CHAPTER 66: WORRIED HUSBAND

• DREVON •

I never wanted to leave Eloise behind. Never. But Garrick convinced me that a delayed shift must have caused my lack of control.

I’m an Alpha, and control was something I wore like a second skin. Alphas were meant to have immense governance because of how destructive we are when we shift and unleash our primal side.

But that night with Eloise, I couldn’t explain it, the last thing I wanted was to shift when we were intimate. My canines shouldn’t have dropped, and I shouldn’t have this profound urge to bite her.

I needed to be more careful, to have her, to cherish her, and caress her without having to worry about ripping her skin apart beneath my touch.

A time in the wild should have altered these new changes in me, giving me more control than I needed, so I could hold Eloise like a man who deserved her.

Yet the moment a raven was sent from my sister, everything else be damned.

Eloise needs you.

That’s all the letter said, and I found myself back in the castle. It was a successful shift in the last two days, but more time was needed to satisfy my beast, but I didn’t care, not anymore.

There was this sharpened pain in my chest, a crawl in my skin that something was wrong. It got deeper when I hadn’t laid my eyes on my wife, and the further I went, the more desperate I became.

I checked her garden, she wasn’t there, just her lingering scent that led me, and I found my way back to my chambers.

"Where is Lucan?" I questioned sharply, I haven’t seen him, and he should be standing by the door.

I swear to the goddess, I’ll break every bone in his body if anything happens to my wife.

"I don’t know, my liege. The knights aren’t present either," Garrick explained, confused.

I pushed open the door and found an empty room. Her scent was thicker here, but it was everywhere, too. I’m not thinking clearly enough to follow up.

I needed to concentrate, but I couldn’t. Where are you, Eloise?

"Brother."

I turned and found my sister. At first, I could barely recognise her because of the thick makeup on her face that made her features look sharper like she had switched faces.

"Is that the royal princess?" Garrick asked, baffled before collecting himself and bowing. "Your Highness."

Diana gritted her teeth and said. "You’re late."

"I rode all night," I began walking closer to her, my height towering over hers by far. "Do you care to explain what is going on?"

"There’s no time, follow me. It must have already begun," she said, turning on her heel.

"That doesn’t answer my question."

"Promise me you won’t do anything stupid."

"Stupid?"

"Like obliterating House Vale because of your human. Those are rash decisions to take, you just came back from war, and even though your position is secured, some snakes don’t agree with an unfamiliar Alpha."

Seems like she had much to say about my position, but that was the least of my worries.

"It was a justified means."

"That’s what you tell yourself, but those actions of yours have already caused a discord amongst your people, and someone will use that to turn against you. What would your people think about their monarch killing them for a human?"

"Their actions were treason."

"Yes, it was and should’ve been dealt with carefully."

"I did not come here to talk about politics and what my people need. Where is my wife?"

Diana gave me a look. "Oh, but politics is the most vital, dearest brother, because I’m sharing my court with Eloise."

"What?"

"That’s enough for now, we must get to the throne room before it’s too late. Eloise is standing trial."

~•~

"The Monarch and the Royal Princess have arrived."

The doors opened on our account, my attention wasn’t spared on anyone as I skimmed the large room and settled my eyes on Eloise’s body lying at the feet of Mother.

I was quick on my feet, listening for a heartbeat. I caught one, but that didn’t stop my distress. Before I got to her, Diana had rushed and dropped to her knees to check her.

"What is the meaning of this? Diana, what are you doing?!" Mother exploded.

"It’s Princess Diana!"

"What is she doing?"

"She’s not out in society yet!"

"What is happening?"

Their words faded away, my gaze on Eloise’s face, contoured in pain, her chest heaving even though she was unconscious.

Something in me snapped as I pinned my mother with a murderous look. I took a step forward, but Diana stopped me with a hand on my chest.

I snatched her hand in a bruising hold and leveled my stone-cold eyes on her. I noticed something then, she chewed the inside of her mouth like she was in pain, but she spoke in a firm voice of authority.

"Dowager, what grounds do you have for such a charge?" She questioned.

"What did you say?"

"You set Lady Eloise on trial for a baseless rumor and harmed the body of a royal."

"A r-royal?" Mother voiced with wide eyes. "How dare you say that to my face? You’ve disobeyed my orders by coming into this room, showing your face, and now you throw that word around for a mere human? Have you lost your mind?"

"A human... yes, but a royal too. Because of this moment, her position has risen to that of a princess. She is now Royal Princess Eloise Balthar, wife of the monarch."

"And who gave you this authority?"

Diana smirked. "I’m now her ally, she shares my court and authority from henceforth."

Mother took a step back in shock. The murmurs followed, too, and it was chaotic. Everyone fought for something to say.

I watch Diana silently before releasing her. Was this her plan? On our way, she kept singing to me not to kill anyone on sight and cause more discord, handling it in a more grounded way to not put Eloise in further harm’s way.