Chapter 21

The road to Xander’s country house was exhausting. He refused to stop during the nights and pressed the coachmen to change shifts, so they each had time to sleep whenever they were not driving.

There were a total of two carriages, one for Xander, Leo and I and the other for the staff that accompanied us. Their carriage was bigger than ours, to better accommodate comfort and the rotation between coachmen.

We made occasional stops for the head maid—Diana, to change my bandages and inspect my injured hand. It had surprised me when I saw her in Xander’s room tending to my wounds when I woke up the day after my fingers were broken. When I was a maid, she had always seemed distant, severe and meticulous with her work. She was probably even stricter than the housekeeper—whom she reported to.

Lucia had been there as well, reading a book beside the bed and taking turns with Diana to change the cold press they had placed on my head to lower the fever. She had stayed with me until Xander returned later that night. I didn’t know how often she begged forgiveness for what her husband had done. I hadn’t known what to say to that. I kept getting chills down my spine, thinking of the duke and his cruelty. I had been glad when Xander came back, and she was hushed out of the room.

As for Xander, he seemed better than the last time I had seen him. He looked calmer. It was quite the change from the day before when he wanted to bite the head off of everyone that came near me. When I had asked what he had done to change his demeanour, he simply said that he went running in the woods and maybe tore down trees, but I wasn’t exactly sure if that’s what Xander had said since he shyly mumbled that last part.

His protectiveness over me still caused me to feel uneasy at times. It was not a sentiment I had known before. He was possessive, but I shook it off, thinking that it was probably his Lycan side that made him act this way. I must admit that I sort of liked the attention I was getting from him. It was more than I had had since he marked me. And I enjoyed having someone to call my own.

I looked at my broken hand and sighed. It lay flat on a piece of wood, kept still with lashes of woven cotton. Small splints held each three fingers straight, again to prevent them from flexing so that the healing process could do its job.

Diana had said that I would need to keep them for some time until they healed, and then after, if everything looked good, we could start on small exercises so I may try to regain some flexibility. She seemed confident that I could do most of the things I did before, but she didn’t offer any guarantees. I didn’t mind, so long as it didn’t affect my ability to use magic. Movements were an essential part of concentrating magical energy into something, which bothered me, not knowing if my dominating hand would ever conduct magic again.

“We’re almost there,” I heard Xander say to me when he noticed me staring at my hand. “You’ll be able to rest more once we get to the house, and hopefully, the change of scenery will improve your mood.” His concern was obvious.

I winced. Had I been that outwardly opened about how I was feeling inside? I pulled a small smile and pressed it into his side. The ocean coast brought in a breeze that chilled me to the bones, but having my little private fire in him helped make me feel warmer.

Leo was asleep, his head backed up against the tufted panel of the carriage’s interior.

“Why exactly did we leave Seagull’s Bay?” I asked Xander after more silence had passed between us.

I had asked myself that question time and time again. I wasn’t precisely sure that the conclusion I had was correct.

Xander shuffled a bit in his seat, then turned his body sideways, passing his arm over my shoulders and bringing me closer to him.

“We left because I didn’t know how safe you would be, knowing what my father did with no proof of you being an accomplice. He tortured you, hoping you would squeak and reveal yourself. If I hadn’t gotten there in time, who knows what else he would have done to you.” His face was grim.

“The revolution he was accusing me of participating in, what’s that all about?” Now, that was a piece of information I was eager to learn. I had no knowledge that people had formed a rebellion against Osprey. Since I had been a slave working in houses, I never really heard of anything from the outside.

“Ever since the fall of King Cardinal, those still loyal to the Cardinal bloodline were convinced that a Cardinal had escaped the massacre. But apparently, they lost her when Osprey's men raided the village she hid in. They have been trying to find her ever since.”

I blanched. Xander was talking about me.

“A-and what will they do once the rebellion finds her?” I asked tentatively.

“Well, they secretly have amassed a vast army. Most of them are workers dispatched in various districts in Airedah. You wouldn’t be able to spot them even if you tried. They blend in perfectly, posing as footmen, farmers, maids, cooks, factory workers, you name it. Once they hear the call, they’ll come to serve and protect their true Queen.” He said it with conviction as if he, too, would heed the call.

He seemed to know a lot about the rebellion. I decided to bait him.

“And how did you know I wasn’t the mole your father was speaking of?”

He looked at the carriage wall in front of him for a while before answering.

“I knew because I was the one that provided state secrets to the rebels. Most of them are shifters, not Lycans, though, but they are my kin, and I thought that this is what my father, my real father, would have wanted me to do. To safeguard our future and restore balance.

“Ever since Osprey came into power, we’ve all been living in a regime. We can’t speak and think if it’s outside the doctrines that the Usurper put in place. This is not a way to live, and I refuse to see Leo or any other shifter child grow up in a world like this.”

I squeezed his arm. I wanted him to know that his secret was safe with me, but it was also a lot to process. I had to tread carefully going forward. I did not know how to lead an army, let alone rule a kingdom. What if I wasn’t what they were expecting, and they handed me over to Osprey as penance for their rebellion?

My head bobbed as the carriage rattled because of the snow-covered road. I needed to change my mind from those dark thoughts. I knew Xander could distract me.

“I was thinking, is it necessary to get married? I mean, we are fated to be together. I thought it was already a given.” I said, livelier.

He laughed at my question and my chain of thought. I loved it when he smiled like that. The rumble in his chest always warmed me right up.

“I understand your thinking, and I think you’re right. But I still wanted to marry you for the sake of making it official in the eyes of society. It would look bad if people knew we were living together outside wedlock, especially since we look ‘human.’ If we lived in different times, I don’t think this would be an issue. I just want to do right by you and prevent any uncomfortableness that could arise since you are mated to a lord and bound to be in the limelight at one point.”

I thought it was very thoughtful of him to think of that for me. I hadn’t even considered that aspect.

The coachmen knocked on the window, and Xander pulled it down. The exchange was brief, but he seemed thrilled when he returned his gray eyes to me.

“We’re here!” He exclaimed while lightly kissing my left hand, right where my golden ring was.

It relieved me I could finally stretch my legs. They felt stiff, and my butt had no more feeling in it due to the bouncy carriage ride.

The transport stopped, and Xander quickly opened the door to step outside. He offered me his hand, and I took it appreciatively, not wanting to trip and fall. I already had a broken hand. I didn’t want to add a fractured leg to my entire ensemble.

He led me toward a medium-sized stone house. It had two stories and chimneys on both sides. The roof was covered in snow, but I could see dried brown vines that climbed all over the stone facade to reach it. I was confident that it was beautiful during summer. The entryway was made of cobblestones, and they had cleared it of snow. I lifted my brows at Xander, and he simply shrugged.

“I sent people ahead of us to prepare the house before we arrived. I wanted everything to be ready for you. I wanted it to be perfect.”

I smiled, pulling on my woollen coat. The breeze wasn’t too cold, but it still gave me shivers. The drifting snowflakes swirled lightly in the wind and melted once they landed on my face. I thought it was the first time in a very long while I was outside like this, just looking at the snowfall. I didn’t remember it being so lovely and peaceful. I fell out of my reveries when I heard the footmen and coachmen pulling down the luggage from the roof of the carriages.

Someone welcomed me inside and urged me to sit by the fireplace. A maid placed a hot bowl of soup in front of me and left to prepare a nice pot of tea. Yes, Xander made sure it was perfect. Before he went to help the staff outside, I took his hand and pulled him in for a kiss.

“I love you,” I said to him. He deepened the kiss and made almost a purring growl in his chest. The vibrations of it calmed me.

“I think it’s the first time you’ve ever said those words to me. Repeat them.”

“I love you!”