Chapter 15 Forbidden Words
ADRIANA
I sat there on the cold bathroom floor, totally confused about what had just happened and why Elijah had reacted that way.
I rubbed my aching elbow which had taken the worst of the impact when he’d pushed me and was the only reason my face hadn’t smacked into the tile floor.
His voice kept ringing in my head.
The way he was positioning himself, holding the boy away from me like I’d done something terrible.
“What do you mean? I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I was just—”
“Save it! I knew it was a huge mistake bringing you here. How dare you put your hands on him?”
What was he even talking about? I literally hadn’t done a single thing wrong. I’d only been trying to help the kid.
I wanted to explain what had actually happened, but he’d already turned his back to me and was focused entirely on his son, who had his head resting on his father’s shoulder.
“Are you okay? Did she do anything to hurt you? Leo, talk to me.”
Leo didn’t say a single word. He just looked at me with those eyes full of tears, then turned his attention back to his father.
Even though I knew I was completely innocent, I couldn’t stop the fear from building about what Leo might say.
I’d been in this place for less than half a day and I’d already managed to get myself into serious trouble.
Had I made the right choice following him here? This was foreign territory. I was in the home of the Lycan King, which meant they could pretty much do whatever they wanted to me since nobody had forced me to come here in the first place.
Leo shook his head in response.
“Are you absolutely sure? You know you can always be honest with me and tell me the truth.”
Leo shook his head once more, and if it weren’t for the fact that I’d almost gotten in huge trouble, I probably would’ve asked why Leo couldn’t actually speak. He just kept shaking his head no to every single question his father was throwing at him.
Finally, Elijah turned back to look at me, and that intense, piercing look he’d had before was completely gone. He had this softer expression now, and he could barely even look me in the eye.
God, the absolute least he could do was apologize for overreacting. But he just stood there without saying anything at all.
Then he picked Leo up off the floor and walked away, leaving me just sitting there in complete confusion mixed with rage.
I hadn’t even done anything wrong in the first place, and he’d gone and accused me anyway. And even after he’d figured out the truth, he couldn’t manage to apologize for it.
Why had I actually thought he’d be any different from the rest of them? They were all exactly the same. Elijah, my father, Lisa, Landon—every single one of them treated people beneath them like absolute garbage.
I angrily left the bathroom and marched back to my room, spotting that stupid toy train still sitting in the exact same spot where all of this had started.
Once I’d calmed down even a little bit, I started actually thinking about what had happened.
He was right to be protective of his son. He obviously loved Leo deeply.
But that raised the question of where the boy’s mother was. If there was a Luna around here, surely Hazel would’ve mentioned something about her.
My spiral of thoughts got interrupted by a knock at the door.
A maid walked in carrying a tray, which she set down on my bed before removing the cover.
She gave a small bow.
“Your dinner, ma’am.”
“Wait, it’s already nighttime? Dinner time?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is.”
I pulled the tray onto my lap and smiled at her. “Thank you for bringing this.”
She bowed again and started heading toward the door.
“Hold on. What’s your name?”
She stopped in her tracks.
“Betty. My name is Betty.”
“Betty, have you already had your dinner yet?”
She shook her head, and I noticed she was avoiding making eye contact with me.
“You’re welcome to join me if you want. I promise I don’t bite.”
She finally looked at me, her eyes going wide, and she glanced nervously back at the door like she expected someone to come bursting in at any second to drag her away for daring to sit with me.
I completely understood that feeling. Just a few hours earlier, I’d been in her exact position, constantly terrified of doing anything that might get me into trouble.
It took a while, but eventually she sat down on the bed. Even then, she perched herself very lightly right at the edge like she might need to run at any moment.
I offered to share the food with her, but she turned it down, so I decided to try starting a conversation instead.
“So how did you end up working here?”
She let out a quiet little sigh. She was really pretty and didn’t look any older than eighteen.
“I was sold to the palace when I was just a child. After my father died, my stepmother and my stepsister didn’t want me getting any share of his properties, so they just sold me off to the former King.”
Apparently it wasn’t only my family that was completely messed up.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay. Just yesterday I was basically a slave to my family too. My sister and my father and my ex-boyfriend, they all made my life absolutely miserable for years after my mum died.”
We kept talking back and forth, and I learned that Betty was actually twenty one years old, she still hadn’t found her mate yet, and she absolutely loved reading books.
“Wait, you said the King was the one who rescued you?”
I nodded in confirmation.
“Thank you so much for the food. It was really wonderful.”
She took the tray off my hands and set it down on the floor.
“It’s totally okay. I honestly didn’t think the King was that nice of a person.”
“Why not? Is he cruel or wicked or something?”
“Wicked? King Elijah? No, no, he’s definitely not wicked. He’s actually a very good person.”
This seemed like my perfect opportunity to learn a thing or two about him, so I’d know whether I was in serious trouble or if I’d actually made the right choice coming here.
“What kind of person is he exactly?”
“Like I said before, he’s a genuinely good person. He actually cares about everyone and he doesn’t treat us like we’re garbage or anything. He’s very particular and specific about the things he values and likes, and he absolutely hates being disobeyed or betrayed by anyone. He loves his son so dearly and deeply, and he would literally kill for that boy.”
“You mean Leo?” She nodded. “Is Leo his only child?”
“Yes, he is. The King doesn’t mess around or play games with women at all. Mostly that’s because he doesn’t have that kind of free time available, but also because he’s just very serious about everything in general.”
She picked the tray back up and stood up from the bed.
“Thanks so much for letting me stay and talk with you. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been able to laugh this easily.”
I gave her a small genuine smile. When she reached the door, I called out her name.
“Betty? Can I ask you something? Where is Leo’s mother?”
I have never in my entire life seen anyone move as fast as she did. She practically flew back across the room to the bed and covered my mouth with her hand.
“Never speak about the Lycan luna.“