Chapter 156

[ 1,048 words ]

Arabella:

Bradley walked beside me as we headed back toward the guest building.

For most of the way, I talked about Anika’s case. There were still old reports to go through, people who might need to be questioned again, and several things from the evidence room that I wanted to look into.

I rambled on for the next few minutes while Bradley quietly walked beside me.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. He seemed unusually quiet, staring ahead as we crossed the palace grounds. I glanced at him once but didn’t ask. A few more steps passed before he cleared his throat. “There’s something else I wanted to ask you.”

I turned toward him. “What?”

He hesitated before looking at me. “What you said last night about Jasmine… in the ceremony. Was it true?”

I turned my head. “Jasmine?”

He nodded. “Did she really give you that potion three years ago?” The sudden change of subject caught me off guard.

“Yes.” I looked ahead again. “It’s true. I don’t know whether you believe me, but I—”

“I believe you.”

Whatever I had been about to say slipped my mind. I stared at him, waiting for some kind of explanation, but he didn’t offer one. He only kept walking beside me.

“You do?” I finally asked.

He turned his head at the disbelief in my voice. “Yes, Arabella. Of course, I do.”

I studied his face, trying to find even a hint of doubt there. There wasn’t any. He shook his head in amusement. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because…” I shrugged. “Lucien doesn’t.”

Bradley actually laughed at that. “That’s impossible, Arabella.”

“What do you mean, impossible? I told him everything, and he asked me for proof.”

Bradley slowed down, his amusement fading. “Arabella, asking you for proof doesn’t mean he doesn’t believe you.”

“Then what does it mean?”

“It means he’s the King. He can’t punish his former head warrior because someone accused her of something, even if that someone is you. He needs something he can use against her.”

“So, you think he really believes me?” I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, not entirely convinced.

“I know he does.” Bradley shook his head. “You have no idea how much that man trusts you.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it again. What was he saying?

“As King, Lucien needs proof before he can punish someone, especially his own head warrior. But believing you?” Bradley shook his head. “If there’s one person whose word Lucien would trust over everyone else’s, it’s yours.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Bradley was quiet for a few steps before speaking again.

“When Lucien finally got out of the hospital after you left, one of the first things he did was go looking for you.”

My attention snapped back to him.

“He went to your family and asked where you were, where you might have gone. They told him they had nothing to do with you anymore.” Bradley kicked a loose stone out of his path before continuing.

“By then, Lucien knew enough about what your life had been like with them. What they had allowed Vanessa and Vikki to do to you. How they had treated you for years.” He paused. “So, he made sure they paid for what they did to you.”

My steps slowed.

I already knew Lucien had slashed their faces with silver. I had seen the scars myself. I just never knew why.

Bradley seemed to understand what I was thinking.

“He wanted those scars to stay,” he said. “He wanted your parents to look in the mirror every day and remember what they had done to you. And what it cost them.”

All this time, I had thought it was a punishment for something they had done after I left. Maybe he was convinced that my family helped me in the escape.

I never knew it had been because of me.

***

I was getting ready for the second night of the celebration, but my mind kept drifting back to my conversation with Bradley.

Still thinking about Lucien, I grabbed a fresh towel and walked into the bathroom. I needed to shower and get ready before Toby started yelling at me for taking too long.

While making my way to the mirror, I pulled the elastic band from my hair and ran my fingers through the strands. My hair had been tied up most of the day, so I gave it a hard shake, letting the silver-white strands fall around my shoulders.

I lifted my head, and that was when I nearly screamed. A white wolf’s face was staring at me from the mirror.

“Whoa!”

I stumbled back, causing my foot to slip on the bathroom floor. I went down hard, landing flat on my ass before my back hit the floor.

What the fuck was that?

My heart was pounding so loudly I could hear it in my ears. I stayed right there for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling.

Nope. I am imagining it. That’s not possible.

I swallowed and slowly pushed myself up. My legs felt strangely weak as I grabbed the edge of the counter.

For a moment, I kept my eyes down. Then, gathering every bit of courage I had, I slowly raised my head toward the mirror.

Holy Goddess. The white wolf was still there. She was staring right back at me.

Hello, Arabella.

The voice came from inside my head, making me suck in a breath. For a few seconds, I didn’t answer. I wasn’t used to having another voice inside my head, and I was still trying to convince myself that I wasn’t losing my mind.

You don’t need to be scared of me, Arabella. I’m a part of you.

“What do you mean, a part of me?” I was still shaken, but her words stirred something else in me. Anger!

“After staying away from me all these years, now you decide to show up and tell me you’re a part of me?” I snapped. “Where the hell were you when everyone called me wolfless? When I was treated like something was wrong with me?”

The wolf continued staring at me through the mirror.

“Get lost.” I hissed and turned away.

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