Chapter Three- The Lost Princess
1555 Words
Becs stared at the picture for a long moment. Her fingers trembled as she traced the image of the silver-haired woman. Her mother, Queen Lyra Nightshade. Beside her, her father King Ardian Nightshade. The parents she had spent her life wondering about, the parents she didn’t remember, the parents she lost.
“They…We look happy.”
Killian sat quietly beside her.
“They were”
Becs swallowed.
“What happened?”
Killian’s expression darkened, for a moment she thought he might refuse to answer. Then he sighed.
“You deserve the truth.”
Becs nodded, grateful he was going to tell her. For once she wanted the truth, no lies, no secrets. Killian starred at the picture for a moment before he started to speak.
“The Nightshade Kingdom was the most powerful vampire kingdom in existence, your father ruled for nearly a decade. Your mother was loved by everyone.”
Becs listened carefully as a sad smile touched his lips.
“She could walk into a room and make people feel safe.”
The description made Becs’s chest ache, she wished she knew them. Whished she had more than a picture.
“What happened”
Killan’s jaw tightened.
“The Rogue King”
The name alone sent a chill down her spine.
“The night of your first birthday”
Becs froze. Not eighteen years ago, seventeen. She had her parents for a full year and never knew it. The realization made her stomach turn.
“The kingdom was celebrating, the entire royal family, elders from neighboring covens, your mothers father, an Alpha from a nearby pack in the southern territories, and elders from the northern and southern werewolf territories.”
He paused. She could picture it, the music, food, families and children, everyone celebrating and laughing. Then the image shattered as Killian continued.
“The Rouge King attacked, nobody saw it coming. He brought an army.”
“What about my father?”
Killian smiled sadly.
“Your father died the way every king dreams of dying. He fought.”
She looked up at the sound of pride in Killian’s voice. A lump formed in her throat.
“He stood beside his warriors, he refused to retreat.”
“He knew he was going to die?”
Killian nodded
“Yes.”
Tears filled her eyes
“But he fought anyways?”
“Yes”
Even though the answer broke her, it also made her proud. Proud to be his daughter.
“What about my mother?”
The question came out as barely a whisper, if Killian were human he would have missed it. His expression softened as he looked into her eyes, he took her had for comfort.
“Your mother never picked up a weapon.”
Becs frowned
“What?”
“She picked you up.”
The treas that she had been trying to hold back finally started to fall again. Killian squeezed her hand, just a silent reminder that she wasn't alone.
“She ran”
Killian’s voice became rough
“She paid one of her guards to get you out.”
Becs closed her eyes. She tried to imagine it, tried to imagine her mother saying goodbye.
“She died protecting you.”
The room went silent after that, for several minutes neither spoke. Becs just simply cried, mourning the people she never knew. People who had loved her enough to die for her. Eventually Killian handed her a tissue.
“You cry ugly,” he said, trying to lighten the mood and make her laugh.
Becs glared, with a tiny bit of a smile pulling at her lips.
“I hate you”
“No you don’t”
At that her composure slipped and she started to laugh through the tears.
–A week later–
Ava stood at the foot of Becs’s bed, holding her medical chart. She looked annoyed, which immediately worried everyone. Finally not being able to take the silence any longer Killian spoke.
“What?”
Ava sighed.
“What are you?”
She asked putting the chart down and looking right at Becs. Becs blinked, a little offended at the the question.
“I, I thought we established that I’m a hybrid.”
“No”
The healer pointed to the chart
“I know your a hybrid, i want to know why and how you’re healing so fast”
Killian smirked, Lucas looked amused and Becs looked confused.
Ava groaned.
“You should still be unconscious”
“Oh”
“You should still have a fever, and you definitely shouldn’t be trying to sneak out of bed!”
Becs slowly sat back down, Ava narrowed her eyes.
“Exactly”
The healer finally sighed.
“You’re healing”
Good news
“Much faster than expected”
Better News
“But.”
Becs groaned, there was always a but.
“You are still on bedrest.”
“For how much longer?”
“I want a minimum of four days,”
Ava paused before she finished.
“ Maximum seven.”
Becs looked horrified, seven more days in bed? Becs groaned, while falling back onto her pillows.
That afternoon, Killian carried Becs, against her verbal protests. Up to the top floor of the fortress and into a massive suite. She gasped and the open floor plan with the massive wall of windows overlooking the forest.
“This is bigger than the hospital wing”
“This is the Alpha suite”
Becs blinked, confused.
“Your room?”
“Our room”
Silence. The word hung in the air, Becs was the first one to look away. Their bond immediately warmed. Luna was having entirely too much fun at her expense.
Mate.
“Shut up Luna”
Never going to happen
Killian walked into the master bedroom and set her on the bed, he helped her get settled before handing her a phone. She started at it then looked at him.
“A phone?”
“If you need anything, call me.”
His silver eyes softened as he talked to her. Something about that made her chest ache, nobody had ever cared whether she needed something before. Not really. The silence stretched on, before Killian sat beside her.
“There is something we need to discuss.”
She knew what it was, the bond.
“The mate thing?”
His expression became uncomfortable, which was honestly adorable.
“Yes”
Becs smiled, Killian groaned.
“Please stop enjoying my discomfort.”
“Not gonna happen”
He rubbed his forehead.
“The mate bond is a connection created by the Moon Goddess. When mates find each other, the bond pulls them in. Eventually the bond needs to be ... .completed.”
His voice trailed off on the last word. Completed? What did he mean completed? His voice became careful as he continued the explanation.
“Through marking and mating.”
The room was silent as he let Becs sit with that, at first she didn’t understand what he meant. Then she understood, her cheeks started to turn very red.
“Oh”
Killian nodded with a hit of a smile, happy that she was not the uncomfortable one. The silence was a bit awkward at this point. Finally Killian spoke again.
“I’m not asking that of you, you’ve spent most of your life being controlled by other people. I will never do that, you take as much time as you need.”
As he spoke his voice became softer with every word. She could feel the bond warm between them, she felt safe, comfort and trust. For the first time since arriving in Blackwood Becs felt something unfamiliar, choice. She finally had the freedom to choose. And somehow that mattered more than anything else.
After spending the last hour with Becs, making sure she had everything and she knew how to work the phone if she needed anything. Killian made his way down to the council chamber, where Lucas and Ethan were already waiting for him. Both stood immediately as he entered the chamber.
“What did the hunters say?” Killian asked, getting right to business.
Ethan’s expression darkened
“Nothing good”
Lucas slid a folder across the table. Killian opened it, His jaw tightened then tightened further then his expression became murderous. Every page contained information about Becs. Tests, experiments, observations. Years of them, the room became colder. Killian looked up.
“Kill them”
Neither argued, the hunters made their choice.
Ethan nodded
“It’ll be done”
Killian looked to Lucas
“The hospital”
“What about it?”
“I want everything”
“What do you mean?”
Killian’s eyes flashed black.
“I want every record, every secret, every experiment, every name. Every person responsible.”
The Alpha stood, his Alpha aura radiating from him. Making the chamber feel suffocating.
“They took thirteen years of her life.”
Silence filled the room, Lucas nodded. Understanding immediately.
“I’ll find everything”
Killian looked towards the ceiling, towards the room where his mate rested. His mate the lost princess, the woman who deserved answers.
“Good”
Because someone had spent thirteen years turning Becca Nightshade into a science experiment. And Killian intended to make them regret every second of it.
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