Forbidden Lovers

Never

"Your Grace? Your Grace, wake up please." The voice kept repeating these two sentences over and over again until Evelyn opened her eyes and looked around, only to find herself in her new room in the werewolves' castle. The room she'd probably spend the rest of her life in — or at least a big part of it. Now that she thought about it, she had to make some changes. It was too dark-colored for her liking.

"What happened?" Her voice sounded groggy as she rubbed her sleepiness away with her fingers. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier, my queen. I'm Annie, your handmaiden." Only now Evelyn really looked at her face and saw a young blonde woman in front of her. She looked sweet, but by the way her cheeks blushed, shy and timid. "And I'm really sorry to wake you up but it's lunch time already and King Robert doesn't like to wait."

"Oh," was the only thing Evelyn said, reminding the conversation of last night with King Robert. She had to attend every meal with the family, no matter what. Sighing, she got out of the bed, thinking how she'd be able to make it in time three times a day. It had to be exhausting.

Only when she was in front of the mirror of the huge bathroom she realized she was still on her white wedding dress. How could someone fall into that deep sleep in such tight corset and big skirts was beyond her, but she remembered how she had cried herself to sleep so it was understandable.

And she was beyond happy to get out of it, take a warm bubbly bath and wear something a little more floaty— more elf-like.

When Evelyn entered the dining room, with her head held high just like she had been forced to do her entire life, she saw the small family had already been gathered around the rectangular table, three of the spots being left empty and she already knew the one beside King Robert belonged to her.

"Good morning, Evelyn, you look beautiful as always," Julian said with a big grin on his face and she wondered if he'd keep always flirting with the wife of his father. Not that she didn't like this side of him, though. Robert growled lowly and it made Julian chuckle a little. "Relax Father, I won't steal her from you." He smiled casually to his father, as if Robert wasn't almost ready to growl in his face. "Even though I'd want to," he added in a small voice, that was heard anyway, but it seemed this was his intention in the first place.

In an instant Evelyn knew he'd become her friend. And by the way Estelle was trying to hide her laughing face as well, she knew they'd both become her friends really soon.

The warm woodsy scent filled the room and it made her heart speed up in an instant. Her body trembled when she saw him walk towards the table, his eyes not meeting hers no matter how much she wished to.

Why did she always have to have this reaction when it came to him? She mentally rolled her eyes at herself, cursing the mate bond in the meantime.

"I'm sorry, I'm late," he spoke in his deep voice and it caused flip flops on her stomach.

"I thought you wouldn't come today too," Estelle said in a sweeter than usual voice that Evelyn had already noticed she made only when Arthmael was around. "Arthmael is always late on our family meals and he's the only one father tolerates about it," she told Evelyn.

"He couldn't be that late today though, not in the first meal with his queen at least," Julian added, taking a sip of the drink in front of him as Evelyn gulped the lump that was already formed on her throat.

"Where's Luis?" Robert changed the topic, but in an instant a little Luis entered the dining hall running, and he tripped in his foots, falling on the floor. Tears filled up his eyes instantly and everyone got up from the table to go and help the little prince, everyone but his father.

"Oh, poor Luis." Evelyn reached his and took him in her arms. "Let me see your knee." It was already bruised. "Let me take care of it, it will stop hurting in some seconds," she said in a warm voice and put the palm of her hand in his little knee. For everyone's surprise she started humming a melody they hadn't heard before and as she had said, it took a few seconds for the bruise to disappear.

Prince Luis opened his eyes wide. "That was so cool!" He jumped. "I wanna do magic too. I don't wanna be a wolf when I grow up."

Evelyn shook her head. "Of course you wanna be a wolf, it's who you are, Luis. Besides, your kingdom would love a sweet and strong prince like you." Instantly, he wrapped his little arms around her neck and she giggled. "But you should eat now so you can grow up and have your pretty wolf." And that was enough to convince Luis.

"How did you do that?" Estelle asked when they were all settled on the table again, but Evelyn's eyes didn't move from Arthmael's. The admiration behind his didn't go unnoticed.

"There are really rare elves that have healing powers. My mother has been a healing elf as well, usually the queens are," she explained but when she finally saw down at the food she felt like she wanted to throw up.

Meat.

She grew pale instantly. They had put meat in front of her to eat and only the thought disgusted her.

Arthmael studied her face, trying to understand what was going on. And he almost jumped off his chair to remove the plate from the table if he wouldn't know better than that.

"This is how you serve your Queen?" His strong voice was followed by silence in the room. "By getting her sick?"

"But Sir..." the maid tried but he cut her off, anger bubbling inside him.

"Did I give you permission to talk?" His voice was strong and authoritative, it send shivers down her spine. "Remove the plate from the table and bring her food that doesn't contain any kind of meat in it."

A smile rose up to her lips. If he was really trying to avoid her or act like he didn't care, he was definitely not making a good job at it.

"How did you know elves don't eat meat?" Robert cut in, and for a second Evelyn almost caught a flash of jealousy in his eyes.

"Not all elves, only light-elves like me," Evelyn tried to get rid of the tension suddenly growing in the room. "We're really connected to the nature and its creatures, so we could never eat them," she explained. "Thank you, Sir..." Her ocean eyes smiled when he looked at him.

"Just Arthmael... my Queen," he answered. Wishing he could call her by her name as well but it was impossible, he already knew that. 

"Imagine living without meat," Julian commented while he took a big piece of meat. "It couldn't be me."

When the meal that felt like it lasted forever was finally over, the room emptied of royal family members and maids, and she rushed after Arthmael. "Wait," she whispered.

The wolf inside him purred at her soft touch in his arm. "What is it, my Queen?"

"Don't call me that when we're alone." She tried closing the distance between them but he made a step back.

Every atom of his being wanted to gather her in his arms but he kept his distance. "But you're that to me. You're already his." His pained voice was almost too much to bear. 

"Arthmael..."

"Did he touch you?" In an instant he was only a few inches from her, the thought of keeping the distance long forgotten, stroking her cheek with his fingers and she leaned her face on his hand, closing her eyes. His simple touch was like an electricity jolt down her body. "Did he touch you, Evelyn? Did you let another man touch you?"

"No," she whispered, shaking her head but she didn't open her eyes, too afraid he would disappear if she did so. "No, I won't let anyone else touch me but you... all I want is you."

The words were supposed to make Arthmael happy but he felt even more miserable. Guilty. What the hell was he doing, this was betraying his King, his family and his morals?

He couldn't do that.

So, no matter how much it hurt, he removed his hand from her soft face. "You can't have me, Evelyn. You can never have me."