Livianaâs POV
There was a knock on the door and it opened revealing Dante.
âHeyâ he said as he stood by my door.
âWhatâs up?â I said
âI just wanted to check on youâ he said.
âAre you sure itâs just that?â I said with a raised brow.
I knew he wanted to talk about something.
âCome in. Letâs talkâ I told him. He sighed and closed the door.
âYou want to talk about Luan, donât you?â I said as he sat down on the couch in the corner.
âYou mean, your excuse for a mate?â he scoffed. I raised a brow at him.
âYou hate him that much huh?â I pointed out crossing my arms in front of my chest.
âI donât hate him. I just donât like himâ he denied and I chuckled.
âWhy? You barely even know him?â I asked curiously.
âExactly. Thatâs also why I donât trust him. Specially not with my nieceâ he said with a serious look on his face.
âThereâs something more to it, isnât there?â I said and he just stared straight into my eyes.
âTell meâ I demanded. He sighed.
âHeâs the known heir of royal familyâ he started.
âAnd so?â I said. He raised a brow at me.
âThat should be you, Livianaâ he told me. I shrugged.
âI donât want to have to do anything about the throne thoughâ I admitted. His brows furrowed a little.
âItâs your fateâ he said. I raised a brow at him again.
Fate?
âYou believe in fate?â I asked. He didnât seem like the type to believe in such things.
âNo. But I believe in youâ he told me and we stared at each other for a moment. I sighed.
âHow much do you know?â I asked curiously.
âAs much as I need to knowâ he answered which didnât answer my question much.
Of course he wasnât going to go into detail about it.
âHow did you find my father? I was told that they were captured so how were you able to get to him?â I suddenly asked.
He hadnât told me that yet.
âI have my ways, little wolfâ he only said. My brows furrowed.
âTell meâ I demanded. He shook his head.
âNot tonightâ he said making me sigh in disappointment.
âWhy not?â I asked persistently.
âIn time, I willâ he promised. I sighed again and let it go.
I knew I wouldnât be able to get it out of him.
âDo you love him?â he suddenly asked.
âI donât know. The mate bond complicates thingsâ I told him. He nodded.
âDoes he know?â he asked again. I knew he was talking about me being the lost princess.
âHeâs the only one who knew before you came alongâ I told him making him close his eyes in frustration.
âYou trust him?â he asked. I nodded.
âI doâ I said confidently.
âWhy?â he asked again.
âHeâs my mate after allâ I said.
âBut heâs the son of the King who replaced your birth fatherâ he said.
He is.
âHe wasnât even old enough to understand such things when it happened. Do you expect me to blame it on him?â I said making him sigh.
âHeâs not a bad guy. That I can tell youâ I assured him.
I havenât known Luan for long but I know that I can trust him.
âHow are you so sure?â he said. I stared straight into his eyes.
âBecause heâs my other halfâ I stated. We stared into each otherâs eyes for a few moments.
Yes, I did not agree to be mated with Luan but Iâve accepted now that heâs my mate and I see that as progress.
Although I still donât see myself being mated to him anytime soon.
Not in this situation.
Everything is still a mess.
âDo you have a mate?â I asked before I could even think of it. He gave me a sad smile.
âI donât have one. But I had a fianceâ he told me.
âHad?â I asked.
âI had a human partner before you were born. She was pregnant with our daughterâ he told me. It was a big revelation.
âWhere is she now?â I asked him.
âIn the afterlife, Livianaâ he told me with a small smile.
She died. They died.
âIâm sorryâ I immediately said. He gave me an assuring smile.
âI wouldâve loved to see you grow up too. I did. But I was afraid that if I stayed anywhere near you or my brother, youâll both end up like themâ he told me. I stood up from my head and approached him.
I hugged him.
âIâm sorry, uncleâ I whispered. He hugged me tighter.
Heâs in pain.
âI canât lose you too, Liviana. I hope you understand why Iâm being so protective of you nowâ he said. I nodded.
âYou donât have to worry about me. I can take care of myself wellâ I assured him.
âI know. But it still terrifies meâ he admitted. I caressed his back a little.
Whatever happened to them, it wasnât good. I had this gut feeling.
There was something darker about this loss.
âArenât you going ask what happened?â he muttered. I shook my head.
âI wouldnât want you to think of what happened againâ I told him and I felt his breathing quicken.
âThey were murderedâ he said shaking.
âThey killed them, Liviana. They killed my familyâ he said as his voice broke. I kept rubbing his back soothingly.
âI shouldnât have left that night. I shouldâve stayed at home and protect them. I couldâve saved them, Livianaâ
I hugged him tighter as he broke down.
âShe died in my armsâ he sobbed.
My heart clenched and I felt anger burning inside of me.
I wanted b***d.
I wanted the b***d of the killer.
They took away my uncleâs partner anf unborn child.
âWe were going to have a daughter. She wouldâve grown up beautifully. We wouldâve been a familyâ he said weakly.
Red.
All I could see was red.
How can someone be so cruel.
How can someone kill a pregnant woman along with her unborn child.
My eyes glowed gold.
âWho did it?â