34. A traitor?

**BEA**

Bea decided it was time for her to slink away from the scene, but a familiar silhouette caught her attention. The Princess felt as if all hell was breaking loose right before her eyes. The same man who claimed to be her mate was standing next to the men of the rebellion movement while a petite woman stood beside him. If Bea didn't know better, she would assume the woman looked almost exactly like her. The sight of River sent chills down her spine. The more she looked at them, the more she believed her mother's words. The deadly sin was nothing but an imposter; he'd never really cared about her well being or happiness. All he wanted was to gain her trust and use her as a puppet to manipulate her parents.

She tried to hear what the people were talking about, but they spoke in a hushed tone, unlike before. As if she should listen to what they discussed earlier, but whatever came out of her mate's mouth was a secret.

*"I'd better get out of here before they decide to move on. If they catch me, I am as good as dead."* Bea thought to herself as she carefully crawled in the direction she had run from. The Princess kept her body as close to the ground as possible and her eyes on the group of people. *"If I ever get away from this place, I swear, Moon Goddess, I will stop wasting my time in the library. I will train with my father and stand among the warriors to lead us to victory. I won't let them take power over our people."*

"Hey, something's moving! We got a rat here!" a man yells at the top of his lungs as he points his finger at the spot where Bea was trying to hide from their gaze.

"Shit!" Bea hissed under her breath and ran off. She didn't have time to hide anymore; now, she could only rely on her speed. The Princess ran through the field as if her life depended on it. Someone was running behind her, but Bea didn't dare glance over her shoulder to see who it was. It didn't matter anyway - she didn't need any distractions or more fear building up inside her. Adrenaline pumped through her bloodstream- it was enough for her to get back to the castle.

She felt like her heart would leave her body; the Princess still feared that someone would catch up with her. Luckily, the men were quite far behind, which meant they were human. Bea kept wondering what was wrong with her mate- why didn't he bother to run after her if he knew she was faster than his allies? She dropped the thought and ran into the forest, hiding behind a tree to catch her breath. Shifter or not, she still needed to rest. *"I hope they are as stupid as they look,"* she thought. The Princess forced her back against the tree as the men entered the forest. None of them thought of the danger that could be hiding between the rows of trees; instead, they acted as if they owned this place. They shouted orders and gave Bea their exact location. They were way too far away from her to notice her body. Then Bea heard the men checking every other bush and tree, reporting to their leaders. About ten minutes later, the men left the forest and returned to their previous positions. Everyone cursed; some went as far as to punch a tree out of frustration. The Princess sat down and didn't move for another five minutes, just to ensure the men were gone. This could be a bait to lure her out of hiding. Bea quickly glanced in the direction where she heard the men talking earlier and let out a deep breath once she was sure the coast was clear.

As she slunk away, Bea kept looking back, just in case someone decided to follow her. The Princess cursed everything she could, frustrated that she had no idea how to find Lillith. Bea knew it was a bad idea to sneak away from her family and mate during an argument, but it wasn't like they could blame her. Within a few days, her life was turned upside down. The forest fairies, the hospital, a vampire great-grandmother, a curse, deadly sin as a mate, and now the rebellion. Was there something that could fall on her head and make everything worse? No, she doubted there could be anything that would surprise her anymore. Except for the fact that she was too focused on getting away from the men and managed to get lost. Bea clutched the sides of her head in frustration. She wanted to scream but held back because that would give away her location. They knew the Princess had run into the forest. Putting two and two together wouldn't be tricky, even for idiots like them.

Bea fell to her knees and let out everything she felt. Tears ran down her cheeks as her hands gripped the moss. "I can't believe he's a traitor. I had to learn that this man was my mate, and the next moment, as soon as I turn my back on him, he's plotting the downfall of my parents' reign. He could have had it all if he hadn't betrayed me like that. No, hell, he betrayed everything I believe in." When Bea talked to herself, sometimes it made her feel better, and sometimes it helped her understand everything better. As it did this time. The Princess' eyes widened, and she quickly wiped her tear-stained cheeks. "Oh, my holy Moon goddess," Bea stood back up and stared into the distance. The following words left her lips only as a mere whisper. "I get it now."

Bea ran, relying entirely on her instincts and senses. If there was one place she could find, even if she was blind, it had to be home. The Princess ran in circles for hours until she finally reached the forest and spotted her parents' castle in the distance. The sight that met her eyes seemed to be pure chaos- people running around like ants, none of them stopping for a moment. Even the guards were running around, calling her name. The entire castle staff, her family, and everyone who lived nearby was looking for her- again. Bea wasted no more time; she ran towards the castle, not letting anyone stop her. *"Next time, I won't run away like that. Running away is for cowards. Sure, I got some important information, but that doesn't make up for the stress and fear everyone went through. Next time, I won't run. No, damn it, Bea, there won't be the next time, to begin with!"* The Princess distracted herself from the surprised faces that surrounded her by making more silent promises to everyone. Yet, the only promise that really meant anything to her was the one she made to herself- to stay strong and become the Royalty she was meant to be from the beginning.

When Bea got close enough, her parents ran up to her, both of them pulled her into a tight hug. Eros kept scolding Bea for being irresponsible and running away from them at such a dangerous time. Eve couldn't stop crying and kept repeating how much she missed her little girl.

"I know I shouldn't run away, and I am sorry. But I found out something really important, please, let's go inside, and I'll tell you all about it." Bea wanted to share the information right away, but her parents didn't seem too interested. It took a while before the Princess finally persuaded them to listen to her. The family went into the same library they had been standing in before, and Bea asked her parents to sit down.

"Look at our princess," Eros chuckled. "She's always doing everything she can to boss everyone around, even her own parents."

Bea rolled her eyes and locked the library door. "It's not funny, dad; I have some things to tell you. Trust me, they are too serious to joke about."

"You have our full attention, sweetheart," Eve chimed in and threw a warning at Eros. The King immediately pretended to hold his tongue.

"Okay, so, first of all, I met your grandmother, dad. She's a vampire; she's your father's mother, who apparently was a hybrid. It's super complicated, but I'll get back to the family issue in a minute." Bea took a deep breath before continuing. "Today, running away like a coward may have been the best thing I ever did. I took the time to lie in the flower fields and think. Then I overheard some secret conversations from the rebellion- they are pretty far from the castle but way too deep in Kingdom territory." Her parents were silent, Bea gave them a moment to speak up if they had any questions, but Eros just nodded his head.

Bea wanted to tell her parents about the betrayal of her mate, but deep down, she wanted to keep it a secret. She needed a little more time to be sure he was really on their side. Sure, she'd overreacted before, but there was no point sharing information if she didn't know for sure. Instead, she decided to take up the topic Lillith had explained to her the other day. "Guys, did you know that dad's bloodline is basically cursed? Lillith, dad's vampiric grandmother, told me about the centuries-old curse that Ally sort of dodged, so now I have to suffer the consequences."

Eros got up from his seat and raised an eyebrow. "My bloodline? What do you mean by that? Sweetheart, I have no idea if even one of my relatives is alive out there, let alone anything to do with my bloodline. Can you tell me more about that?" The King walked over to his daughter and pulled her into a hug. Just like he did when she was little, to show her that he's there for her and will protect her.

"It's not like I know much, but I'm pretty sure I have to die for the curse to be broken. Today, while I was gone, I think I figured out who's supposed to kill me." Bea tried her best to hold back the tears that threatened to fall at any moment.

Eve jumped up and paced around the library. The Queen didn't hide her fear. It didn't matter if the curse was real or not; it could come true. "Who?" Eve suddenly asked, more than willing to erase the person's existence if necessary. No one would touch her babies.

"My mate."