Chapter 208: Don't touch my mate!
~Raphael's POV~
Wait," I called out, rising slowly with my hands visible. "These men were assassins. They took poison rather than..."
But they were already fleeing, their voices high through the corridors as they raised the alarm. "Guards! Murder in the royal chambers! The monster has struck again!"
I looked down at the four dead men, understanding with bitter clarity how this would appear to anyone who hadn't witnessed the truth.
Four bodies, four more deaths that would be laid at my feet. The ministers had failed to kill me, but they'd succeeded in dealing another blow to my reputation.
'The people are hurt and afraid,' I reminded myself, replaying Ava's words. 'They need someone to blame, and I'm an easy target.'
But as the sound of approaching guards filled the corridors, I couldn't help wondering how much more accusation and suspicion our relationship could withstand.
I didn't resist, I just followed them as I was being dragged out. I saw two elderly ministers, and I knew they were the ones Marcia had been talking about, Aldric and Gavron.
\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The interrogation had lasted until dawn. Captain Morris had questioned me thoroughly about the deaths in my chamber.
The official ruling was self-defence, the poison vials and weapons found on the bodies supported my account, but I could see the doubt in their eyes.
More damning were the whispers that followed me when they knew I was innocent.
"Two more dead," came the voice of a scullery maid as I passed through the kitchens. "How many bodies will it take before our queen sees the truth?"
"Monster," a young man who I didn't even know said as I walked past him ", Killer."
"She should send him away," came another voice from a cluster of ladies-in-waiting. "Before he destroys us all."
The worst part was that Ava seemed genuinely torn. In private, she was still my loving partner, the woman who had chosen to stand by me despite the odds.
But I could read the conflict in her thoughts during our quiet moments, the struggle between her love for me and her duty to her people.
"The council is growing more vocal in their concerns," she'd mentioned last night, her voice carefully neutral as we shared a late dinner. "Lord Aldric believes the recent... incidents... are creating unrest among the citizens."
I'd said nothing, knowing that any defence would sound hollow. How could I tell her that Aldric himself had planned the very incidents he now condemned?
This morning, I'd finally reached my breaking point. The voices had become a constant assault, each thought a needle of hatred and fear affecting my consciousness.
I needed peace, counsel from someone who understood the complexities of power and the price of divine heritage.
I needed to speak with Haggar.
Getting there, her door opened before I could knock.
"I wondered when you'd come," Haggar said, stepping aside to let me enter. She looked exactly as she had when I'd first met her months ago.
"You look terrible," she said bluntly, settling into a high-backed chair. "They are wearing you down."
"Among other things," I replied, taking the seat across from her.
"Four more bodies," she said, not bothering to make it a question. "The palace is buzzing with rumours about your supposed bloodlust."
"They were assassins sent by Ministers Aldric and Gavron," I said wearily. "They chose poison over betraying their employers."
"And naturally, no one believes you." Haggar's smile held no warmth. "How inconvenient that truth and perception so rarely align."
I leaned back in my chair. "I didn't come here only to discuss my problems."
"No?" She raised an elegant eyebrow. "Then pray tell, what brings the tormented god to my chamber?"
"Your granddaughter," I said, changing the topic. "Gwen. Why haven't you spoken to her?"
The change in Haggar's face was immediate and startling. Her casual amusement vanished, replaced by anger. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing.
"What exactly am I supposed to say to her?" Her voice carried a bitter tone.
"Hello, Gwen, I'm your grandmother from a millennium years ago. Surprise! Oh, and by the way, you've inherited witch abilities that could either make you incredibly powerful or drive you completely insane."
"You could start with the truth," I suggested.
"Powers the gods spent centuries trying to eliminate our bloodline," Haggar snapped. "Powers that forced me to fake my own death and hide in the caves while my descendants lived and suffered without ever knowing their true heritage. Do you think revealing myself now would protect her or paint an even larger target on her back?"
Her words carried genuine pain. "You could try reaching out with Drogon's help” I heard myself say.
Haggar's laugh was harsh and humourless "Oh yes, excellent advice. Coming from you, who won't tell his mate that her people are disrespectful toward him, a god. How wonderful that's working out for you."
I looked away, unable to deny the accuracy of her words. I had indeed failed to address the growing hostility around me, choosing instead to suffer in silence while the situation escalated.
"They call me a monster," I said quietly, the words feeling like bile in my throat. "Demon. Killer. They whisper about how I'm corrupting their queen, how I'm a blight upon their kingdom."
"And yet you do nothing," Haggar replied. "You could silence them with a gesture, could command their respect with a demonstration of your true power. Instead, you endure their hatred like a penitent monk."
"Because I love her," I replied, the admission torn from somewhere deep in my chest. "Because I understand their fear."
"And because you know they're not entirely wrong about their hatred for you. You keep mute. Haggar added softly.
I nodded, unable to trust my voice.
"If you keep on holding back like that, you will continue to cause harm to yourself" Haggar continued, her tone gentling slightly. "I can see it in your posture, in the way you flinch when you think no one is watching. How long before that control snaps?"
"The irony," I said aloud, "is that their hatred is creating the very monster they claim to oppose. Each insult, each whispered threat adds to a dam that won't hold forever."
"Then perhaps it's time to stop pretending the dam is made of stone," Haggar suggested. "Perhaps it's time to be honest about their treatment to your mate."
Before I could respond to her suggestion, I heard a familiar voice scream.
"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY MATE!"
Caleb's voice, filled with age.
Haggar and I exchanged glances, both of us understanding that whatever fragile peace had existed in Mesodomica had just completely shattered.
"Well," Haggar said with dark amusement, "it seems your problems are about to become significantly more complicated."
Whatever had triggered Caleb's protective instincts, it was about to provide the people of Mesodomica with a very clear demonstration of what a Lycan beast would actually do to protect their mate.
And somehow, I knew that before this day was over, they would find a way to blame me for this problem as well.
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