Contract With The Alpha King by Brey Mitchylle

"You're lucky he didn't ask the King to end your pathetic little life," Thomas snapped as he glared at the still-

shaken Elise. Despite the humiliation, Elise refused to meet his gaze, clutching her arm as though the weight of

everything was still pressing against her.

"What were you thinking?" Thomas demanded, his brows furrowing deeper.

It was a good thing Elijah didn't actually ask his father to make them leave. However, Elise was no longer

allowed to meet Fiona. She needed to stay away. Luckily, this doesn't include Thomas.

"What you did drag us all down, Elise," Zach's voice interrupted her stupor. "What if they punished you? Or asked

us to leave?"

Elise said nothing, her silence heavy. Even if she wanted to snap at Zach, she couldn't. Instead, she looked down

at the pristine skin of her arm, her thoughts spiraling. Finally, she spoke, her voice sharp. "Did you know?"

Thomas frowned. He straightened slightly, narrowing his eyes. "Did | know what?"

Elise turned her head, meeting her father's gaze. Her eyes burned with a mixture of anger and desperation. "Did

you know that Fiona is more powerful than me?"

Thomas's expression darkened. He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "What are you talking about?" he asked,

his tone hushed, as if someone else might overhear their conversation.

Elise's fingers twitched as she held her arm tighter, the memory of the dark veins flashing in her mind. "I'm

talking about what Fiona did," she said. "She touched my arm, and there was poison. Just her touch-it wasn't

even a spell, not something | could feel her casting. It was instantaneous."

"That's impossible," Thomas said firmly, his tone brooking no argument. "Fiona doesn't have that level of control

or power. If it was poison, you would have been able to counteract it." He thought about how Fiona had harmed

her own body with that poison. When he touched Fiona back then, it had been immediately clear to him that

there was poison inside her body. However, it was a poison she had consumed herself. Was it possible she

created that poison to harm her own organs? Impossible. How could someone have that kind of control? Even he

wasn't capable of doing something so dangerous.

Elise's face twisted in frustration. "But | couldn't!" she snapped. "I didn't feel symptoms-not pain, not numbness,

nothing-but | knew. | knew it was poison. | could identify it. | could see it. So why couldn't | heal it?"

Thomas's frown deepened as he regarded her closely. "If you didn't feel any symptoms, then it wasn't poison,"

he said. "It must have been something else. Something you misunderstood."

"I didn't misunderstand," Elise shot back. "I've studied healing for more than five years. | know what poison looks

like. I've dealt with toxins that could drop a wolf twice my size. But this-this was different. It was... more potent.

Toxic." Thomas folded his arms, his gaze sharp. "Then tell me. What did it feel like?"

Elise hesitated. Her grip on her arm loosened slightly as she stared down at it, as though trying to summon the

memory. "It was ominous," she said finally. "It wasn't just toxic-it was dark. It felt alive like it wanted to kill me. It

wasn't trying to weakenor paralyzelike a typical poison. It was made to destroy. And worse..." She

trailed off, her voice trembling. "It carried an intent."

"An intent?" Thomas's expression shifted, skepticism flickering across his face.

Elise nodded. "Yes," she said. "It was full of killing intent. As if whoever made it wantedto feel helpless. And |

did. | knew it could killif | didn't run to you. That's why | cstraight to the hall. | didn't think I'd survive

otherwise."

Thomas's jaw tightened. He turned

slightly, pacing as he considered her

words. "You're saying Fiona created something that you couldn't heal. That's not possible, Elise. She's barely

tapped into her abilities. You're trained. You've been studying for years. What you're describing-if it's true-means

Fiona's power is far beyond what we ever expected."

Elise clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "That's what I'm trying to tell you," she said. "She's

hiding something. She isn't just sinexperienced healer. She's dangerous. More dangerous than any of us

realized." Thomas stopped pacing as he turned back to her. "If what you're saying is true," he said slowly, "then

we have a much bigger problem on our hands than you being humiliated at the banquet. We need to find out

exactly what Fiona is capable of. And more importantly- why." Or how. How the hell did she do it? Questions

started to fill his head.

Elise's chest rose and fell as she took in his words. She nodded, her anger and fear warring within her. "We can't

let her keep this power unchecked," she said. "She's already manipulated everyone. She's already trappedin

her games. If she's allowed to keep growing, she'll-"

"Enough," Thomas interrupted, cutting off her spiraling thoughts. "We'll deal with this. But not here. Not now."

Elise bit her lip, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Fine," she said reluctantly. "But we have to act soon. Before she

gets any stronger."

Thomas nodded, though his expression remained tense. "We will," he said. "But for now, you need to keep your

head down. You've already done enough damage tonight."

Elise clenched her jaw but said nothing, her anger simmering just beneath the surface. She knew he was right,

but it didn't make the bitter taste of defeat any easier to swallow.

Meanwhile, Zach frowned as he

continued listening to the

conversation between father and daughter. "Is it possible that someone in the palace is teaching her these

things?" he asked, interrupting them. The two

immediately looked at him. mean... While it's true that no Rosenthal could leave the pack in the past,

what about... before you cinto

the pack? What if...?"

"Impossible," Lord Rosenthal shook his head. "That is simply impossible. The palace wouldn't just let someone

like that go. They would probably do everything to control them." "What if it was hidden? What if—"

"Enough!" Thomas said. "This

discussion is over for now. Go to your quarters and rest. Tomorrow, | will talk to Fiona personally. As for you-" he

looked at Elise. "You will be dealt with once we arrive at the pack. You stay inside your quarters and do not ever

think of going out!" Then he turned towards Zach. "I do not have the right to tell you what to do, but | would

advise you to stay away from Fiona."

Zach took a deep breath. "I know." Clearly, this Fiona was no longer the Fiona he knew. However, the more he

thought about it, the more excited he became.