Chapter Six: The Royal Physician II

Baila

"The queen was a fireball,"Sara started. "She was so fierce but kind and warm at the same time. She treated me like I was her daughter. When she died, I felt like I lost my mother. Anyways, she and the king had an arranged marriage. She wasn't too happy about it initially but in time, they fell in love. King Arlen was a kind man and Queen Ariadne was his world even after they had Nolan, he doted on her like she was everything. Ariadne used to scold him all the time. It was fun to watch them be together. I miss them but Nolan must miss them more especially since he was crowned king three days after their deaths. He was only ten."

I found Sara's hand in the dark and held onto it, squeezing it comfortingly. Unlike Nolan, I still had family but it did not mean that I was less affected by the deaths of the king and queen.

"Does Nolan have a mate?" I asked. I was scared Sara would snap at me as Aaron did but so far, the royal physician had been nothing but nice to me.

"No, but I hope he finds her soon then he wouldn't have to be so lonely. Nolan and I used to be the best of friends but after he became king, there's been a distance between us that I haven't been able to close yet" Sara replied as a yawn slipped past her lips. I decided to let Sara sleep. She was a councilwoman now and I knew that the position came with a lot of responsibilities.

I sighed and turned on my side to stare at Sara's back. The room grew quiet. My eyes fluttered shut as I listened to the sound of crickets outside.

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Sunlight streamed into the room, casting a beautiful glow into the dark room. I groaned, rubbing my eyes and sitting up in bed. I looked beside me to see the ruffled sheets Sara had slept on the night before. I searched around for Sara. When I found no sign of her, my shoulders slumped, disappointed.

I didn't know what I was expecting. Sara was a busy woman. She had so many responsibilities and duties lying heavily on her shoulders. I was sure that she had no time to make friends. I tossed the sheets aside and my feet met the cold floor.

After making my bed, I changed into a pale blue dress. It was an off-shoulder dress that had lace as the sleeves of the dress. I wondered if I should go out in search of food. Sighing, I buried my face in my hands as tears threatened to fall.

This was far from the life I had planned to live. I was a fugitive of the law now. I prayed to Goddess that news of my crime would reach Nolan only after I was long gone. I thought about my mother and the shame I had brought on the poor woman.

I swore to make her proud, to make my people proud and now I was living under the roof of werewolves who had willingly betrayed the witches.

And Ayesha!

Goddess! The poor girl would pay for what I had done.

I fell to my knees on the wooden boards of the floor as the severity of what I had done came crashing down on me. I was an outcast. The witches would never take me back.

Sobs wracked my body at the thought of never seeing my mother or friends again. The thought of not belonging anywhere scared me more. I was as good as dead but if there was one thing I knew, it was that nothing was worse than death. I would rather be outcast and alone and ashamed than dead.

Anything was better than death.

That was why I needed to speak to contact my mother. A werewolf would smell my magic from miles away. There had to be another way to get a letter to her and Ayesha's mother.

I sobbed louder. I had ruined everything for my people.

I didn't hear the door click open. Through my tears, I recognized Sara as the physician placed a finger beneath my chin, forcing me to look at her. Sara's eyes held so much sympathy that I pitied myself more.

I buried my face in Sara's hair when she wrapped her arms around me. Sara stroked my hair comfortingly and I was grateful that I had found a friend of some kind in Sara.

After a few minutes, Sara led me to the table beside the entrance of my new bedroom.

"I don't know what is going on with you but I do know that when you're ready to talk or when you need anything at all, you have me," Sara said as she handed me an apple from the tray of food she had brought.

"Thank you," I sniffed, rubbing the apple against the sleeve of my dress and biting into it. The juice filled my mouth and I moaned. It had been a while since I had an apple.

I watched as Sara's face heated up and she looked away. I wondered what was wrong with Sara but didn't ask. She looked uncomfortable.

"After breakfast, I'm taking you with me to go and see Nolan. He wants to speak with you,"

My heart dropped into my stomach. Was Nolan going to kick me out already? Or did he want to see me so we could discuss the kiss?

I felt my throat tighten as I struggled to swallow some bread and cheese. Did he know? Could it be that the high guards had already told Nolan about me?

I kept quiet as I walked beside Sara to meet Nolan in his bedroom. There were no guards around. Sara explained that Nolan had sent them away so they wouldn't see me. I was grateful for it but at the same time, I was scared.

When Sara pushed the door to Nolan's room open, my heart lurched violently against my ribcage. It was a painful experience-one I did not want to go through again.

Nolan smiled at me and all my fears faded away. I found myself smiling back at him. He cleared his throat and I noticed that Aaron was also in the room. Nolan was seated at the head of the long table with books and papers strewn everywhere while Aaron stood right beside Nolan. His back was ramrod straight and he had puffed his chest out.

The beta or captain of the guards wore green armor with the golden sigil of House Caldore encrusted in the middle of the front. His blonde hair fell into his eyes. His dark blue eyes glared menacingly at me and I looked away.

"I called you here so we could all come up with an excuse for your stay," Nolan told me as he rose to his feet. The white shirt he wore was loose and transparent. I could make out the tattoo on his left peck.  When he came around the table, I noticed how low his brown pants sat on his hips. For a moment, I was transported back to the earth-shattering kiss we had shared.

My lips tingled as the memory resurfaced.

"What excuse have you come up with?" I blinked, staring into the glowing blue eyes of Nolan.

"Well, I suggested that we tell the council and whoever asks that you're an exotic whore I purchased from a village far away from Northwood," Nolan replied

My eyes went wide and I choked on spit as Sara chuckled softly behind me. She walked around me to lean in a corner beside Aaron. She folded her arms. Her green eyes sparkled as she watched my reaction.

"I....I" I stuttered stupidly. He was sheltering me for three days. I couldn't refuse even if I wanted to. The thought of being seen as whore was degrading to me but I was out of options.

"The council would never believe that. No one will. You've been celibate since you were born," Sara pointed out as she crossed her legs.

"I'm getting married soon. I might want to have some fun," Nolan shot back as he perched on the edge of the table. I realized how close we were now. His knee brushed against my thigh and a shiver went up my spine as the kiss flashed briefly in my mind.

"They would not allow you to disrespect your future wife like that," Sara shook her head.

I looked to Sara for an explanation. I clearly remembered being told that Nolan didn't have a mate. She mouthed 'later' and I took it that the physician would explain things soon.

Aaron didn't speak the entire time and the scowl on his face told me all I needed to know. Nolan's beta was pissed.

"Do you have a better idea?" Nolan snapped, facing Sara.

I looked at her too. I wanted to hear what Sara had in mind.

"I was thinking we could say that Baila was mine," Sara smirked at me and I fought to keep my jaw from dropping open.