10

I raise my brows. “You got all this in a week?”

“All she does is work.” Harriet gives me a long look. “She is constantly trying to make herself useful.”

I nod. “Fine. I’ll have a word with Bella. If she refuses to cooperate, find somebody else to assist Leanna.” I fall silent for a moment. “What about her clothes? She was outside a little while ago and looked cold. Why haven’t you gotten her a thicker jacket or a warm coat?”

Harriet looks uncomfortable. “The budget you gave for the queen’s clothes, she wanted to use to purchase the seeds.”

I frown. “Why is she using her personal budget? She should have another account for outside use.”

“Bella isn’t giving it to her,” Harriet replies, looking reluctant. “I did talk to her, but she says she’ll get to it when she gets to it. She only just recently gave Leanna the books to go over. Bella doesn’t think she has the ability to understand them and is constantly criticizing her. I believe she is trying to make things difficult for your mate.”

“So, why hasn’t Leanna said anything to me?”

Harriet stares at me. “You’ll have to ask her that.”

A rush of anger runs through me. Bella’s obvious disregard for my decision is pissing me off.

“Rothan.”

Harriet blinks at me. “Your Majesty?”

“Have Rothan become her advisor. Tell Bella take a step back for a couple of weeks. Tell her I want her to cool her heels till she remembers who the ruler of this kingdom is.”

“I understand.”

“And Leanna’s clothes. Where did she get that jacket she was wearing?”

“It belonged to one of the maids.”

A snarl forms on my lips. “Are you telling me that my mate, the queen, is wearing a maid’s second-hand clothes?”

Harriet looks annoyed. “You told me not to bother calling a designer for her.”

I do remember saying that at some point. This last week has been a blur.

“Call designers to the castle. Get dresses and coats made for her, and make sure they’re warm.” I pause, and as an afterthought, I add, “The fire should be going continuously in her room. She’s always shivering.”

Harriet smiles slightly. “Of course.”

“What about her food intake? You told me she was having a hard time eating?”

Her expression darkens. “Whatever was done to her, Sire, her insides have been destroyed to quite an extent. She can’t keep food down, and she’s barely eating as it is. The healer is working on her, but she needs to have small meals regularly throughout the day. She refuses to have them, though, because apparently, you told her not to eat all the time. Not to waste everyone’s time.”

Anger flashes through me. “Well, if the damn healer is telling her to—”

“She does what you say. If you were to tell her to stand naked in the garden outside, I believe she would do so.”

I scowl. “She must have some sense of self-preservation.”

“I think she is just trying to survive in a new environment where all she faces is rejection from every side.” Harriet sighs at the end of that sentence. “I wish you’d be kinder to her, Cedric. She’s a lovely young woman. Your mating bond is so new. Instead of setting the foundations of your bond, you are taking a sledgehammer to it.”

She turns around to leave, and experiencing an odd sense of guilt, I don’t stop her. Feeling confined in my office, I head over to the window once again and look out at the bench.

I’m not surprised that Bella is reluctant to give over control of the castle. She’s been managing the budget for years. However, I have no intention of letting the queen out of her royal duties. I can deal with Bella and the initial resistance, but I don’t have time to worry about Leanna. My mate has one purpose, and that is to bear me heirs. Her existence in the North as Vivian is important to finally stabilize the relationship between the Eastern and Northern Wolf Kingdoms. Once we have more of a foothold in the Eastern Kingdom, I will finally be able to start looking into my parents’ murders. It has been years now, but the wounds of their passing are still fresh.

My eyes settle on the bench that my mate was sitting on.

I should probably get that thing fixed.

 

  

My wolf is unhappy with me. I can feel it vibrating with tension inside me. Normally it’s easy for me to control it, but lately it’s been getting harder.

My parents were fated mates, as were Derrick’s. However, my father had been betrothed to another before he met my mother, who coincidentally happened to be his fiancée’s closest friend. Whenever he and my mother recounted the tale of their meeting, they always disregarded the fate of the woman who had been engaged to my father since childhood. Her family, a noble one, was disgraced as a result of my father rejecting her. And his betrothed? She killed herself in shame.

As much as I loved my parents, their callous disregard for the woman my mother had considered her best friend and my father had known his whole life infuriated me. Their excuse was always that the Goddess had chosen them for each other.

The Goddess. She was their most convenient excuse, as if their ability to make decisions had been stripped from them. I refused to believe it then, and I refuse to believe it now. The idea of having a fated mate almost became repulsive to me. I understand my wolf’s desire to be with her, but I refuse to give in. It’s probably getting anxious because the night of the full moon is drawing closer. On this side of the Veil, the full moon only occurs every three months, and it is the one night when wolf shifters can conceive. Another two weeks and I will make sure that my mate is carrying my child.

It’s after a particularly long and tiring day that I find myself making my way to my bedchamber. I come to a stop outside my door, and my eyes flick toward the one that leads into Leanna’s room.

Leanna. I find the name suits her better than Vivian. I like how it rolls around in my mouth. It is simple and elegant.

It has been two weeks now, and I have made sure that our paths don’t cross. That doesn’t mean I’m not watching her, though. I have to keep an eye on her since she is not trustworthy. So far, all I have seen her do is visit the villages nearby and meet with the farmers and the local artisans. She likes going on walks by herself in the palace gardens. I’ve had all the benches repaired, and I’ve seen her use them. She’s not doing anything to rouse my suspicions, but I know if I turn my head, she’ll probably take advantage of that.

My mother used to maintain the greenhouse within the gardens, but it has fallen into disrepair. I have a feeling that my mate would not mind reviving it. She does seem to like spending all of her free time outdoors. Wolf shifters are not immune to mild illnesses; if she is so determined to sit outside in the cold, she may as well fix up the greenhouse and sit there instead.

Ever since Rothan took over Bella’s position, he’s been reporting to me regularly. Despite her quiet and reserved personality, Leanna has been working hard. He did tell me that the plants she was interested in are not available in either the East or the North and that she had been disappointed. Bella had been thrilled. My childhood friend is vindictive to say the least.