Sapphire Princess

II

ALEXANDER

I'm not sure if I've just made the biggest mistake of my immortal life.

Stepping back into the palace after the announcement, I waste no time speaking with my father or brother. I immediately head for my room. Most of my belongings are still in the apartment, however I cannot bring myself to go back there yet. Instead, I enter my empty bedroom and sit on my armchair, holding my head in my hands.

What have I done? Not only have I banished my mate from the palace after threatening her life multiple times, I've also sent the entire city on a manhunt for her. Oh, and I'm practically King. This is a nightmare.

I'm not even sure I want Hope back. I love her, that much I'm certain of. But between her radical views and her running to the arms of another man, what am I supposed to do? I was ready to make her my wife, my Queen. And in the blink of an eye, everything has changed.

Never in my life have I been so uncertain. Everything has always been planned for me. My career, my betrothal, even my outfits. For once, I have no idea what is coming next.

Father is stepping down. His decision to abdicate immediately has thrown the whole palace for a loop. He was expected to gradually phase himself out as I was trained to take on the full responsibilities of being King. Now, I'm being forced into a position I'm not sure I can handle. I can not find an explanation for his choice. Not only are we missing a queen, but I'm almost positive I'm going through a midlife crisis. I'm only twenty three!

Running my hands through my hair, I do my best to shut down my emotions. All they've managed to do is get me in trouble, and I can no longer afford that.

A knock sounds at my door and I raise my head to glance at it. Who could be bothering me right now? Before I get the chance to answer it, my younger brother is strolling through the door, an annoyed expression on his face.

"What could you possibly want?" I sigh, not moving from my seat. I should have known Elijah wouldn't accept some half assed story of Hope's disappearance. He's too smart.

"I want to know exactly what happened, Alexander. I know Hope, she wouldn't just get up and walk away. You need to tell me the truth," he points his finger at me, narrowing his eyes. Why couldn't I be an only child...

"I told you everything I know. She left in the middle of the night and I have no idea where she is," I tell him, trying to put on a convincing show. My story doesn't match up, though, and he knows it.

"You're lying! If she just up and vanished, why don't you use your weird mate connection to find her?" He points out, taking a seat on the armchair across from me.

"Sure, make yourself comfortable," I scoff, rolling my eyes. He sighs and shakes his head at me, obviously disappointed at my attitude.

Honestly, I'm not sure what's gotten into me. Elijah has always been my best friend. The one person who I could tell anything. But this, this is different. I'm not sure if I've made a mistake or not and I'm fearful that if I tell my brother the truth, he'll tell me how stupid I am. And I don't think I'm ready to hear that this could have all been my fault.

"Tell me the truth, Alexander. Please," he begs, looking at me with sad eyes. Lying isn't easy for me, especially to someone who I care so much about. My mother would be so disappointed in me.

"I-I don't know what the truth is. Everything just happened so fast and I was so angry and- I don't know what to do," I admit, running my hands through my hair again. I'm lucky vampires can't go bald or I would have pulled all my hair out at this point.