BernardI was so angry that I really wanted to tell my family where to get off, but I held it all back. I can’t ruin this for Arora and her mother now. One wrong word, not that I thought Noah was like that, but one wrong word could mess this all up.I just couldn’t believe that none of us so much as checked on them once. None of us, me included, ever asked if they were okay. They were just the Dutchess and her daughter that nobody talked about until the day I figured out Arora was my mate.I rolled my eyes when I heard someone saying that they just slipped through the cracks. Nothing in our kingdom just slipped through the cracks! Ever! Except for Arora and her mother. They really did slip through the cracks. My family worked so hard to hide the secret that everyone forgot about the innocent victims.We had to change! I would make sure we changed.AroraI looked at myself in the mirror and noted how old my dress looked as I caught sight of the omega’s uniform. My dress was completely
HelenaThe poor girl was probably suffering from a major case of whiplash, and it was all my fault. Okay, maybe not all of it, but it was mostly my fault. If I hadn’t brought it up, my family would probably only have realized it later on and not made such a huge fuss.We would have moved Arora and her mother into the castle the same way we did with all the royals and that would have been the end of it. Instead, I made a fuss and now the entire family was making a fuss, and it had become clear that Arora didn’t like it.She tried her best to hide her feelings, but she was failing miserably. She was a strong female. Like all the women in my family. She was the perfect mate for my son and I couldn’t have done a better job even if I had picked his mate myself.I just wished I could go back and do things differently, but what was done was done, and now I have to try and do better. Back when Arora’s father was sentenced, all we could think about was the threat to our kingdom and our people.
AroraThe ladies found me nose deep in the plans for the house that Bernard was showing me. He found the original plans in the castle library and even the original paint colour for each room was listed. I felt excited for the first time in a long time as I showed my mother the plans.It made staying at the castle worthwhile. The prospect that the house would be restored to its original beauty was enough for me. I didn’t like that they were paying for it, but I kept telling myself that if they didn’t do what they did, the house would not have been in such a state to begin with.I agreed to join the ladies for the last leg of the shopping and I even had a bit of fun which I would never admit out loud. By the time we returned to the castle, both my mother and I had new wardrobes. As I walked into my room after the long day, I found the omega busy replacing my old clothes with the new ones and nearly had a heart attack.“You don’t throw a pot out just because the handle is broken.” I frow
BernardIt broke my heart. I could feel the pain she was trying to hide through our mate bond and I wondered if that pain would ever heal. It felt deep, which meant someone, probably her father, had let her down. It was the only thing that made sense.The problem was that she would have been too small at the time her father was captured. There was no way he could have made her any promises she would have remembered. It made me wonder who else could have broken her heart so badly that she literally didn’t trust anybody.I didn’t want to push further. My body was screaming to touch her, but my heart told me if I wanted to make sure we ended up together, I had to take it slow. I had to take it very slow, or she would run and would never be able to catch her.Arora“So, what does a prince do to keep him out of trouble?” I changed the subject and could see the relief in his eyes as he smiled.“That all depends on what your number is.” He laughed, and I noted that his laughter filled his ey
AroraI woke up feeling hopeful, which was very strange. Everything I had been going through since that moment Bernard declared me his mate had been very strange. I felt as if I was walking a tightrope, and one slip would cost me my life while still seeing this wondrous world around me that just wanted me to get off.The thought did occur that if I chose to stay with Bernard, I would never live in my old home again, which was probably what was holding me back. I didn’t want to leave my home. It was my home. I knew my mother wouldn’t be bothered either way, but I didn’t want to leave.I had spent my entire life trying to keep that building from falling apart. Almost as if I tried to keep my father’s reputation from falling apart. At that moment, I realized that was exactly what I was trying to do. By keeping the house safe, I wasn’t just taking care of my mother. I was holding onto a memory of my father that never existed!“Prince Bernard said you should wear something comfortable.” Th
BernardI didn’t just want her. I needed her. Physically, my body ached to become one with hers. If I didn’t get relief soon, I was going to burst. I tried helping myself and nothing happened. I have heard stories of males not being able to do it with other females after they found their mates, but not even being able to help yourself was just too much!“You don’t look good, bro.” Noah slapped me on the back and I sighed deeply.“I don’t feel good. How did you do it?” I frowned when I saw the confused look on Noah’s face. “How did you hold out until your mating ceremony?” My cheeks turned bright red when Noah laughed.“Well, for one, I didn’t have to wait long. She was my best friend. Not an enemy of the state, so to speak.” Noah shook his head while he laughed, and I sighed again as we joined our family for lunch. It struck me as we all sat around the table and I caught sight of Arora. I could soon be missing out on all of this.If she accepted my proposal that we move to her childho
HelenaSeeing Bernard in such distress was really painful, and it reminded me of the past and how much pain I was in. There had to be a way to make things easier for both of them, but if nobody had found a way yet, I couldn’t imagine us finding one now.I looked at Arora, then at her mother and I knew her mother would agree, but I wasn’t so sure about Arora. I also wasn’t sure if my son would be able to hold back. If he went too far, it could ruin Arora’s reputation. No, we couldn’t let him stay.“I’m sorry, son, but Arora hasn’t accepted you. We can’t let you stay.”BernardThe warriors threw me into my room with such force that I nearly lost my balance. So much for being a prince, but then again, I did find a way into the room without them knowing and Noah was probably going to make them pay for that.I needed to speak to Noah to make sure they didn’t get punished for something I did. I walked over to the window and noted four guards just waiting for me to try and jump again. I wasn
BernardI couldn’t even remember if I promised her that I wouldn’t push. The past three days were the worst I had ever experienced and made everything else seem a little vague.“I don’t want you to have to go through that again. Hell, I don’t want to go through that again.” I pulled my fingers through my hair in frustration and saw the confusion in her eyes. “I'd heard of a temporary mark. You won’t have to accept me or anything. I just mark you temporarily and it will fade over time. I’m hoping it will stop your heat.”It was a very old tradition I read about while I was still in school. I found the fact that females went into heat interesting. The balance between our human and wolf sides and how our human bodies have adapted to accept our wolf bodies.It was one of the few things about school that actually piqued my interest, but I never pursued it further, and now I regret it. If I had more information, I might have an easier time convincing her.“But won’t it be permanent if you b
EmilyI pushed to break through a mind link and I finally felt it releasing. He was one of us.“My apologies, your majesty. I have been gone for so long, it is difficult to open my pack link.” He finally answered through the link and I studied him carefully before ordering the guards to stand down.“Who are you and why have you been gone for so long?” I frowned. I couldn’t remember any of our spies being out in the world. Everyone had returned home for the celebration.“I’m Ares, your majesty. I was sent out by your father three years ago to try and find you a mate.” His cheeks turned red and I rolled my eyes. “I guess I know now why I couldn’t find one.”AroraThe news about Emily’s mate spread like wildfire through the kingdom, and before she even walked through the doors with Ares, we knew she had met him. Ares was one of Bernard’s young recruits that should have formed part of the queen’s guard, but Bernard sent him out to try and find a mate for our daughter.We hadn’t heard from
AroraI kept my promise. The day that Bernard and I retired from royal life and handed over the reigns to our daughter Emily was the proudest day of our lives. She had grown into one of the kindest people I had ever known, while at the same time standing her ground when it was needed.She was strong and brave even though she had not faced a war. She was ready to rule, and the people were ready for her to take over. Emily was much loved by our people as she had grown up in the streets of the city and knew most of them by name.She took all the lessons I taught her over the years to heart and made sure that the people were taken care of long before she became queen. I could hear the rumours again of how much she reminded the people of the old rogue queen, and it made me feel proud that the pack loved her that much.Sadly, new rumours were starting to flare up all over the city, and they unsettled us a little. Emily was old enough now to mate, but unlike most of the royals, she didn’t fi
AroraForgiving the royal family a second time was probably one of the toughest things I ever had to do, but I knew that if I didn’t, there would be no end to the cruelty that would definitely follow. I had preached forgiveness before everything happened, and this gave me the opportunity to again remind people how to forgive.I made sure they saw me happily interacting with the royal family at each event and I made sure the royals that remained spent time with the people. The kingdom grew prosperous again under Bernard’s rule, and with my help, the people became happy again. We announced my pregnancy soon after I passed the second month mark, and very soon after that, I began to show.The royal baby grew fast in my belly as time slowly ticked by. I spent my days in the old queen’s vegetable gardens and tending to the flower gardens as much as my body would allow. I joined the omegas to do the shopping for the castle and made sure I knew what every one of our supplier’s problems were,
AroraMy omegas helped me to get dressed early the next morning. Having a warm and comfortable bed to sleep in and proper food to fill my belly, helped me to at least get some sleep. I was sure that the news about my release had already spread through the kingdom and was surprised when I walked into the dining room and saw the faces of the royals.Most of them were covered in shame as they should be, but I held my head high and took my seat beside Bernard. After the omega left the night before, Bernard told me everything that happened. He told me how he tried to find evidence against Irina and that he only believed her for a short while. It hurt to think that he had so little trust in me, but I pushed it to the back of my mind.None of them were to blame for any of this. Irina was the one who was to blame. She was the one who was going to face trial now and, thanks to Bernard’s genius plan, they had more than enough evidence to sentence Irina without spending much time on a trial.“Ar
AroraBernard took his time. He even postponed the trial for two days so they could find a witch to explain what each item in their mound of evidence was used for. My only glimmer of light was seeing Irina losing her patience the longer Bernard postponed the inevitable. It was clear as day from the looks I was getting in court. All the nobles believed that I was guilty.Bernard was digging deeper into the hole with each move. I didn’t have any hope that they were going to save me. Even with the visits from Bernard and his mother. I don’t trust them anymore. My fate was sealed. Now he just had to make the final decision. He had to judge me. He had to decide how and when I would be killed.IrinaThe glass flew through the air and shattered against the wall as I screamed out in frustration. My cousin was just postponing the inevitable in the hopes that I would slip up. I noticed he now had four guards following my every move. I couldn’t even use the secret passages without having them po
AroraPrincess Helena snuck into the dungeons to see me, and she brought me some food, but I was still so cold that I was having trouble moving. I also wasn’t sure if I could trust the food they were giving me. If they saw me as a traitor, they could very well try to poison me. My trust in all of them had been shattered, and I wasn’t sure if it would ever be possible to repair it.I had been waiting for this shoe to drop since the very moment I found out Bernard was my mate. Almost as though I knew they would just turn around and betray me, but I started to trust them and believe that they would trust me. I couldn’t help the way I was feeling. They all turned on me so fast after seeing all those things in Irina’s little secret room.Nobody believed me. It was as though none of them really knew me at all. Why would I ever trust any of them again? Bernard’s face came to mind and I felt my heartache. He should have believed me right from the start. He should have trusted me. He should ha
AroraIt wasn’t as cold on the cot as it was on the floor, but the night was long, and it still felt like the cold had found its way into my bones. I had no idea what was going on upstairs and, if I was honest, I didn’t care. They were so eager to believe Irina that they didn’t see how cruel she was.They all deserved whatever she had planned for them. I knew she made sure the proof pointed to me, but I couldn’t help myself. They should all have known by now that I wouldn’t have done that. Yet, even Bernard believed I was the traitor. I wasn’t sure if we would ever be able to find our way back to each other after all of this.The memory of Bernard visiting me and whispering came to mind and I pushed it to the back of my mind. I didn’t dare hope that things would work out in the end. Irina had been far too clever so far. She was going to make sure Bernard wouldn’t be able to prove my innocence. She was going to make sure the entire family believed her lies.The cold pushed through my t
BernardNone of this made any sense. Unless I didn’t know Arora as well as I thought I did, but I couldn’t imagine her doing the kinds of things Irina had accused her of. We found notes in the room that referred to even worse actions and I didn’t want to even think about it.I was torn between what I thought I knew and what possibilities there were. Was Arora a cruel and evil person who took revenge on our family or was she the kind heart that helped us to save our family from total ruin? Not that I thought the pack would ever revolt against us.I sat back in my office chair, not wanting to go to our room and not wanting to face my family. There were still far too many unanswered questions and I wanted to be able to answer at least some of them when I faced them again. The most prominent would probably be if I was going to put Arora on trial.“What are you doing here alone, cousin?” Irina wondered in my office and I sighed deeply. She was the last person I wanted to deal with right no
Arora“She planned this.” My voice was soft, but one of two of them heard me. “Irina planned this!” I shouted. “My omega followed her today and found the room. Irina wants all of you to think that I’m the traitor so she can get rid of me. Bernard, you have to believe me.”“His Majesty, don’t have to believe one word that comes out of your traitorous mouth!” Irina shouted from the back. “Your father was a traitor, and so are you!” She hissed and I could feel the atmosphere turning.“We need to hear from the omega, Bernard.” Princess Helena spoke up, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The omega was dragged up the stairs and I could see in her eyes that this wasn’t going to go my way. She kept looking at Irina and I wondered what happened in the short time we were apart. What could Irina have done? She was right there with me the entire time.“Please tell us what happened this morning.” Princess Helena took the lead.“I … Please, don’t make me do this.” The omegas eyes filled with tears as