me as her sister, but I also could not stomach letting her ruin this kingdom which Maxxwell ruled over the years. He did his best to maintain the peace around the neighboring kingdoms after the people grew tired of the war as it continued to drag on.
Yes, there were instances when the rogues declared wars, but they were always under control. However, this time, I felt this was different.
With Zenith on their side, I was certain they had silently gathered more allies to help them fight against the kingdom. They could even recruit alpha's who were dissatisfied with the alpha king's ruling.
The alpha king grabbed my hand and led me to the door.
"Why don't we eat first, River? I will ask the twins to help you with your bath."
My lips trembled.
He was dismissing me.
Was this the end? Was there nothing that I could do?
He would not believe me. When it comes to Zenith, he was blind by his love.
I bit the inside of my cheeks. How will I change his mind? How?
"Twins!" the alpha king called. The door opened and the twins looked at the two of us.
They bowed. "What is it, Your Majesty?"
"Help River took a bath and dressed her in the fanciest clothes you could gather. We will be meeting the dressmaker for the clothes that she will wear for the upcoming Proclamation Ceremony." He glanced at
me. "You will be at my side when I proclaim the queen again."
How cruel. Did he want me to die as I struggled to watch him say his devotion and love for the queen in front of the crowd?
"I hate to say it, but I would like to decline your invitation."
"You are my second-chance mate. It is only proper for you to be at my left side."
My eyes narrowed. "Can you not consider my feelings for once? Do you want me to laugh and clap for the two of you even if my heart is bleeding inside? You do not have any idea how painful it is to listen to how
you keep on rejecting me over again. My heart is not made of stone. It is beating only for you."
There. I just said how much I loved him.
The twins fidgeted in the corner as they continued witnessing the confrontations between me and the alpha king. The latter eyes seemed to pop out. "Y-you love me?"
"I do, you bastard," I replied. "But I am not expecting anything from you. Nor the fact that you would return my feelings. You won't. I know where I stand in your heart. At the darkest corner."
I heard the fast beating of the alpha king's heart.
"I did not expect that." "What do I expect? It's only natural because you are always focused on the queen." He remained speechless. "Clara and Flare. No need to help me. I can take a bath on my own," I announced while gritting my
teeth. "I will just go to my chamber and take a bath there."
The alpha king cleared his throat.
"No. You do it here. Do not worry. I will not take a peek at you. I will be meeting Elijah for a short meeting about the security of the palace during the ceremony. And I will be waiting for you at the dining area."
I no longer care if he saw me naked or not. That was the least of my concern.
I smiled bitterly. "You still did not believe me about your beloved woman?"
He sighed and patted my hair. "I will never allow anyone o succeed with their evil plans, River. Besides, Zenith will not do anything to ruin the Proclamation Ceremony. It will be one of the most important
events of her life and she is doing everything to make it successful. There is no way that what you said will happen."
I slapped his hands away.
The twins gasped in unison.
The alpha king was not even bothered by what I did.
Why do I keep on loving this infuriating and stubborn bastard, once again?
"You are already wrapped with her little fingers. Open your eyes! Damn it!"
"R-River?" they called, nervously. The twins grabbed both of my arms. "It would be best if you will take a bath first. Maybe that is what you need to clear your mind?" they suggested.
Even the twins believed I was lying.
Yes. I was a liar and lied a lot, but not this time.
"What will I do to make you believe me, Your Majesty?"
The rogues were making their moves. And when they attacked, the palace would be defeated since they let their guard down. The visitors cannot be trusted for they could become potential enemies.
"Nothing, River. Nothing. I believe Zenith wanted nothing but peace for this kingdom. In fact, she told me she would help me create a peace treaty with the rogues. And right now, I think that's the best thing to do to stop the war between the rogues and the kingdom."
I scoffed. "Do you think that they would honor the treaty? We cannot trust the rogues, Your Majesty. They are nothing but a bunch of traitors! Trusting them will be the greatest mistake you will ever make."
Like your Mother and Father? So, that makes you spawn of traitors, then? one part of my mind asked.
Regardless of what my family had done in the past, I had nothing to do with it. This time, I want to make things right. Their faults and sins against the kingdom end with me.
"Clara and Flare. Please help River relax. It seemed that she still had not recovered from her painful memories of going to the dungeon."
"River. Shall we?" the twins asked.
The alpha king turned his back on me and that was when I realized, this kingdom will soon face its downfall just because of his blind love for my dear sister.