Chapter 9 He knows the truth

Aurora

Now my doubts have been confirmed. Sitting in the silence of my mind, I realized I might be the only person alive who knows the truth. I will never say it out loud, not to him, not to anyone. I remember everything my mother whispered to me, the secrets about Lady Victoria’s baby. I can still hear her voice : Victoria said "My husband cannot make me pregnant, and there is someone threatening me. If I do not bore his child, they will kill me. I have no other choice."

I was only eleven when she told me that. I remember it so clearly because that was the day I had begged to meet my grandmother's family. Is this some kind of fate? What if the King finds out who I really am? What if they kill me for the blood in my veins? No, no, no, I scolded myself. I won't spill a word until I achieve my goals. Besides, it has been more than eleven years; Victoria is likely dead by now.

As we entered the heart of the palace, rows of guards and maids lined the walls. I looked at them and felt a sudden pang of shame. I used to think the way I was treated in the Moonstone kitchen was just how all servants lived, but I was wrong. These maids wore neatly arranged attire. Not a single scrap of dirt touched their skin. Their hair was combed to perfection, and their shoes had solid, polished soles. If I hadn't been told, I wouldn't have known they were servants at all. I looked at my own raw, scarred hands and quickly hid them behind the wool garment.

The interior of the palace was a tomb of shadows. Everything was black—black marble floors that shined like ice, black walls, and black railings that spiraled upward like the ribs of a giant beast. A long, dark carpet ran straight ahead beneath a heavy chandelier that cast a low, controlled glow.

The King walked ahead of me, his muscular frame filling the space. His broad shoulders moved with a lethal grace, and he hadn't let go of my hand since we stepped off the carriage. I stared at his back, my mind racing. Am I really about to become the King's mate? What happens after the seven-day limit? Will I officially be the Luna? Will this man be the first one to... I felt my face heat up. Will he be the first man to fuck me? I wonder what his cock looks like... I... "Oh, no, no, no," I whispered in my mind, shaking the thought away. What is wrong with me? The plan, Aurora. Stick to the plan. I encouraged myself to push away any forbidden thoughts of King Deacon. I needed to focus. I needed to stay alive so I could get back at the people who had destroyed my life.

We arrived at a small library on the top floor. He finally dropped my hand and turned to face me. Up close, I became puzzled. This man looked nothing like the monster I had seen from a distance. His blue eyes didn't just look cold; they screamed of a deep, ancient pain and a bone-deep loneliness. He had red cherry lips and black hair styled in a perfect, majestic way.

He moved to remove his heavy outer garment, and my breath hitched. His chest was covered in marks, scars of war and a bold, written language tattooed into his skin that I couldn't understand. My eyes darted down to his waist, and I couldn't stop wondering what lay beneath those trousers. I stared for a second too long, realizing only when it was too late that he was staring back. I tried to look away, unable to maintain eye contact with the Hollow King. It was too much.

Suddenly, his large hand moved. He cupped my chin and lifted my head.

My heart began to beat so fast I thought it would burst. Was he about to hit me? Was he going to strike me just like the others did? Or was he going to kiss me? I found myself smiling silently at the thought, looking back into his eyes. That was when I realized he wasn't looking at my beauty, he was counting the scars on my face, tracing the history of my pain with his gaze.

He moved closer, his scent clouding my senses, but a sharp noise at the door broke the spell. In a flash, faster than any other wolf could move, he was across the room at the entrance.

"See yourself in, Calus," he said.

I blinked. How did he know it was Calus before the door even opened? Was this the power of a King? I didn't have that sense; I didn't even have a wolf. Calus opened the door and stepped in. I stood far back in the room, watching them. They spoke in low, hushed tones that I couldn't catch. After a minute, Calus glanced over at me. He kept staring, his expression unreadable, before he nodded to the King and slipped back out.

Within a heartbeat, the King was back in front of me. He stood there, looming over me, staring with such intensity that I felt like a piece of dirt beneath his boots.

The silence stretched until it was unbearable. Then, he finally opened his mouth, his voice booming through the small library like a crack of thunder.

"Speak!" he commanded.