Chapter 147

Carol’s POV

“I can’t believe the Alpha King is going to be here today!” Fiona shrieked after she finished putting on the dress she personally designed. It was a gorgeous pink dress with straps that went around her neck, and it made her waistline look smaller than it was. It hugged her figure perfectly and also made her legs look great. Oliver would lose his mind if he saw her wearing this but thankfully, he was so busy with work-related stuff that he couldn’t come here this morning.

I told my parents and Fiona that the Alpha King would be coming this morning and that we were planning on seeing the hockey game tonight. My parents were nervous about meeting the man who helped create me, but they were also excited to be seeing this new side of my life. I was skeptical of Alpha Bennet at first and I still don’t trust his wife and daughter, but I want to get to know him more. He had proven himself trustworthy and I had no reason to believe otherwise.

“I hope you’re okay with seeing a hockey game tonight,” I told her, peeking at her through my mirror. “I know you aren’t really into that kind of thing.”

She shrugged and worried her bottom lip.

“Anything to keep me distracted from the fact that I have a fated mate,” she said, her cheeks turning pink.

“It’s not the end of the world, Fiona,” I teased, giving her a playful smile.

She shrugged and returned the smile.

“He’s taking me out to dinner after the game. I’m so nervous,” she admitted. “I couldn’t sleep all night. I might throw up. This was not what I had in mind when I came to visit you… I didn’t think having a fated mate would be possible for me…”

I smiled at my best friend and turned around so I could face her. She had her arms wrapped around her body, holding herself together as if she worried, she might fall apart at any moment.

“I know you are scared, but I promise you, Oliver is harmless, and he seems to like you. He has a good head on his shoulder. He found out some rough news and I think this might be what he needs.”

She frowned at my words and her brows pinched together.

“What kind of rough news?”

I knew she’d ask and I worried I might have said too much.

“I think it’s something he should probably tell you,” I told her, glancing at the ground. She grabbed my arms and refused my attention to her.

“No, you tell me,” she ordered. “I’d like you to tell me the truth. What kind of rough news did he receive?”

I took a deep breath; I suppose it was technically Aiden’s story too and Aiden’s story is also my story. I pulled her to my bed and sat her down; I sat beside her.

“Okay, so Oliver was raised by his uncle,” I began to tell her. “Not his real uncle; his father’s best friend. His father died when he was barely a teenager.”

Her eyes widened.

“Oh, no,” she breathed, and I could see the hurt in her eyes.

I nodded.

“Or so he thought,” I said; her eyes grew large.

“What?” she gasped. “He didn’t actually die?”

“He wasn’t actually his father,” I replied.

“I don’t understand,” she said, shaking her head.

“Well, as you know, Aiden’s father was almost killed because of poison. Turns out the poison was from the King’s empire, so we went there to investigate,” I told her.

She nodded thoughtfully.

“Yes, you told me,” she said. “And I know you found out the truth, but you didn’t elaborate further than that.”

I nodded.

“It was the King’s Beta that sent the poison to the Capitol,” I explained. “He sent it to Oliver’s guardian, and he was also the one who poisoned the pilot and the reason we crashed our plane.”

She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, tears immediately filling her eyes.

“Are you serious?” She gasped.

I nodded and licked my lips before continuing.

“Very serious,” I told her, shaking my head with dismay all over my face.

“Why would the King’s Beta do that and what does this have to do with Oliver?” She asked.

“Because the King’s Beta wanted Aiden and his father out of the way so that Oliver could take the position as Alpha, even though Oliver doesn’t even want it. But the King’s Beta wanted it for him…” I told her.

“Oh, my god,” she breathed, her eyes growing large, and I could see the understanding in them.

“Turns out, the King’s Beta is actually Oliver’s father and the one he thought was his father, the one who died, is his real uncle,” I finished explaining. “It kind of messed Oliver up a little. We invited him into dinner last night to get his mind off things and we didn’t realize how well that would work.”

Fiona’s face grew incredibly red.

“So, the King’s Beta is his father?” She breathed.

I nodded.

“Yes,” I answered. “So, you can see, rough news.”

She nodded.

“I feel so bad that I’ve been rude to him,” she pouted.

I reached over and grabbed her hand.

“Don’t feel bad. It’s understandable. He likes you and he wants to make this work. So, let him.”

She smiled and rested her head against my shoulder.

Just then, Aiden walked in.

“Your biological father will be here any minute. I’m not staying for the day. I’ll come by later when it’s time for the game, but there’s some stuff I need to take care of.”

I frowned.

“You didn’t tell me you were working today,” I said.

He closed the gap between us and brushed his lips across mine.

“I’m an Alpha. My work never ends. I won’t be long. I promise.”

I frowned, but then I nodded.

I kissed him again just as we heard someone knocking on the front door.

Aiden left the room and answered the door; Fiona and I followed after him. When he opened it, it was Kendra and a bodyguard standing on the other side.

She smiled at Aiden and then looked at me.

“It’s good to see you both again,” she said thoughtfully. “I hope you don’t mind, Roofus has to do a quick sweep of the penthouse before we let the King in. It’s security purposes,” he said, motioning for the bodyguard to enter the apartment.

“Will he be doing that everywhere we go?” I asked, wondering how we could be discreet if the King’s bodyguard would be following us around all day.

She nodded.

“He’s the King, it’s necessary,” she explained.

“Where is the King?” Aiden asked, looking into the empty hallway.

“Still in the car,” he answered. “With a couple more bodyguards.”

I groaned.

“So much for being discreet,” I muttered.

Kendra narrowed her eyes at me.

“He mentioned that we needed to be discreet, so we brought a change of clothes. The bodyguards will look casual. You won’t even know they are here,” she assured me.

I breathed out, relieved, and gave her a grateful smile.

“Thank you,” I said thoughtfully.

“It’s all clear,” Roofus said, as he came out of our bedroom. I hadn’t even noticed he walked into the rooms.

Kendra’s eyes clouded over, and I knew she was mindlinking the other bodyguards, letting them know it was all clear and to send the king up. Not before long, the King and a few other bodyguards were entering the apartment.

“Carol,” he greeted, looking as if he was about to give me a hug, but changed his mind at the last second and gave me an awkward pat on the back. “How have you been? You have a nice place here,” he said, looking around thoughtfully.

“It’s Aiden’s penthouse,” I told him, shrugging. “I like it too.”

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to this pack. It hasn’t changed much. It’s a gorgeous city,” he said, gazing out the large window that overlooked the morning city streets. “I look forward to exploring it a little more while I’m here. I promised the former Luna that I would have dinner with her one evening. I was hoping to speak with the former Alpha as well and see how he’s doing.”

“He’s still in the hospital,” Aiden told him. “But I’m sure he will be more than happy to see you.”

The King nodded thoughtfully.

“Perhaps tomorrow I’ll visit them. I’m looking forward to the hockey game tonight. I can’t remember the last time I saw a live game. I’m always so busy that I never make time for things like this.”

“It’s an honor to have you here, Your Majesty,” Aiden said, bowing his head.

King Bennet reached his hand out for Aiden to shake, and Aiden took it without hesitation.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. You are mating with my daughter after all,” he said kindly.

I felt my parents tense at his words and he must have felt it as well because he looked at them and his smile grew.

“Our daughter I should say,” he added for them.

They finally relaxed.

“It’s great to finally meet you, Your Majesty,” my father said, bowing his head awkwardly.

“It truly is,” my mother agreed, mimicking his bow.

“No need for formalities; we are family after all,” King Bennet said, humor in his voice. “I must thank you for all that you’ve done and continue to do for Carol. I’m glad she was raised by a loving family. It’s upsetting that she was taken from me, but if she was given to anyone, I would have chosen you myself.”

My mother blushed at the compliment and my father beamed.

“We would have chosen Carol a thousand times over,” my mother breathed, glancing at me thoughtfully. I smiled as my heart warmed.

“She’s our little girl and always will be,” my father agreed.

King Bennet nodded and then he looked at Aiden.

“There was actually another reason why I wanted to come here besides your mating ceremony,” he told him. “I wanted to speak with Oliver.”

Aiden frowned.

“He’s actually at the packhouse right now. He wanted to get some work done before this evening,” Aiden explained. “He will be joining us for the game tonight.”

“Excellent,” the King said.

“Can I ask what you want to speak with him about?” Aiden asked.

“His father,” the king surprised us by saying. “We would like to proceed with the execution, and I was thinking we could bring him here and have it done in your pack territory. I wanted Oliver to see his father at least once before we proceed though.”

“You want to execute your Beta here?!” I all but gasped.