The First King
Chapter 21

The silence in the council room was deafening for Prew. Everyone else had left several minutes ago, but Julius was quiet as he leaned against a wall. And then, Konrad was sitting in his chair, his eyes glued to the floor. She was confused as she stood there, waiting for someone to say something.

"What are we doing here?" She finally questioned.

Julius held up his finger in front of his lips, requesting that she be quiet. Prew glared at him as she furrowed her brows. He asked that they stay so he could speak with both of them, yet he remained silent. And while she stood there, infuriated with Julius, Konrad looked as if he had seen a ghost. Something was going on that she was unaware of. She wondered if they were conversing over mind link, but even then, she was unsure if they could do that since they were not from the same pack. Before she could voice her objections to being there, the door opened behind her.

Prew watched as a larger man led a young woman into the room. She recognized the woman as someone from the Wild Haer pack who had gotten a job at the castle. But why was she here? Prew's head snapped to Konrad. His face was buried in his hands, and she could see how his back trembled slightly.

"My Alpha!" The woman exclaimed as she rushed over to Konrad. She knelt on the ground beside him as she gently rubbed his arm.

"Oh," Prew whispered, instantly realizing who the woman was. This was Konrad's mistress. It wasn't a surprise that she would be a wolf. Why would Konrad ever feel attracted to a human? But seeing the woman here, openly caressing Konrad, made Prew angry. She looked at Julius with a fierce glare. "What is the meaning of this? Why did you bring her here?!"

"Did you know about her?" Julius inquired curiously as he got off the wall.

"I knew Konrad had a mistress, yes," she answered with a frown.

"Mistress?" Julius choked. "No, that woman is his fated mate."

"Mate?!" Prew shouted as she turned to face Konrad. Her heart began to break, not because he hurt her, but because she was foolish enough to believe his words. "She is the reason you tried to push me away! You lied to me!"

"I'm sorry," Konrad whispered as his shoulders began to sag.

"Why did you agree to marry me if you had a mate?! You're a selfish bastard!"

"Don't talk to Konrad like that!" Lorelei yelled as she stood up straight. She stepped forward, attempting to confront Prew.

"You better take a step back," Prew hissed as she drew the silver dagger that she had tucked away. Konrad quickly shot up from the chair and pulled Lorelei behind him.

"Put that down, Prew," he commanded.

"No! I want to know! Why are you here wasting everyone's time?!" She bellowed as her face grew hot. "You had a choice! You could have said no!"

"I'm sorry," Konrad murmured as he stepped toward Prew. "I've made a mess of things."

"That you did," Julius scoffed as he crossed his arms. "Not only did you decide to keep your mate, but you paraded her around to the other packs. Why? Did you not think anyone would have found out?!"

"It was my fault," Lorelei stated as she looked around Konrad.

"Quiet, pup!" Julius commanded with a growl. "You should not even be here!"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Konrad snarled as he balled his hands into fists.

"I should have taken her to my pack when I had the chance," Julius scoffed. "You have no idea how close you were to ruining this whole thing! If Callum had gone to anyone other than me, the whole Leader Council would have known about your deception. And here you stand before me, acting as if it isn't a big deal! Do you not realize that this new alliance is being held together by twine?! Everything we are striving to accomplish could shatter in an instant, all because you wanted to keep both your mate and your human wife!"

"He didn't want to keep me," Prew murmured as she crossed her arms. It hurt Konrad to hear her words. Sure, in the beginning, he just wanted Lorelei, but now he wanted Prew, too. He attempted to reach out to her, but she moved back away from him. "There is not even a point for me being here, being Queen of Queens. Just give it to his mate and let this be done with."

"It's too late to change this," Julius retorted as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "We have a charter that is signed by 17 different kingdoms and packs. It states you and Konrad are to be a married and mated pair. There is no changing things! But we can lose support if they find out that your marriage is fake!"

"Can't Konrad just change the charter? He is the King of Kings, after all," Lorelei argued as she placed her hands on Konrad's arm.

"That is not how this works, you daft girl!" Julius growled. "You shouldn't even be here! You're just a weak pup, a scared little girl who wouldn't even get past a Luna initiation!"

Without thinking, Konrad lunged at Julius. His right fist connected with Julius' nose, breaking it upon impact. Lorelei backed away with a gasp as blood began to gush out. Julius' Beta attempted to help as Konrad continued to pummel his Alpha, but he was unable to get too close. Prew attempted to grab Konrad's arm, but she was not strong enough to pull him away. She jumped on his back, giving herself the leverage she needed to place the silver dagger against his throat. Once he felt the sizzling against his skin, Konrad froze.

"That is enough," she hissed into Konrad's ear as Julius slipped out from under him. "Don't you think you've caused enough trouble?"

Konrad watched as Julius scurried to the other side of the room, far from his grasp. His nose was bleeding heavily, but he was steaming. Though Konrad felt remorseful for attacking his mentor, Julius would heal quickly. What wouldn't heal so easily was Lorelei's feelings. Julius was wrong for calling her weak. He turned to look at his mate, who was trembling against a wall.

"She is weak," he sighed to Nero. "Julius wasn't wrong."

"But we love her..." Nero whimpered.

"I'm done," Konrad mumbled as he tried to push Prew away. "Get off of me."

"Are you going to behave?"

"Yes," he answered in a low growl.

"You better," she whispered as she removed the dagger from his throat. Prew slid off of his back and stepped away, giving him space.

Without saying anything, Konrad stormed from the room. Lorelei was quick to chase after him, leaving only Prew, Julius, and the Beta in the council room. Prew scowled as she turned to face the Alpha.

"Is this what you wanted?!" She questioned harshly.

"No," he admitted with a sigh. "I had hoped that Konrad could see reason."

"Oh, you hoped he could see reason?" She mocked with a roll of her eyes. "How quaint."

"I know you didn't ask for any of this," he muttered as he approached her. "And I'm sorry. I should have known that he would not make a rational decision."

"You know, for the briefest of moments, I thought he and I... never mind. It doesn't matter. None of it does," she retorted as she left the room.

While Prew went outside to escape her emotions, Konrad and Lorelei had gone to his bed chambers.

"Can we talk, please," Lorelei begged as she stood behind Konrad. He had not looked at her, and every time she touched him, he moved away.

"What is there to talk about?!" He snapped at her. "I've messed everything up! It's all ruined!"

"Not everything is ruined; you still have me," she stated gently. "We still have each other."

"Do you think that our relationship matters more than my title?!" He roared as he turned to face her. "Do you think you matter more than those people who are dying each day by the dark witches?!"

"N-no," she sniffled as she looked down to the floor. "Of course not."

"I think it's best if you leave," he asserted firmly. "You're a distraction."

"Are you going to reject me?" She questioned as her voice wavered.

"I don't think I could, even if I tried," Konrad admitted softly as he glanced at her. The thought had crossed his mind, but Nero would not do it; he would not sever their connection.

"But, you're still going to be with that human girl?"

"I have no choice in that. We are married."

"You had a choice! You chose to marry her, and now you cannot change it. Are you going to choose her over me?!"

"Prew is strong," he whispered as his heart began to ache. Nero began to struggle within his soul at the realization of what was happening. Konrad could not reject Lorelei, so the only thing he could do was make her be the one to do it. "She has proven herself by defeating an Alpha, by passing the Luna initiation." S~ᴇaʀᴄh the Findɴovel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Do you want her as your mate?" Lorelei demanded as she took a step back.

"Between the two of you, she would be the better mate."

"Then say it, reject me!" She sobbed as her hands went to her chest. When he shook his head no, she grew angry. "Why not? Why do you want to watch me suffer?!"

"Then save yourself!" He snapped. "You have a say in this! Do you choose to stay and suffer alongside me? Because if you do, you cannot complain about it. If Prew can bear with our marriage, then so can you."

"I cannot do it," Lorelei wept as her hands covered her face. "I cannot reject you, nor can I be on the sidelines anymore."

"If you stay with me, I will only continue to fail you," Konrad warned. "I cannot give you the things that you want. I will always have to put Prew first. She will have to carry my pups, and I cannot give you any. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen; there was so much that was out of my control."

"Do you love her?"

"What?" He questioned with a confused look.

"Do you love her?" Lorelei reiterated her question as she looked him in the eyes. "If you tell me that you love her, then I will leave. I will reject you, and you will never have to see me again. You can try to rebuild whatever you can salvage with the human without me getting in the way. If that is what you truly want, I will give it to you. But if you don't love her, I will not leave."

Konrad's throat went dry as he tried to find the words that he wanted to say. Did he love Prew? Deep down, he knew it would not take much to push him over that edge. He already craved to be in her presence. Touching her, watching as her body reacted to him, brought him immense happiness. He was not in love with her yet, but he loved her strength and resolve. He loved her strong will, her abrasiveness. Konrad could see himself fighting side by side with Prew, pushing back the darkness together. He could see himself having a family with her, ruling over the lands with her. After a few seconds of thinking, he finally looked up at Lorelei. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she waited for him to answer.

"I love her," he finally stated. "I love Prew."

"Oh," Lorelei gasped as she gripped her chest. She had hoped that he would say no, that he would see reason. But he did not want the same things that she wanted. "Then, Konrad... Alpha of the Wild Haer pack... King of Kings... I, Lorelei, reject you as my mate."

Nero howled within Konrad's soul. Their connection to Lorelei was severing. Pain soared through his chest, forcing him down to his knees. He was breaking in half. It felt as if he was bleeding out on the floor, but there was no mess. He clutched his chest as he gasped for air. For Konrad, this rejection was worse than the day he lost his parents. Today, he lost part of himself, something that he could never get back. Lorelei quickly left the room, struggling to remain upright herself. She needed to escape, to get far away. And she needed to do so before Konrad found the strength to chase after her.

The decision has finally been made! Konrad chose Prew over Lorelei, but what do you think of the decision? Do you think that him choosing Prew was solely because of his love for her, or do you think that his need for blood and vengeance pushed him to make that decision?

In the meantime, have two songs!

The first one is The Safety of Disbelief by Light the Torch. For me, it is a good song that showcases Konrad's inability to be everything that Lorelei wants him to be. He cannot be her mate, her one true love.

The second song is Save Yourself by My Darkest Days. There are two lines in this song that really resonates with what I have tried to portray with Konrad. "There's nothing to be gained, 'cause I can never change... And you can never understand my sickness." I know I didn't hammer it in this chapter, but I feel like Konrad's sickness is his inability to move on. He is going to always want to get revenge for his parents. As we saw in the last chapter, their deaths still haunt him greatly.

But enough of that, what did you guys think?

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