Chapter 73
Listening to Miro, Ralph felt like she had made a mistake. Of course, she understood that that was definitely not the intention of her husband, seeing as he was objective about it all, but it didn’t make all of this any better. She had been the victim and yet there were questions. She knew there were investigations about and given what Bashir had said earlier Ralph couldn’t blame the king for wanting to know what had really transpired that day. It was understandable really, especially since the king had been Polina’s best friend.
She could tell that this was affecting Miroslav and the more that the king stressed about it the longer he would be frustrated and no matter what happened at the moment, Ralphine would have to be the queen for the king. She would have to work it out regardless of what happened. She was his partner and she needed to be there for him. Hopefully, when all was done and dusted, the king would be okay, but would he really? He had just lost his best friend and hadn’t even begun mourning her yet.
Denial was a pretty strong thing and it hurt like a bitch.
“Do you think someone was behind it all? Blackmail perhaps?” Ralphine asked, seeing as there were no other options left. Nothing would make Poliana do something that she didn’t want to, if she was that principled Ralphine knew that kind of character so well because she always was like that. She never folded unless she had to.
Over the years that she had taken endless hits in Koslov, she had tried to do her best so her parents wouldn’t know what hurt her. She would come up with excuses or wake up earlier than them, and sometimes later because it was easier that way, she knew her parents were having a hard time with raising the family and making sure that she had a good life and she couldn’t let them know she was being bullied because of her lack of a rank in a pack that had the strongest of wolves.
Perhaps it was a little curse that Ralph had to live with, but whichever reason there was, she truly wanted to understand what had forced Polina’s hand this time. The woman she was learning about was so different from the woman she had seen, but then at the same time, she couldn’t exactly judge Polina just because she had gotten jealous that one time on her first day out of the king’s chambers. That was a long time ago, and Polina hadn’t been mean to her in any way. That was the one thing that was stuck in Ralphine’s head all this time.
“That is what I’m trying to figure out. Elder Rostova was too strict a father and he loved his daughter very much. He should *have said something when she died, or even been accused, but he didn’t. Instead, he had locked himself up despite the fact
that he loved his daughter more than his life. There are so many blank spaces here, Ralph,” the king said as he looked around the throne room. There were so many memories for him, Hei, Viktor, and Polina in there. They had been friends for over thousands of years and in all that time they hadn’t once betrayed each other.
This shit just got complicated and the king hated it. He hated the reality of it all, but then so did his wife.
Ralphine remembered the way Polina had provoked her that day in the dungeons, almost like she had wanted to get the pain and suffering over and done with. It was the craziest of things and Ralphine knew that it wasn’t the easiest to do, not with Mir and their entire friend group there. Perhaps that was why Heion was still hurt that Polina had subjected herself to that kind of cruelty. But then who was to be blamed, really?
What Polina had said and done in the dungeons, had been the worst and the cruelest provocation that even the strongest of minds wouldn’t have been able to fight against. That shit had made her the perfect villain in Ralphine’s mind and with her Lycan new and determined to prove that she was powerful shit did get messy and dirty. All of these secrets were fucking with her mind and now she had to live with the fact that she had killed someone who was probably innocent. How the fuck was she supposed to even process that?
“If you say Elder Rostova was vicious and tenacious, and Polina did something out of the blue, then it can only mean that whatever there was, it had to relate to the elder. From your recollection, Polina wasn’t the kind to relent no matter what happened, so there could only ever be one reason that she deviated,” Ralph said thoughtfully. The pieces were slowly coming together, but not in the way that he had expected.
Sure, Polina had given her a shabby explanation of why she had done what she had done, but Ralphine hadn’t really bought it. Jealousy was a strong emotion, but not this kind, so maybe that was why the Lycan queen was rethinking everything Maybe she would be able to understand this better if an investigation was launched. However, even then, would the Rostova clder give them an explanation or would he forever keep his silence then? Oh, but the throne of Asmoria was one that would
Chapter 78
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always be riddled with chaos, and this time, Ralphine found herself in the middle.
“Her father.” Miro concluded. That was the only possible explanation. No matter what they tried to think of, or any motivation for the sins that Polina had committed, none of them did stick, because of the woman’s pride and loyalty to the crown. The warrior had been a smart woman regardless of what happened, and that was something that the king wouldn’t start dismissing just because she had put Ralphine in harm’s way, Power was dangerous, but so was the knowledge of the impossible in the kingdom.
“Exactly… There had to be a threat to the elder that was why Polina did what she did. But who would have that much power over her? Who would be so brazen to get her to walk me to the jaws of Drescher then?” Ralph asked, not understanding how this was connected
Somehow, she knew Drescher was the evil bastard in all of this. The man was the spawn of Satan who thought he had found some damning enlightenment. How the fuck did Drescher ever conclude that he was win love with Ralphine after lashing her, humiliating her, and publicly rejecting her? Or perhaps Drescher Volkoy was a psychopath who needed to be locked up? Well, that was something that Ralph was really considering, especially now that beta Drescher was in the Asmoria dungeons. Maybe he needed to be so isolated that the only thing Dreshcer could think of was emptiness.
If it wasn’t for the fact that the Lycan King, Miroslav, had promised to kill Drescher, she would have tortured the man for years on end just to make the bastard feel the pinch of being alone and unwanted by people who considered him the outcast. At least this time. Drescher would be a deserving outcast for the madness he had triggered and for his selfishness. Oh, that man needed to be stopped and Ralphine was hoping he got the worst of punishments before his last breath.
“There can only be two people in this case. Alpha Bashir and Drescher. Bashir is ruled out automatically because he may be in love with you, but he would never try to put you in harm’s way, All his deeds with his father, along with the pure hatred and anger, were directed towards me. To make me the bad guy so you would leave on your own. He even came to reveal the truth about what happened to your family and your father. He loves you far too much to hurt
you.
“So, he wouldn’t do that. As much as I despise him for his obsession with you, that is also how I know he worships the very ground you walk on,” Miro said dejectedly. There were so many puzzles and he would go crazy if he didn’t solve them. He was running on low sleep, almost none at all and his mind was filled with the cries of his people, their demands and the pleas for some. He wanted to make sure he had the best kingdom and that he listened to his people, but with the Drescher revolution issue still out there, Miroslav was losing his mind day by day.
“Then that leaves Drescher,” Ralph sighed. She couldn’t believe that even after all this white, Drescher Volkov still found a way to fuck up her life that man really had no shame. It was appalling but Ralphine had to be patient. She had to remind herself that no matter what happened, she would eventually get to the bottom of this, she would get justice for herself and her family. She would be there to make sure everyone was okay, but at what cost this time? Especially now that Drescher Volkov was a danger to her even when he was in the dungeons.
“Yeah, but the planning was too meticulous. I have never seen anyone who could threaten Polina that brazenly. She always had dirt on people and could swing her way out of any trouble. Besides, she had Viktor, Hei and me to go to in case she was in a fix. It breaks my heart to know she couldn’t reach out even if she wanted to, and that is something that keeps me awake.
“It could only ema that Drescher had found a way to threaten the elder. And that even raises more questions, because Elder Rostova is not the kind to give up that easily,” Miroslav said frustratedly. Each time he thought of Drescher he felt like killing them many more times than he could think of. Perhaps he was insane for that, but Drescher sure did know how to bring out
beta sure was nuts. his darkest impulses. The Koslov
Ralphine was not sure how long this would take but one thing she was sure of was that Miro was fading slowly. Her husband was so worked up and needed to get some rest. She needed to watch a break because the kingdom could run even without him for a few days. They had capable warriors and people who could help. And with the royal council available the king could take even up to six months break. But then he couldn’t at the moment, though Ralph hoped. Or she just had to press on, right? They had been trying to hold on for the longest time, and they would eventually crack.
Ibrahim. I know you want to get to the bottom of all this and make sure we catch the bad guys, but we can’t do that if you’re this tired and frustrated. Come along love. Let’s get some rest. We have had a long four days and you can’t keep going on like this. The pressure is too much on you, and you don’t want to fold, but sometimes it’s okay to fold,” Ralph said earnestly as she held her Erasthai’s hands. She understood him and the devastation on his face was a little too familiar. However, this time, it wasn’t about her. It was about him, the beloved Lycan king who hadn’t taken a break in a really long
Chapter 78
time.
“Elder Rostova doesn’t deserve any of this. We lost someone because of things that could have definitely been prevented. Polina sacrificed herself to keep her father safe. She did what she thought was the only want and she didn’t even include me She knew that treason against the queen was the highest form and would be met with instant murder and she still went on to do it. She was very aware that the queen’s high guards would take her out without a second thought yet even then she didn’t falter.
“She died because I couldn’t protect her so well, Ralph. What does that say about me as her best friend?” Miro sighed as he ran a finger roughly through his hair. This was not fair to them all. This was cruel and if he got to the bottom of this, even Karma wouldn’t want to see the result of what he would have done by then. He would make them all pay. He would ruin them in every single way and he wouldn’t rest until all his answers were loud. And if they all led to Drescher, then the wolf would have to brace himself for the longest winter in the Asmoria dungeons, because King Miroslav Ibrahimovich would. make sure he never saw the light of day anymore.
“I know, but you can’t do that if you don’t rest, Ibrahim. She wouldn’t want you like this. She wouldn’t want you to work yourself out without any rest. We will get to the bottom of all this no matter what happens. At the end of the day there would be something to work out. Let’s talk about work tomorrow, for now, we need to go to sleep. You look like you’re about to lose your mind,” Ralph said as she gently got up and forced Miro up. She knew he wouldn’t get up if she didn’t help him and she couldn’t leave him here, not when his mind was filled with so much pain. It wasn’t the best that could happen and she needed to protect him, even if it was from himself.
“Alright. Tomorrow it is. I’m sorry I can’t portal us to our chambers right now. I need to think,” the king said and Ralph just nodded, before she created a portal like Kara had taught her, surprising the king. Finally, all those lessons with Kara were paying off.
Well at least she was a good student, right?
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