Mated To The Barbarian King Who Is My Ex-husband's Father.

The cool breeze hit her face, welcoming her outside. It was almost windy and even though the sun was up and she had a fur cloak on, she could barely keep her teeth from chattering from the cold.

Arianna was, however, too shocked to see that the barbarians...who wore hardly any thick clothing, standing outside without shivering. They seemed to be doing perfectly fine in the cold, unlike her.

​"Ulric?" Kane called out, his brows furrowing in confusion as his eyes fell upon the person kneeling in front of the crowd, his hands held tightly by two guards.

​Arianna hadn’t even noticed him when she first stepped out. Eira and Maria quickly came to her side, as if they knew she was frightened.

​"Is he the one?" Kane asked, turning to Cassius for answers.

​"Yes, Your Highness. The tracks led directly to him and we found him hiding in the caves."

​"That’s not a good enough reason to think he is the one. Anyone could have gone to the caves at that hour."

​"When he was caught, he confessed to it, Your Highness," Cassius explained, stepping forward to provide more detail. "Ulric gave his reasons for why he hurt the Queen."

​"Mmm..." Kane arched a thick, dark brow, staring at the culprit for a few moments. A heavy silence hung in the air as the crowd waited for his decision, but he turned to his Queen instead. "Do you remember anything at all that might confirm he is the one?"

​"No, Your Highness," Arianna said, shaking her head. She unconsciously rubbed her neck, fear gripping her. "I couldn’t see his face or his body, but whoever it was, they were incredibly strong and most likely a male werewolf."

​"You shouldn’t be afraid. I am here with you. No one can hurt you," he assured her, his eyes softening as he looked at her. She nodded, meeting his gaze, feeling a deep sense of reassurance that everything was going to be fine. "But if you don’t feel well, it is perfectly fine for you to go back inside and rest."

​"I am fine, Your Highness," Arianna told him. She was glad that he cared so much about her safety. However, there was nothing more satisfying than seeing the person who had tried to kill her receive his punishment.

​Kane turned back to the crowd. He lifted his hand, gesturing for the guards to bring Ulric forward. When they dragged him to the front, the King stepped closer, bending down slightly.

​"Where were you when my wife was being choked?" he asked.

​"I was in her tent doing exactly that," Ulric answered. He tried to sound fearless, yet there was unmistakable terror in his eyes as he struggled to avoid looking directly at the King.

​"And where is her tent located?" Kane asked, suddenly catching the man’s chin in his hand.

Slowly, his grip tightened, squeezing with brutal strength. Ulric’s eyes flashed with a faint green light, revealing his low rank as an omega.

​"The sixth tent... next to the Grand Aunt," Ulric managed to wheeze out, desperately trying not to bite his tongue in agony as his jaw was squeezed tighter and tighter.

​Arianna did not understand why the King kept asking these questions. Did he think his men hadn’t done a thorough job with the investigation? Or was he giving the accused a final chance to prove his innocence?

​Her fingers tightened around the thick fur covering her shoulders as she watched the scene unfold. The man had already confessed to the crime, but it seemed that still wasn’t enough to satisfy the King.

​"Why did you do it?" Kane demanded, suddenly shoving him hard to the ground. He let go of the man completely, glaring down at him as a dark fury slowly brewed on his face.

​"She isn’t worthy of being our Luna, Your Highness!" Ulric shouted from the dirt, pointing a trembling, accusing finger at Arianna. "The human girl should never have come here! We should have gotten a Luna from our own kind. She is going to destroy the balance that has kept this tribe stable for far too long!"

Arianna was deeply shocked by his reason for wanting to kill her. He was willing to end her life simply because he didn’t want her around. A cold shiver ran straight down her spine, and this time, it had absolutely nothing to do with the weather.

​Ethan wasn’t entirely wrong. These people were completely different from her. They belonged to a different world, and she began to wonder if she would ever truly be able to survive among them. Since her arrival, not a single one of them had accepted her, except for the King. And even his care felt temporary—she was certain the attention and affection he was giving her now would eventually vanish.

​"Does anyone else here think so too?" Kane asked, lifting his face to look at the crowd, challenging anyone who might dare to step forward. No one did. The clearing fell into absolute silence.

​Arianna knew the truth; most of them were just terrified of what the King would do to anyone who actually spoke up.

​"I also think so, Father."

​It was Ethan who broke the dead silence. He stepped forward, glancing around to see if anyone would join him, but everyone remained frozen.

​Arianna understood why he had the courage to speak. He was the King’s son and could easily secure a pardon, whereas the others would surely face execution. She stared at him, wondering what kind of dramatic stunt he was trying to pull now.

​"Were you not supposed to be at the border by now, Ethan?" Kane asked, surprised to see him. Unlike the rest of the barbarians, Ethan always wore clothing from the West. Today, he wore a heavy brown jacket, black trousers, and boots.

​"He joined the troops to help hunt down the accused, Your Highness," Cassius answered on his behalf.

​"Yes, Father. I haven’t been able to sleep since the princess got hurt," Ethan blurted out. Catching the odd, suspicious stares from the crowd, he quickly corrected himself. "I... I mean, I wanted to see this matter through to the end as well."

​Arianna felt a sudden urge to march over and slap him across the mouth. Since when did that idiot care about her safety?

​Kane ignored his son’s outburst, keeping his focus on the prisoner. He observed Ulric silently for a few seconds before asking, "Who put you up to this?"

​"No one, Your Grace," Ulric answered, his head kept low.

​Arianna wondered what was really going on here. The King was doing an unusual amount of questioning. Did he suspect that Ulric was working with an accomplice? And if that was true, could that accomplice be Ethan? All roads seemed to lead back to him, especially since he was so bent on making her life a living hell.

​"Take him away," the King ordered, clapping his hands together to dust the dirt from his palms. "Lock him up until he is ready to tell the truth."

​His decision sent a wave of surprise through the crowd. Everyone had been expecting an immediate execution, but it seemed the King had other plans. Arianna wanted to ask him why, but she kept quiet, knowing better than to question him in front of his people.

​"Let’s go inside," he said, turning to his wife. Her face clearly showed her disappointment. She had questions, and he was going to have to address them.

​Just as they took a few steps toward the entrance of their tent, Ethan screamed her name from behind.

​Arianna’s heart skipped a violent beat. His voice carried a sudden, raw terror that instantly made her panic. Kane was right behind her, his powerful arms wrapping around her as he shielded her body with his own.

​When she spun around, she gasped. Ulric was only a few steps away from them.

​In his hand, he wielded a gleaming blade—and protruding from his chest was a feather-tipped arrow, shot cleanly by Cassius. Ulric collapsed into the dirt.

​Arianna couldn’t believe her eyes or how quickly everything had just unfolded. She had been saved in the nick of time, but a terrifying thought crossed her mind... What if Ulric had succeeded?

​Kane, however, seemed deeply displeased by Ulric’s death. He turned and angrily scolded Cassius for shooting without his direct orders. Cassius bowed his head and apologized, and without another word, the King stormed back toward the pavilion.

​Driven by sheer curiosity, Arianna followed closely behind him, desperate to know exactly what was going on.

​"You wanted him kept alive? Why?" she asked as the tent flaps closed behind them. He was pacing back and forth across the rug, his hands balled into tight, furious fists.

​His raw anger frightened her, but she forced herself not to show it.

​"Because Ulric didn’t do it," Kane told her flatly. He stopped his pacing, turning his dark, piercing gaze toward her before adding, "Someone else did it and they pushed the blame onto him."

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