Chapter 13

 "When tomorrow comes... my dream will come true, Alex." Her sobbing was muffled by the traditional ball gown she was wearing. The details of her dress blurring into another, mixing it into a big glob of red and gold.

"Why are you crying, Elise? It's your happily ever after." His voice broke at the end. Alex didn't look happy either. If anything, he seemed to be as miserable as she was.

"That's the problem, I was wrong."

Scraps of the past were sometimes what kept her through the day.

Weeks of her slow recovery consisted of a steady rhythm of visiting the library, the kitchen, and the small workshop she found behind the Gardens.

Fast healing was a bitch. She was sure the tips of the whip were dipped with wolfsbane which would have explained the continuous infections on her back. Her enhanced immune system would forcefully try to stitch her skin over the infections which only made it worse. Sleeping with her back bare was only the tip of the iceberg.

Ever since the argument with the Prince, she gave a wide berth to her roommate while he remained frustratingly stubborn by going through the silent treatment. His lack of engagement for anything she initiated discouraged her attempts to apologize, only resulting in awkward nights on the same bed.

She gave it a break after a few days.

Many advisors flitted to and fro in the large library today which kept her from concentrating on the cloud chamber research she had on the agenda. Instead, she talked with Azalea who plopped herself down on a stool next to hers when seeing her bored expression.

The topic steered to the night of her punishment. She found herself curious about what happened after she lost consciousness.

Paranoid that one of the Warriors would hear them, Azalea scooted closer as she continued to say in an undertone.

"You should have seen his face, Lady Eli. He was absolutely livid. You would never imagine such emotion from the Prince!" Azalea gushed. She guiltily thought back to before she drowned. And after she drowned. She felt grim as she recalled almost every one of her moments with the Prince.

"His aura was unmatched and incompatible. He ignored the Queen Mother herself when she tried to stop him from taking you. It was the first time I heard him Alpha-order anyone."

Her brows furrowed as she straightened alarmingly, "To the Queen Mother?"

"No. To Alpha Alexander." Azalea rushed, "He ordered the Alpha to prosecute the Warrior who lashed you."

"Why- why would he do that? The Warrior was under the Queen Mother's orders." Panic rose for the unfair retribution the Warrior might have gotten. "He was carrying orders."

"It wasn't for the lashing itself, it was the procedure milady. It's the law that the back should be bare for healthy and moral rehabilitation. But the Warrior went on before the Queen Mother could give the signal."

No wonder her back was still itchy as hell.

"I've never thought the Prince could be anything but calm and collected." Azalea smirked mischievously while nudging her arm, "The Prince's emotions are everywhere since you married him."

She laughed nervously.

The afternoon sun was slowly tipping when the talk between them ceased.

Azalea was helping her clear the table, filing all the papers and texts she worked with. They were almost done when the already dim light was blocked by a visitor.

"Beta Chester?" She acknowledged warily.

"Lady Elise," He bowed, "Prince Trenton has requested you to join him for dinner." His tone indicated he was not happy with it.

She sighed. "Is Trenton being forced to do this?"

The Beta clenched his jaw. "Unfortunately not."

At his answer, she halted in proceeding to follow the Beta. Azalea quietly excused herself as he threw her a stony look. His black strands reminded her of Trenton but his cold gray eyes gave her a completely different impression. While theiniidf Prince was coyer with his presence, Chester was obviously blunt and direct.

"Why is he asking me then?" She inquired genuinely. Her only explanation for this abrupt invitation was an aristocrat dinner.

"Just follow me, would you?" The Beta grunted in annoyance as the pair took off to the Royal Dining Room. As all of her meals were accompanied by Azalea or Brenda, she found herself quite nervous to join the Prince for dinner. She repeatedly clenched and un-clenched her palms to rid of the clamminess.

===

"Why can't you believe me that I can be good?"

Her desperate plea in their argument plagued him for the following weeks.

A mate's wishes were to be of the highest command for their kind, and it killed the Prince to not give in.

It was also in their duty to keep them safe.

But I've already failed that.

He laid back on the stiff dining chair in unrest, waiting for Lady Elise to come.

"I change my mind. Like you've said, your love isn't essential in the equation."

His fingers drummed on top of the granite table.

At that moment, he was no longer human. His wounded wolf took over and started a fallacious argument which was from the very start, never meant to have a winner. He cringed inwardly as he recalled the misplaced accusation of Elise forging those letters.

Even she was dumbstruck at his lame excuse of an argument.

Though his wolf claimed his body at that time, in a sick, selfish way his heart ached at her sharp tongue. He would be a fool to deny it all, as there was no mistake in how his body and soul reacted to his mate.

The door to the room opened as he saw his Beta Chester glowering at him, shortly followed by the far shorter beauty. Her brown locks were unruly than usual as he saw her straightening them out in a grimace.

He nodded to Chester in gratitude which was responded in a curt nod before he went his way.

From the very start, his Beta did not want him to accommodate the lu Pavel Princess. He had even insisted for him to break the bond discretely for their Coronation plans. For that, friend or not, he had his Beta up against the wall.

The mating bond was too sacred to force rejection upon only one side. He would only allow it if he had mutual consent. At first, he thought it would be Lady Elise who would be hard to convince of. It had never dawned upon him that it would be himself.

"Well, this is a surprise," Elise exclaimed as she pulled out a chair next to him. He willed himself to stay cool in her presence.

"I thought I could apologize for making rather rash accusations the other night."

And of course, to talk her out of the ridiculous commitment she suddenly seemed to have. The frequencies of her getting caught up in the aftermath of his fight increased, and it bothered him. Perhaps more than it should.

Even if she was as genuine as she claimed to be, it was only fair to warn her at the very least.

They waited patiently as their dishes were set up. When the last of the maids scurried back to the kitchen, she answered with a bite of bread.

"About time. It's long overdue, don't you think?" Her slice dangled from her fingers.

He gripped his silverware harder. "I'm trying to say sorry."

She sighed impatiently. "There's no use in us fighting. We need to team up if you want to be King."

The following silence was thick as they cut through their steak. Sometimes, Lady Elise spoke like she knew he would succeed in taming the Crown. He appreciated her confidence but it was unnerving in times like these.

"My offer is the exact opposite, actually." He pushed the knife a tad bit harder. "The only way you could help me is by staying out of this mess."

Her fork clattered on the Limoges porcelain plate. He continued to eat.

"Are you kidding me? What part don't you understand in, 'I'll do anything?'"

He twirled his wine glass subtly at her piercing gaze. "Your word choice is disturbing," He had a sip and added, "and disgusting. Borrow a dictionary and look up 'kidding' in your spare time." He muttered.

"Oh- shut up." She picked her silverware and sliced through.

With most of the meat gone, they had slipped to a comfortable silence. He treasured the time he could have with his mate peacefully. It relaxed him to no end.

"And for the latter question, I advise you to step back if you want to prevent another round of lashing." His sincerity leaked into his words.

"Are you worried that a few lashes will put my tail between my legs?" She shook her head. "I'm stronger than that."

"That's the problem." He ground his teeth. The lady in front of him wasn't listening in the slightest.

"Let's get to know each other, then." She retorted nonchalantly.

"What?" Elise was getting more and more unpredictable, and his collected self couldn't follow her quickly enough.

"Well, it's pretty clear that you don't trust me enough to be your personal spy, we should get to know each other more," She shrugged while dipping in the soup, "in a platonic way."

"No-" He wanted to rattle her shoulders and shout that he really didn't give a damn about trust anymore. He only wanted her out of the crossfire. But the Lady wouldn't take a hint and continued to tease him by licking the spoon clean. Platonic could go to hell.

She motioned to one of the maids collecting their bare plates and whispered something to her ear. With a full smile and a happy nod, the maid went her way with their plates.

"What are you doing-" Elise rose from her seat and placed a hand on top of his large ones under the table and pulled him to stand. He reluctantly followed the beauty, allured by her body closer than ever.

His other hand itched to caress her brown waves of hair.

"I told the maids they're off for the day." She continued to lead him out of the dining room and to the dark corridors set by the falling sun. "I figured we could skip dessert and talk more in the Gardens."

"Why would- Why skip cake?" His dumb response elicited a light giggle from her mouth. To him, it was music from the heavens.

"Just in case you change your mind and decide to never talk to me again. I want to drag this dinner as long as I can." She huffed as she led him to the west wing of the castle still tightly holding his hand. "As much as I'm annoyed with you, I kinda want to get to know you."

He had a headache as his mate tried so hard to make the time to get to know him. If he could reverse time, he would put her far away from him. She deserved someone so much better.

The lu Pavel Princess had everything she could ever ask for before mating with him, and now that he was her mate, she became a target for everyone.

He gripped her hand tighter, enjoying the sparks and slight shivers- good shivers- that only Elise could provide, desperately wanting more.

He wanted her. He slowed his pace to match hers. So bad.

They entered the Gardens soon after and as they basked in the moonlight, Elise sighed. "When I was younger, I wanted to be an astrophysicist."

He furrowed his brows, wondering if he heard her right, "An astro- what?"

Her moonlit brown eyes crinkled as she laughed silently, "Like- like the Galileo guy."

"You like star-gazing?" He asked, interested as he got to know a new side of Elise.

"Well, I like to see the stars," The night breeze tangled in with her spare locks, "but I'm more interested in what they're composed of, how they shine, and how they die. What about you?"

Thoughts raged as he contemplated an adequate answer.

"I don't know." He let out truthfully. "I've never gotten the chance to pursue what I like."

Elise sucked in a breath. "That's unfortunate."

Her blunt response hit home. "It's a price I am willing to pay to secure the Kingdom."

She kicked a lone stone at the edge of the path. "No wonder the textbooks praised you so much." He could hear her mutter under her breath.

"Let's start with a more universal approach, then." Her eyes sought his as they walked towards the fountain. "Uh- your favorite color?"

He laughed. That was easy, "Brown."

"No offense to the color," She raised a brow at his unusual answer, "But that's so dull."

"I disagree. Brown evokes a sense of strength and safety," He subtly glanced sideways at the chocolate-haired lady. "It can also come in the form of quirkiness."

Her confused face was adorable.

"Okay, next question-"

He smelt it before he heard it. The tangy smell of bitter whiskey hit him hard as his wolf growled at the unknown threat. With a strong grip on Elise's arm, he pushed her to the small gaping hole in the hedges, diving deeper and deeper into the intertwining branches despite her restraint.

Before she could yelp in pain, he clamped a hand over her mouth and put a single finger over his lips. His heart shuttered at her fear-stricken gaze.

When he was convinced she would not give them away, he gently laid her head to his chest, pushing their forms more deeply into the Sambucus Nigra, praying it was enough to cover their scent.

The wind announced the nightly visitor's presence.

"My Queen, your grandson is the least of our worries."

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