Chapter 110

Carol’s POV

This was it. I was face-to-face with the man that could potentially be my father. And telling from how he was staring at me, I’d say the chances were good that he was in fact my birth dad.

“Are you still wanting to get that paternity test, your majesty?” Kendra asked, looking between the two of us. “You are right when you say she looks just like Queen Emalyn.”

The King blinked a few times, processing what she had just said before clearing his throat.

“Yes, we probably should for paperwork’s sake,” he said, running his fingers through his dark. “But there’s no denying the uncanny resemblance to not just my late wife, but to me as well. This girl is without a doubt, my daughter. I don’t need to use my abilities to tell me the truth.”

His abilities?

I wondered what he meant by that, and my curiosity grew the longer I stood in his presence.

“I’m standing right here,” I found myself blurting. “You don’t need to speak about me as if I’m not.”

I didn’t mean to sound snarky, but my anxiety was through the roof and I just wanted some answers.

I thought King Bennet would have been angry with my disrespect, but he smirked instead.

“Shall we head to the clinic now then?” Kendra asked, lightening the mood in the room.

The King nodded and motioned for us to leave first.

“Guest’s first,” King Bennet said.

We walked down the long hallway and entered the front foyer. Before we could get to the front door, I heard a woman’s voice coming from the stairway.

“Leaving so soon?”

I froze when I saw Queen Elizabeth approaching us once again.

“We have an appointment at the clinic for a paternity test,” King Bennet explained to her. “Have you already met Carol and her mate, Aiden?”

“We had the pleasure of meeting moments ago,” she said, giving me a plastered smile. I wondered if I was the only one who noticed how fake she was. From what I was seeing around me, almost everyone except me and the King had their heads down. Like they couldn’t look her directly in the face for some reason.

But I had no issues staring at her in her cold eyes and yet gorgeous blue eyes.

“Let me go how it goes, darling,” Queen Elizabeth said, closing the gap between them and kissing his cheek softly. “If all goes well, perhaps we shall have a meal to celebrate the return of your daughter. I’m sure Jenna would love to meet her sister.”

The King didn’t look too eager about this and I wondered what was transpiring between the two of them. I felt a sense of unease washing over me.

There was a reason why the King thought I was dead for all these years; there was a reason why I was taken from him in the first place.

It made me wonder if I was truly safe in the palace.

Without further conversation, we left, leaving the queen behind.

It didn’t take us long to get to the clinic; it was only up the street. The nurse at the front receptionist’s desk looked up from her computer and immediately stood to her feet, bowing as the King approached.

“Your majesty, is all well?” She asked. “What brings you here?”

“I’m requesting a DNA test,” the king told her firmly.

“I set up an appointment already with Dr. Lional,” Kendra added. “He should be able to fit us right in.”

“Of course,” the nurse said, sitting back down in her seat and typing on her computer. Then, she picked up the phone and spoke to the receiver. “Dr. Lional, the King is here.”

She hung up without another word and then looked up at King Bennet.

“He will be out momentarily. May I get your anything, sir?” She asked him.

“Nothing at all,” the king assured her.

As we waited, it felt like an eternity before an older gentleman walked out of the backrooms and towards us. He wore a long white trench coat and he had thin-framed glasses that he pushed up on his long and wrinkled nose with his fingertips.

“Your majesty,” the doctor greeted; instead of bowing, the gentlemen shook hands. Then, the doctor looked over at me and I felt uncomfortable under his scrutiny. “And this must be Miss Carol Miller. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You as well,” I said a bit awkwardly.

“How about you come with me, and I’ll take some blood for the DNA test. It shouldn’t take long.”

I took a deep breath and turned to face Aiden. He gave me an encouraging smile before bending and pressing his lips to mine.

“I’ll be right here when you are done,” he assured me.

I nodded and leaned into him, needing his scent and warmth more than anything. After a moment, I pulled away from him and followed the doctor into an exam room. He didn’t really say much other than some small talk while he prepared my arm for the blood test. He seemed like a nice enough person, but I was so nervous and not sure what to expect from this situation that I really couldn’t think straight.

The blood test didn’t hurt all that much; it was a small sting in my arm and then it was over. Once he had enough blood, he explained that he was taking it to the lab and testing it with the DNA sample that they had already from the King. The results should only take an hour and he wanted us to wait in the lobby for it.

I walked back into the lobby area and walked straight into Aiden’s arms. He held me tightly as we sat down on one of the chairs. The King and Kendra were also seated. At that moment, I noticed a couple of bodyguards stationed at the door.

“You grew up well?” The king asked, breaking through the silence. I was surprised by the question.

I nodded.

“Yeah,” I told him thoughtfully. “I had everything I ever wanted. I have a wonderful mom and dad and a loving home. There wasn’t much I needed.”

He smiled at my words; the first genuine smile I saw from him since meeting him a little over an hour ago.

“And they are humans?”

“Yes,” I answered. “I know nothing of this magical world. I didn’t know I had magic until recently.”

“It must be very confusing for you,” he said, eyeing me carefully.

I nodded again, leaning into Aiden who rubbed circles around my arms with his fingers, sending shockwaves through my body.

“And this is your mate?” The king asked, peeking over at Aiden on the other side of me.

“Yes,” I answered.

“You are Aiden Cruz from the Capital, right? Johnathan and Miranda’s son?” He asked Aiden.

Aiden tensed at the recognition.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said, his voice a bit skeptical. “How did you know that?”

The King smirked.

“I’m the Alpha King; It’s my job to know these things,” he said. “The Capital is a big pack. You’ve done well for yourself.”

“Thank you, sir. I appreciate the compliment. I’ll be sure to pass it along to my mother and father upon our return.”

He didn’t make mention of his father’s condition and I wondered why. Maybe he was trying to figure out if the King knew anything before he brought it up first.

We sat and talked for a while longer, mainly mindless conversation, about our jobs and how we met. We waited for maybe another hour before the doctor returned with a manilla folder.

“Results are in,” he said, waving the folder in the air.

We all sat in place, staring at him. Each of us worried about what that paper said. I chewed on my bottom lip, not sure what to expect.

The doctor tried to give the folder to each of us, but we all just stared at it, dumbfounded. After what felt like an eternity, Aiden stood up and took the folder from the doctor, thanking him and sending him away.

“Does someone want to read this?” Aiden asked.

The King and I kept looking from the folder to each other. Neither of us wanted to make that move or take that step.

Kendra finally cleared her throat and took the folder from Aiden.

“I suppose I will,” she said, almost sounding bored. She opened the folder and flipped through it; her eyes scanning each word carefully.

Then, I saw her expression shift into what seemed like a surprise. Her jaw ticked as she processed the information. I could practically hear her heart racing in her chest. She looked up from the paper and immediately at me, her eyes narrowed.

I couldn’t read her expression which worried me.

After taking several moments to comprehend the results she finally took a deep breath.

“I really wasn’t sure what to think when I first saw you. I knew you looked like Emma, but a part of me still doubted it,” she said, shaking her head as she handed the results to the King. “But it appears… you truly are the King’s daughter.”