Chapter 201

Carol’s POV

“Want to tell me why my Beta sent out an order to kidnap a patient from the Empire basically?”

My heart hammered in my chest. Did he just say Oliver was kidnapping a patient from the empire? Was he talking about Monica’s mother? Was that being Oliver said it was all set? I did not want him to kidnap her and bring her to the Capital. I thought maybe he would speak to the King and talk about getting her transferred.

This was next level.

The last thing I wanted was for Aiden, or myself, to get the heat from kidnapping one of the King’s packmates. I looked toward the doorway that the King had disappeared through, hoping that he wouldn’t overhear my conversation.

“I didn’t ask him to kidnap anyone,” I said in a low tone. “But I fear this woman was in danger so I’m glad she’s going somewhere safe.”

“Tell me what happened, Carol. I knew something was wrong when we talked on the phone earlier. Now, I need you to tell me the truth.”

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair; I knew he’d be able to see right through.

“I didn’t want to stress you out,” I admitted. “But something might have happened as soon as I got here.”

“Tell me what happened,” he said again, his voice stern, yet I could already hear the worry.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the King walked back into the room at that moment.

“Sorry, Carol. I had to deal with something,” he told me.

“Aiden, I’ll call you later,” I told him quickly.

“What? Carol—”

I hung up before he could say any other word. I put my phone down on the couch.

“Is everything okay?” I asked the King.

He nodded.

“Just some business I had to take care of. Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” he assured me. “Though, I’m afraid I’ll need to cut today’s lessons short. But did you have any questions about what you had learned today?”

I bit my lip and thought about all he had told me.

“Just one,” I told him, fiddling with my fingers nervously. “How do you know my mother killed herself?”

He blinked at me with a frown.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said, seemingly confused.

“You said her body was found and it was already too late. How did she die?”

“She drank poison,” he answered. “She was alone when it happened.”

“How do you know someone didn’t slip something into her drink? Was it ever investigated?”

“Of course, it was investigated but everyone around her knew she was depressed. After she found out about my affair, she went off the deep end. I had no reason to believe she died any other way other than taking her own life,” Bennet answered, his voice rising, and I could tell he was getting aggravated with my questioning.

I knew this was a hard topic for him to discuss, but he had to understand that she was my mother regardless of whether I knew her or not. There was something about Queen Elizabeth that I didn’t like and after the stunt she and her daughter pulled earlier, I wasn’t sure if she was so innocent when it came to my mother’s death.

She wanted to be part of this family; her coven wanted to be part of the Wlanc clan, and she made that happen one way or another.

“When did you find out that Elizabeth was part of the Amyrran coven?” I asked, meeting his gaze.

He shifted in his seat uncomfortably and I watched as he swallowed; his Adam’s apple moving slightly as he thought about a proper response.

“She told me herself,” he finally answered after a long pause. “She was afraid of me knowing the truth. She admitted that she was only after me initially because of my status and coven, but after she got to know me, she started to truly love me. After my mate died, later I chose to marry Elizabeth out of duty. She was carrying my child, and it was only right to make her my wife and queen. It wasn’t until Jenna was born that I started to have feelings for Elizabeth and then I fell in love with her.”

I nodded and stared down at my hands.

“And you never once thought she could be untruthful towards you?” I asked, my voice coming out soft and concerned.

“What is this about, Carol? Do you have a problem with my wife?” Bennet asked, his tone stern as he straightened his posture.

I looked up at him and shook my head, forcing a smile on my lips.

“She’s lovely,” I lied. “I just want to make sure you truly are safe and that no one is after your status.”

“I assure you, my status is safe,” he told me. “You have nothing to worry about.”

I nodded, not sure what more to say about the topic. He glanced at his watch and sighed.

“I need to be going,” he told me. “Now that you know where your powers are coming from and why they were given to you, I hope you understand the importance of them. Tomorrow we will start practicing them. You are more powerful than you give yourself credit for, Carol and soon, you’ll understand just that.”

I nodded.

“I’m looking forward to it,” I told him. “I’m doing this so I can protect my pack and my family.”

He nodded thoughtfully.

“You are the high priestess, you’re in charge of protecting everyone, not just your pack and family,” he reminded me.

But I wasn’t interested in protecting everyone; I wasn’t sure how to say that though without sounding selfish. I decided not to say anything; the King stood to his feet and gave me a small smile.

“We will meet back here around the same time tomorrow morning,” he told me. “Also, I’d like to allow you to live in one of our suites. We had one made up for you before your arrival. I’ll have one of the other handmaidens bring your things there later.”

“It’s okay,” I told him quickly. “I don’t mind staying in the guest room.”

He shook his head.

“I made a misjudgment,” he told me. “I found out from other maids that Monica wasn’t always truthful with me and now I have reason to believe she might have lied about how she received that injury.”

I wanted to tell him that it was his daughter who put her up to it, but I knew that would only cause unnecessary problems, so I chose to remain silent, once again.

“I’ll have a maid fetch you for dinner this evening. We should sit together as a family tonight,” he continued.

He left without another word, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I grabbed my phone and saw that Aiden texted me. I bit my lip, worried about what he would say. I pretty much hung up on him in the middle of the discussion and I knew he was going to be angry.

Aiden: What’s happening?

I sighed and shoved my phone into my pocket as I quickly left the room and went upstairs into the guest bedroom. My things were still there so I guessed the maids hadn’t moved anything yet. I sat on my bed and grabbed my phone from my pocket; I quickly called Aiden back.

“I’m so sorry,” I said before he could utter a single word. “I shouldn’t have hung up on you like that.”

“What’s going on, Carol?” He asked, sounded defeated. It tugged at my heart, and I felt guilty for not being more open with him since arriving.

“When I got here yesterday, something happened,” I confessed.

“Obviously,” he murmured. “So, tell me what happened,” he said again.

“Jenna was causing problems; she beat one of her maids in front of me and then blackmailed the maid into saying that it was me who beat her,” I blurted and then I bit my lip once the once was out in the open.

I heard him suck in a sharp breath and then he cursed under his breath. I closed my eyes and continued when he didn’t say much more.

“King Bennet believed her at first,” I said softly. “Later, the maid came to see me and told me that Jenna was paying for her mother’s medical bills and that she would stop paying if she went against Jenan’s wishes. Jenna pretty much owned her. After we talked, she left my room and Jenna caught her. They got into an argument…”

“You were barely there for 5 minutes, and Jenna was already starting issues with you?” Aiden asked through his teeth. “The King was supposed to protect you, but you are already in more danger there than you were when you were here. At least we knew who the threat was and took care of it… the King has no idea there’s a threat to you under his own roof.”

“I can handle Jenna,” I murmured. “I’m not worried about her, but I am worried about those under her authority.”

“What happened with the maid?”

I was quiet for a moment and stared at my hands, chewing on my bottom lip.

“I think Jenna pushed her down the stairs,” I whispered. “She was found dead this morning on the bottom of the stairs, and I think Jenna is responsible for that.”