Damn You Evander!

THEODORE

The palace gates had barely opened before I saw them. My mother was already hurrying down the marble steps, her skirts gathered in her hands, all royal decorum forgotten.

“Theodore!”

She reached me before I had taken three steps from the transport. Her arms wrapped tightly around me.

“Oh, thank the stars...” she whispered shakily. She pulled back almost immediately, cupping my face between her hands as her eyes darted frantically over me. “Are you hurt?” she asked, turning my shoulders this way and that. “Did they injure you? Let me see your arms... your neck...” Her fingers trembled as she searched for wounds. “Are you alright? Tell me you're alright.”

“I'm fine, Mother.”

“Fine?” she repeated, unconvinced. “You disappeared for hours! We couldn't reach you. Do you have any idea—”

“I'm alright,” I said more gently. “Really.”

She searched my face for another moment before finally releasing a shaky breath.

Behind her stood my father, King Madina Eamon of Avindel. He hadn't moved an inch from where he stood. His cold hazel gaze rested on me as though he were looking at a stranger rather than his only son.

I took a deep breath and straightened my uniform. I walked toward him, lowering my head as I bowed. “Your Majesty.”

The slap came without warning.

Crack.

My head snapped to the side; a sharp sting bloomed across my cheek. Around us, I could hear the servants and guards gasping. Several immediately lowered their eyes to the floor.

Only one voice broke the stunned silence. “Madina!” My mother stared at him in disbelief. “What are you doing?”

No one else looked surprised. No one dared intervene. The palace had long grown accustomed to this. This was simply how the King treated his son.

“Look at what you've done,” my father said, his voice like ice.

I slowly lifted my head.

“The General's life was nearly lost because of your recklessness.” His eyes narrowed. “Your foolishness endangered one of Avindel's greatest warriors. You should be grateful if I ever entrust you with responsibility again.”

Something inside me snapped. I had saved the general he cared so much about, had sacrificed my pride as an Alpha, and this was what I got in return?

“If you care so much about General Evander,” I said, meeting his gaze for the first time, “then make him the Crown Prince. And leave your failure of a son alone.”

The courtyard fell deathly silent.

Another slap. Harder this time. The force staggered me a step sideways.

I tasted blood where my teeth had caught the inside of my cheek. For one humiliating moment, my vision blurred. I clenched my jaw until it hurt. I would not cry. Not in front of him, I would not give him that power over me.

Without another word, I turned and walked away.

“Theodore!” my mother called after me, her footsteps echoing behind me. “Theodore, wait!”

I didn't stop. Behind me, my father's voice rang through the courtyard. “You are a disgrace to this family!”

My steps never faltered. If I looked back... if I answered... I wasn't sure I could hold myself together. So I kept walking, leaving the palace courtyard and my father's words behind me.

By the time I reached my quarters, every muscle in my body ached. I pushed the doors shut behind me and leaned against them, releasing a long, weary sigh. My fingers disappeared into my hair as I dragged them back, squeezing my eyes shut.

“What a mess...”

I let out a bitter laugh that died almost as soon as it escaped. Slowly, I shrugged off my uniform. The heavy jacket landed on the floor, followed by my boots, gloves, and the rest of my clothes. I couldn't bear to look at them.

The bathroom was already filling with steam by the time I turned the shower on. I stepped beneath the stream of hot water. It poured over my head, running down my face and shoulders, washing away dust, dried blood, and the grime of captivity. I stood there without moving.

“You are a disgrace to this family.”

I laughed quietly to myself. “A disgrace...”

The word echoed around the tiled room. How many times had I heard it growing up? Too many to count.

I traced my hand down the curve of my ass, cupped my ass cheeks and pulled them open, one of my fingers simultaneously sliding into my hole. I sighed as the water washed away Evander's dry cum.

I should have let him die. Should have let him fucking die. Then maybe my father would have had no other choice than to want me.

I chuckled bitterly. Who was I kidding? He'd blame me for his death and hate me more. If I didn't know better, I'd say Evander was his son.

I sighed and got out of the shower, picking up a towel on my way as I walked toward my bed. My hole twitched, and I growled.

Damn it! I shoved a pillow between my legs to keep me from feeling anything—not that it worked, but at least it was something. It wasn't long before sleep claimed me.

I woke up to find myself grinding against the pillow, grinding it against my ass cheek, making sure it rubbed directly between them. It took a moment for my sleep-fogged brain to catch up.

I froze in horror. What the fuck! No goddamn way. That did not just happen. I shoved the fucking pillow away.

Damn you, Evander!

EVANDER'S POV

A groan escaped my lips as consciousness slowly returned. My head throbbed so much it felt hard to crack an eye open. I blinked at the familiar ceiling above me.

My room. I was back in the palace.

For a long moment, I simply lay there, staring upward, listening to the quiet crackle of the fireplace and the distant bustle of servants beyond the doors.

“...How?”

I pushed myself upright, wincing as a dull ache spread through my body. Fragments of memory surfaced. The cave. The rats. The venom. A curse slipped under my breath.

“That reckless brat... that stupid fucking brat.”

If Prince Theodore hadn't insisted on chasing those creatures deeper into the tunnels... No. I pinched the bridge of my nose. Blaming him now accomplished nothing.

The last thing I remembered clearly was the burning sensation spreading through my veins. After that... I could have sworn I'd been at death's door. Yet here I was. I frowned.

“Someone fetch the doctor.”

The servant stationed outside bowed and hurried away. A few minutes later, the physician entered with two nurses close behind.

“General!” she exclaimed. “You're awake.”

Before I could say a word, she was checking my pulse, shining a light into my eyes, and asking a dozen questions I barely listened to. Finally, I caught her wrist.

“I'm alive. That much is obvious.”

She coughed awkwardly. “...Right.”

“What happened in that cave?”

The doctor hesitated. “The rescue team reached you shortly after communications were restored.”

“I know that much. What I don't know is how I survived.”

She exchanged a brief glance with one of the nurses before answering. “His Highness told us... that you managed to save yourself.”

“I did?”

She nodded, though a faint blush crept across her cheeks. “We assumed you found some way to induce the necessary... release before the venom became fatal.”

I stared at her. “I said that?”

“No, General, Prince Theodore did.”

Silence settled between us. I frowned; that just didn't sound right.

I searched my memory again. Broken pieces drifted past. The heat. Someone calling my name.

Weight and warmth. For the briefest instant, I could almost swear I remembered another person close beside me, but the memory slipped away like smoke.

“...Strange.”

“General?”

I shook my head. “It must be the venom.”

The doctor smiled gently. “Memory gaps aren't uncommon after surviving something so severe.”

“Hm.” Perhaps she was right. Perhaps my mind was trying to fill in the missing pieces with dreams. Whatever had happened... I'd survived. And for that, I could only be grateful.

I leaned back against the headboard with a slow exhale. “I suppose I owe His Highness my thanks for keeping me alive long enough for the rescue team to arrive.”

The doctor smiled. “I think he'd be glad to hear you say that.”

I wasn't so sure. If there was one thing Prince Theodore excelled at, it was blaming me for whatever bad thing happened in his life, even if I had nothing to do with it.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the lingering ache in my muscles. Rest could wait. His Majesty would want a report.

The physician frowned the moment she noticed me reaching for my boots. “General, you should remain in bed for another day.”

“I've spent enough time in bed.”

“Your body has just recovered from a venom that should have killed you.”

“And yet,” I said as I stood, “it didn't.”

A wave of dizziness struck almost immediately. I caught myself on the bedpost before anyone could rush to my side.

The doctor sighed. “You're proving my point.”

“I'll survive.”

She opened her mouth to argue again before wisely deciding against it. Instead, she turned to the servants. “If His Excellency insists on behaving like a stubborn ox, at least make sure he doesn't collapse before reaching the throne room.”

One of the younger maids let out a nervous laugh before quickly covering her mouth. I pretended not to notice.

“You,” I called to the valet waiting near the door. He straightened immediately. “Yes, General.”

“Prepare my uniform.”

“The ceremonial one, sir?”

“No.” I reached for the glass of water beside the bed, taking a slow drink. “The military dress uniform.”

“At once, General.”