Chapter 60
~ NYSSA
It shamed me to say that it took far longer than it should have for me to realize what happened.
Every single eye in the room was trained on me with varying looks of shock, disbelief and disdain.
I stared at the rogue, wondering if I’d misheard, but he repeated my name with a sigh.
“She told me what to do,” he mumbled. “I swear it p>
“How could you?” Alisa was the first to react. “Are you so cruel that you would put your own pack in danger? Was this some kind of scheme to get Henry back?
I blinked, shocked by the conclusion that she’d drawn.
I looked around, waiting for someone to come to my aid but no one did. They stared at me like I was a monster they’d never seen before.
“I don’t know that man,” I managed out. “I swear to you, I have never seen him before in my life. Someone is framing me p>
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Alisa snapped. “Why would anyone frame you? How would he know your name p>
“I don’t know!” I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in defeat. “Show him my picture! He probably doesn’t even know who I am. This is… there has to be an explanation p>
She snorted. “Of course you’d say that when his eyes are swollen shut. You are despicable. I expected better from you. It’s no wonder you were so insistent on going to the King for help in the first place, you didn’t want Henry to find out what a bitch you are p>
I turned to Henry. “Surely you know that this is a joke, right? What would I gain from all of this p>
He didn’t respond immediately, he just stared at me with barely concealed disdain.
Through everything that had happened, Henry had never looked at me the way he was right now, like he didn’t know me.
“I would never!” I repeated. “One of you has to p>
The sound of bone cracking filled the air, cutting my words off.
I turned just in time to see the rogue slumped on the ground, his neck bent at an unnatural angle. His chest didn’t rise, and no ragged sound came out of him… he was dead.
“Why would you kill him?” Henry hissed, speaking for the first time. “He was the only one who could pin her to the p>
“You are a fool if you think he was telling the truth,” Rowan snapped, voice almost bored. “Rogues lie p>
“What would he gain from lying p>
Rowan shrugged. “I guess that’s something you have to figure out on your own p>
Henry’s chest heaved with barely concealed anger, but he turned away from Rowan, levelling the entire weight of his ire on me.
“It doesn’t matter, we heard what we needed to. We know who the traitor is and we know how we deal with them in this pack. Take Nyssa to the cells p>
“If any one of you lays a hand on my mate, you will find yourself in a similar position to this rogue right here p>
No one dared to move. Hell, no one even breathed.
I stared at Rowan in shock.
He was the last person I thought would defend me and yet, here he was.
He leaned against the wall, hands crossed over his chest in a symbol of ease, but there was no mistaking the volcano flaring in his eyes.
He watched everyone carefully, eyes lingering on Henry in particular. He hadn’t looked at me, not since this whole bullshit began.
“She is a traitor,” Henry growled.
“And you are a fool,” Rowan retorted coolly. “She has nothing to gain from attacking the pack p>
“She could have done it to get Henry back,” Alisa cut in.
I wanted to tell her how ridiculous that sounded but Rowan turned his gaze on her before I could speak.
She took a step back, eyes cast to the ground as she realized just how intense it was to have the King’s attention.
“If I recall correctly, the rogue attacks began before her unfortunate rejection. Unless there is something I have missed p>
She didn’t speak.
Doing so would mean admitting to the fact that she and Henry were involved in an affair while we were together. It was bad enough that the timeline of their relationship was messy; cheating was not tolerated, especially not when the cheating was done against one’s mate.
“She still needs to be punished,” Henry ground out. “She is p>
“If I hear the word traitor one more time, I will pull out my fucking ear drums,” he snapped before turning to his guards. “Did you hear the rogue speak before he died p>
The guards kept their faces stoic as they shook their heads. “No sir p>
“I didn’t either.” He turned to the council. “Did you p>
For a minute, no one spoke.
I just stood there unable to speak as I watched the same man who treated me like shit warp reality to defend me despite the overwhelming evidence.
The longer I stood there, the more I realized that there was more to Rowan than I thought. He’d done everything he could to prove to me that he was an ass and yet when it came down to it… he was on my side.
“No,” a council member said softly.
Soon enough, they were all echoing their no’s until Henry and Alisa remained.
The room was thick with brewing tension and most of it came from the both of them.
“It seems you were the only two that heard it,” Rowan drawled. “It would be a shame to hear you spread a rumor about my mate. The palace doesn’t lightly to things like that p>
His stance was easy, but there was a clear threat in his eyes.
“I’ve dealt with your rogue problem, do not call on me again p>
He headed for the door.
His fingers wrapped around the doorknob when he stopped and without looking over his shoulder, he spoke.
“Are you coming or not, Nyssa p>