Chapter 76

Third Person POV

Asher — Alaric — stood on one of the palaces many balconies, watching as Sienna stormed out the front, her hurt so blatantly obvious in the way she held herself.

He told her, Alaric thought with dread, his secret now out to the one person he hoped it wouldn’t get to unless it was from him.

He’d messed up. For a while now, he’d accepted that with every passing day, he buried himself deeper into trouble.

There had been countless opportunities to tell her, whether it was when they were lying so intimately in bed together, or when they sat next to one another for meals in the dining room, or even when she’d come to him, seeking comfort in her darkest times.

Any of those moments, he could have chosen to confide in her. Everything would have been different if he had.

Why was it so hard for him to trust?

Watching her walk away from the palace, pushing past Simon the way she did, made him realize just what he was losing. This was it — she wouldn’t come back.

She would shut him out just like he’d shut her out all these months. Who wouldn’t? He’d lied to her face when she’d asked for the truth, hoping, dreaming that he’d confide in her too.

Simon was left standing at the gates of the palace, looking disheveled, seeming to sense Alaric’s eyes on him. He looked up, straight to the balcony he was on, and shook his head with regret.

She’s gone, is what it looked like he was saying.

Alaric cursed to himself, ducking back inside and descending the multi-levels to his uncles conference quarters. Most of the day, you could find him in those rooms, holding some sort of meeting on how to make his power stronger.

“Uncle!” Alaric roared, bursting into one of the conference rooms, startling the audience that were settled around the table with him. The King didn’t seem at all surprised to see him, barely batting an eye at the interruption.

“Excuse me, everyone, but I should speak to my nephew. He’s a bit unstable after his return.” His uncle gave a smile that only Alaric saw through, one that oozed deceit.

His uncle strode towards him, pushing him back into the hallway and into the adjacent room, which was completely empty.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this grand interruption?” His uncle feigned innocence, and Alaric clenched his jaw to the point his teeth ached.

“You damn well know,” Alaric seethed, resisting the urge to clock his uncle right in the jaw. He’d promised he wouldn’t tell Sienna, and Alaric had believed him, the man who lied better than anyone he’d ever known.

Stupid, he cursed himself, ashamed that he’d believed his uncle for even a second. From the moment after he’d confronted his uncle about his return, he should have gone to Sienna.

Another mistake to put in his novel of others.

“You told her!” Alaric snarled, his composure slipping. “That was mine to tell.”

“I was doing you a favor, boy.” His uncle let out a nasty, spiteful laugh. “It’s not like you’d have done it. The girl deserved to know.”

“I was stupid to think you’d hold up your end of our deal,” Alaric muttered, rage hammering through him, his wolf growling in the background.

Rip him to shreds, it urged him, and as much as he wished he could, he knew it wasn’t possible. He hadn’t planned all these years just to kill his uncle and suffer the dark consequences.

“We are not on the same side,” the King said darkly, his eyes proving the hatred he harbored for Alaric.

“It didn’t have to be this way, but you decided to kill my father and force me out. Earlier, you said no one would believe me when I told them the truth.”

“Because they won’t,” he shot back with an irritating smugness.

“Just you wait,” Alaric chuckled, pushing his way back into the hallway. His uncle was only tolerable for so long, and the truth was, the longer Alaric spent being angry at him and not acting, the closer his uncle would get to taking him down.

Because his uncle would not hesitate to eliminate him if he had the chance to make it look believable. Alaric knew he was already plotting something like that — he wouldn’t let the throne be threatened for long.

Alaric stepped out into the plaza in the middle of the palace, the sun warm against his skin. He let his eyes close, if only for a moment, to enjoy it.

There wasn’t a second more of peace before Lucius’ familiar voice called out to him, sounding pretty unhappy, too.

“Lucius?” Alaric blinked, not having expected to see him.

“What mess have you gotten yourself into?” Lucius frowned, exuding disappointment.

“The same one I was in for the last six months,” Alaric shrugged, exhaustion creeping up from his toes to the top of his head.

“Your uncle told her, didn’t he? I saw Sienna running back to Nightwind, sobbing her eyes out.”

“Surprised you’re here talking to me instead of comforting her,” Alaric mumbled, his words grim. He knew what he’d done, and he accepted his fate of losing Sienna.

You haven’t lost her yet, his wolf countered. The bond is still there.

A bond neither of us even acknowledged, Alaric sighed internally.

It still can be.

Alaric didn’t think there was much hope for that, but at least his wolf entertained the idea for the both of them.

“Look, you know I didn’t agree with you keeping this from her. Now I’m wrapped up in it too, and she’s going to add me to the group of liars.” Lucius appeared genuinely distraught at the thought, though Alaric couldn’t summon an ounce of care towards him.

“It’s out in the open now. Tell her whatever you’d like — she’s not going to ever want to see me again.” She’s all yours were his unspoken words.

“I didn’t come here to talk about this, actually,” Lucius admitted, his words tired and weak. “There’s no point in beating that dead horse.”

“Then why are you here?” Alaric asked, his defenses rising, even though he was in the wrong.

“Mia is spreading rumors about you two being engaged.”

Alaric almost combusted on the spot. “What?!”

“She’s telling everyone. I heard the rumor drifting from person to person down in the markets, and even some here in the palace.” Lucius seemed sympathetic for a second before it wiped off his face, his own guard rising up like Alaric’s had.

“God damnit,” Alaric exhaled, his chest tight with stress. “That’s the last thing I needed right now.”

“Sienna probably already heard,” Lucius murmured, and Alaric shook his head, not wanting to think about that.

“This is a mess.” He fought the words out, resisting the urge to just give all this up.

“One you put yourself in.” Lucius met Alaric’s weary eyes, his words driving the stake of truth right through his heart.

“One I’ll get myself out of,” Alaric said back, brushing past his oldest friend to go and find Mia.

It was time to end this, once and for all.