His Royal Revenge

Enenquë: Heklanā

Picture of Lila.

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

~

The next morning Ciara awoke alone in the familiar room she hated. It never felt like a home, more like a prison to her—the white walls, stark and bare of any comforting decorations. Ciara smiled at the thought of Clairice seeing the room. The maximalist hybrid would have a field day painting, buying decorations, and filling the blank walls with colors. The thought of her mother made the princess long to be in her arms.

To be with her family.

Ciara starred in the mirror, hating how her appearance had changed since coming to his pack. Her lips no longer curved into a warm smile- instead, they seemed frozen in a permanent frown. Her eyes didn't sparkle with hope, and she'd never been more pale despite the sunlight.

Being unwanted was killing her.

"Ciara." Alexander's voice cut through the silence of her room. His voice had an unfamiliar tenderness that startled the princess out of her daze. She was tired of chasing his love when it continuously left her broken-hearted. Yesterday proved it to the young girl.

She was done being naive.

"Come walk with me," he whispered, staring at the princess. Ciara looked at his hand before standing up and walking past him, ignoring his outstretched hand. The princess was no longer seeking his affection. It just left her hopeful and eventually heartbroken. Ciara was tired of crying over a male that didn't want her.

Ciara made sure to keep her distance from Alexander. The pair walked through the dense forest along a dirt path in silence. Ciara strangely didn't mind. She enjoyed the serenity of the forest; she'd missed the feeling of being surrounded by nature.

The forest reminded her of home.

"Tell me, Ciara. When Nova showed you the slaughter of my family, when you entered the bedroom, what did you see?" Alexander asked as they walked down the familiar dirt path. Ciara paused momentarily, overwhelmed by the memories of that night- blood spattering against white walls and screams echoing throughout the room. Despite her feelings toward adult Alexander, she still felt sympathy for what he experienced as a child. With a heavy heart, she replied:

"I-I saw your family ripped apart, and then I-I found you hiding under the bed."

"Mhm," Alexander nodded his head in acknowledgment before continuing. "You saw what remained of my family, but I watched the slaughter. My mother's screams muffled my sobs as they cut my unborn brother from her belly and strung him up like decorations. I watched as they mutilated my mother's body and ripped apart my little brother and sister." He paused, pain etched across his face as he replayed the images in his mind. Ciara looked at him with teary eyes, pleading for him to stop talking. She understood why he was so full of hatred toward her father- his actions had taken away everything from him. But when he continued, she knew the only way to move forward was to understand each other more deeply.

"When it was finally over, my family was with the moon." Alexander whispered brokenly. "I heard your father's voice and hope-filled thinking he was there to save me." His voice grew cold as fury built in his throat. "He stole everything from me in a matter of hours. As their Beta, he gained my family's power, the power I was supposed to have. He stole everything from me in a matter of hours." Alexander growled, his eyes flashing between blue and yellow.

"I have been watching from the sidelines for centuries waiting for the perfect moment to attack. I've watched your father drive my family's legacy into the ground. Ruining the peace my parents created, the sanctuaries they loved. He slaughtered them and spat on their memory to this day. Tell me, would you get over something like that so easily? Would you be able to accept that the child of the person who took your family is your mate?" Alexander whispered the last part staring at Ciara with torn eyes. He wanted to love his mate and shower her affection like his father did with his mother. Every time Alexander got close to Ciara, all he could see was what he lost. His mate constantly reminded him of the family he lost. Ciara stared at her mate with heavy eyes, her green orbs swirling with sadness, looking into the hardened eyes of her mate. Her hand reached out to him before she quickly thought better of it.