Page 12 of Wolfsbane (Deadly Duet #2)
TWELVE
MOREL
My heart had nearly given out after confessing my love to Hesper, begging her to be my wife. I had always hoped she’d felt the same, but I never imagined she would accept my proposal. My soul had found its match, its shadow, and it was her. Hesper. My queen.
“My king,” Orion stopped me as I entered the castle. His eyes told me my flustered appearance was obvious. “Is everything alright, Morel?” He looked me up and down, searching for wounds or reasons for my appearance.
“Everything is perfect,” I beamed. Orion raised a brow.
“Dr. Altair and I were discussing further options, and we believe—” The doors of the castle interrupted him as Hesper silently entered. Her cheeks were flushed and burning a rosy red, her hair covered in snowflakes as her metallic eyes swirled with new life. She stopped, noticing us. A smile pulled at my lips as Orion noticed, looking from Hesper to myself, gently wiping the snow from my shoulders. “It seems someone had a nice walk in the cold.” Orion made a face as I wheezed a laugh.
Hesper and I had discussed our plans for moving forward. We decided we would have an intimate wedding of just us, Dr. Altair officiating and Orion as our witness. Her only request was to not announce it to either of our people. She was fearful that Grisset would be opposed to a queen of Hellbore on its throne, despite my objections and desperate attempts to assure her that my people loved her as their own queen. Nonetheless, I promised to honor her request. The kingdom would not know, even if it did leave me sad knowing how much they would rejoice and welcome her as their queen. My queen.
Hesper quickly rushed away in the direction of her room.
“My king.” Dr. Altair joined Orion and me. “Forgive me for my outburst earlier this evening. I did not mean to offend Queen Hesper or yourself—” I raised my hand with a smile.
“I assure you, you did no such thing. As a matter of fact,” I looked at Orion and Dr. Altair, “I have news for you both.” They stood eagerly waiting, Dr. Altair, gentle and patient as Orion, seemed rather anxious. “But first, Dr. Altair. Were you able to acquire my mother’s ring on your journey?” He seemed shocked by my question, fumbling with his robes as he searched his pockets.
“Indeed.” He found the ring, retrieving it from a velvet pouch as he presented it to me.
I stared at the silver-encrusted jewel, the warm memory of my mother wearing it flooding my mind. The center moonstone sparkled in the candlelight, flashing from a cloudy white to vibrant blue, surrounded by antique silver vines that branched around the ring completely. A fitting ring for a queen. For my wolfsbane.
“Perfect.”