Chapter Twenty Five

“Are you okay?” Leyla asks me. I nod my head while looking at myself in the mirror. “Yeah. It’s just that Sawyer has been acting weird ever since dinner last night” I tell her. “What do you mean?” Leyla asks. “After I told him that I don’t have an appetite for steak he seemed upset and after that, we’ve barely spoken a word to each other” I explain to her.

“You’ve been gone the last couple of months. He’s had a hard time with you being gone he’s probably having a hard time dealing with it” Leyla tells me. I nod “that makes sense. I’m just overthinking” I tell her. “Well, now that’s sorted what do you think about your outfit?” Leyla asks. I look down at my outfit through the mirror. It’s nice to have something normal on again. Leyla dressed me in a baby pink knitted long sleeve with baby pink and gray pleated skirt with knee-high light gray heel boots.

Leyla did my hair in soft curls and light pink makeup. It’s very soft but it looks nice on me. “You’re all ready,” Leyla tells me. I nod and leave the closet and walk into the bedroom to find Sawyer sitting on my bed all dressed in a suit. “Sawyer?” I ask.

He stands up and turns towards me “yeah?” He asks looking me in the eyes and not bothering to look at my outfit like he normally does. My heart breaks when he doesn’t mention what I’m wearing. Have I gotten too used to him telling me how beautiful I look? Did his feelings for me change? Did he realize how he doesn’t want me?

“Amber are you okay?” Sawyer asks. I shake out of my thoughts and nod “yeah sorry.. umm are you ready?” I ask. Sawyer nods and walks over to the door opening and waits for me to walk through. I move from my spot and walk out of the door. Sawyer closes the door before us. We walk down the hall side by side but not once attempting to grab my hand.

I look up at Sawyer then down to his hand in wonder and hurt. What did I do to make him upset with me.. to make him not want to be with me? I look away needing to stop the tears from shedding. I can’t ruin my makeup. I want to say something. I want to ask him but I’m scared to. I’m scared to hear that he no longer wants me. That now we’re together again he’s realizing he doesn’t want this relationship. That I’m too complicated for him.

“There you two are. Just on time” a voice speaks. I look towards the voice to find Ruith walking over to us. “It’s so nice and refreshing to see you here Amber. I was rooting for you too from the start” he tells us then walks into the meeting room. I look up at Sawyer in hopes that he’s already looking at me but instead, I see him walking into the room. Oh.

I follow behind him. Walter instructs us where to sit. As I follow Sawyer I look around the room and I see King Dante sitting in a chair on one side of the room with his hands cuffed. Vanessa is sitting at a table on the same side as her husband but isn’t near him. I can see King Dante glaring at everyone in the room but when his gaze lands on his wife his eyes soften.

“Here we are,” Sawyer tells me as he pulls a chair out for singling for me to sit down. I take my seat and Sawyer sits next to me. “Oh is the happy couple not so happy” King Dante chuckles from across the room. Sawyer growls but doesn’t do anything else.

“Quite,” Walter says as he walks to a table with all the counsel men already sitting there. He walks up to his seat and sits down. The counsel in the middle stands up. “We are here today to disgust the Kidnapping of Amber and King Dante’s fate,” He said.

“We have a statement from the victim and the witness. The witness may speak now” he says then sits down as Vanessa stands up. “Vanessa baby what are you doing?” King Dante asks shock and hurt lace in his voice. “I’m doing this for us,” Vanessa tells him.

“I’m Vanessa Fareye King Dante’s wife. I’ve been with Dante for hundreds of years. We have two children together, Seth and Nicholas.” Vanessa states. “Vanessa, we are going to ask you some questions and we need you to answer truthfully,” the head councilman tells Vanessa. She nods in agreement. “Why are you with the Vampire King?” The head Councilman asks. “Because I love him. Ever since I was a teen I’ve had a crush on him. I was his shadow hoping one day he would notice me. In our young adulthood, he finally noticed me and gave me attention. His father wanted to step down but wouldn’t unless he found his mate. I was the only female that he was close to so he and I got married so he could take the thrown” Vanessa explained.

“Why did the King kidnap Miss. Amber?” The councilman asks. “Vanessa” King Dante warns. Vanessa looks at her husband than to me then back to the council. “He wanted to destroy the Werewolf Kingdom. He wants to be the only King that rules everyone. He planned to kidnap Amber and let the Werewolf King go crazy without his mate so he’ll destroy his kingdom” Vanessa explains.

“Why are you giving your husband away like this if you love him as much as you say you do?” He asks. “Because power has gone to his head. He was once a loving husband and father but ever since he met his true mate all he’s been wanting is more power.” She explains. “Wouldn’t you hate her for making your husband that way?” The councilman asks.

“No. Well at first yes but after I started to get to know her no. I have the power to tell one’s feelings for others and Amber didn’t want my husband. She never did. She only wanted to be with one person and that’s King Sawyer. I had a plan for them to be with each other again I just didn’t know how until he told me King Sawyer was coming to the council. I figured out where the meeting was so I made a plan to get the two back together” Vanessa explains. “All I wanted was to have my husband back” Vanessa adds.

“Thank you, Mrs. Vanessa,” he tells her. Vanessa nods and sits back down.

“We won’t have Miss. Amber speak I talked to her last night and have her statement that I’ll read out loud” Walter says as he stands up. He moves around papers where he’s sitting until he finds the one he’s looking for and picks it up.

“Miss. Amber has claimed that no one in King Dante’s castle ever hurt her, but she was frightened. She made a couple of friends that she could trust. She doesn’t know a lot about the plan why she was kidnapped besides the King himself telling her that he wants to rule both kingdoms. That he wanted to watch the Werewolf King suffer. While at first, Vanessa wasn’t the warmest towards Amber they did start to understand each other and soon become friends while they had lessons together. Vanessa taught Amber about the Werewolf world and how to be a Luna Queen. When King Dante won Amber as his Queen she would only be the Vampire Queen for show. King Dante would not have children with Amber. He was going to have a third child with Vanessa act like that’s Amber child to the people and make that child King” Walter read then sat down.

“We’ve heard enough to understand what we must do,” the head councilman says as he stands up. “King Dante from the advance we have against you from kidnapping Miss. Amber and wanting to ruin the Werewolf Kingdom and not have your child with your true mate we the council strip you of your title as the Vampire King” the councilman starts.

King Dante stands up in outrage. “What!” He yells. “You can’t do that,” he tells the council “we can and we just did now sit down,” the head councilman tells King Dante. I guess he’s no longer King so I shouldn’t be calling him that anymore. “Mrs. Vanessa, you will be crowned Queen of the Vampires until your eldest son comes of age to take the crown,” the councilman tells Vanessa.

I look over at Vanessa to see shock on her face. “What would happen to my husband?” Vanessa asks. “As of now, we fear your safety along with Miss. Amber. Until we can trust him again he’ll be staying here. You and your children can visit him whenever you please and for however long you want. The ceremony for the crowning the Queen will be held in the next couple of weeks. You are all dismissed” the councilman says.

The room erupts with chatter as people get and leave. I’m glued to my seat not fully understanding what just happened. Sawyer next to me stands up “come on Amber we need to talk” he tells me. I nod and stand up I look ahead of me to find Sawyer already walking away. I push in my chair and rush to catch up to him.