Lucien Volkov:
The girl... that slave... my mate... Arabella Toussaint. She looked impossibly small in the hospital bed.
The burns around her neck stood out against her skin. For a long moment, I simply stood there. Watching.
"Go ahead," Zorro stirred in my head, "Heal her."
I rolled my eyes at his eagerness. "Can’t you think of something else?" I asked him.
"Why should I? She’s a gift from the Moon Goddess."
I chuckled at that. My beast expected me to lick her wounds. And right now, it didn’t sound like a bad idea.
Gradually, I moved closer to the bed. The same smell of croissants and lime. It wrapped around me instantly. I had spent days avoiding it, but it always followed me. It always found a way to enter my heart.
"She still isn’t proven innocent, Zorro!" I warned him, "No need to keep your hopes high."
"Then send someone to her pack where her family resides. We might learn something."
It was not a bad idea. We could definitely do that.
Our investigators told us that she was a spoiled Beta’s daughter and looked down on everyone around her. She was an entitled and arrogant brat and used her family’s status to get whatever she wanted.
I exhaled a heavy sigh, and for a second, my eyes drifted shut.
Mate.
I leaned forward and inhaled her scent to calm my nerves. Look at me!
Guilt settled heavily in my stomach as my gaze drooped to the angry marks around her neck. With a low growl, I bent down and brushed my tongue over one of the burns.
Warmth and pleasure exploded through the bond. It felt like a missing piece was sliding back into place. My wolf rumbled with approval. I frowned and did it again.
"Never had this idea that you’re so delicious, little one," I muttered to her sleeping figure.
"Now who is smitten!" Zorro tried to tease me, but I ignored him and continued doing my job. Right now, my first priority was to heal her.
She deserved a thorough investigation, and I wasn’t about to let my emotions cloud my judgment. Everything I had learned today contradicted the reports I had received about her. I kept licking her neck like crazy and ignored Zorro’s low chuckle.
"She called me a doggy for a reason!" He stated, and that made me freeze.
"She did what?" I whispered, my eyes still on her face.
However, Zorro didn’t respond. He must be busy watching her face. Once I was done tending to her wounds, I pulled back.
For several seconds, I remained there, staring at her sleeping face.
"I hope you’re worth the trouble, Arabella," I muttered and realized that was the first time I called her by her name. Until now, she had always been ’the girl’ or ’the slave’.
I didn’t know if she was truly innocent or guilty. As a king, I couldn’t simply ignore my sister’s death and let Arabella walk away without answers. I owed Anika that much.
Before passing any judgment, I intended to uncover the truth first.
What I didn’t know was that the Moon Goddess had already set events in motion. Whether I wanted it or not, she was about to show me the truth hidden behind Arabella Toussaint’s frightened eyes.
***
"You didn’t go home last night," Bradley remarked when he looked at my face, "Nor did you sleep."
Arabella was still unconscious, and I spent the entire night by her bedside, holding her hand. Though I didn’t want to, but Zorro was so restless that I had to. I couldn’t fight my beast all the time, especially when he was a part of me.
I was tired of pretending that I stayed there to monitor her. The truth was, I had tried leaving more than once, but something inside me refused to walk away.
I watched her sleeping figure and felt relieved that the marks on her neck had finally vanished. The doctors were now satisfied with her condition, which meant that she would likely wake up soon.
My gaze drifted to my beta, "The woman, according to those reports, is different than the girl lying here."
Bradley looked serious when he shook his head, "Perhaps those reports are wrong, Lucien."
I glanced down at the hand resting in mine. Even though she was unconscious, her fingers seemed reluctant to let go.
I finally looked away from Arabella and met his gaze, "Send someone to Blackstone pack, Brad. But not the same investigators."
Bradley’s brows rose, "Uh-huh. Fine. I’ll do that," he said, heading towards the door.
"And Bradley," he looked over his shoulder.
"This stays between us. Not even my mother should know about it."
A shadow crossed his face before he nodded, "Understood, Alpha."
***
The doctor was examining her before looking back at his notes, "She’s fine now. There’s no immediate danger," then he glanced towards me, "Her vital signs are completely normal now. Her neck injuries have healed nicely. As for her wolf... some wolves take time in awakening. She might get her wolf later."
I found myself releasing a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, "Will she wake up today?" I asked him as my thumb trailed patterns on the back of her hand.
The moment I asked the question, her hand in my grip moved a little. She was gaining consciousness.
I swallowed hard before I stood up, still holding her hand. She stirred a little as her brows knitted together slightly, maybe trying to fight a heavy fog.
"Arabella!" I called her name gently. No. This gentleness wasn’t planned. It just escaped my lips. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Confusion clouded her expression as she tried to make sense of where she was.
Then his gaze drifted toward me, and she froze. She seemed to remember something because her fingers immediately loosened around mine. A guarded look settled into her eyes.
Before I could tell her, she was safe, she started shaking her head frantically. Fear filled her eyes as she tried to sit up.