“So I guess the rumors are true then?” He wove his fingers through the grass.
“What rumors?” He suddenly had my full attention. Was there any news from the palace? Was Seb all right?
“That the king is fair and kind but doesn’t let anyone close.”
“Oh.” My body relaxed some. It had been true in the beginning, when Seb had been very guarded around me and kept his distance. But it was no longer so. Before I’d been forced to leave, we’d been as close as I imagined two souls could ever be.
When I made no attempt to say more, Hal asked, “Was it hard being at the palace?”
“In some ways, yes. It’s very different from here. But after a while… It was okay.”It was everything.
“Just okay?” I felt Hal’s gaze on me as he seemed to see right through me.
I turned toward him, and as soon as my eyes met Hal’s, all pretense vanished into thin air. My bottom lip trembled as I tried to swallow back my tears, but it was all in vain, and soon fat tears trailed down my cheeks.
“Oh, Gus,” Hal cooed as he wrapped his arms around me. “Whatever it is, it’ll be okay. In time, everything will be okayagain.” Only it wouldn’t. Deep in my soul, I knew nothing would ever be okay again. Not when Seb was not by my side. Not when I wouldn’t be there for the birth of our son.
“It won’t, Hal,” I hiccupped. “It’s all… Everything’s such a mess.”
“We’ll fix it. Whatever it is, we’ll fix it. Together. Just like we always have.”
Easing away from him, I blinked my tears away. Hal stared at me, and I think he saw something in my eyes he’d never seen before. “Oh, shit,” he mumbled. “Oh shit, Gus. You…” He tilted his head, and I nodded. “You… have you developed feelings for him? For the king?”
“Not just feelings, Hal,” I rasped, wiping at my eyes. “I love him, Hal. And I think he loves me. And now it’s all… I’ll never see him again.” I threw myself against Hal and sobbed all my anguish into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight.
“I wish it weren’t like this,” he whispered. “I wish our world were different.” I’d never heard Hal speak such words before. I’d never heard him question the world we lived in. But then again, neither had I before I’d met Seb. He’d made me question everything.
“I wish that too. So badly.”
“Maybe one day, my friend. Maybe one day it will be.”
Chapter 19
Sebastian
I ran from the dining room, my still queasy stomach now tied into knots of worry as I looked for signs of Gus. I couldn’t have been gone for more than an hour, or at least I thought so. Had he gone looking for me, or had my advisors sent him away so suddenly and efficiently? Who was I kidding?! Deep down, I knew the answer. They’d likely had a plan since my heat ended, just waiting for the right moment to take Gus away from me.
My chambers were empty too, not a single sign of Gus. His room was further down the hall, and I hurried into it, not even knocking in my haste. It looked as it usually did. The servants hadn’t tidied it up or anything. That was at least a small beacon of hope as I ran toward my study. However, I didn’t even make it there before Elias came running around the corner, tears in his eyes. As soon as he saw me, his face filled with regret.
I knew then that Gus truly was gone.
I fell to my knees before Elias had even reached me, my body giving up all hope. My heart was breaking, and I’d neverexperienced anything this painful in my life. For the first time, I knew what true loss felt like.
Comforting arms engulfed me, and I sobbed quietly against Elias’ chest, his familiar scent soothing me as I slowly realized I’d lost the love of my life and there was nothing I could do to get him back.
“I’m so sorry,” Elias whispered. “I tried to stop them. I really did.”
I couldn’t speak. My feelings were too raw to form words, so I just nodded my reply. I knew Elias would’ve fought. I also knew my advisors were so conceited that they never listened to anyone else. They had to listen to me, though, but I couldn’t demand Gus back. I couldn’t admit that I had fallen for an alpha. Things hadn’t changed in my world; it was only me who’d changed.
“Let’s go to your chambers,” he urged, helping me stand. Numbly, I followed Elias’ lead down the hallway, clinging to his arm as I felt the last remnants of joy and happiness escape me. The ability to feel happy, to feel…good, had vanished with Gus. I was all but an empty shell of a person now.
“Your Majesty,” Clive’s voice pierced through the fog, and I saw red.
“How dare you!” I seethed. “I am the king! How dare you meddle with my business!”
“But, Your Majesty,” Jerold pleaded. “His duty here was done.”
“And congratulations are in order, Your Majesty!” Nicholai declared cheerfully.
