Page 11

Cedric Raine

The sun is setting as we head back to camp.

The monsters have been rampaging, but I’ve finally managed to control some of the chaos. Covered in blood, I enter the large tent. I need a bath. The smell of the mutated monster blood is a pungent one. It irritates my nose.

However, I suddenly see the last person I expected to, standing in the middle of my tent.

“Rothan?!” It takes me a second to comprehend his presence here, and when I do, fear strikes me. “What happened to Leanna?”

“What?” He gives me a baffled look. “You’re the one who sent the order—” He shakes his head as if trying to sort out his thoughts. “I brought her here. I know it’s a violation of your order, but my mother insisted. I tried to contact you, but Bella has blocked all means of communication. This was the only thing I could do.”

“What the hell are you talking about? What order?” I stare at him. “Why did you bring Leanna here? Where is she?”

“I thought you would want to do it privately,” Rothan says. He doesn’t look happy. “I left her at the guard hut near the forest so I could speak with you alone first.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? Do what privately?”

“Execute her.”

Without thinking, I have him by the throat and am slamming him into the table in the center of the big tent.

“Say that again!” I snarl.

The loud sounds have the others rushing in. Edgar and Derrick look equally surprised to see Rothan. “What’s going on?” Edgar asks.

“This fool says he brought my mate here so that I can execute her!”

Derrick stares at Rothan. “Are you drunk? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Edgar, however, is studying Rothan, who is struggling to breathe. “Don’t kill him, Cedric. Let’s hear what he has to say.”

I reluctantly release the man, and he clutches his throat, panting. “I saw the execution letter! Your seal was on it!”

“Bella has my seal!” I snap as my blood runs cold. I repeat more slowly, “Bella has my seal. Are you telling me she forged a letter to have Leanna executed?! That fucking bitch! And you just went along with it?”

“What did you expect me to do?” Rothan says furiously. “Anything with your seal on it is a direct order. I disobeyed it by coming here in the hope that you would change your mind. With the real princess back—”

“What?!” I can’t think straight, and Edgar decides to intervene.

“Everybody calm down. Rothan, what’s been happening at the castle?”

Rothan stares at us. “You mean, you don’t know?”

“We will if you tell us!” Derrick says tightly. “Start talking.”

“Princess Vivian arrived, the real one, a few days ago. She showed up with a couple of her maids. She told Bella who she was, and Bella immediately rounded up the elders and told them that Leanna was an imposter and that we hadn’t known about it. That Leanna had the king fooled. Bella had her thrown into a cell in the dungeon. Your mate was tortured, Cedric. My mother protested and was locked in her room. I was out of the castle on business. When I returned, I found out what was going on when one of the maids told me. But it was too late. I couldn’t go down to the dungeon because Bella threatened to lock me up, too.”

Edgar frowns. “Even then, even if Bella says all that, she has no right to execute Leanna!”

“She says she does. She says she’s the delegate, and as such, she has the right to make decisions on the king’s behalf when it comes to the elders. If they make a pronouncement, it is up to her discretion how to carry it out. She and the princess pushed the elders for execution. No”—Rothan’s voice grows hard—“mutilation and execution. They wanted her to be killed by wolves, torn apart in an arena. She then brought the letter with your seal on it.”

A fury unlike any other fills me, and I turn around to glare at Derrick. My friend is pale, with guilt in his eyes. “This is the woman you wanted me to trust. I never should have listened to you!”

Derrick falls to the ground, on his knees. “I’m sorry. I had no idea she would go so far as—”

“The reason she ordered an execution on my behalf, without even informing me, was to get Leanna out of the way. She knew I would never agree to it.”

Derrick is silent, and I look back at Rothan. “Did Leanna believe that she was going to be executed?”

“Yes,” he admits, his voice heavy. “She’s waiting for you at the hut to kill her. She believes that you will at least be merciful.”

I punch him in the face, and he goes falling backward.

Edgar restrains me. “Stop. Just calm down. She’s here, Cedric. We can sort this whole thing out.”

“What can we do now, though?” Derrick looks shaken. “If the elders know that Leanna is not the princess—”

“She is my fated mate. I’m not killing her!” I roar. “Damn the elders! Where is she? I want to see her!”

Rothan leads the way in his wolf form. As I follow him, I wonder if I ever gave Leanna any assurances that I would never hurt her. Didn’t I? I looked after her. Surely that meant something to her. The idea that Leanna truly believes I ordered her execution makes me sick to my stomach. Surely, she wouldn’t think—

My wolf is beside itself.

When we reach the hut, I feel relieved. I’ll tell her. I’ll tell her she’s not replaceable.

I burst into the hut, but there are only two guards sitting there, wringing their hands. When they see me, they jump to their feet, shocked.

“Where is she?” I demand.

“Your Majesty?” They both look panicked. “Do you mean the messenger woman?”

I grab the one closest to me and slam him up against the wall. “Where is my mate?!” I roar.

If there was any blood left in his face, it drains away fast.

“Your ma–mate, Your Majesty? That woman—She was the qu–queen?” he stammers. From the fear in his eyes, I’m getting a bad feeling.

“Tell me where she is if you value your life!”

“She ran into the forest,” the other guard whimpers. “She said she wanted to relieve herself, and we told her she could do it at the edge of the forest, before the markers. She didn’t come back, so we went looking for her. We saw her heading deeper into the forest. We tried to stop her, but she ran.”

I stare at him, my blood turning to ice. “And you didn’t follow her?”

He trembles. “We didn’t dare. We are not allowed to leave our post. We thought she was just a foolish woman—”

I plunge my hand into his chest and rip out the man’s heart.

“Cedric!” Edgar shouts, and I release the first guard, giving the other one an enraged look.

“You didn’t go after her.”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty!” The man slumps to the ground, petrified. “If we had known she was the queen—Rothan told us she was nobody important—”

I storm out of the hut, heading toward the forest.

Edgar, Derrick, and Rothan all run after me, and Edgar steps into my path. He holds up one hand as he yells, “You can’t, Cedric! You can’t go in there! You won’t survive.”

The remaining guard stumbles out behind them, raw fear in his eyes. “It’s pointless, Your Majesty. We heard a scream. We heard her scream.”

I stare at him, numb. “What?”

“Not ten minutes after she left.” His voice is low. “There was a scream, and then we heard a roar. I’m so sorry. If we had only known—”

I turn to face Rothan. “This is your fault.”

His gaze lowers, a distraught look on his face. I’m about to rip his neck out when I stop.

“No. No, it’s your fault, Derrick.” Derrick looks at me, guilt and grief in his eyes. “My mate is dead because of you. Because of you and your obsession with that woman. I should never have trusted you. I should never have trusted your judgment. Because of you, Leanna died believing I wanted her to suffer.”

I look at the three men in front of me, the men I once trusted above anyone else. “One of you left her here when he was told to guard her with his life. One of you convinced me to give power to the woman who despised her. I trusted you. And this is what I get. Betrayal.”

My wolf is howling within me, and grief is clogging my throat. My mate is gone. Even if I venture into the forest, I know she could not have survived. She wasn’t a fighter. My eyes flick toward the looming trees, and I stare at them, feeling empty inside, like a part of me has been ripped out.

Did you go in there seeking your death, Leanna? When the monsters ripped you apart, did you die thinking I was going to execute you, that I gave the orders to torture you?

“I feel safer when you’re around.”

“This castle is your home. You’ll be safe here, whether I’m around or not.”

“I trust your choice.”

I failed her. I lied to her. She wasn’t safe in the castle. I shouldn’t have left her alone. I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight.

The agony eating at me on the inside is of a vicious kind.

My Leanna.

Her body. I have to bury her body.

If I enter the forest, I’ll die, but I don’t care. I begin walking toward it.

“No!” Edgar throws himself in front of me again. “Please, Cedric! The kingdom needs you! Without you, the Veil will be compromised. Think of the people who are depending on you! Think of your parents! They would not have wanted you to do this!”

I pause.

My parents. My Leanna. All gone. They left me behind.

If I do this and don’t survive, the kingdom will fall.

It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I turn my back on the forest, on Leanna’s body.

“We’re returning to the castle.”

“Cedric?” Edgar sounds wary now. “What are you going to do?”

“Bella wanted my mate to be executed,” I say, my heart turning to stone. “She’s the one who will face the execution, the very kind she planned for Leanna.”

I hear Derrick make a strangled sound, and I turn to face him, my voice cold. “Choose your loyalty here and now, Derrick Fenrin. If it’s to that woman, then you no longer serve me.”

Derrick looks me in the eye, and then he bows his head. “I am loyal to you alone.”

“Very well.” I watch him closely, none of my previous familiarity in my eyes. “Let’s test your loyalty, shall we?”

We reach the castle in record time. The guards at the entrance give me an uneasy look as I head inside. “Where is Harriet?”

When no one replies, I roar out her name.

A woman appears before me, wearing clothes that were designed for Leanna. She has Leanna’s face, her hair, her body, but she’s not Leanna.

“If you are referring to the traitor’s maid, she’s in the dungeon. You remember me, right? I’m Princess Vivian. Your mate, King Cedric.”

I walk over to her and see the satisfaction in her eyes. Without a second thought, I grab her by the throat and squeeze. Her eyes widen, and she makes a choking sound, clawing at my hand.

“My mate? You are not my mate. Something so disgusting cannot be my mate.”

She’s struggling to breathe, and I hear Bella’s voice cry out. “Let her go, Cedric! What are you doing?”

I release Princess Vivian, and she falls to the ground, pallid. Bella crouches next to her to help her up.

Bella glares at me. “What are you doing? She’s the queen!”

I look at her with hatred in my eyes. When she sees it, she flinches, and I notice the flicker of guilt on her face.

“The queen? She’s not the queen. Where is Leanna?”

Bella straightens up, lifting her chin. “This is Princess Vivian, the true Princess Vivian. I imprisoned the impostor. She escaped, but I’m having people track her down. This is the woman meant to be your mate. She has royal blood—”

I slap Bella with the back of my hand, causing her to fly sideways and hit the wall. I catch Derrick flinching out of the corner of my eye, but he doesn’t say a word.

It’s the first time I’ve ever raised a hand against a woman.

“I trusted you.”

Bella gets to her feet, rubbing her jaw and groaning.

I advance on her. “I trusted you, and you betrayed me. You filthy little creature.”

She squares her shoulders, defiance in her eyes. “What are you complaining about? You said we needed the real Princess Vivian. Now, here she is. I’ve had people looking for her for a long time. There was nobody, remember? Just someone with a mark on her wrist. I tracked down the true princess and brought her here.”

My eyes widen. “So, you manufactured this entire incident?”

Bella isn’t showing an ounce of remorse. “I never betrayed you, Cedric. The Asher family has always looked out for the royal family’s best interest. The purity of the bloodline—”

“Purity?” I say mockingly, grabbing her by the back of her hair and forcing her to look at me. “Purity of the bloodline?” I drag Bella over to Vivian and throw her at the princess’s feet. “Why don’t you fuck her, then, because I will not touch this female.”

Bella pales. “You have to! You have a duty to maintain the royal bloodline.”

“I have no duty to anyone but my fated mate. Because of you, she is dead. You had her believe that I wanted her to be tortured. You had her believe that I was going to execute her. You used my seal illegitimately.”

“I did no such thing!” Bella retorts. “I was your delegate. I had the right to use the royal seal!”

“Not for an order of execution!” I snarl. “You wanted my mate to die? You’re the one who will die, Bella. In the same manner you planned for her execution.”

Vivian steps forward, shielding Bella from me. Her voice is high. “You can’t touch her. She’s my royal advisor.”

“And who the fuck do you think you are?” I grab her by the jaw and shove her aside. “Derrick, capture the traitor. Throw her in the dungeon and starve her for three weeks.”

When Derrick advances, Bella goes pale. “You can’t do this! I’m the Asher family heir.”

“You are nothing but a traitor who betrayed your king and your queen,” I say furiously.

As Derrick takes hold of Bella, she shouts, “Let me go, Derrick! Don’t you know me? Why’re you mishandling me like this? Cedric’s just pissed off for no reason!”

Derrick is silent.

“I did nothing wrong!” Bella screams, a hint of panic in her eyes now. “I was well within my rights. You can’t execute me just because you’re mad that whore of a woman died. I hope she suffered. I didn’t break any law. I did everything by the book! And if you execute me, the elders will turn against you. This kingdom will descend into chaos!”

“Take the traitor away!” I roar. “And Rothan, go release Harriet!”

Vivian bristles. “You can’t do this! I’ve chosen Bella as one of my most trusted people—”

“You are no one to make decisions in this castle!” I growl. “Edgar, strip this thief of my mate’s belongings and lock her in a cell!”

Vivian gives me a hateful look as she is dragged off. Alone now, I stand in the entrance hall, quivering with rage. Everywhere I look, Leanna’s efforts are showing.

“Your Majesty.”

A woman’s voice has me glancing over, and I see a familiar face approaching me. It takes me a second to place her as one of the maids who once assisted Bella in mocking Leanna.

“What do you want?” I snarl at her.

She has tears in her eyes. “Your Majesty, we helped the queen escape. Is it—Is it true that she’s dead?”

All the fight leaves me.

Dead.

My beautiful Leanna is dead. My shy mate—the one who liked to chase my tail in her wolf form, the one who used to burrow her face in my chest when I held her at night—is no more.

A thick, rolling wave of grief staggers me. “Yes. Leanna is gone.”

“Leanna?”

“That was her name,” I say hollowly.

And I loved her.

How did she do that? How did she go and make me fall for her so effortlessly? I don’t even know where to go and ask her. I don’t know which room to search for her. She’s not going to be there.

It’s hard to breathe. I failed her. I failed her, and that will haunt me forever. She died thinking I had lied to her, used her.

I don’t know which is worse, that she’s gone or that she believed that of me as she died.

“They’re asking for help at the border.”

Edgar gives me his report as I stare at the paper before me, my eyes unseeing. “So, send help. What’re you asking me for?”

Edgar clears his throat, looking tense. “They’re requesting your presence.”

“I’m busy. They can deal with it themselves.”

“The elders are insisting you help them. The monsters are encroaching on their territories.”

“The elders, huh?” I think about the twelve men who claim to be loyal to the royal family. “Tell them to send their sons to the battlefield.”

Edgar flinches. “Cedric—”

“No.” I look at him coolly. “It’s ‘Your Majesty’ to you.”

My childhood friend doesn’t look away from me. He meets my gaze head on. “Don’t question my loyalty, too, Cedric. I faced my father in a physical duel to claim the position of head of the family so that I could side with you during the council meeting two weeks ago. I went against my parents, went to bat for you, to prove my loyalty to you. There’s nothing more I could have done.”

I don’t respond.

“What is that woman doing?”

“Which one?” Edgar asks quietly.

“The queen.”

“She has called a designer. Bella is assisting her.”

“Restrict her budget. I don’t want that frivolous creature emptying the treasury.”

Edgar nods.

“Call Harriet.”

He leaves the room, and a few minutes later, Harriet enters.

I soften when I see her wan complexion. She has aged ten years in the past month, ever since the elders called for a council: an act where they can pass certain rulings that even the king has to obey. Calling a council is rarely effective because most of the time the elders are in conflict with each other. This was the first time they have ever agreed on something unanimously.

Princess Vivian was to become queen. A proper mating ceremony was to be held.

And Bella Asher was not to be executed.

Derrick’s uncle, the head of his family and one of the elders, agreed to it all. As a result, I ousted Derrick from my most trusted circle. Rothan remains but only because I don’t entirely blame him for what happened to Leanna.

“Have you been sleeping?” I ask Harriet, my tone gentle.

She moves her shoulders in a shrug. “Sometimes. I’m still tired all the time.”

“Harriet—”

“Are you planning to go through with the mating ceremony?” she suddenly asks.

I meet her gaze. “Do I have a choice?”

She falls silent. After a few moments, she murmurs, “You should have killed Bella when you first saw her. You should have killed them both.”

I sigh. I know she’s grieving. Harriet truly loved Leanna from the first moment she met her. I’ve never known her to be so attached to anybody before, other than her son. Leanna’s death has shaken Harriet to her core.

“I should have,” I agree tiredly. “Harriet, I’m thinking of heading to the border to fight.”

Her head jerks up, and I see the tears in her eyes. “You’re going leave me here?”

She has never sounded so old before.

I get to my feet and guide her to one of the chairs. I sit down across from her and take one of her hands in mine. “Would you like to come with me as my attendant?”

She looks shocked. “That’s Derrick’s—”

“Not anymore,” I say coolly.

“It wasn’t his fault, you know.” She cups my cheek sadly. “If he had known for even a second that Bella was capable of something like that, he never would have spoken to you on her behalf.”

“Maybe,” I murmur. “But I’m not ready to forgive him.”

“Did you know that Bella’s father approached him as a prospective mate for her?” Harriet asks. “His uncle agreed to it, but Derrick refused. Bella was furious. She went to confront him. She was nasty to him. He told her that she had used him and cost him everything. He said cruel things to her. She left his room in tears. His uncle has disowned him as a result. Derrick is leaving the castle. I think he plans to go fight as a mercenary.”

My chest tightens, and I look away from her. “Why are you telling me all this, Harriet?”

Her voice is soft. “He’s your best friend, Cedric. He would cut off his right arm for you if you asked him to. He is not to blame for what happened to Leanna. He’s stricken with guilt, Cedric. Make up with him.”

“He—”

“He wasn’t responsible for Leanna’s death, and you know it. That poor girl was fragile. You two did not get enough time together for her to fully trust you. I’ll come with you to the border, but don’t abandon Derrick. What happened was all Bella’s fault.”

When she leaves the room, I think about her words. She’s right. Leanna and I did not get enough time together. It would have been easy to manipulate her. Bella had all the right tools at her disposal.

I get to my feet and make my way over to the living quarters. The door to Derrick’s room is open, and he’s throwing things into a bag.

I knock on the door. “Is that for the journey?”

He stiffens upon hearing my voice. “Your Majesty.” He looks like he hasn’t bathed in days, and there are dark circles under his eyes.

“We’re leaving for the border in two days. Be ready.”

He looks stunned. “I’m going with you?”

“Yes.”

“But you said—”

“Do you want to come or not?” I demand.

He nods.

“Then be ready.”

“That’s the day of your mating ceremony. Are we leaving after it?”

“No,” I say coldly, turning my back and walking out. “Before.”

I’ll be damned if I give that woman the satisfaction of having a mating ceremony. Let this castle rot. I’ll stay at the border and do my duty.

Without Leanna, this place feels empty. It’s no longer my home.