CHAPTER 19: POISONS AND FLAVOURS
Maya’s POV
“Your Highness,” a contestant bowed daintily in a unique style. She lightly bent her knees with folded hands to the side while long, thick eyelashes shyly looked down. Her hair cascaded in waves of curly brown locks while her side braids were woven with colorful threads and beads. Even looking down, her sharp features stood out.
She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her name tag read ‘Athena.’
As far as I remembered, she was the former Luna’s favorite niece.
She pointed a finger at me and accused, “Earlier, she tried to blast us all and moments before serving her plate, I saw her add milk in a red poison bottle and add it to the dessert.
Ah! So she was the conspirator. She fell into my trap!
“Are you sure, Ms Athena? That is a serious accusation,” Hannah replied. “If it turns out to be false, your wolf’s rank shall be demoted and negative points awarded to you. I don’t need to remind you ladies that every point counts,” she reminded. The royal princess seemed to deal everything with a fair hand. I had never seen her favor anyone or bend the rules for the highest ranked wolves. She was always fair and transparent in her dealings even if she didn’t like me.
“Of course, Your Majesty! I swear on my Alpha heritage and blood that I saw her put orangish-red poison in the weird conical ice-cream dessert. I would never lie. As His Highness’ childhood friend, I would never let any harm befall on him. His life means a lot to me,” she softly said. Her sweet voice charmed even me. She was a soft seductress with the most beautiful face.
Murmurs bubbled in the crowd.
“Athena is the most loyal and gracious lady. She is already in the top five. Why would she lie?”
“I heard that she has rejected all proposals and even her mate. She truly loves the lycan king. She would never let anyone harm him.”
“She has noble Alpha blood in her. The lycan king should choose her. They will make a perfect couple.”
“Imagine her babies! Sigh! They would be the most beautiful.”
“I am already shipping for her.”
“Yes, yes. Me too.”
“She is my favourite!”
“She is so beautiful and innocent. She must be telling the truth. Why would she risk her reputation for a rejected omega with kids otherwise?”
“I heard that the omega is mute. Evil happens to evil. She must have added poison to kill His Highness.”
“She should be executed on the spot.”
“That’s right! We demand her immediate execution,” the crowd shouted.
Athena slyly smiled in my direction before falling on her knees, her robes gracefully twirling around her.
“Your Majesty! I would never accuse anyone without proof. As an Alpha, I have heightened senses. She went to soothe her little monster but secretly got the red bottle when her station caught fire and diverted everyone’s attention! There is a bigger conspiracy at play.”
Alpha? That didn’t seem true. My doctor instincts rose. She was clearly a Beta. Her scent signature lacked the potent depth of an Alpha’s. Her muscle to body ratio was not right. Her pupils didn’t dilate under challenge, nor did her pulse quicken enough. There were no adrenaline spikes followed by reddening of face or neck either. She used her charms instead of commands. I had seen Alphas bleed slower than she did during the first round. No. She was definitely a Beta, no matter what her words claimed. There were micro-submissive cues that even Athena was not aware of, like slight neck exposure while bowing and avoiding eye-contact with royalty. Even a good-for-nothing Alpha like Leo would never expose his neck to royalty, like Athena did, especially for another princess like Hannah who was younger in age than her.
“ … so you mean to say that you were able to see the bottle from your faraway corner?” Zane asked.
“Yes, Zane,” she haughtily replied, asserting her dominance over the Beta. “You should focus your investigation on that willy omega instead of me. I have reported what I saw. The rest is up to you,” the snobby woman added and pushed my shoulder as she brushed past me to join the contestants.
“If Maya is found guilty, then according to the rules, she will be executed on the spot,” Hannah declared.
I felt that the Lycan King’s clenched palms slightly twitch. I could tell that he seemed more affected than me, even though he maintained his aura of calm and silence.
Nurse Valerie lent her voice to my thoughts. “I accept,” I bowed my head. “However … ,” she firmly spoke.
Sebastian’s POV
“However?” Hannah prompted, clearly amazed by the confidence projected by the omega.
“If I am found innocent, I request His Highness to allow an investigation in Princess Athena’s wolf’s rank. I suspect she is a Beta and not an Alpha,” Valerie replied, echoing my suspicions, and a ripple of shocked gasps swept through the crowd.
“The mute woman is vicious! How could she accuse the princess like that?”
“She deserves to die. Ugh, omegas. They are the cream of trash.”
“Does she even know the basic concept of genetics? Princess Athena’s parents are Alphas. How could she be a Beta?”
“Is she even a doctor?”
“Seems like she cheated her way to get a medical certificate.”
“I heard she is a promiscuous woman. She slept her way through medical college. Even the Alpha of Black Storm Pack, Alpha Leo, was disgusted by her nocturnal activities and took his true mate, Quinn Callahan.”
The rumors only grew worse and darker but Maya stood straight with unshakeable resolve and faced the storm strongly alone. Not even a flicker of doubt passed across her eyes. Deep in my heart, I knew that she was caught in a cruel, calculated trap but I felt powerless. I couldn’t save her despite sitting at the helm of power.
Titan whimpered. Whimpered! He howled, pained by our mate’s humiliation and bleak odds of survival in this vile plan. How was she going to save herself?
“Mate seems to be going through a public trial instead of the Luna trial,” Titan said bitterly. “She can’t even speak to defend herself. This is unfair!”
Zane took matters in his own hands.
“We agree to Dr. Maya’s request but we need to prove her innocence or guilt first,” Zane announced, taking a neutral stance on the matter.
I closed my eyes. Justice was going to be served publicly to either party and Maya seemed to be caught in the eye of the public’s rage.
‘Oh Moon Goddess, help the mother of my children,’ I silently prayed.
“Beta Zane, no! Agreeing to this wicked woman’s conditions would bring great dishonor to my family!” Athena protested.
“That is true, Zane. How can you droop so low to accept this lowly omega’s outrageous request?” Hannah sharply said.
“My parents are Alphas. How can you rope them in her affairs when she is the one who poisoned the food?” Athena protested, too loud for an innocent woman.
‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’ The hardly literate lycan, Titan, turned Shakespeare. Zane rolled his eyes when he heard Titan speak but wisely chose to focus on matters in hand.
“Are you afraid of something, Princess Athena?” Zane asked, his voice deceptively soft, every syllable laced with challenge. “I believe the clause clearly states that if the doctor is proven guilty, then an inquiry into her accuser may proceed. Until then, shall we let the doctor test the food herself?” His eyes gleamed. “After all, we wouldn’t dare waste His Highness’ precious time, would we?”
The chamber fell still.
Athena’s eyes burned with fury, dark enough to kill a man on the spot. Her fingers twitched at her sides, restrained rage threatening to snap free.
Beside her, Hannah’s spine stiffened like a drawn bow. Neither dared to speak again. Their silence wasn’t surrender; it was survival. To argue now would be sacrilege. It would be to spit upon the throne itself.
I decided to strike whilethe iron was hot before the manipulative women in front of us dragged my innocent Maya through the mud again. I had let the venomous tongues to wag for too long.
I stood up and everyone rose from their seats as well. Zane and Hannah paved way for my passage, standing on either side with bowed heads. Even Athena yielded and bowed her head, her neck baring in submission as she usually did while greeting high ranking lycans.
I descended down the stairs. Every step slow and deliberate. Heavy with meaning. Silence fell upon the crowd in anticipation of what was to come.
My hand slightly brushed against my lovely mate’s. Sparks erupted at the tiniest point of contact and my heart soared. They were sparks of love. Bright, fierce, undeniable. That meant only one thing. Loyalty. Sparks never lied. If she did not love me and wanted to poison me, surely the sparks would have died or dimmed by now.
I walked with renewed strength, every stride a declaration of trust. A surge of confidence boosted my legs to walk towards the long white table where Maya and Athena’s dishes sat side by side. My stomach growled on seeing my mate’s plate. Maya’s cheeks flushed a delicate pink, and I allowed a smirk to pull at my lips.
And then I picked up the dessert of contention.
The infamous, suspicious, conical yellow ice-cream.
And I bit through it before anyone could stop me.
The chamber gasped, a collective inhale sharp enough to cut.
Silence.
My brain blew. My heart faltered. My vision blurred. My tongue burst.
My body locked in place.
“OH NO! YOUR MAJESTY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT? DOCTORS! QUICK, HELP HIS HIGHNESS. HE HAS GONE INTO SHOCK!” Hannah screamed, shrill with panic.
Chaos exploded around me. Screams, shouts, rushing feet.
But I? I remained still.
And I waited.