Chapter 140: Make Me A King (Molly and Varek)

Molly

Varek stood frozen, his hand still glued to his cheek. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His dark eyes searched her face, completely stunned into silence.

"You don’t!" Molly yelled, pointing a finger right at his chest. "You have none of it! You are not a king, you are just a pathetic boy playing pretend! My fathers will defeat you, and if they don’t, my brothers will tear you down! You will be remembered in the history books as nothing more than a joke, the little boy who tried to play king!"

Varek was shaking with fury, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms.

"You are so lucky..." Varek choked out, his voice vibrating with rage, "...that I find you entertaining. Or else I would have your head cut off and spiked on the gate for this insolence!"

He spun on his heel, grabbed the heavy tent flap, and tore his way out into the sunlight.

The moment his scent faded from the air, Molly’s legs completely gave out beneath her. She collapsed straight onto the hard ground, trembling violently as hot tears spilled over her lashes.

Trina rushed over instantly, dropping to her knees beside the princess. "Princess! Are you alright?!"

"Oh..." Molly sobbed, covering her face with her shaking hands. "I shouldn’t have done that... I shouldn’t have done that!"

"Shouldn’t have done what?!" Trina asked frantically, rubbing Molly’s back.

"I wanted to play along!" Molly cried out, her chest heaving with gasps. "I wanted to pretend to be his obedient bride so he would let his guard down! I was going to wait for the right moment and kill him! But now I can’t do that because I slapped him! I don’t know what came over me... I just felt this overwhelming rage fill my whole body when he kissed my forehead! How dare he touch me?!"

"It’s alright, Princess," Trina soothed, pulling Molly into her arms. "Everything is going to be alright."

"No, it’s not alright!" Molly wept, clutching Trina’s sleeves. "Nothing is alright! Nothing will ever be alright again! My entire life is completely ruined! The only chance I ever had at getting my freedom back was if I killed him... but now I have made an absolute enemy out of him. I won’t ever get close enough to put a dagger in his throat!"

Varek

Outside, Varek stormed through the dirt paths of the camp, his red cheek burning, his blood boiling in his veins.

He marched straight toward a smaller, darker tent set apart from the rest, tearing the entrance flap open so hard the fabric nearly ripped off its wooden pole.

Inside, Akara was sitting cross-legged on a woven carpet, her eyes closed in deep meditation. Hearing the aggressive entrance, her eyes snapped open. She smoothly rose to her feet, folding her hands inside her sleeves.

"Dear brother," Akara said calmly, observing his wild, murderous expression. "What is wrong?"

Varek marched straight up to her, his breath coming in fast, jagged gasps. He looked like a man completely losing his mind.

"Why did you lie to me!" Varek roared. "You said I was a king!"

Akara blinked, her brows pulling together. "You are a king. We have conquered the southern territories, and all the southern packs have yielded to your command. What on earth happened?"

"Am I anointed?!" Varek screamed into her face. "Was I crowned by a holy priest from the moon temple?! Has any of that happened?! Has a single high authority recognized my throne, or am I just some common rogue playing pretend in the mud?!"

Akara opened her mouth, but Varek stepped right into her space, his eyes bloodshot.

"You told me this was my birthright!" he yelled, his voice cracking with deep, desperate insecurity. "You told me I was destined to rule this world! And now... now you’re just making me another joke in the history books for future generations to laugh at! The boy who pretended to be king, that is what people are calling me!"

Akara stared at her brother, her expression hardening. "What are you talking about? You are king. The Goddess herself wants you on that throne. She spoke it directly to me."

"She conveniently told you?!" Varek scoffed bitterly, throwing his hands into the air as he paced across the carpet. "She told you, but she didn’t bother to tell anyone else?! Just you?! Come on, Akara, who do you think I am? Do you think I’m stupid?!"

Akara let out a breath, her eyes cold as she watched him spiral. "I do not understand. What do you want me to do here, Varek?"

Varek stopped pacing, spinning around to face her with a sharp, desperate glare. "Get someone from the holy temple in the capital to come down here and officially anoint me as king! Make every single southern pack bow and recognize my title!"

Akara stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "You want a high priest from the central Moon Goddess Temple in the capital to travel all the way here to anoint you? How on earth am I supposed to pull that off?"

"I don’t know!" Varek bellowed. "I don’t care how you do it, just pull it off!"

"Do you realize that I am actively being witch-hunted in the capital?!" Akara fired back, her accent growing sharp and bitter. "If I step foot anywhere near the central city right now, I could be caught! They will execute me! You are asking me to hand myself over on a silver platter!"

Varek glared down at his sister, his expression cold and not giving a fuck. "So? So what?!"

Akara froze, looking at him in utter shock.

"Are we not doing all of this so that I can be king?!" Varek insisted, his voice terrifyingly calm now. "You would be dying to make me a true king, the King of all Rogues, recognized by the whole damn world!"

Akara stared at her brother for a long, heavy moment. A flicker of something dark and hollow passed through her eyes before she swallowed it down. She let out a long, silent breath and nodded slowly.

"Fine," Akara whispered quietly. "I will go to the capital. I will retrieve a priest from the temple, and I will force the southern packs to recognize your crown."

Varek’s terrifying posture instantly melted away. The rage left his face, replaced by a bright, relieved smile.

"Really?" Varek asked softly, stepping closer.

Akara reached up, placing her slender palm gently against his unslapped cheek. "Yes, my brother. I will make you a true king... the king you have always wanted to be."

Varek’s smile reached his eyes, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her into a warm hug. "You are the absolute best sister in the whole world!" He pulled back slightly, looking at her with urgent eyes. "But seriously... hurry this up. I need it completely done before my wedding."

Akara looked at him, her face completely unreadable as she offered a faint smile. "Of course, brother."