33

“What can we do now, though?” Derrick looks shaken. “If the elders know that Leanna is not the princess—”

“She is my fated mate. I’m not killing her!” I roar. “Damn the elders! Where is she? I want to see her!”

Rothan leads the way in his wolf form. As I follow him, I wonder if I ever gave Leanna any assurances that I would never hurt her. Didn’t I? I looked after her. Surely that meant something to her. The idea that Leanna truly believes I ordered her execution makes me sick to my stomach. Surely, she wouldn’t think—

My wolf is beside itself.

When we reach the hut, I feel relieved. I’ll tell her. I’ll tell her she’s not replaceable.

I burst into the hut, but there are only two guards sitting there, wringing their hands. When they see me, they jump to their feet, shocked.

“Where is she?” I demand.

“Your Majesty?” They both look panicked. “Do you mean the messenger woman?”

I grab the one closest to me and slam him up against the wall. “Where is my mate?!” I roar.

If there was any blood left in his face, it drains away fast.

“Your ma–mate, Your Majesty? That woman—She was the qu–queen?” he stammers. From the fear in his eyes, I’m getting a bad feeling.

“Tell me where she is if you value your life!”

“She ran into the forest,” the other guard whimpers. “She said she wanted to relieve herself, and we told her she could do it at the edge of the forest, before the markers. She didn’t come back, so we went looking for her. We saw her heading deeper into the forest. We tried to stop her, but she ran.”

I stare at him, my blood turning to ice. “And you didn’t follow her?”

He trembles. “We didn’t dare. We are not allowed to leave our post. We thought she was just a foolish woman—”

I plunge my hand into his chest and rip out the man’s heart.

“Cedric!” Edgar shouts, and I release the first guard, giving the other one an enraged look.

“You didn’t go after her.”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty!” The man slumps to the ground, petrified. “If we had known she was the queen—Rothan told us she was nobody important—”

I storm out of the hut, heading toward the forest.

Edgar, Derrick, and Rothan all run after me, and Edgar steps into my path. He holds up one hand as he yells, “You can’t, Cedric! You can’t go in there! You won’t survive.”

The remaining guard stumbles out behind them, raw fear in his eyes. “It’s pointless, Your Majesty. We heard a scream. We heard her scream.”

I stare at him, numb. “What?”

“Not ten minutes after she left.” His voice is low. “There was a scream, and then we heard a roar. I’m so sorry. If we had only known—”

I turn to face Rothan. “This is your fault.”

His gaze lowers, a distraught look on his face. I’m about to rip his neck out when I stop.

“No. No, it’s your fault, Derrick.” Derrick looks at me, guilt and grief in his eyes. “My mate is dead because of you. Because of you and your obsession with that woman. I should never have trusted you. I should never have trusted your judgment. Because of you, Leanna died believing I wanted her to suffer.”

I look at the three men in front of me, the men I once trusted above anyone else. “One of you left her here when he was told to guard her with his life. One of you convinced me to give power to the woman who despised her. I trusted you. And this is what I get. Betrayal.”

My wolf is howling within me, and grief is clogging my throat. My mate is gone. Even if I venture into the forest, I know she could not have survived. She wasn’t a fighter. My eyes flick toward the looming trees, and I stare at them, feeling empty inside, like a part of me has been ripped out.

Did you go in there seeking your death, Leanna? When the monsters ripped you apart, did you die thinking I was going to execute you, that I gave the orders to torture you?

“I feel safer when you’re around.”

“This castle is your home. You’ll be safe here, whether I’m around or not.”

“I trust your choice.”

I failed her. I lied to her. She wasn’t safe in the castle. I shouldn’t have left her alone. I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight.

The agony eating at me on the inside is of a vicious kind.

My Leanna.

Her body. I have to bury her body.

If I enter the forest, I’ll die, but I don’t care. I begin walking toward it.

“No!” Edgar throws himself in front of me again. “Please, Cedric! The kingdom needs you! Without you, the Veil will be compromised. Think of the people who are depending on you! Think of your parents! They would not have wanted you to do this!”

I pause.

My parents. My Leanna. All gone. They left me behind.

If I do this and don’t survive, the kingdom will fall.

It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I turn my back on the forest, on Leanna’s body.

“We’re returning to the castle.”

“Cedric?” Edgar sounds wary now. “What are you going to do?”

“Bella wanted my mate to be executed,” I say, my heart turning to stone. “She’s the one who will face the execution, the very kind she planned for Leanna.”

I hear Derrick make a strangled sound, and I turn to face him, my voice cold. “Choose your loyalty here and now, Derrick Fenrin. If it’s to that woman, then you no longer serve me.”

Derrick looks me in the eye, and then he bows his head. “I am loyal to you alone.”

“Very well.” I watch him closely, none of my previous familiarity in my eyes. “Let’s test your loyalty, shall we?”

 

  

We reach the castle in record time. The guards at the entrance give me an uneasy look as I head inside. “Where is Harriet?”

When no one replies, I roar out her name.

A woman appears before me, wearing clothes that were designed for Leanna. She has Leanna’s face, her hair, her body, but she’s not Leanna.

“If you are referring to the traitor’s maid, she’s in the dungeon. You remember me, right? I’m Princess Vivian. Your mate, King Cedric.”

I walk over to her and see the satisfaction in her eyes. Without a second thought, I grab her by the throat and squeeze. Her eyes widen, and she makes a choking sound, clawing at my hand.

“My mate? You are not my mate. Something so disgusting cannot be my mate.”

She’s struggling to breathe, and I hear Bella’s voice cry out. “Let her go, Cedric! What are you doing?”

I release Princess Vivian, and she falls to the ground, pallid. Bella crouches next to her to help her up.

Bella glares at me. “What are you doing? She’s the queen!”

I look at her with hatred in my eyes. When she sees it, she flinches, and I notice the flicker of guilt on her face.

“The queen? She’s not the queen. Where is Leanna?”

Bella straightens up, lifting her chin. “This is Princess Vivian, the true Princess Vivian. I imprisoned the impostor. She escaped, but I’m having people track her down. This is the woman meant to be your mate. She has royal blood—”