Chapter 205

“Have you known I was still alive before these reports came out?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “Not that it matters to you, but I've known since Lupinton. You smell just like the baby that failed.”

“Then why didn't you claim me then?” I demanded. “If you knew, why scare me half to death and make it seem like the palace was coming after me?”

“Because I had to be sure that I wasn't being manipulated by yet another unworthy woman. If you had known your heritage for your whole life and were simply trying to play me, then I would have needed to eliminate you. There's also another aspect to this that you don't seem to understand, which is that your presence as my daughter makes a mess of things between me and the current queen.”

He sneered at me. “It also makes you the Queen's number one enemy. No Luna supports another woman's child to inherit what her own offspring ought to.”

“But isn't the current Luna queen barren?”

“You're finally catching on. You see how yet another woman has failed me.” He folded his hands and set them on top of the desk, staring at me. “I am tired of the failings of women. And I would like nothing more to have left you in complete obscurity, but unfortunately, that's no longer an option.”

“Not only have the meddling news agencies published your existence, but I don't have a male heir to override you. And we're back to making sure that you understand it is your place to learn what I want to see done with this kingdom and see it carried out if you ever wish to be accepted into the royal family.”

Fear rippled through me. He didn't need to say anything else; his expression said it all. I had only one option, which was to do exactly what he had said. If I chose anything else, it was clear I would be eliminated, just like my late mother had. I had never wanted to be a true orphan as much as I did at this very moment. If only my parents had been killed in a car accident as normal citizens of Orlune. But no, I was the child of a monster.

I held out little hope that even if I stayed and agreed to learn to run his kingdom the way he wanted, I would be safe. Not only did this man hate my mother and not want to continue his line through her, but he clearly despised women in general.

Thankfully, his own biases worked against him. He left me with my phone, the burner that I had been using this entire time to make clandestine phone calls and texts. Not trusting him, I had pressed record at the start of this conversation. My best way to safety was to give that device to Theo, David, and Charles and have them get it out to the public.

I just had to decide whether I wanted the king to act against me before I had them release it. Or if I should wait until I was fully in danger. This would have to be thought over carefully on my part because it wasn't just my safety but the safety of my unborn baby at stake.

“I'll need to think your conditions over,” I said slowly. “There's a lot of responsibility in being part of the royal family and the heir to the werewolf throne. I wouldn't dream of taking on such a responsibility without giving it careful consideration.”

“For your safety and mine, I think you'll understand why I am going to request that you stay within the palace.”

“I figured as much.”

The manservant returned out of nowhere. The king must have had a button to push to call him.

“Miss Laurentia is going to give careful consideration to whether or not she is up to taking on the job of being Orlune’s princess,” the king informed the man. “See she's taken to appropriate quarters and treated as a member of the royal family until she decides to abdicate her position.”

The man bowed to the king and then turned to face me. “Lady Laurentia,” he said, pointing me out the door.

Despite being taken to rather lavish quarters within the palace, I wasn’t entirely surprised when Charles, Theo, and David were not allowed to join me. I had originally intended to ask their advice on what to do with the recording of the conversation I had just had with the king. If anybody knew the best course of action, it would be my level-headed bodyguards or my business-savvy significant other.

Instead, I flopped down on my bed to mull over the choice on my own. The decision made me sick to my stomach because I knew if I released this video now, I'd quickly face the wrath of the king. But if I held it back to release when I was in immediate danger, it might be too late for anybody to help me, especially if the king wanted to do something sinister like poison me the way he did to my mother.

I closed my eyes and gripped the bed covers so tightly my knuckles hurt. “Please, moon goddess,” I called. “Help me. I need advice.”

The air around me whispered with her presence, and I opened my eyes to find her standing beside me in the bedroom. I scrambled up off the bed and gave her a low bow before rising to meet her eyes.

“My daughter,” she said warmly and opened her arms for me.

Hesitantly, because I'd never tried to touch a deity before, nor would I normally think that it was okay, I opened my arms, and she drew me into a hug. Everything about that touch felt right. Her comfort swirled around me, warming me from the inside out and giving me courage that I didn't know I had.

“I'm sure you know the question that I want to ask,” I said. “But I can explain if you want.”

“There’s no need. I fully understand your dilemma,” she replied.

I stayed snuggled into her comfort. “So, am I supposed to endanger myself? Or do I give the recording to Charles and let the guys handle things while I play along with the king?”

She reached down and cupped my face and her hands, drawing my gaze up to her face. “Now is the time for you to be brave, my daughter.”

She leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. “I know that your heart is torn in half a dozen different directions as you try to protect everyone that you love, but go forward with my assurance that the best way to protect those you love is to act with immediacy, with heart, and with bravery. Fate will see to the rest.”

I wrapped my hands protectively across my mid-section. “I haven't had a chance to tell Charles about our child. What if something happens to me and the baby, and he never knows?”

Sympathy flitted across her face. “You are my child,” she said. “As are all werewolf-kind. As my child, I understand the feelings that you feel right now. I have to watch you make heartbreaking choices for yourself. And I have to watch fate tangle things up in ways that hurt you. But even the gods and goddesses are bound by fate. We cannot alter what will be.”

“Then what's the point of being a goddess?” I demanded. “If you just have to sit back and let things happen? If even the deities have no control, what hope do the rest of us have?”