29!

LIAM

I looked beside me and Brianna was gone, I know Layla and Trish stood beside her but she was gone the next moment.

“Seal the gates!” I ordered, leaving the dinner table and back into the main house.

“We need to figure out if this is a personal attack on Brianna, or you both,” Ethan said, getting into a spy mood.

“It's brilliant how Trish and Layla got her out of there,’’ I said and Mason scoffed.

“Did you say something, Mason?” I asked him, turning around.

“I'm just saying they could have used their superspeed instead of all the witch stuff,” he said, rolling his eyes.

I cleared my throat and stared right into his eyes, “we don't know if Brianna was the target of this attack, we could all be dead right now. So I suggest you leave your personal feelings aside and seal the castle. No one goes in or out!” I yelled at him.

I walked away from him because I wasn't sure I would be able to control myself from slamming his head against a wall.

“Do we have anyone in mind as a suspect?” Ethan asked me, taking Mason's place.

“I wouldn't put it past Duke Mikeal or Margaret,” I said to him and he nodded.

“Do you know where they kept her?” I asked him, referring to Brianna.

“I don't know, the best thing they could do is keep her locked down in her room,’’ he said and I headed that way.

“Brianna is me,” I whispered when the door refused to open.

It opened, the room was dark. I had to adjust my eyes to my night vision.

“Brianna,” I called out her name but Trish stood in front of me.

“She is over there,” she said, pointing at Brianna who sat by the window.

“She doesn't want to be disturbed,” he said, holding her hands out.

“Trish, let him,” we heard Brianna's voice. As I walked towards her, I could hear Trish's voice, “she doesn't want to be disturbed, he should learn to respect that,” she said.

“She is the future queen, she will be disturbed at all times,” Layla said. We still haven't spoken since we both found out we might have the same mother.

I really hope we speak soon, Layla has always been like a sister to me ever since we have been children. Making it official isn't a bad thing, it just brings a web of more secrets.

“Are you doing okay?” I asked Brianna with my hands in my pocket.

She scoffed and looked at me, “am I doing okay, you tell that to the dead boy,” she said with tears gathering in her eyes.

“How did this happen, Liam?” She asked and I sighed deeply.

“Have seen a lot of tasters die, especially my father's, most of the time it leads to wars but most times it just dies down,” I said to her.

“This wasn't a dinner between two kingdoms. It was a dinner between clans and yet someone tried to kill me,” she cried out.

“The most painful part of all, is that I couldn't save him because I was whisked away to save the dynasty,” she said and I frowned.

“I'm part of that dynasty,” I said in a grumbled tone.

“That wasn't what I meant, Liam, or what I meant,” she quickly took her words back.

“You didn't object when my father named you my betrothed, so you are now part of the dynasty whether you like it or not,” I said, angrily.

“I couldn't object to the Highest Alpha King naming me your betrothed in front of the whole royal entourage,” she said.

“But you could have objected in secret but you didn't. You know in your world that's what they call a gold digger,” I said biterrly.

“How dare you?” She asked, her eyes going up in flames.

“Control, Brianna,” I heard Trish say to her and her eyes returned to normal.

“What is the real reason why you accepted my father's betrothal?” I asked her.

“I think you are deflecting from the real situation here, Liam. Someone just tried to kill me. My taster is dead,” she said.

“You will have another taster, you know why?” I asked her, “you are part of that dynasty you so hate,” I said and her eyes widened in shock at my words.

“I don't hate the dynasty,” she said.

“But you hate my father,” I said to her m, “accepting his betrothal is just step one in your plan to kill him,” I said and I heard her swallow hard.

“You can't be serious, Liam,” Layla said, walking towards us.

“How dare you accuse me of something like that?” Brianna asked.

“Especially after what she had just been true,” Trish said but that wasn't what Brianna was aiming for.

“I don't give a damn what I have been through, I know I should prepare for the worst. But you need to be careful how you accuse your future wife!” She yelled.

“My future wife shouldn't have plans to kill my father over something he supposedly did years ago,” I said and it enraged Brianna.

“How could you say that, Liam?” Layla asked me, “you heard about all the evidence from Duke Mikeal first hand,”

“What are you doing, Liam?” Ethan asked me and I scoffed.

“I'm just trying to get to the truth before jumping into conclusions,” I said to them.

“What about tonight?” Trish asked, “we could have all died tonight,” she said.

“That's probably someone who doesn't like our future queen,” I said and everyone gasped.

“So you don't care about her?” Ethan asked and I blinked. I looked at Brianna, who had the most confused look in the room.

I walked out of the room with Ethan calling out my name.

“Laim, Laim,” he called me but I didn't stop walking.

“Liam!” He yelled and stood in front of me.

“You aren't allowed to do that to me,” I said to him with authority in my voice.

“You left me no choice bro, what the hell was that?” He asked, referring to my little tantrum with Brianna.

“I just spoke my mind bro,” I said to him, he was about to speak when his voice rang.

“They found the person who tried to poison Brianna,” he said and my heart skipped.

Ethan ran ahead, I was about to join him when I received a text. I got my phone out and read it.

“Well done, son,” it read from my father.

The betrothal is just a ruse by my father to keep Brianna close and he did make me choose, and I chose my people.

My betrothal to Brianna is a fake.