Chapter 7
1952 Words
Everything was quiet around me. I held my knees close to my chest, feeling them ground me, but my head still churned, seeking answers.
Maybe... maybe you remember incorrectly? Sofia suggested.
“No, I’m certain. I died in the summer. We had just buried the crown prince.”
A whimper escaped Sofia, her behavior once again strange.
“Sofia?” I called.
Yeah? she responded carefully.
She was definitely hiding something.
“What was that?”
What was what?
“That reaction... that whimper... and you reacted strangely too when I asked if you knew me.”
I... I...
“You know you’re a horrible liar, right?” I accused.
A deep sigh escaped her.
“Tell me, is the crown prince dead?”
Yes, she replied without hesitation.
“How long... how long has it been since he died?”
Listen, Aurora—
“No, don’t you dare avoid this. Tell me!” I demanded.
I knew the truth wasn’t going to be easy to swallow, but I needed to understand what had happened. I heard Sofia take a deep breath.
“Tell me!”
Almost a year ago...
“A year...” I murmured.
How was that possible? I grabbed my hair in frustration. None of this made any sense. I had never heard of any wolf coming back to life, and a whole year had passed!
“W-What about the alpha games?” I stammered, lowering my hands. “Who won?”
No one.
“What do you mean?”
The games have not begun.
“I don’t understand. Why not?”
Once again, Sofia fell quiet, and I sensed a deep sorrow from her.
Why was that?
“Sofia!”
Because of you...
“Me? What the hell does that mean?”
Aurora... you died.
“I’m aware!” I yelled.
Yeah, so is the entire wolf community.
Her words hit me hard, stunning me into silence.
“Explain...” I demanded weakly.
I do remember you, but from reading about your death and the king’s declaration.
“I don’t get it.”
After you died, the mourning period began.
“Yeah, but that lasts six months, and it shouldn’t have kept the games delayed for that long,” I said.
The king thought otherwise. He said that because you were a luna, the mourning period should be extended and the games delayed. That way there could be no distraction for Alpha Darren either, and the games would be fair.
The king did that? I thought.
An image of the older king appeared in my mind. I remembered our conversation, yet I hadn’t thought it would have such an impact on him. Or perhaps it didn’t? I wondered. Maybe he simply honored a mating. He had, after all, had such a special one. But there was nothing special about mine. Then again, how would he know that?
“The king is a good male,” I murmured. “Just like his son was.”
Were you and the son close?
I shook my head. “No... no, but I knew of him.”
I heard rumors that he was in love with someone. Maybe that was you?
I began laughing.
“Funny.”
Why?
“Because we barely knew each other.”
I don’t think that matters to some. The king and his mate barely knew each other for a few hours before they were mated.
“They had a true bond. Something like that is as rare as giving birth to a luna,” I told her.
Sofia seemed to contemplate my reply before saying, Just what we heard.
I began thinking back to one of the balls I had attended before I was mated myself.
“Are you alone?”
A voice startles me, and I turn, seeing the prince standing in front of me. My breath catches, my heart hammering in my chest. He is very handsome—dark brown hair, soft green eyes, and dimples.
No wonder everyone falls at his feet, I think.
“Um, no, my fiancé is getting me a drink,” I tell him.
“Right. Congratulations,” he says, yet I sense a strange reluctance in his voice.
“Thank you.”
He steps a little closer, coming to stand beside me.
“He swept you off your feet fast,” he remarks, staring at everyone on the dance floor.
It is true. It isn’t even that long ago that I turned eighteen, yet I am already engaged.
“I have known Darren for a long time,” I reply.
He nods.
“Your packs have always been close,” he says.
I am surprised he knows. But perhaps that is part of being the next king. You have to know all the connections within our lands.
“Yes, they have been,” I reply, glancing at him and seeing him still staring ahead.
“I think a lot of alphas will be disappointed you didn’t wait a little longer.”
His remark shocks me. As he turns to meet my eyes, I notice the teasing smirk on his lips. It sends a strange flutter through me.
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Funny, Your Highness.”
“Call me Cain.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t. That would not be appropriate.”
“Appropriate is what I decide, no?” he says, his voice light.
“Um... right,” I reply, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks.
It is very hard to look at him. He is so incredibly handsome. I try to push away the thoughts, knowing they aren’t right to have when I’m already engaged.
“I get to call you Aurora then, right?”
“Of course, my pri—I mean, Cain.”
His eyes glow when I say his name, but it happens so swiftly that I’m not sure I see it correctly.
“Aurora.”
I turn my head, seeing Darren appear. He hands me a glass before coming to my side. I feel his arm slip around me, holding me close to his body.
“My Prince,” Darren greets.
“Alpha Darren.”
“Is there something I can do for you?” he asks.
I notice the slight possessiveness in his tone.
“No, I was just keeping your mate company until your return. But now that you’re here.” Cain turns to me, his eyes meeting mine again. They are so kind.
That’s sweet, Sofia said, snapping me back to reality.
Anger flowed through me.
“Hey, stop peeking at my memories,” I snapped.
Sorry. It’s not like I can control it. We are one and the same now.
“And yet I still have my old memories.”
I can show you some of mine too.
I shook my head. I had had enough surreal experiences for a lifetime.
“I’m good.”
Then can I ask you something?
I sighed. “Okay.”
How can you say the prince wasn’t interested when it is so clear from your memory that he was?
“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.
He asked you to call him Cain.
I only felt more confused. “And?”
Gosh, and I thought my former host was a bit too naïve.
“Excuse me?”
The prince was obviously interested, but you were already engaged.
“You’re mistaken,” I insisted.
She groaned, shaking her head at me.
Why did you get engaged so fast?
Her sudden question surprised me, but I answered nonetheless.
“I was in love with Darren. We had known each other for many years.”
But you also said he turned against you.
A deep ache shot through me just thinking about it.
“I did...”
I don’t follow, then.
“He... lied to me. He acted as if he loved me, but he never did,” I admitted, curling in on myself even more, feeling tears spring to my eyes. “He betrayed me.”
How?
“He cheated on me... many times.”
Sofia gasped audibly in my mind, and I felt her deep disbelief. Though I knew cheating wasn’t unheard of, it was especially so when someone had a luna mate.
I... I... that can’t be true.
“It is...”
But I never heard—
“I made sure it was kept a secret. I wanted it that way... He did too.”
Are you sure it wasn’t just him? Why would you stay with him?
“Why would you kill yourself rather than leave?” I shot back.
Sofia clammed up. Clearly there were things she wasn’t ready to discuss either.
“Exactly.”
Silence fell between us. I stared out the window ahead of me, noticing how the light shifted, indicating time had passed. I could feel my heart beating normally again, shock no longer blinding me, yet I didn’t know what to do with myself.
Maybe we should go check on our mate?
“He can’t be our mate,” I stated.
Why not?
“You called him an alpha.”
He is!
“That is not an alpha.”
Sofia sighed. Does it matter?
I contemplated it. Maybe it didn’t. Why had I reacted so strongly? Perhaps it was just the norm, and that was why it shocked me.
“Is he a good alpha at least?”
He is... not a bad person, she replied.
“Why did you hesitate?”
Well, he is quite... dull, and he likes his privacy.
“I see. I’m guessing part of the reason there are no heirs is because he isn’t exactly an alpha with an appetite?”
That’s a kind way to put it.
“Have they even mated once?”
Sort of.
“Sort ofl?” I asked, shocked.
They tried once, but it... it wasn’t exactly... neither wanted to.
I let my legs fall, sliding my feet onto the floor. At least I wasn’t going to be pressured into bedding a stranger then, but it also made me realize why Sofia’s status was so low. Not only was her mate a very weak alpha—so weak it had to be unheard of—but she had also borne no heirs. Most probably knew nothing spicy was happening between the two. In a pack, nothing really stayed secret.
“Okay,” I said, rising.
What?
“Let’s go back. He will probably find my behavior disrespectful anyway if I stay away.”
That’s not really Elijah. He probably won’t even comment on it.
“No?”
He knows Sofia doesn’t enjoy his company.
“But he is also our only ally in this pack, isn’t he?”
Sofia contemplated my question.
In a way, she replied. They do only have each other. Elijah isn’t exactly a favorite either.
“That’s what I thought.”
I opened the door, looking into the hallway again, but there was no scary alpha waiting to deliver a punishment or another pack member ready to keep me inside the room with no supper. I stepped outside, taking a deep breath to compose myself before heading toward the staircase.
I walked a little slower this time, not feeling in such a rush. As I reached the ground floor, I entered the hallway leading to the other end of the house, only to get a new idea. Taking a little detour, I made my way to the kitchen.
It was rather quiet now, with only two wolves sitting in there eating a snack. They glanced at me but otherwise didn’t react. I walked over to the fridge.
What are you doing? Sofia asked.
Making a peace offering.
- Writer
