The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate-Chapter 89: Viper’s Kiss Didn’t Account for Twice

"Sit," King Tiberon ordered, already pouring whiskey.

One for himself. One for his son. One for Hyran.

Because gods, this was not going to be pleasant.

Dexmon dropped into the chair hard, jaw tight, fury barely leashed. He took the glass without thanks.

"So," Hyran began lightly, "I have good news and very bad news." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Dexmon shot him a look sharp enough to draw blood. "Skip the preamble. Someone tell me what the hell is going on."

Hyran inclined his head, unfazed. "Bad news first, then. Agnes injected you with a serum called Viper’s Kiss. Dark magic. Soul-sacrifice tier. Punishable by death in most kingdoms."

Dexmon’s fingers tightened around his glass.

"The good news," Hyran continued. "Your wolf intervened before the enchantment could anchor. No permanent damage. You didn’t kill anyone. And your mind returned."

Dexmon exhaled through his teeth, already bracing for the rest.

Hyran’s smile thinned. "It severs the matebond and erases the thing or person you love most. You can be speaking to them and still not know who they are."

He took a sip of his whiskey.

"You then kill both. You kill your mate. You kill the thing or person you love most. And then you lose your mind."

"Agnes didn’t read the fine print that you’d be catatonic," Hyran added, voice flat. "Completely fine with the double murder though."

Dexmon took a deep drink of whiskey. That was far worse than he had expected.

"Death penalty," he declared flatly. "End of discussion."

"We agree," Hyran replied. "Unfortunately, the situation is ... layered."

Tiberon cut in. "Darkhowler is involved now. Agnes confessed to Garrett. Viper’s Kiss combined with False Mate Tincture to force attraction."

Dexmon’s jaw tightened.

"She assumed your dragon was the thing you loved most," Hyran added. "Tied to Serena. Her belief was that with the dragon and matebond both blocked, you’d be able to see clearly and choose her."

"We suspect that Viremont and the Orosian High Emperor assumed your father would be blocked. Or worst case, your dragon, would also be ideal."

He paused, letting the truth settle.

"In your case," Hyran remarked, voice dry as ash, "Serena was both the matebond and the thing you loved most. Viper’s Kiss is not designed to erase one person twice. None of them anticipated that."

"As I mentioned, Viper’s Kiss ends with the subject killing the thing they love most along with their mate," Hyran continued. "Which brings us to the remaining good news. You did not kill your father. You did not kill your dragon. And Serena is alive."

Dexmon took a deep breath.

King Tiberon set his glass down. "Agnes is claiming she’s pregnant and that you are the father. I am going to ask this once. Is that possible?"

Dexmon didn’t answer immediately. Fractured flashes surfaced. Agnes too close. The wrongness of it crawling over his skin.

He gagged.

"No," he answered flatly. "Absolutely not. I didn’t sleep with Agnes until after she did whatever the hell she did to me. And even then, I never successfully completed the act."

Tiberon pinched the bridge of his nose.

Dexmon shrugged, unapologetic. "I remember thinking how ungodly unattractive I was finding her."

Hyran’s mouth curved faintly. "Add that to the list of good news then." He swirled the whiskey in his glass, dreading what he was about to say aloud.

"There is some additional bad news," he began. "Serena walked in on you and Agnes. I’m told it was the night of the crowning ceremony after she worked in my study... and again that morning."

The color drained from Dexmon’s face. His chest tightened, heart cracking. Gods, no. He searched his memory, grasping for images, for anything. All he found was fog.

"You can’t remember," Hyran observed, reading it on him, "because Serena was involved. The suppression locks anything tied to her. It will return. Gradually. Like the rest."

Dex’s stomach dropped. He ran his hand through his hair, fury aimed inward. Somewhere in the gaps of his stolen memory, Serena had seen him with Agnes, and thought he chose her. That he lied. She cried in his arms, and he understood why now.

"She broke your matebond the second time she saw you," Hyran added.

The words hit like a physical blow.

"I need to see her," he breathed, voice breaking. "I need to explain. I need to fix this."

"Yes," King Tiberon said calmly, "but you will listen first."

Dexmon stilled, heart thudding.

"Your mark helped stabilize her silver poisoning," King Tiberon continued. "When it vanished, her body went into delayed shock."

"Shadowclaw is her second-chance fated mate. He felt her pain and found her. She needed to be marked again."

The glass Dexmon had been holding shattered in his hands.

"I’m going to kill him."

"Her gold cuff activated. I mindlinked you, and you arrived with Agnes. You wouldn’t mark her. Hyran and I both tried to reason with you. Your mother did as well."

King Tiberon hesitated for a moment before continuing. "He swore to protect her with his life. A full military oath of Shadowclaw and open borders."

He glanced at Hyran, an exchange not missed by Dexmon.

He shook his head once. "She was about to die. You wouldn’t mark her. He wanted her, offering something unheard of. But even if he hadn’t, we couldn’t let her die. She’s the Draken Prime. So I gave my blessing for him to save her."

"But your wolf shifted for you. Knocked him back. Marked her again. Over his mark."

"Which, we now know saved your life," he continued. "When you marked, she bled, you got that in your mouth. It stopped Viper’s Kiss but wasn’t enough to reverse."

Dexmon ran his hand over his face.

Aegon: You’re welcome.

"We gave you two vials of her blood last night, and that seemed to clear the fog," Hyran said.

"I remember."

"Shadowclaw hasn’t told her yet about being second-chance mates," Hyran continued. "Or about marking her. Though she likely has felt it to some degree by now. He was with her the last two nights."

Dexmon’s head snapped up. His voice dropped, dangerous and low. "What do you mean with her?"

The idea of that bastard thinking he had any claim on Serena, any right to her because of second-chance fate or proximity or timing, made Dexmon’s vision go red.

Hyran hesitated, taking a long sip of his whiskey before saying this next part. Tiberon didn’t meet his gaze. Hot potato. He owed him one after this.

"Viremont entered our main tent yesterday armed with his men. It wasn’t safe for Serena to sleep there. So she stayed in Shadowclaw’s second bedroom last night," Hyran said flatly.

"Second bedroom." Dex repeated it slowly, like he was tasting poison. "I will fucking kill him. Shadowclaw better not have—"

Tiberon cut Dexmon off.

"The night before that. She stepped in for you on Velkaris. Shadowclaw and Aeron stayed behind to fight."

"You are still compromised until the serum is fully out of your system," King Tiberon continued, voice unyielding, "I will step in as commander again today."

He paused.

"I’m sorry, Dex."

Dexmon’s knuckles went white where his hands rested on the table. Fury burned hot and sharp in his chest, but beneath it was something colder. He understood. That almost made it worse.

"I need Serena awake and prepared for battle with Velkaris," Tiberon continued. "I don’t need her upset. I need her focused."

That snapped something in Dexmon.

No. Absolutely not.

"Serena has ridden Velkaris under five times," Dexmon said, tone crisp. "I would’ve never approved that if I’d been aware."

"This would be easier if you remembered two nights ago," Tiberon said evenly. "Water and storm dragons. We are short on time."

He studied Dexmon. "Are you able to ride Velkaris and have her act as spotter? She can break through the fae magic, but she struggled to command them."

"Yes," Dexmon answered, irritation bleeding through. "I assumed I would be."

"Good," Tiberon said. "She worked with you without issue. If you speak to her now and upset her, you will upset Shadowclaw. Wait until after the battle."

Dexmon’s jaw clenched. "Understood."

He did not trust himself to say more.

Tiberon had made the correct call. Dexmon knew it. As a leader, he would have done the same. That knowledge did nothing to dull the anger of having his command stripped from him, even temporarily. It sat in his chest like a bruise he kept pressing.

If he got one chance, one moment alone with her eyes on his, he would tell her everything. Battle or no battle, she deserved the truth.

He wasn’t entirely sure what his father meant by she could cut through fae magic.

But he was about to find out.