Love and Chaos Series
The Alpha King’s Ugly Bride Chapter 91

"Queen Mia, your presence is needed in the throne room. The elders are assembled and waiting for you."

Mia slammed shut the book in her hand abruptly and rose to her feet, following the guard out of her study. She walked as fast as her legs could take her to stay on track with Sir Valerio.

Summoning the eight elders together usually took three to five days, because they weren't always in the capital. But since they've all stayed at the capital in the last three weeks of the king's trial, their arrival at the palace took a few hours after the message went out to them.

She arrived at the throne room and the eight elders stood before the king, all adorned with white robes having golden stripes. Over a dozen guards stood behind them and Edward stood on the first stair that led up the throne seat where Xavier sat. All eyes travelled to her at her arrival and she immediately shivered in response, knowing her attacker was also here, staring at her.

Xavier held out a hand from his seat and she climbed the few stairs that led up to him and took his hand. He guided her, and she sat beside him.

The room remained quiet until he spoke.

"A majority of you don't know why you're here. This is because we've kept the affairs of the Palace most times in the Palace, but yesterday someone attacked my wife, your Queen."

The men standing gasped and their widened eyes moved over to Mia, who fought to keep her head high and her gaze up. One of these men before her tried to kill her, and she didn't hope to show any weakness to him.

"You're all here because we like to find out who it was," he stated, his eyes scanning the men standing before him.

"Do you know who is it, my king?" Alpha Zayn asked, his tone more concerned than scared.

"We do not know yet, but we will before this meeting ends."

"Is the Queen okay though?" Alpha Jashin, another elder, asked.

"She's fine. She'll receive better protection from now on." He said with much assurance. "while fighting for her life, she saw the council's mark engraved on the intruder's wrist, and that means the intruder is one of you eight." Xavier revealed.

The eight alphas gasped and turned to stare at themselves with widened eyes and others, with narrowed gazes as they wondered who it was.

Xavier turned to Mia and nodded his head at her, informing her it was her time.

She rose to her feet and climbed down the stairs and towards the men. Every werewolf in the kingdom had a unique smell. She had known that for as long as she could remember. During her attack, she had picked up the scent that seemed familiar, but still hard to determine. Identifying the mark on his wrist narrowed down the search from over three million people in Wahala down to only eight. Xavier encouraged her to use her senses of smell to identify who he was. Mia had prepared herself for just that.

She reached over to the first alpha on her left, Walter, but his smell differed from the one her mind had registered. She proceeded to Alpha Varies and then Alpha Jashin and Alpha Koz, and alpha Killian, and alpha Tobi, leaving two more alpha, Chike and Chadow. Then she moved to Chike, and it clicked, and she immediately stumbled back from him. She didn't even try moving to alpha Chadow because alpha Chike had matched the scent she had perceived yesterday.

Xavier, picking the change in her, nodded for his guard and they matched forward towards Chike.

Alpha Chike saw them approach, and he reached out to the side of the guard on his left and took his silver dagger. Then he seized Mia, who was taking her leave before she knew it. He held the dagger a few inches from her chest. The elders in the hall gasped out in shock and horror as they stared at him with widened eyes.

"Stay back!" he barked out at the guards.

Panic flashed in Xavier's eyes as he watches Mia in Chike's hands, unable to move. Although she tried to keep the emotion at bay, she look terrified. Once again, he had failed to keep his queen from harm's way.

"You fucking threaten my wife and queen before me and the council?" Xavier roared, his eyes flaring up a bloody red.

"Someone has to, someone has to stop an arrogant, ruthless brat like you!" he spat out, his voice spiteful, yet firm.

Xavier smile through his rage and it was the most vicious sight. "You're right, I am arrogant and ruthless, but why my wife? Why has she been the target of your cruel plot?"

"You took away what I loved. It's only fair I do the same." he stated, "I've made my peace with fate. I'm ready to die!" He thrust the dagger forward toward Mia's heart. "No!" Xavier yelled.

The dagger pierced the layer of Mia's robe and slightly into her skin, but Edward's hand shot forward. His blue eyes turned white as his magic surged to the surface. His magical power subdued Chike's thrust and made him unable to pierce further into Mia like he wanted to.

Edward saw he had been restrained and turned to the king, yelling, "Now, Xavier!"

"Put that dagger down!!" Xavier thundered with such velocity that shook everyone in the room, his eyes still glowing a terrifying red.

Compelled, Chike let go of the dagger. It dropped to the floor, and he released his grip on Mia.

She ran away from beside him, and that same second, Xavier surged forward, wrapped his grip around Chike's neck, and slammed him into the wall. This made the throne room quake a little and all eyes in the room stayed on them, but no one moved or uttered a word.

Chike fought to set himself free of Xavier's grip, but he only tightened it the more, making him choke out. With his breathing restricted, Chike struggled to stay conscious as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his face turned pale. The light in his eyes faded, but Xavier didn't let go. He wanted the coward to die by his hand for ever threatening his wife and queen.

"Stop!" he heard Mia's voice call out.

His body yielded to the command of his Queen, but his rage lingered. "He deserves to pay for what he's done!" he said through gritted teeth.

"And he will. Let the elders deal with him as they see fit. His blood isn't worth being on your hands." she added and he obeyed. He released his grip around Chike's neck and the coward, dropped to his knees choking and gasping for air.

Xavier made his way over to Mia, and he wrapped his protective arms around her. The guards immediately subdued Chike, pushing him to the floor and pinning him there.

The guard then placed the restraint chain around his neck before carrying him up onto his feet.

Xavier released Mia and stepped towards Chike. "I always knew you were a snake. Today, you have affirmed my suspicion. You were ready to harm the Queen, someone innocent in all this. And why? Because of a title which your greed made you lose." "If she's with you this long, she isn't innocent. As long as you are king, this kingdom is doomed!" he found the strength to rant back.

Xavier almost reached for him again, but Mia placed her hand on his, stopping him.

Edward walked up to Chike, whom the guards were yet to take out. "Who else was in on your attack on the queen?" he asked, stopping as he got close to him.

"No one else," he replied.

"Is that true?" Xavier turned to Edward, whose inquisitive eyes stayed on Chike.

Edward stretched out a hand to him and he felt the dark spell already cast over his mind to keep him from saying the truth. Whoever did this spell had to be powerful to overrule the magic of the alpha king. They were almost as strong as the alpha of alphas. "No, but he won't speak. He has already warded his mind to withstand our compulsion, brother." Edward informed him. "We will never get the truth out of him."

"Take him away!" he instructed. The guards nodded and dragged Chike away from the throne room. He turned to the seven elders left standing around. "Send a message to the four corners of the kingdom. Tell them the elders will pass judgment at noon tomorrow and invite all that can to witness. Do with him as you see fit."

They all bowed their heads to his command.

"My king, we offer a sincere apology for the incident, but we would want you to know that our loyalty lies with you." alpha Tobi said with a bow of his head. The others did likewise before taking their leave.

Xavier turned to Mia, finally able to give her his undivided attention. His eyes lingered on the part of her robe that the dagger had pierced through a while back and then back to meet hers. He cupped her face in his hands as his eyes searched hers to know if she was okay. She wordlessly nodded, and he pulled her to himself, exhaling deeply, knowing the worse was now behind them.

"It's fine now, you're alright now. No more harm will come to you. I promise." he hushed her and rubbed his palm over her back, easing her up. His eyes caught Edward staring at him with mock adoration and he glared at him.

Edward, who saw how smitten and affected his brother had gotten by his queen, scoffed and took his leave.

Xavier's arms remained around Mia. He didn't want to let her go; he didn't want to let her go, ever.