Chapter 16

Leo's POV

I felt a hollow inside my heart as my eyes met with Diane, who was being dragged into the hall, blindfolded and in chains like a newly acquired slave.

Her gown hung in tatters, smeared with blood stain, and her fragile frame stood trembling in the center of the room. Her head sagged low, tears dripping silently onto the marble floor.

Seated on the lower throne beside my father, I felt the weight of her suffering like it was my own. A heavy pain pressed against my heart, as though I was somehow bound to her torment.

I wished I could do something to save her. To pull her out of this mess and make her mine. I badly wanted to reach out to her at that moment and mark her as my queen, but I knew better.

As much as my father badly wanted me to get a wife and fall in love again, they would rather kill her than watch her become the one I choose.

The hatred for werewolves ran deep, rooted in generations of enmity. The blood feud had endured for centuries, each side taking every opportunity to inflict pain.

But the moon goddess had other plans. She didn’t care about ancient grudges when she created this forbidden bond between us.

Despite how far apart our worlds were, she made Diane my soulmate. Even before I knew she was my mate, she had already stolen my heart.

Sometimes I wish I hadn’t gone to that club that night. Maybe I wouldn’t have fallen for her. Maybe we wouldn’t have made love—and she wouldn’t be carrying my child.

She was meant to be my enemy. Yet here I was, feeling my heart race just at the sight of her and the blissful mate scent she carried that was sending warmth all over me.

Her fragrance—like fresh roses and warm vanilla—wrapped around me, calming and intoxicating.

I glanced at Zena, and she was grinning from ear to ear, clearly satisfied with Diane's humiliation. She had really developed intense hatred for her and I wonder what Diane did wrong to her.

My grandmother sat on the other side, her face expressionless and hard to read, but my father's countenance showed the depth of his resentment and unfiltered loathing for werewolves.

I had made sure to convince them the only reason I didn't kill Diane was my child in her stomach. The unborn baby was her only saving grace, but for how long?

How long could I keep hiding my feelings for her? Once she gives birth, I may never see her again as she would be taken away to join the other werewolf slaves my father had captured.

"Did you perform the ritual and make sure her inner wolf is dead?!" My father’s voice thundered through the room, breaking the tense silence.

Diane gasped. Her head shot up, lips trembling. “You killed Lana?”

Her voice cracked, heavy with heartbreak. The pain in her voice pierced me.

I swallowed hard, keeping my face unreadable, even as my chest twisted in agony.

"You’d have died with that foolish wolf if not for the child," Zaiper, my father, sneered, his voice laced with disdain. "How could you even make my son lie with you without protection!"

"That is something I can't wrap my head around!" The voice of my grandmother chipped in coldly as she narrowed her eyes at her. "It is not natural"

“Obviously, it was a charm. I regret falling for it,” I spat, lying through my teeth. Diane turned her face toward me, jaw slack with disbelief. Thankfully, her eyes were still covered. I wouldn’t have been able to bear seeing the pain in them.

My words shattered her. Her knees buckled, her mouth opened, but no words came.

“Does the child even matter?” Zena hissed. “I can give the prince a child too. This werewolf should be killed—or sent to the mines with the other slaves.”

I scoffed and looked away, her voice grating on my nerves.

"I hope one day my son will learn to love, find a wife, and take over the throne. Well, I am not in a rush. As the incoming vampire lord, the gods would definitely give him a fated mate that he can't resist," Zaiper said with a short laugh of confidence.

"Till then!" I replied, shrugging and leaning back in my chair.

“I, Zaiper Blake, hereby mark you, Diane, as a slave of the castle,” he declared, slamming his staff into the ground. “You will obey every rule—or face brutal punishment.”

It hurt.

My heart really ached at my father's word.

The fated mate he was longing for me was the same one he just condemned.

How would I tell him?

They thought my heart had lost the ability to feel love or fall for any girl. If only they knew, I had fallen in love but with the wrong girl.

"Can this blindfold be removed, please?" Diane requested amidst sobs.

"No!” I snapped, afraid that seeing the pain in her eyes would completely undo me.

“I need to see the King… and the royal court. Just to—”

“Dad, I’m going to bed. I’m exhausted,” I interrupted, standing abruptly.

“Okay, son,” he said with a nod.

As I walked past Diane, her soft voice called, “Prince Leo.”

I ignored her. Even though every fiber of me screamed to turn around.

God… how much longer could I keep pretending?

I increased my pace, leaving the hall and scurrying to my room. As soon as I entered, I slammed the door and slumped on the bed, burying my face into the soft pillow.

"What will I do?!" I yelled at myself, gritting my teeth in exasperation.

And just then, a knock hit my door. I found myself rushing to open it, wildly thinking it was Diane.

A sigh of disappointment slipped over my lips as I saw my grandmother standing at the door, her eyes narrowed at me with a piercing gaze.

"What brought you here? Is there any problem?" I said casually as I entered the room while she followed and locked the door from behind.

"I am not convinced it was all a mistake. Everybody else can fall for that but not me." She began, her hands folded against her chest as she maintained a straight look at me.

"I don't understand. What are you insinuating?"

"That girl is really beautiful," she said with a sudden smile, and I grimaced.

"Huh?"

"Yes. That Diane is a damn sexy and gorgeous girl even in her haggard look, but it isn't enough to make you make the mistake of planting your seed inside her. Did you at any time feel anything deeper with her?"

"No." I replied bluntly, not wanting to fall for her trick.

"After she gives birth, can you kill her?" She asked, peering into my face.

"What?" I swallowed hard, a nervous feeling washing through me. "Why me? Anyone...else...can."

"You don't sound confident." She muttered and shook her head as her eyes lowered to my fingers. "I had been searching your fingers but couldn't find the soul shade ring. Where is it?"

"Ring?" I grimaced in confusion and then remembered. "Oh, I forgot to remove it from Diane's finger since it had stopped transferring my scent to her. I put it on her when I wanted to escape, and she volunteered to...."

“I knew it!” she gasped, cutting me off. Her eyes widened, hand flying to her mouth as she stepped closer.

“What now?”

“I told you that the ring switches your vampire scent to whoever wears it. But I didn’t tell you—it only works on soulmates. It's a relic that bonds with the one fated for you.” She paused, eyes narrowing.

I sneered and looked away. "You must be joking! Diane is a werewolf and..."

"Tell me the truth. Are you in love with Diane? Is she your fated mate?" She whispered and I felt my heart racing.

Should I tell her?