90: Ada's POV

Gwynn had spent the night with me. I’d barely slept and had been awake at dawn when the message had come to let us know that my presence was required at breakfast with the Princes. I debated how much I wanted to cover up and decided I wanted everything on display.

I chose a red tube top, fully displaying the swollen, black, and purple markings on either side of my neck. The black shorts I opted to wear were cut barely below my ass cheeks, showing almost every bite mark and scratch that Darius had placed there. My healing seemed to be delayed. Gwynn said it could be that my body was in shock from being marked three times in one night. My eyes were puffy and red from the countless tears I’d shed. My emotions were high, ricocheting from extreme to extreme. I wanted them to see the hurt, the pain, the suffering. I didn’t want them to feel a moment’s peace with what they’d done.

My hands shook as I tied the laces of the pair of black and red sneakers I’d selected. Gwynn had done my mouse-brown hair in a loose braid, not doing anything to deal with the flyaways that were present. Neither of us added any makeup or perfume to my ensemble.

I made my way to the Prince’s dining area. This time, I was the first to arrive. I took the spot that Elizabeth had last time— right at the head of the table. It wasn’t a surprise that I was the first to arrive because I was about fifteen minutes early. Phoenix was the next to arrive. His eyes locked on me.

He flinched as he took in the marks, the eyes, the hard expression on my face. His face was pale, and he was walking with a slight limp. Phoenix took his spot as Darius entered the room, Elizabeth on his heels. Darius paused as he entered — briefly doing a double take. His eyes fixated on the blackish-purple bruises on my neck. I casually leaned back in the chair and crossed my legs over the edge of the table, putting his scratches and bite marks on display as I stared at him.

Grape hyacinth eyes seemed to dull. Darius swallowed and took his seat across from me. Elizabeth had gone completely still, eyes scouring over my body. Anger radiated from her body. I bent my knee, putting the third mark on full display. She clenched her hands into tight fists. Her white slacks and navy blouse moved with the light breeze as she took the spot across from Phoenix. I guessed her period of mourning was over. A slight bump was visible in her abdomen.

Nik was the last to arrive. He was in his usual black-on-black suit, oil-slick hair neatly styled. His gold cufflinks glinted in the light as he ran a hand through his hair. He took his seat after giving me a once-over. Otherwise, he did not react to the state I was in.

Servants began to bring out platters of food. I sat up and placed my feet on the ground again. We all filled our plates in silence, only the sound of scraping utensils filling the air. Once we all sat back and started eating, it was Elizabeth who decided to break the silence:

“You all decided to mark her?” Her voice was shrill as she set her fork down beside the plate, “Darius, even you marked her?” When no one graced her with a response, she huffed out a breath, “What the fuck is going on here?”

It was the least put-together I’d ever seen her be. Nik smirked beside me, eating a bite of eggs. Phoenix looked at me, ignoring her questions, “I got answers, Ada.”

Nik pulled a scroll out of his suit jacket and set it in front of me, “Read this.”

My eyes scoured over the scroll, taking in everything. After reading it for the third time, I looked up, “So there are ways to prevent this.”

“For all but one of us,” Darius shifted, shrugging, and gave a glance to Nik. I noticed Phoenix did the same as Nik kept a completely stoic expression. It appeared that Nik’s brothers believed he was the one who couldn’t avoid his fate. I swallowed. Darius went on, “This scroll changes everything, Ada.”

“You can stay with us,” Phoenix looked at me, green eyes wide with hope.

“If you decide to,” Nik’s voice was blase as he shoved in another mouthful of eggs, “That decision can wait. I received a report this morning from the Polaris Pack. The Midnight Pack has attacked at one of their borders.”

“The Midnight Pack is nowhere near the Polaris Pack,” my eyebrows furrowed, my mind trying to keep up with the jumps in subject.

“Exactly,” Darius sighed, “They’re being very bold. We need a show of strength.” his eyes locked on mine, “We are planning our coronation. It will take place three days from now. After many delays, I think this should solve some of the problems.”

“So, you’ll all be sharing the crown?” I arched an eyebrow, “That’s official?”

Before any of them could respond, Elizabeth slammed her fist down on the table. Plates rattled, and a few utensils went flying. Her voice was sharp, loud, “So, what? The three of you are just going to ignore me now?”

Darius turned his head to her, “Yes. We are.” When she opened her mouth to speak, he held up a hand, “I’ve spoken to an Elder and they’ve agreed that we can annul our marriage. We never completed a chosen mate bond, and given that I’ve found my fated mate, they believe it is the better option.”

She looked as if she’d been struck. Nik added casually, “Until we can determine the father of your baby, you’re a prisoner of the court. You’ll be stripped of all titles and placed in your rooms until you give birth.”

With a snap of his fingers, several guards rushed into the room. Elizabeth kicked and screamed as their hands roughly grabbed her and yanked her up. I watched wordlessly, eyes wide. She screamed at the top of her lungs, cursing the Princes. Darius took a sip of his drink and returned his attention to me. It was as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place.

He sent me a smile, “We’d like to intensify your combat training,” he explained, “And we still want you with one of us at all times.”

“Now more than ever, actually,” Phoenix interjected, “With our mate bond only half completed, you’d be very easy to use against us.”

I nodded slowly, processing. I took a sip from a mug of coffee. My voice was small, “Adrian?”

“Dead,” Darius sighed, lacing his fingers together on the table, “I’m sure you expected that. As Nik said, you have decisions to make. We have a coronation to plan. Today, you’ll be with Phoenix.”

And just like that, breakfast was over.