Chapter 7:The Truth Behind Those Blues Eyes

The Truth Behind Those Blue Eyes

Princess Seraphina Ashbourne's POV

If someone had told me a week ago that I would find myself looking forward to leaving the palace every morning, I would have laughed in their face.

The palace had always been my home. It was where I had grown up, where I had learned to walk, and where I had spent most of my life trying to become the daughter my father could be proud of.

But after everything that had happened in my previous life, the palace no longer felt like a home.

It felt like a cage.

Spencer was still around, pretending to be the devoted man who loved me. Valentina still wore her innocent smile whenever Father was watching, and Vivienne continued to act as though she were the most loving stepmother in the kingdom.

I had grown tired of all of them.

Then Kael came into my life.

And somehow, everything began to change.

We had been meeting regularly near the river, the same place where we had first met. What had started as a simple conversation between two strangers had slowly become the best part of my days.

Whenever I was with him, I could forget the palace, the upcoming coronation, and the two people I secretly knew would betray me if I allowed them the opportunity.

With Kael, I could laugh without worrying about who was watching.

I could speak without carefully measuring every word.

I could simply be myself.

And I loved it.

Kael had introduced me to things I had never experienced before, despite being a princess.

He took me to restaurants in nearby towns, where I tasted dishes I had never seen on the royal menu. The first time he brought me to a little restaurant tucked between two busy streets, I had stared at the place in surprise.

"This is where you want to eat?" I asked, looking at the small building.

Kael glanced at me.

"Is there a problem?"

I gestured toward the entrance.

"It isn't exactly a royal establishment."

He laughed.

"Seraphina, it's a restaurant, not a test of your royal status."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Are you mocking me?"

"Never, Your Highness."

The exaggerated bow he gave me made me laugh.

I went inside, determined to prove that I could enjoy myself anywhere.

And I did.

The food was delicious, the atmosphere was lively, and nobody treated me like a princess. Nobody bowed, nobody asked for royal favors, and nobody cared about my coronation.

For the first time in years, I felt wonderfully ordinary.

Kael also took me to neighboring towns, where we explored markets filled with colorful fabrics, jewelry, handmade decorations, and delicious street food.

He bought me beautiful dresses, delicate necklaces, bracelets, and earrings whenever something caught his eye.

At first, I protested.

"Kael, you cannot keep buying me things!"

He simply looked at the dress he had just handed me.

"Why not?"

"Because they're expensive!"

"And?"

I stared at him.

"And I don't need them!"

He smiled.

"Perhaps I want to give them to you."

I had no answer to that.

He never made me feel as though I owed him anything. He didn't demand affection or expect me to repay his kindness. He simply enjoyed seeing me happy.

That was something I had never experienced with Spencer.

Spencer had always made me feel that love was something I had to earn. I had to listen to him, defend him, and place his happiness above my own.

With Kael, everything felt different.

He encouraged me to try new things, showed me beautiful places, and introduced me to the wonders of the natural world beyond the palace gardens.

One afternoon, he took me to a wildlife reserve outside a neighboring town.

I had been fascinated by the animals, especially when we saw a group of deer moving gracefully through the trees.

"They're beautiful," I whispered.

Kael watched me rather than the animals.

"Yes, they are."

I turned toward him and caught him staring.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Kael!"

He laughed.

"You're adorable when you're excited."

I immediately looked away, feeling my cheeks warm.

"You're impossible."

"And yet you keep meeting me."

Unfortunately, I couldn't argue with that.

The truth was, Kael had become the reason I wanted to leave the palace.

Not because I wished to abandon my responsibilities, but because he had shown me that there was a world beyond the walls I had spent my entire life inside.

A world filled with laughter, adventure, kindness, and possibilities.

For the first time, I wanted to discover what life could be like if I stopped allowing other people to decide everything for me.

And perhaps that was the most wonderful gift Kael had given me.

He had reminded me that I was allowed to be happy.

That afternoon, I prepared to meet him at our usual spot.

I chose a simple, elegant dress and brushed my long blonde hair until it fell in soft waves over my shoulders. After adding a delicate necklace, I threw my cloak over my outfit and slipped out of my chambers.

I had become quite skilled at leaving the palace without attracting attention.

Sandra knew about my outings, of course, but I had made her promise not to tell anyone where I went.

Especially Spencer.

The last thing I needed was for him to discover that I was spending my afternoons with another man.

As I walked through the woods, I felt my mood lift.

The familiar sound of flowing water grew louder, and soon the river appeared between the trees.

Kael was already there.

He stood near the water with his hands in his pockets, his dark, curly hair slightly tousled by the breeze.

When he saw me, his face brightened.

"There she is."

I smiled.

"You make it sound as though you've been waiting for hours."

"I have."

I glanced at the sunlight filtering through the trees.

"Kael, I told you I'd be here this afternoon."

"And I've been waiting all afternoon."

I laughed.

"You're ridiculous."

He grinned and offered me his hand.

"And you look beautiful."

My cheeks warmed.

"Thank you."

I took his hand, and together we walked toward our favorite spot beside the river.

We talked about the little things that had happened during the past few days. I told him about a particularly annoying conversation with one of the palace tutors, while he shared a ridiculous story about his sister getting into trouble.

Apparently, she had attempted to convince several guards that she was conducting an important royal inspection when she had actually been sneaking out to buy sweets.

I laughed so hard that I had to hold my stomach.

"Your sister sounds terrible!"

"She's a menace."

"You love her."

"Unfortunately."

I nudged his shoulder.

"Don't pretend you don't adore her."

He gave me a knowing look.

"And you adore me."

I stopped laughing.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"You're becoming far too confident."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Very."

He laughed, and I pushed him lightly.

For a while, everything was as it always was.

Easy.

Comfortable.

Happy.

Then Kael grew quiet.

I noticed it almost immediately.

He had stopped smiling, and there was a seriousness in his expression that I hadn't seen before.

"Seraphina," he said.

I turned toward him.

"What is it?"

He hesitated.

"I need to tell you something."

I studied his face.

"That sounds ominous."

"It's important."

My smile faded slightly.

"All right. I'm listening."

He took a deep breath.

"I'm not exactly what you think I am."

I blinked.

"What does that mean?"

He looked directly into my eyes.

"I'm a werewolf."

Silence.

For approximately three seconds, I simply stared at him.

Then I burst out laughing.

Not a polite little laugh.

Not a quiet giggle.

I laughed so hard that my stomach began to hurt, and I had to bend forward to catch my breath.

Kael stared at me.

His expression was somewhere between disbelief and irritation.

I tried to stop laughing, but the look on his face only made it worse.

"I'm sorry!" I managed between laughs. "I'm sorry, but—werewolf? Really?"

He folded his arms.

"Are you finished?"

I pressed my lips together, trying desperately to compose myself.

A few seconds passed.

Then another laugh escaped.

Kael closed his eyes briefly, as though asking the Moon Goddess for patience.

"Wonderful."

I finally straightened, wiping the corners of my eyes.

"Oh, Kael. You nearly gave me a heart attack! What is this, one of those fantasy novels I used to read as a teenager?"

He didn't laugh.

That was when I began to suspect something was wrong.

He stepped closer.

"I'm serious, Seraphina."

I studied his face.

There was no smile in his eyes now.

No teasing.

No hint that he was playing a joke on me.

My laughter slowly faded.

"You're really serious?"

He nodded.

"Yes."

I swallowed.

"But werewolves aren't real."

"Neither are many things people believe they understand."

I stared at him.

He took my hands in his.

"There's something else you need to know."

My heart began beating faster.

"What?"

His gaze softened.

"You are my mate, Seraphina."

I blinked.

"Your... what?"

"My mate. My fated mate."

I pulled my hands back slightly, not because I wanted to hurt him, but because my mind had stopped functioning.

"Wait. Wait a minute."

I stared at him.

"You mean like in those stories? The ones where werewolves somehow recognize their destined partners?"

He nodded.

"Exactly."

I looked at him, then at the river, then back at him.

"This cannot be happening."

"Seraphina—"

"No, because I have read stories like this! I've watched movies about werewolves! And now you're standing here telling me you're one of them and that I'm your mate?"

He gave me a small, patient smile.

"Yes."

I pressed a hand to my forehead.

"This is unbelievable."

"I know."

"No, I don't think you understand. This is completely unbelievable."

"Then let me prove it to you."

Before I could respond, Kael pulled his shirt over his head.

My eyes widened.

I spun around immediately.

"Kael! What are you doing?"

"Proving my point."

"You could have warned me!"

I heard a soft sound behind me, followed by an unfamiliar series of movements.

Then the clearing fell silent.

"Kael?"

There was no answer.

I turned around slowly.

And stopped breathing.

Standing beside me was the enormous black wolf I had been searching for over the past several days.

His thick fur gleamed in the afternoon sunlight, and his striking blue eyes were unmistakable.

The same eyes.

The same beautiful wolf.

The creature I had held in my arms and secretly hoped to see again.

He stepped toward me.

I couldn't move.

My mouth opened, but no words came out.

Finally, I managed to whisper, "You..."

The wolf lowered his head slightly.

I stared at him in complete disbelief.

"Werewolves are real."

He blinked.

I took a cautious step forward.

"And you were the wolf I met here?"

He nodded.

My hand rose slowly toward his head.

I touched his fur.

Soft.

Warm.

Real.

I let out a shaky breath.

"Oh, my goodness."

The wolf nudged my hand.

I looked into his blue eyes.

"So your name isn't really Kael, is it?"

His ears moved.

A voice suddenly sounded inside my head.

Kael is my human name. My wolf's name is Jade.

I jerked backward.

"What was that?"

The wolf tilted his head.

That was me.

I stared at him.

Then I stared at the empty space around us.

Then I looked at him again.

"I can hear you!"

Yes.

"Inside my head!"

That is generally how mind-link communication works.

I gaped at him.

He seemed entirely too calm about the fact that he had just shattered everything I thought I knew about the world.

"But how?"

Werewolves can communicate through a mind link. We usually share this ability with other werewolves, but you can hear me because you're my mate.

I slowly lowered myself onto the grass.

I needed to sit down.

Actually, I needed a few days to process this.

Kael—or Jade, or whatever I was supposed to call him now—settled beside me.

I looked at his enormous body, then reached out and touched his fur again.

A small, disbelieving laugh escaped me.

"You're real."

Very real.

"And you're a werewolf."

Yes.

"And I'm your mate."

His blue eyes softened.

Yes, Seraphina. You are.

I looked away, trying to understand what that meant.

A mate.

A fated connection.

A world of supernatural beings I had never believed existed.

It was too much to take in at once.

But beneath the shock, beneath the confusion, I felt something else.

Something familiar.

The same strange peace I had felt the first time I touched him.

The same sense of safety that had drawn me back to the river again and again.

I looked at him.

"Can I ask you something?"

Anything.

I hesitated, suddenly feeling shy.

"Can I ride you?"

For a moment, Jade stared at me.

Then he lowered his enormous body to the ground.

Climb on, mate.

A smile spread across my face.

I carefully climbed onto his back, holding gently to his thick fur.

"Are you sure?"

Hold on.

Before I could ask another question, he sprang forward.

I gasped.

The world blurred around us as Jade raced through the forest, his powerful paws carrying us between the trees. The wind rushed past my face, sending my blonde hair flying behind me.

I laughed.

Actually laughed.

Not the careful, polite laughter I had learned to use at palace gatherings, but the kind that came from somewhere deep inside me.

The kind that made my chest feel light.

The kind that made me forget everything waiting for me beyond the woods.

Jade leaped over a fallen branch, and I tightened my hold on his fur.

"Faster!" I called.

As you wish!

He accelerated.

The breeze swept over my face, and sunlight flashed between the branches. I could hear the river in the distance, the birds above us, and the steady rhythm of Jade's paws against the earth.

I had never felt so free.

For those few precious moments, I wasn't a princess waiting for a coronation.

I wasn't a woman carrying the painful memories of a life that had ended in betrayal.

I wasn't afraid of Spencer, Valentina, or the future.

I was simply Seraphina.

A girl riding a magnificent black wolf through the woods.

And for the first time in a long while, I felt completely safe.

When Jade finally slowed near the river, I leaned forward and rested my cheek against his fur.

Are you all right? he asked through the mind link.

I smiled.

"More than all right."

He lowered his head, and I slipped carefully from his back.

Then I looked into those familiar blue eyes.

"I think I'm going to need you to explain everything."

I expected that.

I laughed.

"But not today."

His ears lifted.

"Today, I just want to enjoy this."

Jade nudged my hand affectionately.

And as I stroked his thick black fur, one thought settled quietly into my heart.

Perhaps the world was far more magical than I had ever imagined.

And perhaps meeting Kael Nightshade had been the beginning of something that would change my life forever.