Bought By The Ruthless Alpha King (Ruby) novel Chapter 100

Killian’s POV

The necklace dangled from my fingers, swaying slightly under the dim light of the headquarters. It was adorned with a sapphire as blue as the eyes of its intended wearer, a gift meant to bring joy. Once, it had rested against her skin, a symbol of my claim over her. Now, it lay abandoned in enemy territory, discarded like a forgotten trinket.

A bitter laugh rumbled in my chest. So, this is how it ends?

Irwin stood before me, arms crossed, chin lifted high in arrogance. “We found it among the ruins, Your Majesty. This confirms that I have spoken the truth. You can no longer ignore or delay the trial.”

My pulse pounded against the tide of my fury, the golden chain digging painfully into my palm. No one around me dared to speak. They all stepped back into their places, knowing better than to provoke me in the midst of my wrath. Only Irwin had the audacity of a cat with nine lives ready to die at my hands if he had lied.

“Your Majesty, we know you hold deep affection for the former Luna.”

Irwin knelt beside me. “We are pleased that you finally found someone who could make you feel something like that. But you are a leader.”

“And most importantly, as your loyal servant, I cannot allow you to be bound to a deceiver,” he added.

“You need to learn to control yourself in my presence, Irwin. Including your manners right now.”

He fell silent instantly, no longer daring to raise his insolent gaze toward me. There was a sickening taste in my mouth every time I spoke with him, no matter how well he performed under my command.

“I don’t need you to play the role of my surrogate father. Do you understand me?”

He quickly nodded, fear creeping into his expression at the veiled threat in my words. I turned my gaze back to the necklace. Every time I looked at it, it felt as if my soul was being torn apart by a thousand blades.

“How’s her condition?” I questioned.

“Still in the dungeon, waiting for your decision. The people are talking, Killian. They’re wondering what their King will do with a traitor in his own bed,” Irwin reported.

Leonidas, who had remained silent until now, spat out a scoff. “You say that as if you weren’t the one who fed her this filth. You’ve had your sights set on that poor woman from the very beginning, Irwin.”

Irwin’s gaze flicked toward Leonidas, his lips curling into the sharp, predatory grin of a beast from the wild. “Because I have eyes blessed by the gods. While the rest of you worshipped her, I saw her for what she truly was a snake in sheep’s clothing.”

I exhaled through my nose, fighting the wave of emotions threatening to consume me. Anger. Pain. Hatred. They all waged war within me, demanding release. My fingers tightened around the necklace before I flung it onto the table between us.

“Enough. She will die for this.”

The room darkened instantly. With clenched fists, Leonidas lunged at me, his laughter cutting painfully through my ears.

“You’re an even bigger bastard than I thought! You’d sentence her to death without a trial?” he snarled.

My voice was devoid of emotion as I responded. “A traitor’s fate is death. She is no exception.”