3rd Person POV
Harlin was grinning from ear to ear when his mother walked into the room. He had not noticed her presence yet and continued to smile rather widely.
“Something good happened?”
His mother's voice startled him and he shoved what he had been reading under his blanket.
“It's nothing,” he replied nervously.
But it was not nothing. He had not seen Gabriella in months but they had continued to write letters to each other. He had been very happy to read her last letter because it told him that her bond with Ashton had been broken and she was now free to marry someone else if she chose to. He was happy to know that but he was not sure how he was to respond to the letter.
“I know about your vampire friend,” she said. Harlin was a little bit surprised. He had never spoken of Gabriella to his mother.
“Mother, there's nothing…”
“If you love her you should go after her. I hear she's a very nice lady and beautiful too.”
Harlin squeezed his face. It was possible this was a trap to goad him into revealing his feelings. He did not believe for one second that his mother was okay with him seeing a vampire.
“Don't sour your face, sweetheart. I really mean it,” she said with an encouraging smile.
“The people…”
“Are not the ones that you will spend the rest of your life with. You should marry for love and not worry about other people. I saw Reginald break into despair because of what happened. I do not want you to go through the same pain,” said Irvette. She would never stand in the way of his happiness.
“You really mean that?”
“I do. You just leave the people to me and carry on with the woman you love. You should let her know that she is welcome here whenever she wants to visit. I would be delighted to host her,” Irvette had a warm smile on her face.
She was happy that she could put a smile on her son's face.
“Thanks, Mum. You're the best,” Harlin stood up to hug his mother.
She confused him most times. She could be very harsh one moment and be the most understanding person the next second. Either way, he knew that she was always looking out for his best interests and even though he had missed her for most of his life he knew he could not have had a better mum.
****
Reginald had stayed with Harlin in the Blood Moon pack. He spent his days reading the letters that Xanthippe never got to send him. He tried not to show it but he was hurting inside. He was sitting in his usual place in the garden when a lady walked up to him and asked, “Is Aunt Ivy inside?”
There were not many people who could call Queen Irvette Aunt Ivy but one of those few happened to be Arabella, Harlin's cousin. He had seen her a few times before. He remembered sitting next to her in the back on the day Xanthippe was supposed to get married.
“She is,” replied Reginald in a dull tone.
“Do you mind?” she asked, pointing to the space beside him but even before he answered her, she sat down. Reginald rolled his eyes. Why had she asked if she was just going to do it anyway?
“You're not going to ask?” she quipped.
Reginald remembered why he never liked Arabella. She was very pretty but could be very annoying.
“What?”
“Why I am wearing all black?”
“I'm not curious.”
“You're heartless, you know. You may have died without me,” she said.
“I don't know what this is about but you should have let me die,” replied Reginald.
“I was the only one who could make you fall asleep. Your mother was ready to take you to Hades for a solution,” she continued.
“What do you want from me now? A thank you?”
“No. You were fine after you woke up. You resumed your duties as prince and carried on as though nothing happened. How did you do it? I feel like I want to die from the pain,” Arabella said in a broken voice.
It was then Reginald really looked at Arabella. Her usually luscious skin was deathly pale; her eyes were red and puffy from crying and; her bubbly spirit appeared damper.
“I'm so sorry,” Reginald did not know who she had lost but he knew the pain of losing someone you loved. He knew how it felt to know that you would never see that person again. It was a loss that created a void nothing could ever fill up.
Arabella burst into tears right then. Reginald put his arms around her and patted her back softly. When she was a lot calmer, Reginald gave her his handkerchief so she could wipe her face.
“I have to tell Aunt Ivy that my father passed away this afternoon,” she said, her voice cracking from all the crying.
“I'll follow you,” said Reginald, helping her stand up.
They went inside the palace together and Reginald led the way to Irvette's study. It was the one place he knew she would be at this time of the day. He knocked on the door and he heard her say, “Come in.”
Before he could open the door, Arabella stopped him.
“This is something I must do alone.”
He nodded at her in encouragement and stepped aside so she could enter the study.
When Arabella entered the study, Irvette looked up to see who her visitor was.
“Oh, dear. I'm so sorry,” Irvette knew what had happened just by looking at her. She stood up from her chair and went to hug her niece.
“The Beta died this afternoon,” Arabella managed to say before bursting into tears again.
“It's okay, it's okay, everything will be alright,” Irvette said as she hugged her tighter. Irvette had known this would happen soon but she had not expected it to happen so quickly.