Gina's POV
“There is a hunt for me?” I quipped, staring into the fire crackled between us.
“Alpha Dagen is bent on burying his son,” said Lord Edvin as he turned the meat over on the makeshift grill between us.
“Why should that matter? The child is not yet born and why do you think it's a boy?” I asked befuddled that he could make such an assumption. Even the physician could not tell if I was to have a boy or girl child.
“There is no woman child in Alpha Dagen's lineage so it is safe to guess that you will have a boy child,” replied Lord Edvin and I hoped I had a girl so I could prove the lineage wrong.
“What do I do now? I cannot hide here forever,” I said, my tone perplexed. Not only was I endangering Lord Edvin's life by remaining under his protection, but I was also at risk of getting caught here. We were in the deep part of the forest quite alright but it still did not remove me from danger.
“I had the impression that people passed the approved borders. Why were bandits shooting arrows at us the other day? If people don't pass through here, why would they attempt to rob someone in the heart of the forest?” the question had been on my mind for quite some time now.
“Why were you passing through the forest then?” Lord Edvin questioned me. It was a good response to my question but I found myself with no reply to his rhetorical question.
“You see many people have reasons to journey through the forest. For instance, those who smuggle things into the pack and sometimes criminals who are on the run. These two sets of people carry a lot of valuables and so the bandits take advantage of this. It makes it perfect for them to steal from such people because the people they steal from would never report them,” said Lord Edvin. That made a lot of sense too.
“How come I saw no one but you?” I asked. At least I had covered quite some distance and except for the animals that I met, I had seen no one.
“They have been doing this for years so they know how to stay hidden, especially to bandits and curious eyes,” came Lord Edvin's reply.
“Why are you helping me?” That was really what I wanted to know. Was he doing this for Diane? Did she know that I had intended to escape all along?
“Because in you is the future,” came his reply.
“The future?”
“You carry the heir inside of you. I will do my best to keep him safe and if that means helping then I will do so,” was his response. Lord Edvin had a strong sense of duty that I admired.
We proceeded to eat our meal in silence. After we had finished eating Lord Edvin said, “Lord Tyler will be here tomorrow night. He will take you to the mouth of the forest. You will have to journey through a short desert. The route you want to take is no longer feasible if you do not want the Alpha to find you,” Lord Edvin said.
Before he could leave I asked him, “Was it Diane? Did she tell you to help me?”
“Diane knows nothing of this and it will remain so,” returned Lord Edvin.
“Do you love her?” I asked him and he looked at me as though I had asked a strange question.
“I have no business loving a maid,” and with that said, he was gone.
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Dagen's POV
“I believe it is safe to assume that Lady Regina is dead. I am sorry I failed to keep my word,” came Lord Edvin's comforting words but I was not comforted. My mind could not help but replay the worst about how Regina had died.
“And yet you stubbornly refuse to admit that you love her.”
“I am grieving the loss of my heir and not Regina,” I fired back at Kane but he only responded with a snort.
“Then her body must be somewhere. We need to find her body and extract the child,” I said to Lord Edvin.
“The best we can do now is to offer prayers for his soul,” Lord Edvin was right about this but a part of me still held out hope.
“Can you still feel that you are bonded to Lady Regina as your mate?” asked Lord Edvin.
Now that Lord Edvin mentioned it, I had not felt it since I had ordered for Regina to be taken away to the graveyard site. Was it possible for our bond to be broken without either of us rejecting the other? What had happened? Did that mean she was no longer my mate or it had been broken because she was now dead? The latter appeared to be the more likely explanation.
“Why is that important?”
“I was only asking, your Majesty,” my eyes narrowed at this. I knew Edvin well, he never said anything for no reason but I let it slide.
“Your Majesty, we need to lift the restrictions we've placed at the borders. The people are beginning to grumble,” Lord Edvin said and I fell into deep thoughts.
“You can lift the restrictions,” I replied. I had placed them in the first place in case it helped find Regina but I was now losing hope.
Nydia walked into my throne room just then. She eyed her brother before she said, “Brother,” rather sarcastically.
“Sister, I cannot wait to have you return home,” said Edvin with a smile in her direction.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” questioned Nydia.
“Your Majesty, have you not told her?” asked Lord Edvin.
“Nydia, you shall return to your brother's home for the time being. I need space to mourn my child,” there was no room for argument in my voice.
“You can't do this to me. I cannot return to…” she started to say but Ervin cut her off by asking harshly, “Do you dare question the Alpha's decision?”