Greymoor Academy: I Accidentally Bonded With Four Lycan Royals! novel Chapter 219

Chapter 219: 219. Kisten

Bastian snarled in her face, but she had already moved on, stopping in front of Ryder. An appreciative sound slipped out of her and Ryder cringed when she ran a hand down his chest, poking at his wounds with her nails. "You have done such beautiful work, warden."

When she finally reached Kisten, she stepped in close, and without warning, she caught his chin in her hand and forced his head up.

Their mother warned them about the Queen’s thrall, but nothing could’ve prepared him for it.

The ruby in the crown pulsed in tandem with the Queen’s eyes flashing black, and he felt her invade his mind. She tore through his mental walls like paper, dredging up his most private thoughts, memories, secrets without mercy.

For the first time, Kisten understood what exactly Maisie had felt in the woods that night when he had pushed her into the grass and tried to mount her because he thought he was entitled to her.

The violation. The helplessness. The rage of having something stolen without consent. The knowledge settled in his gut like poison and he made a note to himself that if they got out of here alive, he would spend his life making up for that.

He fought against her anyway, and could hear Bastian roaring in the background.

There was only one thing Kisten managed to shove down deep enough to protect. He didn’t understand it himself. It was his Lycan doing it.

A face. Irritating red hair. A mouth that cursed like a sailor. Fierce eyes that he hated because it stood against everything he’d ever known. A single memory. A reckless, stupid kiss that had started as a taunt between tutoring and assignments, and ended up being... something.

He had never told his brothers. And now, he knew for sure he was taking it to his grave.

The Queen’s presence lingered, turning through memory after memory, searching, and she drew to the surface the night of the banquet and his conversation with his mother. Her plans. Her eyes widened by a fraction, and her nostrils flared.

Then she dug deeper, searching for leverage, anything she could use against them, and Kisten silently hoped their people were hidden and safe. Those she hadn’t already executed for treason.

At last, the Queen withdrew, and Kisten sagged in the chains, breathing hard.

"You truly do not know where she is," she noted and folded her arms behind her. "Still, I shall be merciful. I do not believe the sins of the parents should be visited upon the children–"

Ryder let out a wet, bloody scoff. "Lying bitch."

The Queen’s expression didn’t change. She reached out, took the poker from the warden’s hand and studied the glowing tip for a brief second.

Then she swung it across Ryder’s face without warning.

Ryder’s head snapped sideways and his body collapsed against the chains before crumpling to the floor, blood pouring from the split in his face.

"You should know," the Queen regarded the poker almost thoughtfully. "I don’t hit people. Not because I lack the time for it, but because I like it too much. Once I begin, I rarely stop."

Bastian and Kisten watched with horror as she brought the poker down again.

The second blow caught Ryder across the shoulder, the third across his ribs. Each impact landed with a wet, heavy sound. Ryder’s body jerked under the strikes, a broken groan tearing from his throat as more blood spilled onto the stone. He no longer tried to lift his head.

"Stop—"

"You three seem to be under a rather serious misunderstanding," she said. "You were sentenced the moment you were dragged into this prison. In the eyes of the Council and the people, you are already dead. Rebels. Traitors. Collaborators in an attack that cost lives. No one outside these walls will ask questions if your bodies are never found. No one will care about the extent of your involvement."

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