Lyla's POV

What I didn’t expect was the guards to burst into a full round of laughter.

Their hands clutched their sides as one of them even toppled over.

My brows furrowed in pure irritation and my hold on the bars got firm enough to dig into my skin.

What the hell was so funny?

After they’ve had their fair share of laughs, one of them wiped their eyes and the other gave a satisfied sigh.

“Wow. You don’t hear that everyday,” one said and the other shook his head.

Their step was still aligned to the exit. My heart skidded with anxiety immediately.

“No. No! Where are you going?” I demanded, my tone overly serious.

“Tell Clara that I have the cure. I can heal the king!” I shouted, it was a second too late before I saw one of the guards materialize before me, his hand passing through the space in the bars and grabbing me by the neck.

My lungs burned and choking sounds erupted from my throat.

“It was funny the first time. Don’t make us lash you. You Alpha killer.” He threatened and released me.

I gasped for breath collapsing on my knees as the guard stepped back and looked at me from his nose, disgust and anger swirling freely in those eyes.

He snorted and turned his back but I reached out, grabbing his get from the bar.

I didn’t care that I was not only adding more insult to my sister’s name but I was also embarrassing myself. Whatever it took.

“Please! He could die tonight! You said it yourself!” I yelled in desperation and the guard growled fiercely but I remained unflinch.

“Get your pathetic fingers off of me!” He yelled but I held on, even while I knew that this act of mine could result to an even greater injury for me.

But a sense of duty had filled my heart. A sense of survival.

“And what makes you believe that we would think you’re telling the truth?” The other guard suddenly said and I zeroed in on him.

Eyes unblinking as I mustered up all the courage “Because I poisoned him,” I whispered. A lie. smooth, sharp, and deadly.

“Tell Clara I want a deal in exchange, I’ll heal the king and nobody has to get hurt. If she doesn’t let me heal him? He’s die in an hours time,” I finished and the guards face went deathly pale.

They rushed out of the room, their legs nearly colliding with each other as they fought for the exit.

My hands were trembling as I waited for the result of what I had just said.

Then self doubt started to creep in quickly as silence ensued.

What if I was wrong?

What if I didn’t know what I was doing and Clara believed that I really poisoned the king to get back at her?

All of these would be for nothing because no court would what to give me a trail. It would be instant death.

I paced, heart pounding like an alarm bell.

The entrances door suddenly swung open and hurried heels clicked loudly towards the cage.

I held the bars in anticipation as Clara’s face emerged out of nowhere.

“Step back!!” She screamed her. Command and I did as she asked.

Once she was inside, some guards followed her and quickly grabbed me by the sides.

Clara walked up to me and without saying a single word, raised her hand and delivered me another intense slap that sent my cheeks flying to the other way.

“If this fails, Layla…” she dragged my face closer, her nails biting in. “I’ll gut you like a pig. Slowly.”

I didn’t have time to give her a curt nod because she started to walk out of the cage. The light blinded me and caused me to wince a little before I adjusted.

Clara took me to a separate wing in the palace and I was in Awe at how Beautiful everything was…the abundance of it.

I didn’t have time to admire because the next minute, I was thrown like a ragdoll at Ares’ feet where he lay still.

My heart raced. Was I too late?

I attempted to go over to the other side to get a clearer angle when Clara held my wrist, dragging my attention.

“Don’t try any funny business Layla,” she finished and walked a few distances away from us.

I checked his pulse. It was weak.

I checked his stomach pressure,

I checked his eye light intensity and it was normal.

I started to bark orders at the guards to work with and they give everything.

My hands worked tirelessly, my fingers moved quickly as I boiled, molded and plucked.

Clara stood up, anxiety already eating at her for staying still all these while.

After I had mixed the herbs into a paste. “Wait!?!” Clara suddenly yelled from nowhere, her tall frame standing out.

I turned back and gasped. Clara was close to me as I grabbed a knife.

“Wait. Wait!!” Clara’s screamed but I had already cut my palm with the knife.

Clara gasped in shock, her body trembled and before she’d could utter another word I squeezed the blood into the medicine. Clara was too shocked to stop me as I rolled the medicine into a ball and forced it into Ares’ mouth.

I heard the forced gasp, the hard pull that sent me skidding to the floor.

“What did you do!?” She asked as her hands wrapped around King Ares’ face.

I stood up, dusting my clothes. When I locked eyes back at her, she lurched.

“Tell me!!” She screamed. I opened my mouth to explain that everything was the medicine but soon, the doors to the room threw wide open and some fierce looking guards stormed in.

I tried to push Clara off of me and stand but they beat me to it. Tristan’s hurried steps came out of nowhere.

The room dropped a temperature and my heart hammered as Tristan gave one look at Ares and his look turned venomous.

Clara gasped in shock, her own mouth screaming “I didn’t know! I thought she had a cure,” I was trembling.

Tristan moved with irrefutable force and speed, his hands drawing a sword so sharp, it pointed under the moonlight.

I audibly gasped as the sword raised high up, its descent fast and swift.

I didn’t deserve this. I didn’t kill King Ares but I had a rough idea of what the cure should look like. I was helping him.

I closed my eyes, the sword already somehow close to my neck.

“Moon goddess.” I whispered, defeat already making my soul get ready to depart this room.

“Die!!” Tristan roared and Clara screamed with fear.

I couldn’t watch the blade slice my neck open, so I closed my eyes.

Suddenly, something happened.

A metallic thud echoed across the room, a shadow appeared by my side and a terrified gasp escaped Clara’s lips.

There was no force to my neck. No sound. Just the sound of Tristan struggling and grunting and a strong metallic scent, mixed with a scent I have smelled before.

My nose rejected the scent, my brain was fractured.

I knew this scent. One was of blood and the other was from…

I peeled my eyes open and I shuddered in shock.

Blood dripped from his arm like rain from a broken sky. But Ares didn’t flinch.

He stood between me and the sword, a wall of heat and fury, unmoving.

“You will not harm a single hair on her head,” he growled, low and lethal.

And the world stopped spinning.

Tristan was angry and staggered, his neck red with the mark of near-death. He took one look at me and tried again.

“She tried to kill you!”

Ares moved like lightning, blocking him.

“She’s my mate.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Tristan skidded to a halt. While people murmured and others gasped in shock. My eyes were wide.

Why did he say that?

Ares’ hand came into view, stretched to help me stand up but I couldn’t move.

My sister's killer had just openly lied that I was his mate to save me. Why?

Did he not know I was an omega?

And what happens when people find out that I was no ordinary omega.

What would Ares do when he realized that I was a wolfless omega.

The kind who didn’t get fated mates?