Filed to story: The Rejected Werewolf Princess (Camilla & Tyson) by Didi Adeyemi >>
She laughed humorlessly before continuing. “Your mother fought it tooth and nail, do you know why?” I shook my head. “She believed in marrying for love.
She was mated to one of the worst mates but she still believed. If she could see me now.”
“She would be proud,” I cut in and Christine turned to me. “If my mother saw you, she would marvel at how strong you are. She loved you like a daughter and Christine, you will marry for love. It might not come the way you think but it will.”
A stray tear leaked from her eyes and I pulled her into a hug. “Thank you for that.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” I smiled but my smile fell the moment I heard a twig cr ack.
We were on our feet in an instant and I looked around. Although I couldn’t see anyone, I couldn’t shake off the feeling thatwe were being watched.
“We should go,” Christine whispered and I couldn’t have agreed more.
We immediately started back on the path towards the palace and as I looked back, I could have sworn that I saw a pair of red eyes staring back at me but the moment I blinked, they were gone.
RYKER’S P.O.V
As soon as the girls left, I saw the guilt in Riley’s expression. I wanted to assure her that she had nothing to worry about but that would have been a lie. Damien comforted her while I balanced my sleeping infant on one hand and began clearing up the picnic. It was a good day but it could have ended better. Damien and Riley came to help but they did so in silence. I could feel the tension in the air and I knew it was only a matter of time before someone broke it.
“Should I have picked a better time?” Damien whispered once Riley was out of earshot. “I didn’t want to hurt her but I figured she was going to find out sooner or later.”
“Are you asking because you want a genuine answer or because you want to make yourself feel better?” I asked and he shook his head with a small smile.
“I almost forgot how brutal you could be, Ryker,” I glanced at Audrey out of the corner of my eye. She was playing by the stream and I wanted to make sure she didn’t run off or get hurt. “I want the truth.”
“The truth is that I don’t know,” he frowned at my response, it was clearly not what he was expecting. “Look, I know better than to comment on something that I don’t have the full picture of. Only you know the answer to that question and I think the fact that you’re torn up about it tells you everything you need to know.”
He wanted to say something but footsteps filled the air. Christine and Camilla returned but I saw an expression in her eyes that had my spine straightening. I quickly called Riley over and handed Aurora over to her. She looked like she had a million questions but I didn’t wait to hear them. I walked over to my mate and ran my hands down her shoulders. She gave me a small smile but I could see through her façade. She was shaking and her skin was a bit cold to touch.
“What happened?” I asked but she shook her head. I resisted the urge to growl because I knew it wouldn’t help. I dropped my voice so it was soft. “Talk to me, Camilla. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I thought I saw something in the woods but it was nothing, I blinked and it wasn’t there.”
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Camilla wasn’t easily sp ooked so her reaction didn’t add up to the picture she was trying to paint. Isearched her eyes a hint of deception but there was nothing. She had convinced herself that everything was fine. I knew I was not going to get anything out of that conversation so I sighed.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, you’re fine,” I assured her and she allowed herself lean into my arms. She mumbled something incoherent and I k*ssed her head. I looked over her shoulder and saw Christine staring at us with a longing look that bordered on envious.
I felt bad for her but I knew the last thing she wanted was my pity so I just gave her a nod. She smiled softly and turned away from me. No words were spoken again as we made our way back to the carriages. As we walked, I couldn’t help but notice that Christine was the only person walking alone.
We put the girls to sleep and as soon as we got to our room, Camilla fell asleep. She didn’t even bother changing out of her clothes. I had to slowly take them off while trying not to wake her. I never realized how difficult a corset was until I had to take it off without ripping it. I couldn’t fall asleep because I couldn’t help but think about what she had told me. I wasn’t sure if I believed her yet about whether or not it was a big deal. It was too late to go looking for the guards in charge of patrolling the forest so I went to the ones guarding our room.
“Find any guards who are willing to do overtime and tell them to patrol the forest,” I ordered and although they looked confused by my request, they nodded and rushed off to do as I asked. I knew I was taking a risk by leaving us unprotected but if it meant putting my mind at ease, then I was willing to do it.
I climbed into bed and Camilla snuggled into my side. I smiled when I realized that she was still asleep. Even in her sleep, she reached out for me. The knowledge had my heart beating harder in my chest. I stroked her hair and placed a soft k*ss on the center of her head. She made a content noise cdeep in her throat.
“I love you,” she mumbled still asleep.
“I love you, too,” I whispered back and finally allowed the sleep to take me.
I was almost completely dressed when Camilla finally woke up. She looked confused as to why I was getting dressed early and when I reminded her that it was Damien and Riley’s last day, she practically leaped out of bed. We didn’t have much planned but we were spending the entire morning with them. Christine had opted out of it and resigned herself to spending time with the children.
Camilla wanted to talk to her first and I used that opportunity to get some quality time with my sister. Since she came, I hadn’t spent up to five minutes alone with her and I knew it was because she was avoiding me. I knocked on her door and she opened it without checking. When she saw me, her eyes widened and she swallowed deeply.
“Can I come in?” I asked and I could see her furiously looking for an excuse, I walked past her before she could say anything and took a seat by her dresser. I saw her exhale deeply before finally closing her door.
“I am kind of busy with packing right now. If you can wait a few minutes then maybe-”
“You forget that I lived with you for your entire life,” I cut her off. “You probably finished packing two days ago and checked yesterday,” the flush on her cheeks assured me that I was right. “Are you done avoiding me?”
“I’m not avoiding you,” she mumbled and when I raised a brow, she sighed. “Is it weird that I am happy we are leaving today? I really wanted to spend time with you and Camilla but things with Damien and her-”
“Christine,” I interrupted and she flinched as if her name were a slap. “Don’t tell me that the sound of her name offends you.”