Page 137 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

“I think you’ve offended her,” I whisper to Darian. “Apologize.”

Nara looks amused. “I am not offended, child.”

I can feel my cheeks flush. “Sorry. You said the king’s younger brother betrayed him?”

Nara is quiet for a moment. “Those who have greed in their hearts can recognize others with that same bit of darkness within them. The younger brother wanted the throne. After the death of the queen, he murdered the king using poison. The white witches, being the official royal healers, declared that it was the newborn princess who was responsible for this death, as well. They said that both of her parents had died because of the curse she carried, a curse that was spread by the dark witches. The younger brother then ascended to the throne.”

I feel sick to my stomach.

Nara turns around and heads over to a small podium. She holds out her hands as she continues speaking. “The new king handed over the child, and the white witches used her in a ritual to drive the dark witches into a bout of temporary madness. However,the dark witches had anticipated what was going to happen, as the gift of prophecy is present in some dark witches. They took precautions. The dark witches’ bloodline would continue, but through the royal family. It was not a curse as the white witches claimed it to be but a precaution. They transferred the bloodline, which involved a complicated spell. The dark witches knew they had no choice.”

She holds up her hand, and a thick journal flies into it from a shelf. She sets it down on the podium as Darian and I watch in awe.

“When the new king had children, twins, the girl carried the mark of the dark witch. The white witches realized what had been done. They would never truly be able to eradicate the dark witches as long as the royal bloodline continued. Every girl born within the royal family would carry the bloodline of the dark witches. The bloodline is not cursed; this was the only way for the dark witches to protect their kind from utter annihilation.”

Nara opens the journal and holds it out to us. “This is the journal of the king’s brother, the one who stole the throne.”

Darian approaches her, and I wonder aloud, “If this is true, then there should be plenty of women out there who carry the bloodline of the dark witches.”

The archive keeper shakes her head. “Any child born with the mark was handed over to the white witches. It was the only way for the royal family to keep their power.”

“Keep their power?”

“The royal family joined with the white witches to get rid of the dark witches—the same dark witches who had once led the royalfamily to victory in every battle. The new king helped the white witches wipe out the dark witches because he wanted the throne, but the kings who came after him were ashamed of his actions. For as far back as the archives go, the royal family has not had a single blemish on their record aside from this. Every king was interested in protecting the name of the royal family. Thus, each time a daughter was born with the mark, she was handed over to the white witches.”

“Why?” I ask, my voice low. “What happened to those girls?”

Nara meets my gaze, her own heavy. “The royal family was told that these children were dark witches who had to be put to death to preserve their secret. That is what you will find within the archives, but as a dark witch who is connected to nature itself, I can tell you that those girls were not killed. They were used in rituals. They were kept in cages till their powers were completely drained. These rituals could take years. The stronger the bloodline, the longer the ritual. The oldest child who died was within her third decade.”

All I can think of is Mira. “I don’t understand. What sort of ritual?”

Darian is reading from the journal, and Nara glances at him before saying, “Greed is a terrible thing. Greed for power, greed for magic.” She sighs. “The white witches wanted the same power as their counterparts. They have spent the last few centuries trying to gain that power by using those of the dark witch bloodline.”

Darian’s head lifts as he growls. “Was my father aware of this?”

“Your father was the first king who learned of the rituals. When he was forced to give up his daughter—”

Darian’s whole body jerks. “What?”

Nara closes the book he has just set down. “The king had a daughter. When she was being born, a white witch helped deliver her. The queen tried to protect her, desperate to send her somewhere far away in order to save her life, but the king had to follow what his predecessors had done. He gave her up to the white witches, and then he approached me. He only wanted to know whether his daughter would die a painless death. I told him the truth.”

She holds out another book to Darian, who seizes it. “The ritual is in here. Letters and records kept by white witches—they are all recorded here. The king saw them, and he asked me for help.”

Darian staggers. “I have a sister?”

Nara doesn’t respond.

“Where is she?”

The witch shakes her head. “I’m afraid I do not know. But after that incident, your father tried his best to control the white witches. The problem lay in the fact that the royal family, along with the white witches, had created a narrative in which the dark witches were evil. And changing the narrative was impossible. If he had attempted it, the white witches would have implied that he was under the influence of dark witches. And since it was so ingrained that the dark witches were evil, the wolves would have believed the white witches and turned against your father. There was not much he could do.”

“I want to know where my sister is.”

“She’s not your sister,” Nara says calmly. “The king only had one child.”

Darian goes still for a moment as he processes what she is saying. “You’re lying.”

“I have no reason to lie. I’m the archive keeper. I tell the truth.”

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