ROME
The king couldn’t take the discomfort the royal family dinner offered any longer. He made his way out of the room straight to his favorite place in the Castle. The Red River. It was the most private place, apart from his chambers, and it held dear and fond memories of his mother. He could visit there and converse with her, informing her of what was happening. He was sure he was going to be engulfed in her peace.
As he approached the river, he kicked pebbles around like a youngling. He had played the pebble game with his mother when she was healthy enough to. He threw one into the still river and watched as the ripples expanded. He threw another and another, hypnotized by them. The king was jealous of the river. He wished he was as peaceful and still as it was.
He closed his eyes. “I miss you, mother.”
He walked deeper into the woods, farther from the river. The royal woods held diverse trees and plants. Many of them were used by the royal physician to concoct his antidotes.
The king slowed down as he approached a tree. The one his mother had been buried under. He slowly walked under its shade and placed his head on its bark.
His mother had requested on her deathbed that she be planted into a tree. The old king, surprisingly did as she instructed, burying her and planting a tree right on her grave.
Rome believed that was the only good thing his father had done for him. It was easy to connect with his mother through the tree and he made sure it was properly maintained. The tree was flourishing. He picked one of if its pink blossom and inhaled letting its soft heady fragrance soothe him. Oddly, it smelled of his mother.
“Mother… As you know, I have a mistress now.” This was the only place he could be vulnerable. “I often think I made a grave mistake picking a traitor as my mistress…”
Rome genuinely thought he was doing Elora a favor. He needed a mistress and she needed protection. It was a wonderful deal even if she wasn’t aware that was what it was. He had expected her to deny the accusations Kain made.
It angered him that she affirmed them. He hated people like her and her father but he couldn’t place his feelings. There was something not quite right with the accusations. Elora didn’t seem like someone who would torture another. She was sweet, kind, and innocent. She protected her Lady’s maid from Kate’s wrath and even her siblings. There had to be something.
He was starting to get fond of her dainty self. “Mother… I blame myself for taking that risk…”
The king didn’t want to make his lack of an heir an issue so he decided to take a mistress. The lack of an heir was a trivial issue that there wasn’t any need for any of the back and forth from the court. That’s why he had rushed the process in the first place but making a slave master his mistress hadn’t been a choice that made sense to him. Nothing made sense to him about Elora anymore.
“My heart still aches from Erika, Mother, she had the nerve to sneak into my room and beg. She had the fuck–” He groaned. He hated that Erika’s betrayal still made him feel that way. He was still scarred and needed to move past it. Fast. “I wish you were here…” He said in a small voice.
Just like he had expected, he was slowly engulfed in her presence. There was an unusual peace from sitting under his mother’s tree and speaking to her.
Rome caught a whiff of a familiar smell. He stood up from the tree and walked towards it, as he got closer to the river, the fragrance was stronger. He peered over some flowers and sighted the woman who made him restless. It was Elora standing by the red river. She was still dressed in the beautiful dress he had seen her in earlier. Her hair was out of place, and some of the pins had come off.
He looked closely and noticed that her gloves were off too. Not only that, someone was holding her bare arms!
Who dared hold the king’s mistress?
His jaw clenched and clenched his fist as his animal growled in him.
The urge to rip the man apart shook him.
He rubbed his face to calm himself. He wasn’t sure why his animal growled or why he felt the compulsive need to scoop Elora up and hold her.
No man was to hold her hand, only him.
He shook his head and before he knew it, the man had released Elora. He watched as they talked for a bit and they both walked out of the place. He watched them until he couldn’t sight them.
The king took it as his cue to retire into his chambers. He walked on looking to see if he would spot them but he didn’t. He decided to ignore the concern that perhaps Elora was cheating and continued to his chambers. He didn’t even stop to reply to the servants’ greetings.
As he walked into his chambers, he noticed Skye lounging on his reading sofa. Her elaborate up do was loosened so her hair cascaded down her back.
“To what do I owe the honor?” He said continuing into his room.
“Stop running away from the question you know is coming,” Skye said. She placed a hand on her waist, a stance the king knew very well. He was going to spend a long time arguing with her.
He stopped in his tracks and turned around. “What? What question?”
“Do you regret bringing Elora in? Those were some heavy accusations Kain made.”
The king sighed. “Skye.” He rubbed his face. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
“Yes, I should be getting my beauty sleep but I was worried about you. You seemed… off during the dinner. I mean, you usually are off during the royal dinner but tonight was different…”
He gave a soft sigh and went over to her. “Trust me, I’m fine. It’s fine.”
“Well, I’m still surprised that you took her as your mistress. I don’t understand what goes through your mind but the decision felt… impulsive.”
“Skye, it’s really fine. I’ll handle everything.”
“I don’t want to see you hurt again. After Erika’s…”
“She is just my breeder. Not my lover or wife. She’s here to bear my heir.” The king didn’t understand why Skye didn’t understand that simple fact. Elora was nothing to him but a breeder. “I’m not going to get hurt because I’m not emotionally attached to her. I won’t put my heart on the line.”
“Hm.” She didn’t look convinced. “Do you want to go get something to drink?”
It would have been fantastic to unwind after the dinner but he preferred to lay on his bed in silence. Unnecessary noise would aggravate him. “No, thank you. Thank you, really.”
“It’s nothing. You’re my only brother.”
“Henry and Jace are your brothers too…” He quipped and gave a smile.
“True.” She giggled. “Anyway. Tomorrow, we will be meeting with the werewolf.”
The king perked up. “He speaks now?”
“Yes, he is more coherent and we will finally get something out of him.”
“Finally. Some good news.” The king was elated.
They were finally going to find out if Kain’s stories were true.
Why are they so hung up on Elora and her siblings?
Perhaps there was something more he hadn’t seen yet.
“Be prepared… We meet tomorrow.” Skye turned back, leaving his chambers. “Goodnight, Your Majesty.”
“Goodnight, your royal highness,” He called after her.