Chapter 80

Third Person POV

Alaric sat at his desk, staring blankly out the window, his mind twisting and turning with all the different ideas on how to take down his uncle before he eliminated him.

Now that he was there, in the palace, his original plan seemed weak. Before he could execute any part of it, he had to be back on the throne, having proven his uncles deceit.

Thankfully, he was ready for all of that.

A knock on his door makes him frown, and he rolled up all of his plans, placing them back in the narrow, locked cabinet beneath his desk.

“Yes?” he called out, hesitant to open the door if it was, say, Mia.

“It’s me.” Lucius voice drifted from the other side, settling Alaric’s nerves. Although, it wasn’t like he and Lucius were getting along all that well either.

Alaric opened the door, allowing Lucius in, swiftly locking it behind him.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Alaric sighed, rubbing his thumb between his brows.

“I know you saw me and Sienna. I know that you know she’s aware of all your identities.”

“Yes, these are all facts I’m aware of,” Alaric huffed, turning to look out the window — anywhere but at Lucius.

“Alaric, I think it’s best you stay away from her.” There was gruffness to his words that Alaric didn’t like. Who was Lucius to tell him what to do?

“Why do you think I’m going to hound her when she told me to stay away? Who are you to lead my decisions for me anyway?” Irritation swelled in him, furious at Lucius’ audacity.

“You’re not good for her. She’s devastated by this, and it’s a miracle she forgave me.”

“Well aren’t you just so lucky?” Alaric sneered, leaning against the window overlooking the plaza.

“You are the one that chose to lie to her. You made all of us partake in it even though none agreed it was right.” Lucius was growling now, the Alpha in him rising up.

But he wasn’t as Alpha as Alaric.

“That’s all over and done with, Lucius. She’s yours for the taking.” It hurt Alaric to admit the truth, just as much as it hurt him to admit that this was all his own doing.

Lucius laughed, quelling the tension for a moment, and Alaric finally looked over to him.

“Oh, Alaric. Look at us in this mess of a love triangle.” Lucius chuckled again, setting himself into a fit.

All Alaric could do was stare at him.

“You and I want Sienna. Mia wants you. Sienna doesn’t know who she wants.”

Lucius laughed harder and harder, clutching his abdomen the more he did.

“Why is that funny?” Alaric blinked, finding no humor in the subject. It was anything but funny.

“It’s tragic, not funny.” Lucius began to compose himself, shrugging off the laughter. “Sad that we’ve come to this.”

“Quite,” Alaric murmured, his gaze turning back out to the plaza. “But I did it to myself.”

“At least you can admit that. Alaric…” Lucius sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I wanted this to go differently.”

“Unfortunately, it did not.” Alaric pushed off from the wall, strolling over to Lucius. “Please tell her the truth, for me — the entire truth.”

Lucius nodded, and Alaric felt like he was losing a part of himself, like he was saying goodbye to Sienna, once and for all.

The bond still lives, his wolf reminded him with annoyance.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Alaric grumbled. You don’t need to remind me every time.

I’ll be reminding you up until the moment when — if — it goes away. He could feel the laugh his wolf let out, and rolled his eyes.

“I really did hope you two would work out.” Lucius hung his head, turning towards the door. “If you still want me to work on the plan, you know I will.”

“Thank you, old friend.” Alaric could use all the help he could get in his inner circle, so he wouldn’t pass it up. “I’ll let you know.”

Lucius paused at the door, his hand lingering at the knob, Alaric now back at the window. “The Alpha gathering is happening here next week.”

“I really wish it wasn’t,” Alaric sighed, resting his forehead against the glass of the window, the coolness of it soothing his clammy skin.

“She’ll be there. She has to be.” Lucius straightened up, turning back to him. “You won’t mind if I go with her?”

Alaric fought to keep his face emotionless. Yes, I do mind.

“Of course not,” he blatantly lied, shrugging it off. “She asked me to behave, and I will.”

It’s like I’m some kind of dog. Alaric thought the words to himself, but his wolf still had to comment.

Because you technically are, it said smugly.

Shut up! Alaric snapped, though he had to admit… it was a little funny.

“Let me know if you need me, okay?” Lucius spoke up after a beat of silence, turning back to the door. “Otherwise I’ll see you then.”

“Right,” Alaric nodded, a tight, fake smile on his face. He would be faking a lot of things from now on, reclusing into himself.

It’s what a prince had to do.

Left in the silence of his quarters, the agony of his recent losses hit him hard. He wondered what Sienna was thinking, truly thinking.

His thoughts drifted to the idea of winning her back, and how unlikely that was.

Not impossible, his wolf encouraged, always there to push him into another mess.

You know her. She’s impossibly hard-headed. Alaric couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Sienna’s undying strength.

Even if she’d doubted herself, he’d always believed in her, even if she wasn’t aware of it.

He’d loved her. Still did — painfully so.

She haunted his dreams, the ghost of her touch whispering along his skin when he lay in bed each night. Her sweet scent, forever fermented into his memory, lingering in the air around him when he felt most alone.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to the empty room, wishing he could say them to her face.

Give her some time, and maybe things will turn around, his wolf said gently, always positive for him.

Don’t give a broken man hope, Alaric sighed, watching over the people in the plaza.

You are not broken — simply fractured. You will heal.

Sometimes Alaric wondered what he would do without his wolfs constant wisdom and positivity.

Do you think she’ll ever get her wolf back? Alaric asked, recalling Sienna’s distress over her dormant wolf, a well-kept secret from the public eye.

Her wolf is there. I feel it, hiding away, broken from all the tragedy. It will re-emerge, in time.

Can I help her get it back? That’s all Alaric ever wanted — to help her, comfort her, heal her.

Keep your distance for now, his wolf said sorrowfully. If she chooses to forgive you, we’ll go from there.

“Right. If.” Alaric winced, sitting back down at his desk. Since he couldn’t voice his thoughts to her, he’d write them out.

He pulled his pen and paper out and sat for the next thirty minutes, pouring his heart out onto the page, unsure if she’d ever see it.