Lilian POV

With Demonia gone, the palace has been too quiet without him around, if anything, it's been really... lonely.

The mate bond is making it worse, the fact I no longer feel him around me is like someone is squeezing my heart constantly, the bond wants us together constantly, our bond is the strongest I have seen within my kind, with Demonia being a Renoan demon, I don't fully understand but I feel like because he is a Renoan, it feels like the bond is stronger.

I miss him so much, I don't quite know what I did before I met Demonia.

The only friend I have is Khal, who I have not seen since the day I met my mate and I know exactly why he is reaching out to me now as I hold the letter from him in my hand.

Khal has a difficult history with Renoan kind and especially the Black royal family, who have not had the best reputation within The Vale, hence why my father and Demonia's were settling on an agreement, which now I presume is nonexistent.

Demonia being the King, there is no more need for such offers anymore, war is no longer on the horizon for my kind and Renoan within the Shadow Lands.

I open the letter from Khal and it reads;

Lilian D̶u̶ ̶M̶o̶n̶t̶ Black

Do not trust your mate, he is not who he seems to be, he is hiding something deep and dark from you, I fear that he may harm you if not now, then in the future, please do not take this warning lightly.

Burn this letter.

Please.

Khal Vanidestine

Why would he write this? Why would he abandon me for being with my soulmate? He knows how much I had wanted this day to come, yet he writes such a painful letter in such a cowardly way to me? Someone who he once called family.

I scrumple the paper up in my hands and drop it in the fireplace as I watch the flames burn the words away, unable to take my eyes away, I watch as the piece of paper burns until nothing is left.

It's just me, Demonia, and my pup, no one else should matter, definitely not someone who I thought was family, I should have known better, family cannot be trusted, especially my own.

I'm so lucky to have met Demonia when I did... I would have had no one.

Leaving the bedroom I begin to do something I have not yet done, explore the palace.

Demonia has been very precise about the design so far, I thought it was paranoia with how large and hidden some rooms were, rumors or magic laced hidden walls placed throughout the entire castle are written down somewhere in his office, and me being very curious..

I want to find them.

I have yet to ask Demonia about why he was so strange with the design, it's not odd for Kings to have secret passageways for guests or as an escape route, but for so many secrets and rooms to be hidden?

I begin to wonder if the rumors about my mate were true...

The rumors are famous and Demonia is looked upon as a symbol for some within The Vale... A symbol my kind do not agree with since we save ourselves for our mates, Renoan is famous for their... parties.

But with Demonia being my mate, surely he is not creating these rooms for that purpose.

The burning tightness in my chest makes me halt in my step and grip my chest.

No, he would not do that to me, the bond would not allow him.. I would feel it, wouldn't I? If he was to ever betray me and betray the bond I would feel the ties that bind our souls begin to falter, it would hurt like you were dying, and in a way, you do die once your soulmate harms you, especially emotionally and sexually.

I wish I could hear his voice right now, I can not bear the thought of him with another, the only thing that calms me down in these situations is a run... which I have not done in months due to my father punishing me, but I am Queen now, I can do whatever I want.

I walk towards a guard and he stands at attention. "I wish to go for a run, ready some men to leave immediately." I say politely and the guard frowns and does not move.

"Did you not hear me?" I ask curiously as I blink up at the large man.

The guard swallows hard and looks down at me, his cold eyes slightly nervous. "Apologises my Queen, the King gave explicit orders to not let you leave the palace until his return."

He said what now? He can not do that, I am a Queen, not a prisoner, I refuse to live in my own home and to be treated like how my father treated me like I could not do anything like my words don't matter.

The more I think about this, the more upset I become, why would Demonia command such a thing?

I feel my face grow hot as I stand up straight. "I am Queen, and while my husband is away, I am in charge, so his 'order' no longer applies, correct?" I say annoyed and the guard shrugs, nervously.

"Great, like I said, ready some wolves." I command and the guard still does not move.

I stare at him completely speechless and the guard shifts uncomfortably.

This guy is starting to seriously get on my last nerves and I hoped that Demonia can feel my emotions right now because when he gets back, I am surely going to express myself.

I turn from the man and make my way to the back door, leading to the private woods where I had intended to run in, my wolf and I are growing irritated with our mate by the second.

As I was about to open the door, two palace Guards hold it closed, their large shadows overshadowing me as I turn around and glare at the huge men, dressed in armor, with their hands on the door.

I sigh our annoyed. "This is insanely rude! Move your hand this instant!" I call out, my cheeks feeling warm at how humiliated I feel right now.

The guard's faces are emotionless as they stare down at me.

"Apologies my Queen, we can't let you leave without the King's consent, you are pregnant with his heir." One guard says and I feel anger wash over me.

"How...How dare you! I am perfectly fine looking after myself!-"

The other guard interrupts me and I am utterly shocked at what is happening. "The King will be informed, but for now your highness, we do apologize." The guard says sympathetically and I want to scream in both of their faces.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath, my wolf and I are now more on edge from being cooped up, and knowing it, it almost feels like he's treating me like glass, what? Because I have his pup inside of me?

I am not that weak, nor is any she-wolf! It is perfectly safe for a wolf to shift with a pup inside of them, so it makes me wonder why Demonia, my mate does not see me fit enough to run with my child, it deepens the bond between mother and pup!

I pay no more attention and give no mo words to the two guards as I walk past them both and make my way back to my bedroom, too shocked to process all the emotions that are not new to me, but the fact my mate is causing them is a hurt I have never experienced.

If only he was a....

No, I should not think like this, I love that Demonia is not a wolf, it gives us a chance to get to know one another since we are two different creatures from two different realms, this is a chance to get to know one another more.

If I showed Demonia and taught him our ways, he would understand that it is perfectly fine, I am not some weak she-wolf, I have trained my whole life with my kind for any sort of danger, I know how to hunt and track, I am not just a Lady.

I make it to the end of the hallway and I hear my name being said amongst the maids, I lean against the wall and listen in curiously as they mention Demonia's name too.

"..I heard that she was his maid." One maid said.

Someone snorts. "Poor Lady Lilian, and to be married to such a man capable of hurting someone so uniquely."

"Unique? I heard he coaxed the husband to kill her after he had sex with her, it was a scandal for some time." A maid says and I pale and feel sick at what I hear.

What the hell are they talking about? My heart beats rapidly in my chest as I continue to listen.

"That wasn't even the worst part." An older maid sighs out.

There's silence for a while until someone coughs.

"No more gossip, forget what you heard here today, understood? King Black must not know about anyone knowing this unless you want to be killed like the others." The older maid says and I hear the rest sigh and remain silent.

My head is spinning and I feel sick, what has Demonia done? Were the rumors worse than I had thought? I just thought they were that, just rumors made by petty jealous Ladies and Lords.

I wait for the maids to all leave the area before I run down the end of the hall and go into my bedroom and close the door behind me. Making it to the bathroom I hover over the toilet as I feel an immense sense of sickness overtake me.

Who the hell is my mate?

What has Demonia done?

The thoughts plague my mind with endless scenarios. I had never listened to gossip but I had not heard this gossip spoken of once but many times before, it was quite the scandal within the Shadow Lands and the royal family, after all a servent had died in Demonia's bed, later confirmed that it was two bodies, husband and wife...

That was not the most disturbing part, there was a device lodged into the female servant's mouth that had ripped her jaw apart, no one had seen such brutality before and since the Prince was not in the room when it happened, he was seen somewhere before this all happened, no one had suspected that he has anything to do with the events that unfolded.

But rumors later came to light that Demonia was seeing her.. at night, and she was not only just seeing Demonia at night, but others within Castle Black.

This is all beginning to make sense why Khal did not want to be around me anymore, it wasn't me, it was Demonia he did not want to be around.

Now I fear that Khal's warning might be serious if these rumors are true.

Nonetheless, I need to speak to Demonia and address these rumors once and for all, he is my mate and I trust him, I have to, the moon goddess does not make mistakes, there is a reason why I and Demonia are together

I will not give up on him this easily.

For the sake of our child.