Chapter 42 - He killed her

HADRIAN

A wave of terror washes through my body and it almost knocks me into my wolf form. The feeling comes out of nothing and I have no idea why. For a second I think that something is happening to Nero.

*“What is going on?”*

*“I don’t know.”* He says.

We simultaneously bring our attention to our mate. There is a green tinge to her pale white skin. Her gray eyes are laced with fear and her body is shaking.

Her eyes are rooted on General Zeno.

General Zeno looks at her with narrowed eyes and frowns, pulling deep lines between his brows.

“Don’t stand there loitering at the entrance.” My father commands from the head of the table.

Emma winces at the boom of his voice and I want to get her as far away from the room as possible. I suppress a growl and I have an urge to charge for the one causing her distress.

“Go,” I tell her and she looks at me with fearful eyes.

I search for the guards that always follow her and tell them to go with her. The one, I think his name is Miles, guides her out of the dining room.

My father rises from his seat. “What is the meaning of this? Does your mate have so little respect?” My father commands.

Emma goes out the door on one way and my father stands on the other. I'm standing in the middle of two sides. On one side is my kingdom and on the other side is my mate. One is more important than the other.

“Your Majesty, we can always perform a rejection ceremony and free the bloodline from this bane.” General Zeno says.

A growl rumbles deep in my chest at his words.

I walk in the direction of my father. *“You wanted me to choose the human,”* I tell my father through a mind link.

“She has disrespected the crown and therefore she should be punished.” My father says for everyone to hear.

He doesn’t want me to reject her, because she fits in his plan. He doesn’t tell the truth and I wonder what more lies he has told.

One is expected to ask for mercy. One is expected to kneel in front of the king and beg for forgiveness.

I walk up to him and for the first time in my life, I don’t kneel down. “Touch her and I won’t stand by,” I say as I look down on him. My father isn’t as tall as me, but no one knows, because he always resides on a raised throne.

“You’ll regret defying me, boy,” He drawls.

I turn my back on him and walk out of the dining room. I don’t feel the oppressing weight of his command anymore.

*“You’re stronger than him,”* Nero says.

I frown. *“How long have you known?”*

I walk through the hallway and follow the scent of my mate.

*“A while, but you wouldn’t have listened,”* Nero says.

I hum because he’s probably right. When the Crown prince becomes stronger than the King, then rule suggests that the King needs to surrender his throne. Or else a duel until death can decide.

I don’t see my father surrendering the throne for a long time.

*“Do you think he’ll try to get rid of me?”*

*“I think he’s been trying for a long time,”* Nero confesses.

I follow the scent of vanilla, custard and lemongrass. Past the kitchens and into a bathroom? I frown when I spot the familiar two guards.

“Where’s Emma?”

“Don’t tell Hadrian that I'm here,“ She calls through the door.

“She’s occupied at the moment,” Miles says and I shoot him a glare.

I wrap my hand around the lock and break the weak metal. The door gives way and I open it. Emma is hunched over the toilet and flushes it. The sound of streaming water fills the room.

She moves to wrap her arms around her knees. I hunch down and remove the locks that hide her face. Sweat beads cover her temples and her gray eyes are frantic. Her skin is green and it sends my body into high alert.

“Please leave,” She croaks out. There is barely strength in her body and she slumps like a lifeless doll.

“I’m not leaving you like this,” I grit out.

“Maybe she’s pregnant,” One of the guards says. The stockier one. Miles.

The other guard shakes his head with a scowl. “She said she isn’t pregnant.”

“You’re pregnant?” I ask. A hundred different emotions course through my body in a matter of seconds. Shock. Confusion. Excitement. Worry.

“I’m not pregnant!” She clamors. Her hands ball into fists.

“I don’t hear a heartbeat,” Miles says.

I turn my eyes to the guard. “When does that even start?” My knowledge of pups is zero to none.

The guard shrugs his shoulders, “No clue, Your Highness.”

“Have you been to the healer?” I ask my poor little mate.

She shakes her head. “No.” Her eyes are distant like life is seeping out of her. It worries me to death.

*“Get the healer,”* I command the guards.

*“Yes, Your Highness,”* Miles says.

Tears rush down her cheeks in an endless stream and she starts to sob. Her tears are tearing me apart and I move. I pull her into my lap and cage her close to me. She continues to sob into my chest.

“What’s wrong, my mate?” I rub my hand over her back. Up and down in what I hope are soothing motions.

The other guard is watching us and I meet his pensive eyes for a second before he turns his back to guard the door.

“Will you talk to me?”

She shakes her head in my chest. The obvious distress doesn’t dwindle.

I hear the footsteps of the healer in the distance. “Everything is going to be okay,” I whisper and press my lips against her head.

The healer steps into the bathroom and leans down to the floor. “Emma, how are you feeling?”

Emma sends me a glare and she can be angry at me all she wants. I don’t mind as long as I know that she’ll be okay. She’s still shaking and I wish it would stop. I grasp her small hand in mine and her fingers are ice cold. I press my lips to them and try to warm her up.

“She’s not pregnant.“

The confirmation puts a crushing weight on my chest. It constricts my heart and makes it hard to swallow. I’ve never given much thought to having pups. I knew I would have them if only to continue the bloodline. I’m terrified of the idea of being a father, still I long for it now.

“What is it then?” I ask.

The healer has a pensive look on her face. “There is nothing wrong with her, Your Highness.”

I bare my teeth at the healer. “She is sick, she threw up.”

A shudder runs through her and she casts her eyes down. I realize that I'm exuding my Royal aura and reign it back in.

The healer swallows. “There is no physical reason, maybe this has a psychological cause.”

I look down on Emma who has this far away look in her eyes. She looks terrified. Could it be that something caused her great fear?

“Everybody out,” I growl.

Emma grips her fingers around my jacket.

I hug her closer to me. “Shh, don’t be scared, little mate. Nobody is going to hurt you.”

——————

I place Emma on the bed and a shiver runs over her when I let her go. The room is cold and I search for another blanket. I’ve never needed an extra blanket before and I don’t know where to look now. I grit my teeth. I can't mind-link Paulina, since she doesn’t have a wolf. I move to the door.

“Are you leaving?” Emma asks and her voice is fragile.

Her distress make me immediately turn back to my mate. “No, my mate, I’m going nowhere.”

I mind-link the guards outside. *“Get the maids to bring extra blankets.”*

*“Yes, Your Highness.”* They announce in unison. *Maybe they’re useful after all.*

I get on the bed and cover the blanket tightly around her. I keep my arm around her too, hoping that warms her up as well. “Will you talk to me?”

“He killed her.” She whispers in the blanket. A human wouldn’t have been able to hear.

I rake my fingers through her hair. “Who?”

“That man, with that voice. He killed my mother.”

There is only one person, who I would describe for their distinctive voice. A voice that grates and is painful to listen to. “General Zeno.”

“Seven years ago. He used his claws to…” Her shakes get worse again.

I wrap my arms tighter around her. “He won’t hurt you.”

“He already did.” She whispers.

I’m confused and I look at her to understand what she means. She looks up at me with tear-stained eyes. She lowers the short sleeve of her mint green dress, revealing her shoulder. Four long scars run from her shoulder blade to the top of her shoulder.

Fury ignites in my chest. It streams through my veins until I’m burning alive.

Zeno hurt my mate.

*I’m going to kill him.*