Chapter 14 The Loser King

The bed was cold. My hand hit the empty sheet and my heart stopped.

Leo was gone.

I sat up fast. It was eight in the morning. The sun was too bright.

I grabbed my black veil from the chair. I pulled it over my head. My hands were shaking.

I ran to the door. I did not have my shoes on. I did not care.

I pushed the door open. The hall was long and gray. It smelled like old dust.

Then I heard a small laugh. It was Leo.

I ran toward the sound. I turned the corner and froze.

A tall man stood in the middle of the hall. He had black hair. He had big shoulders.

It was Valerius.

And right in front of him was Leo.

The sun came through a window. It hit both of them. My blood turned to ice.

They had the same nose. They had the same chin. They had the same dark hair.

It was like looking at a big man and a tiny man. They were exactly the same.

Valerius was very still. He looked like he was seeing a ghost.

"Who are you, little one?" Valerius asked.

His voice was soft. He did not sound like a mean King. He sounded like a man who was lost.

"I am Leo," the boy said. He stood tall. He put his hands on his hips.

Valerius moved closer. He knelt down in the dirt. He wanted to be the same height as the boy.

He reached out a hand. He wanted to touch Leo’s hair. His fingers were shaking.

"You look... you look like me," Valerius whispered.

"Leo! Come here now!" I yelled.

I ran down the hall. I moved between them. I grabbed Leo’s hand.

I pulled him behind my dress. I stood tall. My black veil hid my eyes.

Valerius stood up. He looked at me. Then he looked at Leo.

"Is this your son?" Valerius asked.

"He is mine. Do not touch him," I said.

Valerius took a step back. He rubbed his face. He looked like he was going to be sick.

"He has my face. How does he have my face?" he muttered.

"Many boys have dark hair, Alpha. Do not be a fool," I said.

"No. It is not just hair. It is the chin. The way he stands," Valerius said.

He leaned in. He was trying to see through my veil. He was trying to see my eyes.

"How old is he?" Valerius asked.

"He is five. He is none of your business," I said.

Valerius started to think. I saw his eyes move. He was thinking about the time.

"Five years," he whispered. "The same time. The same face."

He looked at Leo again. He looked like he wanted to cry.

"Let me see his eyes," Valerius said.

"No. We are leaving," I said.

I tried to pull Leo away. But Leo did not move. He was a brave boy.

Leo stepped out from behind my dress. He looked at the King. He did not look scared.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Leo asked.

Valerius looked down. "I am sorry. You just look like someone I know."

"My mama says you are the King of this place," Leo said.

Valerius nodded. "I am. I have the crown. I have the big house."

Leo looked at the King’s messy hair. He looked at the sad face.

"My daddy is a King too. He is big and strong," Leo said.

Valerius flinched. It looked like Leo had hit him. "Your daddy?"

"Yes. But you don't look like a King," Leo said.

Valerius frowned. "What do I look like?"

Leo crossed his arms. He made a mean face.

"My daddy is a King, but you look like a loser," Leo said.

The hall went very quiet. I felt my heart stop.

Valerius stood very still. He looked like he had been slapped.

He looked at the tiny boy who just called him a loser.

"Leo! That is enough!" I said.

I grabbed Leo’s arm. I pulled him down the hall.

"Wait! Elena! Stop!" Valerius shouted.

He used the name. The name I hated.

I did not stop. I pushed Leo into our room. I slammed the door.

I locked it. Click.

I leaned against the wood. My heart was going thump-thump-thump.

"Mama? Why is he so sad?" Leo asked.

"He is not sad, Leo. He is a bad man," I whispered.

I went to the window. I looked out.

I saw Valerius standing in the hall. He was looking at our door.

He was touching his own chin. He was thinking.

He was putting the pieces together.

"He knows," I whispered to the room.

A presence shifted on the other side of the door. The silence there was heavier than any knock.

Valerius did not knock. He just stood there on the other side of the wood. I heard him touch the door. He was putting the pieces together. He knew.

Then, a loud horn blew across the palace. It was the signal for noon.

A guard’s voice boomed in the hall. "Lady Seraphina is at the training grounds. She has called for a match. She wants the Queen of Shadows to come out and fight."