The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 247: Where It All Began ()

Zariah’s hands trembled visibly, try as she might to conceal it. Zariah swiftly clenched her hands into a fist and the moment she sensed Lord Kodin’s arrival, she turned.

"Deal with this." Zariah said to Lord Kodin and then strode off.

It was a struggle to keep her legs from giving out but Zariah kept her cool until she was out of sight and within the comfort and privacy of her room, only then did she let out the breath she had not realized she was holding.

One deep breath...two deep breaths...

It was not enough. Zariah felt like the air all around had suddenly gone much too thin and there was just not enough supply for her struggling lungs.

Zariah gasped, grabbing a bookshelf for balance, she clutched her chest and gasped frantically, yet her lungs were sealed tight and no air would go in.

Zariah slammed her fist into her chest, repeating the motion multiple times in a bid to ease her condition and it was in that state the door came open.

"Zari!" Nile’s familiar voice exclaimed in horror.

Zariah glanced up, still gasping violently, she struggled to get a word out, but could not and could only point at the partly opened door.

Kristen who had come in behind Nile was quick to shut the door whilst Nile rushed over to Zariah, he took hold of Zariah’s hand to prevent her from beating her own chest.

"Breathe...breathe Zari, breathe...deep breaths, follow my motions..." Nile expertly guided, his brows furrowed in concern.

Zariah complied, replicating Nile’s breathing motions until her lungs began to relax and take in air properly and in a moment, her breaths slowed down and she stopped gasping.

Zariah took a moment more to calm herself before she walked past Nile over to her bed.

"You are not going to tell me what that was? Again?" Nile questioned Zariah.

"It is nothing." Zariah replied blankly, her thoughts still in a state of overdrive.

"That was not nothing Zariah! That is not the first time in these past months that you have had a panic attack! Werewolves do not have panic attacks!"

"And let us not even begin to speak on how strange you have been acting all this time! Keeping everyone at arms length, not letting us know anything you are up to! You think I could not tell you let those rogues hurt you on purpose?! I’ve known you since the day you were born, dammit! Are we still going to keep this up even now?!" Nile hissed.

Zariah was taken aback by Nile’s sudden outburst and she glanced over at him, her brows furrowed into a frown.

"Nile..." Kristen called to his lover warily, moving to shield Nile from Zariah’s gaze, instinctually protecting his mate from potential danger even when the person on the other side was his own cousin.

Kristen’s action seemed to snap Nile out of his raging haze and he seemed equally taken aback to realize what he had just done.

"Zari... I did not mean..." Nile began, stepping back into view.

"Am I obligated to share my personal matters with you?" Zariah asked in a dark tone.

"Zari..." Nile said, wincing visibly at Zariah’s glare.

"Alpha, I apologize for the overstep." Nile adjusted, lowering his head to a bow.

"Zariah...he did not mean to anger you." Kristen spoke in favor of his mate.

Kristen rarely spoke in general and so Zariah could never ignore or trivialize his words when he did speak, she glanced over at the merman and then heaved a sigh.

"I know that. This is not a good time... for any of us. I want to be alone." Zariah said in a low tone.

Nile looked reluctant but Kristen nodded and pulled Nile along with him to leave Zariah’s room.

"I heard of what happened in the courtyard. I think...you should go see Askel, Lord Kodin’s instructions be damned. That is what I came to say..." Nile dropped a few words before he complied.

When they had left, Zariah fell to her back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

She had returned to her room in the guest quarters as she could not bear to remain in Askel’s quarters all by herself but now, at this moment, Zariah dearly craved even just the slightest whiff of his scent.

Especially now that it has become apparent to her what the misunderstanding was all along.

"The mastermind, the one who was behind the annihilation of Crimson Moon pack and my death... the one who has been in the shadows all this while, the one Caedmon had referred to with the title of ’King’, the one who carried the Alpha King Jade...it was never Askel, but all along, it was his brother." Zariah murmured to herself, the devastating memories fresh in her mind like the wounds had been inflicted yesterday.

The fear and intensity of hate and rage she had felt, everything was alive in her veins at this very moment, diverse dark emotions clashing violently that Zariah feared she would face another panic attack at this rate.

"Then...in the past lifetime, all of this must have happened on this side of the barrier. Askel was taken down as a monster, imprisoned and his blood used to further inflict destruction and torture enemies, whilst the Alpha King had been Morden." Torin thought to Zariah the same realization Zariah had also come to.

"But why did Askel say nothing of Morden to me all this while?" Zariah murmured aloud.

"Nile is right. I think we need to go speak with Askel. He is our mate, he cannot hide the truth from us any longer. If we stand any chance of changing our fate... his fate, we must know where it all began." Torin said, always the voice of reason.

"Where it all began..." Zariah murmured slowly,

For a moment, she just laid in place, and then she got up to her feet and headed out of her room, making her way to the dungeons.