CHAPTER 36
AUDREY’S POV
The purposeful hums I heard in my ear, made my eyes slowly flutter open. There he was, actually humming into my ear with a smile on his face.
“Today it is your birthday, and I sing to let you know….. that you would be queen for the day, whatever you say goes!” He sang, and it dawned on me.
“Logan? What’s today’s date?” I asked, unsure if he was correct, regardless of the fact that I knew he was.
“The eleventh day in march…” He sang, making me chuckle at his childlike behaviour.
It was indeed my birthday!! Today was my birthday!! How come it skipped my mind?
‘Seriously?!’ My wolf muttered. ‘With the looming problems over our heads, you expect to remember our birthday?’
That was true. I had a mission to carry out this morning, and the earlier I got to it, the better for me. I couldn’t help the look of sadness I had on, and Logan quickly noticed it.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, cupping my cheeks. I simply shook my head, hoping to somehow alleviate his worry.
“Scratch that.” He sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his cute nose. “You would be queen forever.” He said, throwing me into confusion.
“Sorry?”
“Earlier, I had said in my song that you’d be queen for the day, when you’re actually gonna be queen for as long as you can remember. The coronation is only two days away.” If it wasn’t a serious situation, I would have laughed out loud.
“The coronation.” I muttered. “You….” I was still speaking when he cut me off.
“You had always wanted to be in a place of power, right?” He asked, suddenly looking so serious. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, and fear took over. What did he mean by that?
“I.. I….” I stuttered.
“I met a distant acquaintance of yours, and she told me a lot. How you had always hoped to become Alpha after your father, regardless of the fact your elder brother was supposed to be the next in line.”
“Wh…. who are you talking about?”Original from NôvelDrama.Org.
“A lady you had saved from a situation some time back. Her name is Lily.”
Lily. The name rang a bell in my head, and I suddenly recalled who it was.
“Where did you meet her?” I asked cautiously, still unsure where this conversation was headed.
“At…” He began, but suddenly paused. As if contemplating within himself, he finally revealed. “At the cold moon pack. I had been away at the cold moon pack a while back.” He sighed, looking deeply into my eyes. He took my hand and sandwiched it between both of his, caressing me soothingly.
“Lily is the mate to the Beta of the cold moon pack.” He explained, and I nodded in understanding. I wondered all she would have probably said to him about me. It wasn’t news that a lot of young females in my pack resented me. They felt I was too full of myself to relate with them. I looked at Logan in silence as he scratched his jaw. “A lot had happened recently, but I just couldn’t speak to you about it yet. Because Ryan wasn’t sure you could be trusted.” At his words, my heart did another flip. “But now I see how wrong he had been.” He rushed out, dropping a kiss on my hand which he still held onto. “You would not betray me. That’s insane right?” He chuckled nervously.
“Yes, it is.” I choked out, praying fervently that the tears threatening to cloud my eyes, didn’t.
“There is a rebellion brewing against me, Audrey.” He sighed, inching closer to an emotionally hurting me. “And the main person leading that movement is someone who used to be very dear to your heart.”
“Sebastian.” I muttered, and the tears finally dropped.
“Oh, don’t cry now.” He quickly cleaned away my tears. “I know you may feel disappointed, seeing as you had once been in love with him, and really didn’t expect such from him.”
“Logan…” I choked out, unable to complete my statement because of the abundant tears that continued to pour out of my eyes.
“Shhhh…” He shushed me, pulling me into his warm embrace. “I may be wolfless, and weak, and may not stand a chance against Sebastian in a duel. But by the goddess! I would do all I can to ensure that the throne doesn’t slip from my hands. I wouldn’t deprive you from the power and affluence you have always dreamed of having, because I know you would utilize it for good.”
Oh goddess! His continuous trust in me, only made me feel like dirt. Absolute garbage. I wasn’t deserving of him one bit.
He pulled away from our embrace, and leaned forward to kiss me. The moment our lips touched each other, I felt those sparks flying around everywhere, regardless of how teary I had been. He kissed me with so much intentionality and passion that made me hold his arm so tight. The moment we broke off our kiss, I felt my pupils dilating and was too dazed to be prepared for the next thing he said to me.
“Audrey…. I love you.” His words had caught me off guard, so I found myself blinking so furiously. The hopeful look in his eyes showed that he wanted me to reciprocate those words.
“I…. I….” I was still trying to make out a meaningful response when a knock was heard on the door. We both remained quiet as we stared at each other. Another knock was heard again, followed by the voice of Alara.
“Good morning your highness, my princess. And happy birthday to you.”
“Thank you… Alara.” I muttered, unsure she could hear me.
“You have a birthday parcel from your parents.” At her words, I released a sigh.
“I do?”
“Yes.” She replied.
“Please bring it in.” Logan invited. The next minute, the door was pushed open and Alara made her way in, with a small box in her hand. She dropped it on the bed, before bowing and exiting the room.
Right on top of the box, our pack’s crest was beautifully designed, bombarding me with nostalgic feelings. I missed home. But sadly, all I could think of was Denver. Not even my parents or brother. I found my hands opening the box immediately.
“I would just go into the bathroom for a quick shower, since I figured you’d need your space.” Logan muttered, before hopping off the bed and walking towards the bathroom. I felt a bit worried, seeing as we didn’t really finish our conversation. Most of all, I didn’t know what to do anymore. Telling the king about all I had done, would break his heart, seeing as he trusts me as much as he does. I didn’t want to hurt my mate.
My mate. I always dreaded referring to him as that, but suddenly, it seemed like the best thing to say all day.
I proceeded to take out the few presents that were neatly arranged inside the box, and the last thing I saw was a folded paper. Knowing my parents, that was the major reason they had sent this box. They had something to say to me. I quickly took out the paper and opened it. From the beginning to the end of the content, my heart only grew heavier. I was in deep shit.
Not thinking before acting, I hopped down the bed and ran out of our bedroom, not sure where I was really headed.
I got to the part of the hallway leading to the king’s study, and my heart started beating frantically. What I was about to do would put my entire family in danger…
Even if we never saw eye to eye, Andrew was still my brother. And even if their plots were wrong, they were still my parents.
I felt hot tears leak from my eyes, before turning to the other direction and heading out to the gardens. I walked and walked, unsure where I was really headed. Oh, goddess! If I had any atom of peace before, it was all gone now. My head and heart were like a battle ground. So much confusion, fear, and pain.
Soon, I found myself heading towards a familiar territory. The late queen’s shrine. I kept walking towards it, and the moment I stepped into the shrine, I felt myself falling to the ground. After which I lost consciousness.