Nate's PoV
I feel like the weight of the world has been pushed off my shoulders when I hear little Ariana breathe out my name, relief flooding my body now that she is finally safe and looks healthy. I only get out of my seat when she's flying towards me, her arms curling around my torso as she hugs me. I breathed in the familiarity of her scent. My wolf was relieved that his baby sister was safe again.
Only when we hear a cough resonate through the room do we pull away, and Ariana's smile falls as she notices the other two wolves in the room. It's Sisily and Prince Edward, Will's younger brother standing beside her.
A flash of anger flickers across Ariana's eyes as she looks at Sisily before her eyes meet the Princes. She gives him a smile that seems too fake to be real. " Who is this?"
Knowing her love of reading, she probably already knows who it is, but being polite, she will ask for a proper introduction," This is Prince Edward, the younger brother of the King."
Her eyes widen with disbelief as her head snaps to me, then towards Sisily, almost as if she was asking if she could trust him.
A small nod from me in her direction has her shoulders sagging with relief as she gives the Prince a polite smile to acknowledge his presence. In return, he gives her a simple nod of his head.The atmosphere around the room turns awkward as a heavy silence falls between us. It's a while before Ariana speaks up. "What are you doing here, Nate?
My eyes meet hers before I look at the Prince and Sisily, who both give me a swift nod.
"You better take a seat, we have to discuss something important," I say as I point her towards a chair near the oak wood desk of the office. Sisily decides to lean back against a table while Edward sits on the opposite side of the desk while I sit near Ariana.
"Andria stole something from me." I carefully weigh out the words, not exactly sure that this is the best way to start this conversation. Ariana raises a questioning brow, making me continue, "It was a drug."
"Andria stole a drug from you?" Ariana shakes her head slightly her eyes emotionless. There is no concern, no love, just acceptance of what our sister has done. A pang of guilt erupts in my chest at seeing that look in her eyes. I was supposed to be her big brother as well as Ariana's. I should have somehow kept the peace between my two beloved sisters. I should have stopped Andria from stooping so low, but I hadn't. I watched my sisters lose themselves over a prophecy that none of us even knew would come true or not.
"Why would she do that?" Ariana looks defeated. I couldn't possibly understand her pain.
"Apart from the drugs we have found missing, we also have other distressing evidence suggesting that she is not the King's mate. We believe that she's working with a witch and is using magic and drugs to make him believe that she is his mate. " Edward's features are calm as he breaks out the news. The man is incredibly good at hiding his emotions. "We all believe that you are his actual mate."
Ariana shakes her head, taking in a shaky breath, "No, no, no, I'm not," She looks at me, tears shining in her eyes, "I won't be made a fool of again."
"He's telling the truth, Ariana," I whisper. I spot anger flash across her face, her disdain at this information more than clear in the way she clenches her hands.
Her voice is shrouded with anger when she speaks, "So what evidence do you have?" She doesn't let me respond before continuing, "Even if you have evidence proving I am his fated mate, that doesn't mean he can't have a chosen one."
I sigh while Edward pulls out a letter from his draw, "Here is your evidence."
Ariana's shoulders tense, her brows furrowing as she grabs the letter from his hand and skims through it. The letter was written by Will, before the coronation, it's addressed to the royal court declaring Ariana as his queen.
"I... Are you sure this is even true?" She asks, her voice trembling with emotion.
"I'm positive and..." The prince says, before pausing as if struggling to form words before continuing, "And your sister was my fated mate."
"Then why is he denying it, and why is my sister and your brother saying they're mates?" Ariana asks, the frown etched on her face deepening with every word she says.
"Andria is manipulating the King. The prophecy has made her believe you are unfit to rule beside him." Sisily's voice is sharp, even though she's been silent this whole time.
"Are you truly sure she would do something like that? She would sabotage my mating with the King?" The words come out of Ariana's mouth as a whisper, the anger, and the betrayal she felt clear in every word.
The Prince nods, he's about to speak when I decide to interject. This is enough information for Ariana for one day. She needs time and room to process everything before we get into further details about all this and what to do about it.
"I think we should all head for dinner and an early night in. It's been a long day for all of us," I say, my voice steady as Ariana looks at me. She looks as if she's going to interject, but she decides not to with a shake of her head before looking away.
We all decided to part before going to dinner, deciding to freshen up before the actual meal started.
I head to the room that Ariana is staying in. The second I walk in, I can't help but notice her wet hair and the clean clothes she's wearing. They're not women's clothing. They are male clothes with dress pants and a shirt.
Her back is turned to me as she mindlessly gazes out of a window, her heart beat steady as well as her breathing. It's only when she hears me close the door behind me, she turns to look up to acknowledge me.
"These mountains are beautiful." She says smiling while looking out the window.
"Yeah, they are." My voice comes out as a whisper from behind her.
"How are you, Ariana?" I hesitate before continuing, "I was told you were imprisoned."
"I was, but I'm fine." She says, giving me a reassuring smile that barely meets her eyes, "Where were you this whole time?"
I don't miss the hurt in her voice as I take her hand in mine and squeeze it," I was here, planning with the Prince how we're going to get everything back to normal."
"Normal?" Questioned Ariana with a raised brow.
"Normal, as in you with the King and Andria far away from the palace," I say, trying to lighten her mood by telling her that she could finally go back to her mate.
"I don't think I want that," Ariana says, her eyes looking dark as if lost in her thoughts, a frown embedded on her lips.
"Why?" I ask her.
"Because of the prophecy."
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