Ileus: The Dark Prince

Olivia looked at the knife in Murtagh's hands. Its blade glinted in light of the lamp on the table as its brass handle shone like gold. Her eyes trailed to its tip where she saw a tinge of red. 

"This knife is tipped with poison that I concocted in the kitchen," Murtagh said while staring at Olivia. He was not given a servant and he had to look after his own needs in the house, which included making his own food and cleaning the house as well. When his rations finished, he sent the request to the soldiers and his supplies replenished. He was sure that everything he ordered was scrutinized, and so he ordered the normal ingredients. But what they didn't know was that Murtagh was excellent with his foraging skills and he knew how to create deadly poisons. The tip of the knife that he was giving Olivia was dipped in one such poison that was created by mixing wolfsbane into crushed spiders and worms that he found in the flowerbeds of the garden. He had prepared a vial of it a long time back and had even thought of using it on the soldiers, but he went against it, because that would mean that Adrianna would simply kill him. He was afraid of Adrianna because she was simply too powerful. He knew that if she wanted, she could wipe off the Whiteclaw pack, but she wasn't interfering in her husband's work. 

But now was the time to use the poison. He couldn't let this peace treaty stay in place. "Plunge this knife in Kaizan's chest and show me that you are loyal to your alpha. Show me that you are not a backstabber like your father!" 

Olivia stared at Murtagh and then her eyes went back to the knife he was holding. With quivering lips, she said, "How can you say that my father deceived you? This battle of yours has claimed so many lives, including the life of my brother, Luke." 

"Don't you take Luke's name with that filthy tongue of yours!" Murtagh growled as he removed the knife from front of her and took a step back. "Luke was a freedom fighter. He worked zealously for me till his last breath! And you—you are just like your father—a narc. He double-crossed me." He looked at her from top to bottom and scoffed. "You are also a fink!" With his chest heaving heavily, he turned away from her. "I was expecting that you would be different, that you care about the pack's motto, but it seems that getting married to Kaizan has fulfilled your goal of getting all the luxuries and title that you could ever think of. He was a means to your end." 

"Alpha Murtagh!" Olivia shouted and shot up. "You are making it sound as if it was my mistake to be married to Kaizan! I am committed to my pack's duties as much as I am committed to—"

"It was ultimately your mistake," Murtagh cut her off. "And if you want to rectify your mistake, you must kill him." He turned back to give the dagger to her. "Consider this as your mission for your pack, Olivia. Once we are free, once I am free, I will reward you with riches beyond your imagination. I will give you a place in the council seat of the Whiteclaw pack. King Dmitri will break with Kaizan's death and they will give us what we demand!" He extended the knife to her. "Here, take it and show me what you are worthy of!" 

Olivia's eyes fixed on the knife. She shook her head. Her heart was thudding in her ribcage. Kaizan was her mate. To think of hurting him was against her instinct, how could she kill him? She couldn't come out of the shock that her father hadn't talked to Murtagh about the peace treaty. She couldn't believe that Murtagh didn't want the treaty. She had come here happily to see her alpha and tell him that she was part of the peace treaty and that the war between the two packs had stopped for good, but what she encountered here plunged her into a sea of doubts and anxiety. Everything was false. She felt she was so small and insignificant. And to show her worth, she had to kill her mate? "I can't." She shook her head. "I can't!" She took a step back. She pressed her hand on her heart. Her breath became ragged. 

Murtagh inched closer to her. "You can Olivia," he insisted. "You can do this for all of us. There is no one other than you who can do this!" He held her hand and gave her the knife. "Take it. Kill him. Free your pack of that pest." 

Olivia's hands shook as she held the knife. A shudder passed through her body. "Kaizan is my mate," she said with quivering lips as tears rolled out of her eyes. 

"Then reject your mate and kill him!" he said with a clenched jaw as a surprise flickered through his eyes. "But do it! You can do it." 

Anxiety bubbled up till her neck and she thought she would vomit if she stayed even for a minute more in this house. She was so rattled that she was shaking like a dry leaf on a tree in the summer breeze. The knife in her hands shook and fell on the rug. She looked up at Murtagh and then pressed her fist to her mouth. Shaking her head, she stepped back. After a moment of staring at him with teary eyes, she ran out of the house and didn't stop until she was sitting in her carriage. Her body was trembling so badly that she clutched the sides of her gown as she broke into cold sweat. 

"M'lady?" Finn asked before closing the carriage door. "You look… pale." There was a crease between his brows as if he was suspecting her. "Is something wrong?" 

She sucked in a sharp breath and shook her head. "Please take me back." 

When she reached her mansion—