Chapter 125: The Prince’s Tale

MATEO

“He is the crown prince of the Cataluna Royal Pack.”

Alex’s words drop like a bomb into the dining room.

Ariel’s eyes widen in disbelief. But there is no denying it any longer. The king speaks the truth.

I had hoped to conceal my true identity for some time—to hide in the ranks of warriors—but alas, the ruse is up.

Alex is staring daggers at me, waiting for me to confess.

When I finally do, I abandon my horrible American accent and talk in my own thick Spanish one.

“You are right, my king,” I say.

Alex rises, fury etched on his face.

“What is this?” Alex says. “Some kind of insurgence? Are you trying to infiltrate our pack?”

“No, of course not,” I say, holding my hands up in surrender. “I come in peace.”

“Did you know that my luna was your mate?” Alex asks. “Did you come here to find her?”

“~Diosa~, no,” I say. “I promise, that was as much of a surprise to me as it was to you.”

“Then why are you here?” Ariel asks.

I have no choice now. I must tell them the whole truth.

“Perhaps you heard the news,” I began. “My pack has merged with the Spanish Royal Pack.”

“Yes,” Alex says. “I was glad to hear of a peaceful unification. I know your packs have been at odds for many years.”

“There was nothing peaceful about the merger,” I spit back.

“So what happened then?” he asks.

“The queen of the Spanish Pack, Esmeralda, took control of my pack by force,” I say. “She launched an attack against us. My people have gone into hiding, fearing for their lives. And I have been banished.”

“How have I heard nothing about this?” Alex says, clearly still not believing my story.

“No one can speak against Esmeralda, out of fear of persecution. If anyone does, they face certain death.”

Alex and Ariel look at each other, and then back at me.

“How can we trust what you say?” Alex asks me.

“I do not expect you to,” I say. “After all the lies I have already told…”

“He’s telling the truth,” Ariel says suddenly. “My wolf can sense it.”

Ariel also gets up from her chair and slowly approaches me. She rests a gentle hand on mine that sends a bolt of electricity through my body.

“Come now,” she says. “Let’s go into the living room and you can tell us the whole story. The real one. From the beginning.”

***

Sitting opposite the king and queen, their eyes locked on mine, I feel my heart pounding in my chest.

“As you said,” I begin, “the Cataluna and Spanish Royal Packs are sworn enemies. The Spanish Pack has been vying for our land and our resources for centuries.

“When the late queen of the Spanish Pack died last year and her daughter Esmeralda took the throne, the tensions increased even more.

“She began spewing lies about our pack, encouraging her followers to attack our borders. A war was brewing and my father was desperate to stop it.”

My voice begins to crack as I relive the painful memories.

“That is when my father had an idea,” I continue.

“He decided that I should marry Queen Esmeralda, as a symbol of unity among the packs. He hoped to open a new chapter and put an end to the rivalry, once and for all. To my surprise, the queen agreed.”

I pause, agony flooding my body, but Ariel nods reassuringly, urging me to go on.

“My father held a ball for the two royal families,” I say.

“It was meant to be a joyous occasion. But as soon as I met Esmeralda, I knew that I had no future with her. Her heart was cold as ice and I felt no ounce of warmth toward her to melt it. And then…I met her sister Isabella.”

My body trembles as I remember that fateful moment…the first time I laid eyes on her.

“I fell in love with Isabella at first sight,” I say. “And she fell for me, too. There was no way I could marry Esmeralda, when my heart belonged to someone else.”

“Oh Goddess…,” Ariel mumbles under her breath.

“I told my father that I could not go through with it. He was a good man. He did not want me to sacrifice my happiness, so we agreed to find another path forward.”

“What happened with Esmeralda?” Alex asks me.

“Have you heard the expression, ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’?” I say. “When I rejected Esmeralda, I unlocked the gates to hell.

“She launched a full-scale attack on my pack. She killed my father. She seized our land. She terrorized my people. And of course, she tried to kill me, too,” I say. “But I managed to escape.”

I softly touch the scar above my eye.

Alex and Ariel survey me, eyes now filled with pity.

“I snuck onto a freighter boat, and a week later, we docked in your territory.”

“And what about Isabella?” Ariel asks.

“She is still in Spain. Her cruel sister is holding her captive.”

“Mateo,” Ariel says, “I’m so sorry.”

“Do you not see now?” I say desperately. “Isabella and I can never be together. Not as long as the evil queen sits on the throne…”

“And what about your kingdom? Your people?” Alex asks me. “Don’t you want revenge on Esmeralda for the damage that she caused?”

“Of course,” I say. “I have fantasies of killing her with my bare hands. But attacking the Spanish Royal Pack would mean putting Isabella in danger. And if something happens to her…”

The thought alone sends bile shooting from my stomach into my throat.

“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself,” I say. “I barely can as it is.”

ARIEL

I want to run over to Mateo. To put my healing hands on his and rid him of some of his pain.

But I can hardly move. And even my powers aren’t enough to heal the heartbreak that he has endured. Only Isabella could do that.

His story is far, ~far~ worse than I expected.

Now I understand that the Moon Goddess’s mission for me is not a simple one.

~Of course not…~

~Who was I kidding?~

~It never is…~

I want nothing more than to reunite Mateo with Isabella so that I can reject him as my destined mate, once and for all.

But doing so would mean interfering with another royal pack, an ancient rivalry, and a vengeful queen capable of evils beyond my wildest imagination.