Chapter 4 Matilda POV

So he came searching for me.

I smiled secretly. Only my wolf and I knew how much I yearned for him every night.

I climbed down the stairs and saw him sitting in the parlour with my mother. She had asked him some questions, and I overheard him say that he would make me his queen.

It was the kind of romance I read about in books.

He saw me from the top of the stairs and stood up at the sight of me.

"I've never seen a woman this beautiful," he mouthed without a sound.

I found myself blushing, which was a crime. I shouldn't entertain this. I shouldn't fall in love with him.

"Is he the one, Mat?" my sister, the one born after me, asked when she noticed the stares between us.

"I do not know," I replied without removing my gaze.

My two other sisters had found their mates and were married.

The only brother we had was part of the king's army. Since my father was a knight to the king, he played a part in making my brother an army officer, which had always been his dream.

So it was just my sister and me at home, hoping for a better life, although Janet wasn't a special wolf like me. No one in my family was.

Cedric waited no longer. He sought me out by coming closer and taking me off the stairs.

We returned to his carriage, given privacy.

"I have missed you, Matilda." He didn't address me as a lady anymore.

"Why do you ignore the fact that I am very old?" I asked. He had my hands interlocked with his.

"Why do you talk so much about it? I am not bothered by it in any way."

"Lord Cedric, spare me, please," I breathed, but he kissed my neck.

"Your smell," he growled.

His skin was all over mine, and I couldn't resist him. I had spent weeks setting my feelings aside.

The pain of knowing he was out there but without me.

The pain of wanting each other while the distance lingered like forever.

"I want you, Lady Matilda," he whispered against my ear.

And as though I were bewitched, I let go and replied, "I want you just as much, Lord Cedric Hawthorne."

He kissed me roughly, holding my breasts like he had dreamed of doing so.

When the academy resumed, he courted me in secret, promising that he'd introduce me on his coronation day.

However, whenever I visited the palace, I heard that he was betrothed to a princess from another land.

Cedric denied it. He claimed to prefer his mate over a young princess. I was his one and only.

Yet, he never marked me for eight months, always using the same excuse of waiting until coronation day.

A month before the coronation.

Cedric invited me for tea. I wore a beautiful gown and styled my hair into a flowery braided ponytail. I hadn't seen him for a week and was overjoyed to meet him.

I entered the palace without question because I was known. My father was a knight, I was a teacher at Alpha Prime Academy, my brother was in the army, and my mate was the prince.

He didn't come to meet me at the gate like he used to, but that was fine with me.

I lifted my gown to walk properly, and I passed through the whole palace to get to the royal garden.

Right under a pavilion was where we always met for tea, but this time, we weren't alone.

He was seated with a lady, and as I approached the table, he didn't move an inch to help me into the pavilion or pull out my chair for me.

That was odd, but I thought it was okay.

"A lovely afternoon," I spoke elegantly.

Cedric kissed my hand.

"And who is she, if I may ask, my lord?" My gaze remained on Cedric.

"Lucinda, may I introduce Lady Matilda Fairfax? She was my teacher at Alpha Prime Academy. A white wolf."

The lady nodded as if she wasn't interested in knowing who I was.

What was going on? Who was this lady?

Cedric only introduced me, but he didn't think of introducing her to me.

"It is indeed a lovely afternoon, Lady Matilda," she spoke, and I sent her a smile in response.

"Lucinda Blackwood, Princess of the NightVeil Pack. A red-eyed wolf. I am also a teacher at Alpha Prime Academy, but I train students from the North."

I trained students from the East, and I was higher in rank.

"A pleasure," I said.

"It definitely is," she replied.

When the maid came forward to pour us tea, we learned that a teacup was missing—Lady Lucinda's.

"We could send for another," I suggested.

"Cedric, I want that teacup," Lady Lucinda requested, referring to my cup.

"That is impossible because…"

Cedric's actions cut me off because he took the cup from my side of the table and gave it to Lady Lucinda.

"I love the design," she remarked, throwing me a glance.

That cup was made only for Cedric and me. We promised never to let anyone drink from our cups. He designed those cups specifically for both of us, but he was handing mine over to her as though it meant nothing.