Not My Fairytale

Chapter 37

When did I become such a lovesick puppy? I wasn't sure, but what I did know is that I had allowed this all to go so much further than I ever intended. I was supposed to keep my distance, dissuade his advances. It was the safest path for us both. But, it was a plan that was doomed from the start.

He had wormed his way into my heart, despite my efforts. When it came to him, I was hopeless.

"Hello, beautiful," he greeted with a smile, "what a pleasant surprise to see you here. It's been a long time."

In truth, it had only been about a week or so. But to me it had felt like an eternity as well.

He dropped down to sit beside me against the trunk of the tree, our arms brushing together. When I didn't put more space between us, his smile seemed to grow. "It has," I agreed. "Thank you for not trying to see me in the castle again." I had begged him after the night of the disastrous museum opening. Pleaded for him to never take that risk again, especially with the heightened security.

Even so, I had held my breath each night as I returned to my rooms, afraid I would find him waiting in his borrowed guard uniform.

Terrified that I wouldn't be the one to stumble upon him first.

He only grunted in response, and I wondered if it was something he had thought about a lot in our time apart. If perhaps he had considered making an attempt anyway, consequences be damned.

He fell into an easy silence for some time after that, neither of us daring to break it. It was the most peace I had felt in a very long time, sitting quietly together in our spot.

Eventually, he broke the spell. "When you're queen," he began, and my blood warmed with appreciation of his wording. 'When' not 'if'. As though it were a given that I would attain the votes that I need. As if all of my concerns in life were for naught. "What will your first act be?"

The question caught me by surprise, "Is this one of your games, Angelo?"

He chuckled, taking my hand into his and fiddling with my fingers, "No games, princess, I'm only curious."

I regarded him with narrowed eyes, but he was too focused on the hand he held in his to notice. "I would instate human representatives to the council." I answered, finally. "The men who run the kingdom now are old, from old shifter bloodlines. I would add new seats, and fill them with new voices, new perspectives. Lupia is divided, it has been since its conception, but it has grown much worse since the Blood Fangs arrived. The simplest way to mend that divide is to give them a voice, to make them feel heard. It will be some time before they feel safe in their own homes again, but it's a step in the right direction."

As I spoke, his gaze rose slowly from my hand to my eyes. I could see the gears of his mind turning in his, though I could only guess at what he was thinking. "What else would you do?"

I held his gaze, speaking aloud thoughts that had resided in my mind alone for so long. "I would allow humans to join our military. In their own branch, of course, with quite a deal of training, but they deserve a chance to fight for themselves, even if they are greatly outmatched." I paused for a moment. "I would want that," I said quietly, "If I hadn't been born with the ability to shift, that is, if I was born more human than wolf. I would want the chance to fight for my people anyway."

He brought my hand to his lips to press a soft kiss against the back of it before returning it gently to my lap. When he spoke, his voice was as soft as his kiss, "Your people are lucky to have you, I hope you get a chance to show them that someday."

"Why are you asking these things?"

He shrugged, "As I said, I was curious."

I wasn't convinced. He met my suspicious gaze for a moment, before looking over the water as if he hadn't noticed. He stretched his legs out before us, pressing his arm more fully against mine in the process. When he spoke, his voice held a strange tone, "My father feels he is justified in his mission, you know."

I let out a dark huff in response. The corner of his lip twisted up in a sad smile, but he continued, eyes locked on the gnarled roots of the forest floor around us. "I'm sure you were taught that there are no humans left in the Free Lands, but that's not entirely true. There are a few pockets of them left, minor settlements who survived the purge or were stupid enough to travel there after the fact."

I waited for him to continue, but when he didn't I frowned, "I can't imagine that they live very good lives."

He glanced at me briefly, eyes trailing down my face. "No, they don't," he lifted a hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingertips leaving a gentle caress across my cheek as he turned back to gaze at the ground. "They live in fear that they will be discovered, that their loved ones will disappear in the night. That fear drives some of them mad." He paused for only a moment, and I watched his chest rise and fall quickly, as if he were bracing himself for something. "The ones who lose all sense, they bring their whole tribe down with them. They train, sometimes for years, before they finally decide they are ready to exact their revenge. Then, they search for an unwitting target. They are outmatched, even with all of their training, so they look for small groups, just a few of us at a time." Another short pause. "My mother was killed by one of those packs of human hunters."

I let out a soft breath of surprise, but he didn't look up. "I hardly remember my mother, aside from little flashes of memory– a blue skirt, golden curls– but I do know that my father changed that day. I remember he used to smile, once." His own mouth formed a sardonic smile. "When his mate was taken from him, he went as mad with revenge as the men who killed her. Now, there's nothing left of the man he once was." The smile fell, "And I don't think he will end his crusade until every human is wiped from the earth, or until he takes his last breath."

I didn't know how to respond to that.

Hours later, when I arrived back within the walls of the castle, I found Franco waiting for me in the enchanted garden with news that made my heart stutter in my chest: "The queen is in labor."

~*~*~

Uh oh!

Any predictions?

My work is closing down for the next three weeks, so that means more time for writing! I'm really excited for the ending I have planned

Stay tuned

Xx Ren