Chapter 126: Back To Consciousness.

Bryce slowly opened his eyes.

For several seconds, he did nothing except stare ahead, his consciousness gradually settling back into place.

His gaze moved around the unfamiliar room, taking in the white and gold walls, the furniture, and the surroundings he had only recently begun to understand.

Then his eyes landed on Agatha.

He stared at her for a moment, taking in her presence as though he were reminding himself that she was there.

His gaze shifted again, and this time, it landed on Vincent.

His brows drew together slightly.

For a fleeting moment, something passed across his face, too subtle to identify, before his expression returned to complete neutrality.

"How are you feeling, Your Majesty?" Agatha asked.

Bryce looked at her.

"Okay, drop the act," he said calmly. "You haven’t been calling me that or speaking to me this way, and now suddenly you are?"

He pushed himself upright and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Without looking at Vincent again, he reached for the top of his outfit and pulled it over himself.

"If I’m being honest, it’s irritating me." he added.

"I was supposed to address you like that from the beginning," Agatha answered.

She bowed her head slightly.

"I apologize, Your Majesty."

"You’re an exception. How about that?" Bryce continued fastening the top, his fingers working steadily over the gold fastenings.

"You’re my mentor. If anything, I’m the one who’s supposed to address you with that kind of respect. And..." He paused briefly, his expression remaining unreadable. "I wasn’t going to say this, but since you’ve forced me into it, then I’ll let you know.

Ever since we met, you’ve been giving me the kind of warmth and feeling that a mother would make her son feel. So allow me to see you as one, and don’t talk to me like that. Scold me when necessary."

"Your Maj..." Agatha began.

"Oh my God." Bryce immediately cut her off, his frustration finally becoming more apparent. "Okay, fine. It is an order. Do not address me like that, even when you won’t let me see you as a mother."

"That’s not the case," Agatha answered immediately. "I see you as my son too."

Bryce’s hands paused for a moment.

"Great."

The irritation in his voice eased slightly.

"Then drop the act, and let’s talk about important things instead of how we should address each other."

He looked down at the front of his outfit and tried fastening the remaining part of the top. His fingers struggled with the fastening, but still would not cooperate.

Vincent cautiously stepped forward, intending to help him, but Bryce immediately stepped backward.

The movement was enough to make Vincent stop where he stood. Bryce did not look at him. Instead, he turned toward Agatha.

"I need my helper back," he said.

Agatha moved at once, heading toward the door, but before she could leave, Bryce spoke again.

"When we’ve finished speaking, you can go ask him to come."

"Okay," Agatha answered shortly, stopping and turning back toward him.

Bryce remained standing beside the bed, his attention fixed on her.

"Am I always going to be affected every time people’s actions replay inside my head?" he asked.

"No," Agatha replied. "You can be as calm as you want, and you can even feel nothing if that’s what you want. You were overwhelmed this time because it came suddenly, completely unexpectedly, and the matter itself affected you deeply."

Bryce considered her answer for a moment.

"That’s better, because I don’t want to be affected by any of their actions in any way. And you’re right, this one caught me off guard. It pierced straight through my trust and everything else." His voice remained controlled, "I don’t know the other people here, so there shouldn’t be any reason for my emotions to be affected."

"Bryce..." Vincent began, but Bryce cut him off again before he could continue, turning his attention back to Agatha.

"Do those people know about me?"

"They were told about you, but they never took it seriously," Agatha explained. "I’m certain they’ve already forgotten about it because they never cared enough to follow up in the first place. Just as they don’t listen to anything else, they didn’t listen to the prophecy about you."

Bryce absorbed that without much reaction.

"Well, I promised my boyfriend I’ll be back to him in just two days, and so I want to deal with this fast."

He stressed the word boyfriend in a way that made the choice of the word feel intentional.

"So I’m going to summon all the Alphas here, and I’m going to have Alpha Vincent’s father and brother leave the throne for him," he announced.

His tone became almost formal as he spoke about Vincent, referring to him as though they had no familiarity with each other at all.

"That would be the best thing to do now," Agatha said, "since even right now, all the packs are at war, a war started by Alpha Vincent’s father and brother."

Bryce fell quiet.

For a moment, he simply stood there, his attention seeming to drift away from the room. Then he nodded and lowered his gaze toward the floor.

He was not merely looking at it.

He was focusing.

Bryce reached inward, attempting to find where the war was taking place. His consciousness stretched beyond the room, searching for the conflict that had spread across the packs.

The instant he found it, the scene appeared inside his mind with such clarity that there was no mistaking what he was seeing.

There were people everywhere.

Claws.

Glowing eyes.

Fangs.

Blood.

So much blood.

The violence unfolded before him with brutal clarity, and he could smell blood as clearly as though he were standing among them.

He focused deeper and froze every person caught within the war.

He made sure that they were aware of where they were, and what they believed they were supposed to be doing, but none of them could move.

Bryce could see their attempts to break free of the invisible force holding them in place, their bodies responding to the commands of their minds without actually being able to obey.

He held them there.

Then, just as suddenly as he had reached them, he withdrew.

His consciousness slipped back into his body, and the room returned around him.

He blinked once, his gaze settling on the people standing before him.

"On second thought, I’ll go to the war ground instead."

"Well then, I’ll go prepare the guards and the means for you." Agatha answered.

"Okay," Bryce answered.

He watched as Agatha turned toward the door, but before leaving, she looked at Vincent.

The glance lasted only a moment, but there was something silent passing between them, something like a communication.