Chapter 84

Kaelin's voice was low and venomous as she began.

"Before Zaire became a kingdom, this land was ours like I told you. It was ours. We called it home. We called it Otsya. We were a quiet people. We didn't travel a lot, because we had connection to the land, to the soil. We were healers. We were blessed by this sacred land with the gift of healing. We took care of the land in return it gave us healing powers."

"Our only mistake was being nice to the others. Because of our healing powers tens of people trooped in every day asking us to heal them from one thing or the other. Everything was going fine, that was until the wolves came.... At first they occupied the mountains. We stayed reluctant neighbours. They called us Otsayaks." 

The term sent a chill down my spine. I had heard it many many times, always whispered with disdain, but not with Kaelin. 

We had power," Kaelin continued. "Abilities that made us unique. But instead of respecting us, the wolves saw us as threats, they wanted our land as their own, so all the wolf clans banded together, led by your precious Rowan's ancestors, and waged a brutal war against us. They burned our villages, slaughtered our people, and took everything we had. What was left of the rest of us fled to Braam, the only country that would take us in." 

I shook my head, my chest tightening.

"And when we tried to rebuild," Kaelin went on, her voice trembling with barely controlled rage, "they came for us again. They gave us that filthy name—Otsayak—to strip us of our identity, our pride. They wanted us to be nothing but shadows of the people we once were."

"That was a long time ago," I said weakly, though my voice lacked conviction. "Rowan can't be held responsible for what his ancestors did. You know, he himself was a victim of them. They also stripped everything away from him, he was crippled for years. If I hadn't come along, he would still be the rejected deposed Prince." 

Kaelin's eyes blazed with fury. "And why do you think he can walk again now? Because of you! You healed him and you don't even know it! He doesn't even realise it! You think he's innocent? He sits on a throne built on the ashes of our people. His wealth, his power, his kingdom—it all exists because of what they took from us. And you think he's different because he said some sweet words to you?"

I looked away, guilt and confusion warring within me.

Kaelin's voice softened, but her words were no less cutting. "You've been here for months, Arin. Have you seen any signs that they regret what they've done? That they want to make amends? If you clean off your Otsayak mark now and show it to them, will they accept you with open arms?!" 

I stayed silent, unable to answer.

"Of course they won't," Kaelin said, her tone hardening again. "Because they hate you. They hate our kind. They don't care. They never have, and they never will. That's why we're here—to remind them of what they've done. To make them pay."

Kaelin's words hung in the air, heavy with truth and anger.

"Don't let him fool you, Arin," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Rowan doesn't care about you. He's using you, just like he used you before. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't be walking. And how does he repay you for that? By marrying another woman in the blink of an eye. Do you think he will ever risk making an otsayak like you queen if he knew who you were? Think about it.  You can't forget what they've done—to me, to you, to all of us."

Her words stirred something deep within me, a mix of guilt, anger, and shame.

"I haven't forgotten," I said softly. "But he's not like the others, Kaelin. He—"

"He's exactly like them," Kaelin snapped. "And the sooner you realize that, the better. You're not here to play princess, Arin. You're here to finish what we started. Don't forget who you are."

Her words stung, but I nodded, unable to meet her eyes.

Kaelin took a step back, her expression hardening. "Think about what I've said. And remember—time is running out."

With that, she turned and left, leaving me alone with the weight of her words.

As the door closed behind her, I sank onto the edge of my bed, my mind racing. Kaelin's words echoed in my head, louder and louder until they drowned out everything else.

Could she be right? Had I been so blinded by my feelings for Rowan that I'd forgotten the mission, forgotten the truth of who I was and why I was here?

I looked at my reflection in the mirror, my fading hair dye betraying the truth I was so desperate to hide.  The makeup on my forehead hiding my identity that they were all so disgusted with. For the first time in a long while, I didn't see the princess of Zaire. I didn't see the emissary from Braam. 

I saw the girl who had once been called "Amber Eyes." 

I saw the girl who was called an otsayak. 

I saw the girl who had been treated like a slave almost all her life by wolves. 

And for the first time, I began to wonder if Kaelin was right.

..............

Alpha King Rowan had prepared a celebration. A grand event to welcome our guests from Braam he had said. Kaelin's words still haunted me. They affected me more than I expected them to. 

So much that I stayed in my chambers all day, until I was reminded about the celebration.

The grand hall was abuzz with preparations for the evening's celebration, but I had no time to admire the decorations or the servants scurrying about with golden platters and fine linens. Kaelin's urgent knock on my door had pulled me away from my chambers, and now I found myself in a shadowed corner of the east wing, facing her and the other Braam delegates.

Their faces were grim, their voices low as they spoke.

Kaelin wasted no time. "Tonight's party is our opportunity, Arin. Rowan is giving us exactly what we need—a stage, an audience, and distractions."

I crossed my arms, unease swirling in my gut. "What are you planning?"

Sylvia stepped closer, her expression sharp. "It's time to start planting the seeds of chaos. We're going to use the lies you've been feeding us about the wolf clans' divisions. The tensions you've uncovered—who wants Isabelle gone, who's against Rowan's leadership—we'll fan those flames until they explode into chaos."

"How?" I asked, my voice more of a whisper.

One of the delegates, a man with graying hair and a scar across his cheek, answered. "We've written letters—fake orders, fake decrees. They'll be planted in strategic places tonight. When they're found, it'll seem as though certain clans are plotting to overthrow others."

Kaelin nodded, her voice laced with urgency. "All you have to do is play your part. Talk to the right people, drop subtle hints. You've been in their meetings, Arin. They'll believe you."

My heart pounded in my chest. "This could lead to civil war."

"That's exactly the point," Kaelin snapped. "A fractured Zaire is a vulnerable Zaire. This is what we've been working towards. This is the perfect opportunity."

"Our presence will serve as the perfect mask. Everyone is too busy with one thing or the other and the wolf clans will be in attendance, it's the perfect gathering to create distrust for their alpha king and between themselves." 

I glanced around the room, searching their faces for any hesitation. There was none. It was crazy.

Were they really planning to do this? 

"What if someone gets hurt?" I asked, my voice shaking.