47. What if?

Eve kept pacing around the large room, unable to find any peace around herself or within her being. Her beast grew restless, refusing the thought of letting their pup grow up and make decisions of her own. And what if those decisions weren't one Ally had taken? What if Wrath is the only one who wants the marking to happen? The possibility of the decision being one-sided drove Eve mad; she wouldn't accept a male trying to take control over her daughter's life.
Eros, on the other hand, carefully watched the little girl sipping on her tea and smiled down at the adorable girl in a way only a father is capable of smiling.

"Calm down, love; there isn't much we can do anymore. Ally is grown enough to decide what is best for her, most shifters mate around their teen years, and she's just getting marked." The King finally spoke up, wondering if his wolds would send her on a rampage or calm down. It didn't matter; sometimes, Eros had to show his dominance before Eve acted on impulse. Despite the endless love he felt for the woman- as the years went by, Eve tried to rule over Eros more than compromise as mates should do.

"What if it's not her who wants to get marked? What if the messenger was sent here to distract us while that damned man is doing God knows what? No, I will not allow her to fuck up her life because of some low life sin. No, she will meet her mate, marry, and have a wonderful life with him. There's no way I'll approve Ally getting together with one of those disgusting Underworld creatures." Eve wasn't able to drop all suspicious thoughts; she couldn't believe someone who's carrying the deadliest sin of them all.

"No, we wait, end of discussion. Wrath is her mate, like it or not, but you're going way too far with the anger. Eve, sit down and drink your damn tea. I'm sick of your constant anger outbursts; you're acting more like a teenager than our daughter does! Suck it up and be the damn Queen you're supposed to be!" Eros growled out, slightly rising from his chair. The King always treated his mate with utmost respect until she was trying his patience and pushing his buttons. He refused to treat her as a Queen, for as long as she couldn't live up for the title.

"Don't start this shit again," the woman rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I won't follow your orders like a fucking dog, Eros. You should have known that for years since I never bent and twisted myself for your likings." Eve kept arguing, ignoring her mate's angry facial expression.

"Of course, you haven't," Eros chuckled, shaking his head. The male stood up and approached his mate, making Eve feel small and weak. His much larger frame was nearly a full defense wall compared to Eve. "I, however, have bent, twisted, and broken myself over and over again to satisfy your needs. I love you, but if you assume that acting like a complete bitch will get you somewhere, I assure it will- out of my house. Maybe it's about the time for you to understand exactly where you stand, and if you're not able to answer this question right ahead- it's next to me, not above me. And if my words don't make sense to you, we need a fucking break, because you're driving me wild. In the worst ways, possible. You are not superior. Stop acting as if your opinion matters the most, as if the things have to happen only the way you want them to work out. Ally is not your toy or marionette; she's your daughter. Let her life, for fuck's sake! I have had enough of this behavior once and for all. I kept ignoring that inner bitch of yours, but I won't keep quiet as you ruin the lives of our children, simply because you don't like something. Suck it up, sweetheart, life doesn't revolve around you. Grow up, Eve, and be sure to tell that shit to your beast as well; Ares is just annoyed by the behavior as I am. You've gone too far." Eros spoke through gritted teeth, unfazed by the tears slowly appearing in Eve's eyes. The King turned his back to her and left the room, closing the door with such force it shook the windows.

The little seeder girl disappeared as soon as both started arguing, avoiding any possibility of getting in between the verbal fight two Royals started. Eve stared at the door, waiting for her mate to return and apologize as he always did. The time went by- minutes and hours, yet there was no sign of Eros and him showing off even a bit of remorse.
The Queen sat on the large sofa and wrapped herself into a blanket, wondering if she really crossed a line with this one. But her intentions were good, weren't they? She couldn't trust someone she didn't know, especially with the life and future of her beloved child.

Eve felt how her eyelids grew heavier, yet she kept fighting the tiredness no matter what. Tears kept streaming down her cheeks, leaving ugly red marks all over her cheeks.

"Anto, your Queen is in search of advice. Please join me in the study, located in the castle's north wing. Hurry." Eve whispered under her breath. She needed backup, or at least someone with a fresh view on the situation. The Watchers were supposed to follow their Queen before following the King since they met her first. Some of them didn't agree with that, so the majority stood as King's guards, yet some didn't switch lanes and stood loyal by their Queen's side. Anto and Baka lead the Watchers, which bowed for their Queen beforehand greeting her mate.

"My Queen," Anto startled Eve, appearing right in front of her, already on his knee. The male averted his gaze, looking down at the hardwood floor.

"Don't do that shit, get up, we're friends. The only reason why I addressed myself as your Queen as I called for you was that I wanted you here faster than usual. If I'd say something like I need a friend, it would take you hours to arrive." Eve huffed, moving on the sofa, motioning for Anto to sit next to her. She did need a friend, sometimes even the more powerful personas needed someone they could talk to. Right now, Eros wasn't an option, and Mary was way too far from the castle. Not to mention how late it was getting, the older lady probably was asleep by now, disturbing her peace would be an awful move.

"Did anything happen? How may I assist you, Eve?" Anto gladly took place next to her, cautiously taking her hand in his. The male wasn't good at encouraging speeches, the same as he had no idea how to calm down someone distressed. The Watchers were supposed to sit back and simply watch until their presence was needed, not to talk out every question.

"Yes and no. I need a friend to talk to," the woman huffed, nearly throwing a fit. Her thoughts were racing, anger became more evident, yet she did her best to calm down and avoid leasing out on one's who didn't deserve her anger.

"Eve, you have so many friends, yet you chose me. I'm flattered. Never thought that we are as close." Anto laughed, throwing himself deeper into the couch in amusement. The male loved to crack jokes with everyone here and there, but he never appeared as the funny type. It wasn't supposed to be in his nature- fun, laughter, and jokes weren't a trait people would think of when they heard about the Watchers. Anto was supposed to be the dark, dangerous, and mysterious persona, watching over you.

"I am the Queen, Anto. I have no friends; I can't gain any since most can turn out to be enemies. Remember the noble lady I tried to befriend before getting pregnant with Bea? What was her name? Rosy? Rachael? It doesn't matter, anyway- she wasn't as noble, friendly, or a lady, at that. That thing turned out to be one of the shadows, trying to get close enough and kill us. So, please do tell me how am I supposed to gain friends when there are so many sneaky bastards, waiting for the moment to strike?" Eve's voice dripped in sarcasm as if she blamed Anto for the failure of gaining friends. Lately, she hasn't been herself; the reasonable and sweet Queen was gone, replaced with a Queen bitch.

"Let's stop talking about negative experiences in the past and move on to whatever you wanted to talk about, shall we?" Anto did his best to avoid getting into more details with Eve's already frustrated state. Many people who knew the Queen didn't recognize her anymore. Eve used to be a kind and cheerful persona, helping out anyone in need even when they didn't ask for help. Now, she wouldn't be able to live up to the expectations of the Kingdom. Maybe the reason was the pressure she was put under; everyone always expecting more good deeds?

"I fought with Eros. He's pretty angry at me because a little seeder girl arrived today. She was here to announce that Wrath is about to mark my daughter, and I flipped the shit. I don't trust him, and I don't want to see my daughter imprisoned in the Underworld, yet Eros thinks that I'm a bitch. He even told me that we might need a break, and I might leave his home since I won't act like I'm supposed to. How the fuck can mates have a break? Alright, perhaps I did cross the line a little, but it doesn't mean that he should react like this, right? Did I change? Has something about my attitude or behavior changed for the worse? Please be honest." Eve understood that she overreacted a lot lately, but the woman wouldn't admit that he had changed in any sense.

The Watcher sat silent, trying to come up with the right words. Eve was important to him, and not only because she was the Queen. Anto stood by her side since the day he was awakened, watching her grow into a more mature and responsible persona. He was there to see how Eve dropped the careless life of a young girl and became a powerful woman. Not even one of the people, shifters, or any other creatures in their Kingdom could ever dare as much as assume that Eve's and Eros' relationship could be a rocky road. They were the perfect couple in everyone's eyes, and up until today, Anto thought the same. He wished for Ally to have as magical relationship with her mate as her parents had- full of love, adoration, happiness, and bright days, yet he didn't know about the downfall. Nobody can know how one's relationship works behind a closed door, and, now, Anto understood why people used to say the same thing so often. They were right- perfect on the outside, damaged from the core. No one was perfect, even the Royals.
The male let out a deep, frustrated breath and turned his head to face Eve. As soon as his eyes met hers, Anto lost the courage to admit everything he had to say. The woman's eyes filled with tears, her bottom lip slightly trembling.

"I don't like seeing you like this- so vulnerable and weak. You are a Queen, Eve, chin up! As much as I don't want to hurt your feelings- someone has to tell you all of this. And this someone can't be the King; it will make things even worse. You've changed a lot, in many different ways. First of all- you've become more mature, independent, and a whole lot stronger, even before you were given a majestic beast. But with all those positive changes came some not so positive. You're easy to irritate and piss off, no matter by whom. As soon as things happen the way you didn't want for them to happen, we get a whole new, outraged, and bitchy side of Eve. Then again, you're more emotional. Yes, I know about your crying in the fucking bathroom- don't forget that my job is to watch over you. You're confused about something, and that's driving your crazy emotionally vise. I have no idea what's happening behind the curtain, but putting on a mask and reaction to everything based on your emotions is the worst thing to do. Again, you are the Queen; you have to think before any kind of action comes into the picture. You're responsible for so many, and not only your family. Even if this hurts, the family is important, but many people, shifters, and creatures rely on your decision. Being a Royalty isn't all fun and games." Anto sighed, averting his gaze. Now, when the woman had an inner beast, she was capable of everything. That everything is a punch or slap, which he patiently awaited.

"I have a confession," Eve whispered under her breath, sniffing and staring at her hands. She didn't want to attack Anto, but she didn't have the strength to look into his eyes as well.

"You can tell me anything, I promise to help however I can, no matter what it is." The Watcher places a hand over his chest, right where his heart was supposed to be located. He had seen humans doing such things to show off how sincere they were; perhaps it would help Eve feel better.

"I have been seeing Doctor Williams lately. Eros is so busy, the whole mess with Ally has everyone on their toes. And now, Bea is finally home, terrorizing everyone as much as she can until the bedtime comes." The woman kept avoiding his gaze, nervously biting onto her lip. Her heart raced; the only problem was how truly wrongly she decided to explain everything. The choice of words was more than poor this time.

"Huh? Why would you be seeing that doctor?" Anto raised an eyebrow, shuffling a little closer to Eve. He had a feeling that she might try to whisper whatever comes next, so the male needed to be closer.
He leaned to her face and motioned for her to whisper the rest of her confession in his ear.

"I'm pregnant." Eve cried out, covering her face with her palms.
Anto couldn't move a muscle; the male froze in shock, way too close to the Queen.

Unexpectedly, the large door was kicked open, and enraged Eros stormed inside. He stood a couple of feet away from them, hands balled in fists. The male let out so many growls and snarls, it seemed that he became more beast than a human.

"I knew that something was up with you! I fucking knew it! Get out of here, mate or not, I don't need a cheating bitch around my children and me. Leave before I snap your neck."