Chapter 44

[ 1,027 words ]

Lucien Toussaint:

Arabella. Arabella. Arabella.

What was she? Who was she? A witch?

What kind of magical spell was she putting on me? I never showed this friendly side of mine to anyone. Not even to Bradley, who was my childhood friend.

Was it the mate bond?

There was this strange desire to make her like me, not to fear me. But to…

But to…

“Love you?” Zorro asked me in a teasing tone, but I refused to dwell on that possibility.

Nah! Zorro was delusional. Love was nothing, I was feeling all this because we didn’t get a chance to consummate our bond. Once it was out of my system, everything would be back to normal.

“Who are you kidding, man?” Zorro asked me in a smug tone, “You just challenged her that you would make her fall for you.”

“I got carried away,” I snapped, but Zorro didn’t seem convinced. Today he was whistling in my head, and after ages I could feel his happiness.

“Lilith?” I called her through the mindlink.

“I’m already in your office, Lucien.”

Taking long strides, I headed to my office. Goddess… I was already missing Arabella. She hadn’t realized it yet, but she had started arguing with me, and it was a good sign.

The mark I gave her had started doing its job.

The moment I stepped into the palace corridor, a familiar voice called after me, “My King… Lucien!”

I looked over my shoulder and found the royal head warrior Jasmine walking toward me in her black combat uniform. Her blonde hair was tied into a neat high ponytail, and the sword strapped to her side swayed lightly with each step.

Her face reminded me of my conversation with Amy. Jasmine was a young, beautiful woman who was quite ambitious, but none of that ever attracted me.

My family had been considering her as my future queen, and I never objected. But that was before I found Arabella.

She fell into pace beside me, “I’ve increased the patrols around the eastern border,” she reported professionally, “The warriors are rotating every four hours now,” She placed her hand on my arm, trying to make it seem casual.

I knew better. It was anything but casual.

“Good,” I nodded.

“And we’ve questioned the guards who were on duty during the rogue attack.”

“Results?”

“Nothing substantial yet.”

I nodded again, “Then keep digging.”

She stole a brief glance at me before continuing, “The council is asking whether tomorrow’s meeting should proceed as planned.”

“It will.”

“Understood.”

She wasn’t a fool not to understand that I wasn’t interested in engaging in any kind of talk with her. For someone who had known me for years, Jasmine could usually read my moods.

For some reason, today she didn’t want to take the hint.

“You have been busy lately,” she said with a faint smile, “How about we meet for dinner tonight. Your favorite. Almond chicken. I’ll cook.”

“Tonight?” I asked with a frown, “I’m busy, Jasmine,” Before she could ask me for the next night, I at last flashed her a formal smile, “I’ll let you know once I’m free.”

She pressed her lips together, “How’s that slave doing?”

The word slave struck a nerve, but I didn’t lose my temper. After all, I was responsible for it, and I was supposed to make things right for Arabella.

“You mean, Arabella?” I said while walking, “She is good.”

By the time we reached my office door, she had opened her mouth as if to say something else. I stopped there and turned toward her, “We’ll talk later, Jasmine. Right now, I have this important meeting.”

I just rejected her dinner offer and now this. I needed to be polite.

“Of course, my King,” she bowed slightly and stepped back. After giving her a brief nod, I opened the door and went inside my office, closing the door behind me.

***

“Right now, she might be scared of you, but soon she will accept you as her mate,” Lilith tried to pat my ego.

She had spread some cards on my desk and was now picking them one by one, watching each of them carefully.

I straightened when I remembered something, “Hey, Lilith,” she raised her hand to make me quiet, but I had to speak to her about it.

“I know it sounds strange. The day we found Zara and Arabella in a tree… a star guided me to her.”

That got her attention as her eyes snapped up, “What did you say?”

“The star… it guided me to her,” She was looking at me in disbelief.

“And you’re telling me this now?”

“I’m sorry. I forgot,” I said with a shrug, ignoring her glare.

She started rearranging the cards, “So all my theories have gone to waste. I need to start over,” she mumbled in frustration.

She looked at me, her violet eyes unusually serious, “Lucien… nothing about this girl is ordinary. Her symptoms are giving mixed signals. She might be a white wolf or a red wolf.”

White wolf or red wolf?

Before I could ask her to explain herself, three sharp knocks echoed through the office. The door swung open without waiting for my permission.

Bradley stepped inside, “I need to tell you something, Lucien…” He stopped midsentence the moment his eyes landed on Lilith and then on the cards covering my desk.

I gestured for him to continue, “Speak freely. You can trust her.”

He gave a short nod, “I’ve just learned something that’ll blow your mind.”

“Brad,” I sighed, “Can you please quit the drama and get to the point?”

He exhaled heavily, “It’s about Arabella…”

Every muscle in my body seemed to tense, “What about her?”

Bradley looked directly at me, “She tried to kill her parents when she was six.”

I was on my feet, “What? You have got to be kidding me.”

Silence hung in the room. Lilith seemed to hold her breath as she heard it.

“Her father survived,” Bradley continued, “But her mother… she died.”

He then headed to me, “Vikki Toussaint. She is not her real mother. She is her stepmother.”

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