Chapter 24

Celia

“Dangerous?” I repeat his word back to him. “Why would it be dangerous?”

“Not here, Celia,” he warns, “and definitely not now.”

Healer Anderson begins to pull away from me but I chase after him and into the hospital hallway. Thankfully, most of the employees have gone home and it is just the nightly nurses here since my grandmother’s ward doesn’t need extra care or attention.

“Please! Healer Anderson! I don’t know what you are talking about!” My whisper is just below my regular voice. He turns around and sighs, gesturing his head towards his office just a few hallways over.

I quickly follow him and step inside when he opens up the door. He closes it and places his clipboard on his desk. He turns to face me, hands on his hips, and sighs.

“The Lycan royal succession is one filled with competition and turmoil, Celia,” Healer Anderson begins.

He gestures to the chair behind me and I sit, watching as he takes the chair next to me. He hesitates to say his next few words, lips twitching. I remain quiet, not wanting to interrupt him or make any false assumptions despite my mind running a mile a minute after his revelation.

“It’s a brutal life to live…as the missing Lycan princess, you will immediately be in a constant state of danger. Other Lycan nobles will come for you and the title that you will eventually come to hold.”

“Wait…what?!” My words are as incoherent as my mind is.

Me? The missing Lycan princess? That’s not possible! My parents weren’t rich while I was growing up! My mother was a great and notable Healer, yes, but a Lycan noble would never marry a human!

This possibility can explain some of the reasons as to why my parents could be so shady at times. Could it be the reason that they had to leave so suddenly during a snowstorm? They never would have left if it was not an emergency…could it have been because of the Lycans?

Was my mother not a full human this whole time? Or is my father the one who holds Lycan heritage?

My head begins to ache. I pinch the bridge of my nose before fully burying my face into my hands, unable to handle the bright lights of Healer Anderson’s office.

“Celia,” Healer Anderson places a hand on my knee.

It’s a reassuring touch that brings me back to reality after being in my head for too long. I look up at him and sigh, a frown taking over my face.

“Could this be why my parents and grandma never told me about it?” I ask, my voice just over a whisper.

“That is a possibility, yes,” Healer Anderson confirms. “If you return and give out this information to people, Bianca and her faction will attack you. It would only be a matter of time before it happens and you know that.”

I nod and close my eyes again. I lean forward and bury my face in my hands, rubbing my temple to try and soothe the headache that forms.

My inner wolf barks and howls, begging to be let out so she can be free and play with her newfound life. I try my best to suppress her, not wanting her to be fully released and to make things worse.

“What can I do?” My question is rhetorical but I feel like Healer Anderson can have an answer for me. “Do I just remain in hiding? Do I keep my identity a secret?”

I look up from my hands. Healer Anderson’s lips move into a thin line. With a slow nod of his head, my fate is sealed.

I relax into the chair as questions flood my mind, leaving me no peace.

Soren

I watch from my seat as Bianca orders employees around. Our engagement party is set to begin in a few days time, leaving me no time for myself. I am in the middle of a particularly nasty headache, sunglasses on my face to shield my eyes from the light.

“Soren!” Bianca shouts my name, a flash of pain striking through my head. I look in her direction. She holds up two different pieces of fabric but honestly, they look the exact same. “Which one?”

I raise an eyebrow. I signal to the right, which clearly is not the correct answer, and Bianca storms away, ordering the party planner to go with the sample on the left.

I do not even know why she even bothers to ask me for my opinion on things. She is practically planning the wedding on her own, I’m just the groom who is paying for everything.

I thought that I would be happy with Bianca and I’s engagement. Her smiles have brought me limited joy, but it’s someone else’s smile that I wish to see instead.

My last encounter with Celia has left my chest feeling hollow as if she ripped my heart out and took it with her when she left my car. Should I have followed her out? To try and explain that the contract is something that will work out for the best in the long run?

No…that would have only caused more trouble for both me and her. My title as Alpha King always comes with a side of danger and public scrutiny, especially now that I am marrying Bianca in hopes of uniting the Lycans and the Werewolves.

Mate! Mate! Mate!

“Be quiet,” I whisper aloud to my wolf. I groan and sink into the seat, closing my eyes.

Celia’s face fills my vision, her irritated and crying eyes the only thing that I can focus on. My heart aches in my chest, my palms growing clammy. My fists clench on my lap.

After all this time, could Celia been my fated mate without me even knowing?

My wolf howls. He scratches the back of my mind, making the headache worse. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose, pushing away the wolf’s roars and barks whenever I think of Celia’s name.

“Is Celia our mate?”

My wolf becomes restless. He howls and roars, the inside of my head throbbing from the loud sounds of barks and snarls. I wince, trying to hide my pained expression from the employees.

No…it can’t be. Celia and I come from two totally different backgrounds. I am the Alpha King, born into nobility and I have had all of the wealth I could have ever asked for.

Celia, on the other hand, comes from nothing. She had to sign a contract with me for money, to survive. If she was a noble, maybe, just maybe, we could have had a relationship out of a contract.

At the end of the day, that’s all Celia is to me. A substitute lover. A temporary stand in for the woman I was going to marry.

Even me thinking about a life with Celia after marriage is laughable. I need to forget her and I need to do it quick.

“Bianca, I’m going to my room,” I call out even though she isn’t there. At least one of the servants and employees can tell her that I’m leaving to my bedroom.

I stand from my chair and make my way to the nearby staircase of the mansion. My Beta falls in step at my side, head bowed.

“Yes?” I ask.

“A invitation came back in the mail, sir,” they begin, holding out an envelope.

“Okay? Give it to Bianca, she’ll handle it,” I groan. I take a single step up the stirs when my Beta’s next words stop me.

“It’s from Ethan. He is bringing Miss Celia as a date to your party. It appears that they are…dating, sir.”

I look up the stairs, eyes narrowing on a portrait that hangs on the wall. I’m shocked, my body unable to move from my Beta’s revelation. My heart goes still, my hands clenching at my sides.