Chapter 78: Breaking Through

Basil left Adolph’s office, empty-handed and shocked. He knows Delia won’t be happy, but what was he supposed to do? He supposed he could just give a portion of his budget to her, but that wouldn’t solve the problem.
He knocked on her door. A few moments passed before she called out.
“Come in.”
He opened the door and walked in to see her sitting on her couch. Delia sat up and bade him sit with her. She held herself rigidly as she drank her tea. She clinked the cup against the plate in a way that made him almost flinch.
Didn’t she know basic etiquette? He frowned, thinking about it. Had Laura taken etiquette? He didn’t think Laurel had or would, but Laura had always given him a sense that she knew enough. It had irritated him a bit that she seemed to blend in with nobility so easily.
“Well, what did your father say?
“… He changed her plan.”
Delia sat up straight, “well?”
“… He cut our budgets in half.”
Delia dropped her teacup with a little gasp of shock.
“What do you mean?”
“He said he was cutting it so we have more time to think about how we spend it.”
Basil sighed, “What were you thinking?”
Delia froze, “What do you mean?”
He turned her, “Why didn’t you just wait until your budget was expanded? How did you spend so much so quickly and why?”
“Are you blaming me?” Delia huffed. “I should have been luna as soon as we got married.”
Basil sighed, I’m just asking why you spent so much money—
Why did you call her Laura?
Basil lowered his head, “I don’t know. What does that have to do—“
“It has everything you do with it! You’re just comparing me to her!”
“That’s not what I said,” Basil said and took her hand. “Just… calm down please?”
But Delia was full of panic and anxiety. She couldn’t stop and if she did stop, he’d just pull away faster.
“You haven’t answered my question. You said before you didn’t have feelings for her, but you keep talking about her.”
Basil sighed, rubbing his head as a headache began to grow between his eyebrows. He felt something stretching and bending in him when his wolf growled and he bared his teeth at her.
“Stop!”
Delia gasped, going silent as he glared at her, “I’m just asking a question and trying to understand what happened.’
He was just trying to think. Delia’s eyes glossed over with tears and they spilled down her cheeks. His wolf scoffed and he winced hearing the sound come out of him. He knew he was frustrated. His chest felt tight and his head was a mess, but Delia was his mate. He shouldn’t have growled at her.
His father had never seemed to be upset with Laurel. He frowned, considering it and thinking back to his father’s words.
*That’s something you’ll have to figure out between you and your wolf.*
His wolf had been indifferent to Delia when they’d met, but he had fallen for her so hard and fast. His wolf had been more interested in Laura though Basil only liked how beautiful she was.
Looking at Delia, he didn’t understand.
Had he been wrong?
“W-Why are you looking at me like that?” Delia sniffled.
“I’m starting to wonder…”
Basil winced and looked away. How could he have fallen for Delia so hard and fast if she wasn’t his mate? That didn’t make any sense. Maybe he was just frustrated. Maybe it was different for every werewolf when they found their mates.
*My wolf and I are in perfect agreement…*
It was a strange sentiment since Basil hadn’t agreed with his wolf since he was a child. He didn’t even remember what that felt like on most things.
Delia could barely breathe around her panic as Basil frowned and remained quiet. What did he mean by that? Why wouldn’t he look at her? What was he wondering about? She trembled a little at the memory. Basil and his wolf had growled at her. She knew enough about werewolves and men especially to know. That should have been impossible.
Why wasn’t it working anymore?
“What?” She hissed. “You’re starting to wonder about what?”
Basil tilted his head. He wasn’t sure how to put it. His wolf was stirring; more agitated with her presence than usual and that struck him as odd. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t been very connected to his wolf in a long time. He hadn’t thought about it much, but feeling it now, it was hard to miss.
His wolf wasn’t just reluctant to admit it, he was indifferent to Delia. Annoyed. Those same feelings were growing in his chest, but how was that possible if they were mates?
Your wolf will know.
Adolph had seemed so convinced, and there was nothing in him that could find a reason not to trust his father when he said something. His grandfather taught him a lot, but he had never fully trusted his grandfather with personal matters.
He thought back to when he brought Delia to meet Gavin and the joyous light in the man’s eye. Looking back, he thought his grandfather was just overjoyed, but there was something in the curve of his smile and the way he’d looked at Delia that made him doubt that now.
“Basil? What is it?”
“I’m starting to doubt that we’re mates.”
“W-Why would you say that?” Delia gasped, “I-I… I thought…”
“I thought too,” Basil shook his head, “Maybe I’m just… frustrated. It’s been a long day. Good night, Delia.”
“But—“
Basil walked to the door before Delia could get another word out and closed the door behind him. Delia’s hand started to tremble. She swallowed and clenched her fist.
She had to go see Eden or everything would fall apart. She shuddered at the thought of his grey eyes warming with fury and the howling winds of the wilderness beyond the castle.
She couldn’t go back there, no matter what she had to do.
How had things come to this? It should have been fool-proof!

Basil wandered down the hallway. The walls of the castle were familiar, comforting, yet they felt strange. His wolf felt half-awake and drowsy, barely keeping awake and wavering between asleep and awake. The oddly surreal feeling he’d only felt when he was half-awake was taking hold of him and leading him around the castle.
Dark hair whipped around a corner. He frowned and hastened down the corridor to find no one. A grey skirt rushed around another corner and he followed the figure. The corridors felt warped, bending and shimmering along the edges as he chased the person down the stairs.
The scent of rich wine and twinkling laughter led him into the grand foyer that led to the gardens. Phantoms whirled around the room as he followed the phantom outside.
Something wasn’t right. Was he losing his mind? Maybe he had simply fallen asleep and hadn’t realized it. He followed the figure through the gardens and beyond it. He didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t even recognize the path they were taking.
He was catching up to the figure though and he ran faster.
“Wait!” He called, reaching out and throwing himself forward trying to catch the woman as he broke through the tree line.
Something snagged around his foot and sent him tumbling forward. He rolled to a stop just on the edge of the royal graveyard.
The moon bathed the area in a cool glow. He looked around but didn’t see the woman he was chasing. A few rows away, he saw a male figure and hurried towards him. The man jumped as he approached and bowed stiffly.
“Yo-Your Highness! Forgive me, I didn’t know you would be out here at this time of night, I’ll—“
“Did you see a woman come by here?”
“A woman?” He asked and shook his head, “There was no one, Your Highness.”
Basil sighed, running a hand through his hair. He’d been dreaming while awake. Was that normal?
“What are you doing?”
“T-Tending the graves, Your Highness… this one could use a bit more dirt on it.”
He frowned looking down at the plain headstone.
*Laura Hamiltion*
His stomach roiled and he stared at the plain engraving. Her grave was covered with leaves and it seemed a bit sunken.
His heart clenched.
“Clean her grave, fill it, and lay new flowers here.”
The man blinked up at him before nodding stiffly, “D-Do you have a request for what kind of flowers, Your Highness?”
He stilled and looked down at the grave. He looked across the graveyard and gasped, swearing that he saw her looking at him in the same gray working dress he saw her in the night of his engagement party. Her face was smeared with dirt. Her hair was a bit unkempt and her eyes were fierce.
“…roses.”