Chapter 42
Iris
He sipped slowly from his teacup and then dropped it on the stool beside him. "I'm sure you are surprised that I asked you to come here. Have you ever been to my chamber before?" He questioned.
"No I haven't, Your Highness. There has been no reason for me to come here," I replied tersely.
"Alright," He leaned on the backrest of his armchair. "I'll be brief. I want you to leave my son,"
I almost roared with laughter but I watered it down to an inaudible giggle. I'd heard of scenarios where the parents of a man or woman ask his or her partner to leave their children, but I never imagined that it would happen to me someday.
"And why should I do that?" I replied, stoically.
Well, his son had already left me and he didn't know about it. It would only bring more disgrace to me.
"Because I'm your king and you have no choice but to listen to me. Gradel is my son and I plan to make him the next Alpha of this pack because he deserves it. You are not worthy of being with him because he needs a Luna who commands respect from the Omega clan and the pack members from the higher ranks. He needs a sophisticated woman who knows how to use her cutlery and the techniques of running this huge manor. You have no idea of how to do any of this, nothing at all." He listed and my heart caved in anger.
I moistened my lower lip and smirked. "There's something you're forgetting, Alpha."
"What is it?" He replied impudently.
"The moon goddess herself brought us together and if your son doesn't reject me, then nothing can be done about it."
A scowl appeared on his face but it disappeared quickly. "Is that what you think?" He stood up. "What if I tell you that I can get you the bracelet if you leave him?"
My eyes popped out of their socket as I peered at him in disbelief. "What do you mean?"
"You don't have to understand, you pauper. Just make your choice. My son who I'm sure you forced yourself on or the bracelet that his mother gifted him before her death."
It was at the tip of my tongue to tell him that his son had alleviated the stress of finding it, but I was curious to see where the conversation was headed.
"I'm already making progress on finding the bracelet and your son is patient with my inability to find his most prized possession. So I'm not under any form of pressure to get the bracelet." I retorted rather confidently.
The conversation was beginning to bore me out and now I understood why Gradel liked to be away from his father as much as he could.
"Your mother's name is Jane Damine, am I correct?" He snickered.
Blood drained from my face as I gasped in bewilderment. My eyes darted toward him and he passed me a knowing look. My mother lived a quiet life as I was told and no one really knew anything about her.
My heart beat in a staccato rhythm as I let out a response. "Yes... Y-You are correct... How do you know about her?" I gulped.
His deep chuckle came out dark and scary like he knew something that I didn't and it had me shivering. If that were the case... I didn't even want to think about it.
"I'm the Alpha of this pack, Iris. There's nothing I can't discover, all I need is time. Has Gradel told you how the late Luna died?" He asked, pacing slowly in the room.
I nodded. "He told me some days back. Why do you ask?"
At this point, my soul was on the verge of leaving my body and I was barely thinking straight. What has his late wife's death got to do with my mother?
"You don't get it yet, do you? Since you're so dumb and you can't connect the dots, I'll do it for you." He smirked cynically while I trained my attention on him in anticipation of a feasible explanation.
"I'm listening, Your... Your Highness," I couldn't stop myself from stuttering.
He stopped pacing and picked up his teacup. "Jane Damine, your late mother, was my mistress."
I blinked once, no-twice and again and then my heart jumped to my throat. My tongue had a metallic taste and I was almost sure that I'd puke. As I processed the news, my leg buckled in realization of what the truth implied.
My mind reverted to what Gradel had told me that day. If he discovered that my mother was the cause of his misery, he'd never forgive me.
He had been so kind to me all these while, even though he was my worst nightmare at first. How could this happen?
I'd been acting strong since I came in, but now, I had no choice as I let my tears flow freely.
"What did you see in her? You had a wife." I cried.
He moistened his lower lip and shrugged without any hint of remorse on his face. "Your late mother was a very beautiful and sultry woman. Her body appealed to me in ways my wife's body never did and then I realized that she was my mate, but I couldn't take her in because she already had children for another man and I had a wife. We couldn't help our overwhelming lust so we enjoyed each other every time we could until my wife caught us."
I became light-headed and I held onto the edge of the chair so that I wouldn't lose my mind. My mother was the Alpha's mate. She was his mistress. Her actions caused two innocent children to lose their mother.
I had to talk to someone. May. She was quite old and I was very sure that she had a lot of things to tell me.
"You are heartless, Alpha Cronus!" I yelled, not minding that guards were standing by to haul me out if they perceived me to be a threat to their king.
He burst into laughter, shaking his head with his lips curved in a mocking smile.
"You can't survive in this harsh world without being ruthless. So you see, my dear, if I could do without my mate I'm sure you can do the same. Enjoy his body while it lasts and I know how generous Gradel can be but remember that you can't be his Luna." The vicious smile vanished from his face as he pinned a deep scowl at me.
I dried my eyes and got to my feet. "I have a question to ask." My voice was hoarse from crying profusely but I was happy that I still sounded strong.
"You can go ahead. I have all day,"
My legs moved on their accord towards him. "What did you do with my mother?" I asked with so much venom and anger that he adjusted uncomfortably.
"I... I gave her a good amount of money and sent her away. We'd been discovered and I couldn't have her come in between the peace in my family."
That explained everything. He was the reason I couldn't really remember much about her and why we couldn't enjoy a mother-daughter bond.
"You are evil. So evil," I croaked.
"Don't forget our deal." He laughed, "Now get out of my chamber before I throw you into the cell."
With my head reeling from the startling revelation, I dragged myself to Gradel's room and sank onto the bed. Thankfully, no one was in and then I wept like a baby.