Chapter 59: Chapter 59

~ NYSSA

He walked straight ahead, and for a moment, I thought he was walking over to me. Instead, he side stepped me, stopping a few feet behind, and dropped the still bleeding head on the floor.

It rolled to a stop at Henry’s feet, the blood quickly soaking the ground beneath his shoes.

“I saved you the trouble of having to go out to war,” Rowan drawled, his voice deathly cold. “You’re welcome.”

Henry’s cheeks burned a bright shade of red. Not only did Rowan just embarrass him, he did so in front of everyone.

Guards stopped to stare, maids whispered as they looked between the two men. The air was thick with tension and barely concealed disdain. Henry’s jaw clenched, the rage evident in his eyes, but there was nothing he could do save for smile tightly.

“We are in your debt,” he ground out, voice strained.

Rowan chuckled dryly. “You’ve been in my debt for a long time, Henry, but don’t worry, I don’t keep score.”

He turned away, not even bothering to wipe down his blood stained hands.

“I kept the leader alive. I thought you’d want to hear what he has to say.” Rowan spoke over his shoulder. “You have a rat in your pack, and he’s about to tell me who.”

The whispers grew immediately. Maids questioned openly, and I couldn’t help but turn to the other members of the council. Their expressions ranged from curious to worried.

“A rat?” someone whispered. “That can’t be.”

“Bring him in!” Rowan called out and immediately, two lycan soldiers came in, pulling a rogue behind them.

He was covered in cuts and bruises and the silver chain wrapped around him seemed to slow his healing. Every breath he took came out like a ragged inhale. I’d bet my life savings on him having a collapsed lung. It was a miracle he was alive.

The chains were wrapped around him like a vice, dragging him along the floor, leaving behind a trail of blood.

Maids retched, even soldiers who’d spent their lives on the battle field had to avert their gaze. There was nothing pretty about the sight.

“What is this?” Henry hissed. “Why did you bring him here? We have a protocol in this pack. We question our prisoners—”

“He is my prisoner,” Rowan silenced him. “I don’t recall seeing you on the battle front today. I will do with him as I wish.”

Henry’s jaw clenched. “He is on my pack territory.”

Rowan stepped up to him and I could’ve sworn that the air crackled with tension.

He was taller than Henry and bigger too; there was no denying who would win in a fight, and despite his pride, Henry knew that as well. He took a step back, eyes cast to the ground and hands fisted to his side.

“Get everyone out!” Henry yelled to me and the other council members. “What the fuck are you still standing around for?”

I gritted my teeth, trying to swallow down his retort.

He was already in a bad mood after being pushed around by Rowan. Testing his limits now would only prove useless.

We sprung into action, ushering everyone away and clearing a path into one of the meeting rooms.

It was clear that Rowan wanted to do this here and nothing we said was going to change his mind.

I stared at the trail of blood left behind by the rogue and couldn’t help but feel bad for the servants who would be forced to clean it up.

Blood was a bitch to get out.

As soon as we found a suitable room, the two lycans tossed the rogue unceremoniously on the floor. A pained groan escaped him, but that was all the sound he made. He didn’t move, for a moment, I thought he was dead.

“Who is this rat?” Henry asked, but the rogue remained silent. “Did you cut off his tongue?”

Rowan smirked. “Not yet.”

“Then why won’t he speak?”

“Maybe he just doesn’t respect you.”

Rowan turned to the rogue, jerking him up harshly by his hair.

A sharp hiss of pain left the rogue’s mouth and I couldn’t help but notice that his front two teeth were missing.

I couldn’t help but wince, forcing myself to look away at the deep laceration in his stomach.

It seemed almost cruel to have him in so much pain, but after everything that the rogues had done, he deserved it.

“You know what I’ve realized about a lot of rulers?” Rowan asked quietly. “It’s that they never know how to take what they dish out.”

The intended dig was clear and Henry’s eyes flashed with fury. He opened his mouth to speak but one of the council members leaned over, whispering a hushed warning into his ears.

Thankfully, he listened.

“Hold him up,” Rowan ordered his men. “Perhaps he needs a bit of motivation to tell us who his connections are—”

“Wait!”

It was the first word the rogue had uttered since he was brought in.

The words came out slurred, his voice barely audible.

“I’ll tell you.” He coughed, splatters of blood hitting the floor in front of him. “She reached out to me.”

“She?” Rowan asked, his voice holding a note of surprise. “How?”

“She met me in the woods. She told me that she wanted me to attack the pack. No one was supposed to die, not until two weeks ago.”

That was around when I was stabbed.

The attack felt more frenzied that day. They’d attacked a group of people rather than the settlements that they usually did.

“Her name,” Rowan growled, voice low and threatening.

His chest heaved, a strangled breath coming out of his mouth. “She will kill me.”

Rowan crouched low, his face mere inches away from the rogue. “If you don’t speak, I will make you wish you were dead. What she will do to you is nothing compared to what will happen if you don’t open your fucking mouth right—”

“Her name is Nyssa.”

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