Lilith’s P. O. V
Dale’s words stuck to me like a thick fog. My heart raced with disbelief, causing a lot of confusion inside me.
“Are you sure? Raoul? Are you really certain it was him?” My voice shook as I looked into Dale’s eyes hoping to find a sign that this was all a mistake.
Dale stood in front of me wearing soldier’s armor with worry on her face, showing a life filled with pain and sorrow. She nodded, and every move showed her deep sadness.
“I heard them that night, your Highness. The soldiers were talking-his orders. They killed everyone in my village, my family… all of them. Raoul made it happen.”
I shook my head with the ground under me feeling unsafe and shaky. “There must be a mistake. Raoul-he can’t… he wouldn’t do that. Not after all we’ve gone through.”
“You don’t really know Raoul, your Highness,” Dale said fiercely with her voice low but strong.
“I grew up in the midst of war and I promise you he is pure evil. He has killed innocent people. Your Highness, he can commit a massacre.”
Those words broke me while weighing heavy on my heart. Raoul, the man I thought was changing for the better, could really be so cruel? Confusion twisted in my gut and I doubted everything. Had he really changed or was I just fooling myself?
“I need to speak with Adams,” I said quietly with my racing thoughts swirling as I got up from where I sat in the training area.
“Be careful, your Highness,” Dale said cautiously. “You’re walking in risky waters.”
I nodded and felt quiet around me as I really wanted to understand. “I’ll be okay,” I said, even though I felt unsure inside.
“May the moon goddess lead you,” Dale prayed softly, with her eyes showing the hurt we both felt.
Feeling determined, I walked toward the castle with my heart beating loudly and each thump sounding like a drum in my ears.
As I walked through the big castle doors I could smell baked bread and roasted meat. Breakfast was in full swing. I fixed my hair and straightened my clothes, getting ready for what was next, as I entered the dining room.
“Good morning, Love,” Adams said as he stood up from the long table. His voice was smooth and comforting but strong.
“Good morning, Adams,” I said while feeling happy to see him. His kind look pushed back the worries swirling in my head.
“There you are! I went to your room to see how you’re doing, but you weren’t there,” he said with worry showing on his face. “You need to take guard with you next time you go out.”
I pushed down the guilt I felt and appreciated his concern. “I went for a morning jog. I needed to think.”
Adams moved closer with his serious look changing a bit. “You don’t have to walk through these streets alone, Lilith. The outside world can be strange… and risky.”
“Are you concerned about me?” I joked with a bit of brightness shining through the weight in my heart.
“Always,” he said sincerely while looking straight at me.
That warmth didn’t last long. The truth of the situation hit me again as we sat down and Raoul and Bartholomew came over.
They brought a heavy past with them, and the fancy food did little to ease the thick tension around us.
Forks hit plates but the silence said so much, making me feel the truth’s weight on my shoulders.
I found myself looking at Raoul while he ate with his usual behavior, making me feel both at ease and uneasy. Dale’s claims were hard to shake off and were pushing against my mind like a storm building up.
Could the man I looked at really do the terrible things she mentioned? Was he really part of the violence that troubled the villages?
Then he turned, and our eyes met for a brief second. A slight smile appeared on his face with a warmth that surrounded me like a safe hug, but it couldn’t protect me from the doubt inside.
I quickly looked away with my stomach twisting as I struggled with the confusion that nearly took over.
“Are you okay, Lilith?” His voice was calm and was pulling me in while my heart pounded with doubt.
I paused, as I did not want to reveal the turmoil inside me. “Just… thinking about the training earlier.” I fibbed. I sensed Bartholomew’s eyes on me clearly analyzing and judging everything I said.
“Yeah, those soldiers really need it. They still have a lot to learn before they’re ready,” Raoul said casually, but his eyes showed he knew more than he was saying.
While the talk went on around me, I was caught up in my own worries. Adams talked about plans and coming together, but I felt a growing gap between me and Raoul.
He had recently apologized to me, but now I could not shake the fear that hidden truths were lurking below the surface.
After breakfast, Adams got up quickly, organizing his papers. “I need to talk to the pack elders,” he said. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
With that, he slipped out through the old door, leaving me alone with Raoul and Bartholomew. The empty room made my mixed feelings feel even stronger.
I could feel the moment pressing down on me and after a second, I jumped up with the chair scraping loudly. “Raoul,” I called urgently while feeling the need to act.
He glanced up with confusion on his face. “Yes, Lilith? What do you want?”
I took a deep breath with my heart racing. “I know what you did!” I said with my voice filled with rage. “I know about the killings-the villages you ruined. I see what’s going on.”
His face showed confusion. “What do you mean?”
“You’re the one who ordered the attack that got families killed!” I said with the impact of my words heavy in the air.
He frowned in confusion. “I have no idea what you’re blaming me for. I didn’t do anything like that. You must be wrong.”
For a moment, the shock in his eyes broke through my anger and I saw a realness that made my heart skip. Maybe he really didn’t understand what I meant.
“But there’s reason to believe that you did so. You…” I stuttered while struggling with my own uncertainty.
“Well, whoever told you that was lying to you. I’ve never massacred or ordered the massacre of any village!” he stated with his tone firm but laced with an urgency that seemed almost desperate. “Lilith, I have not-”
Before he could finish, a guard rushed into the room clearly anxious. “Your Highness” he said to me, “I need to talk to you. It’s about what’s going on in the pack…about you…. something important you should know…”