Chapter 171

Chapter 171 Another step closer “We still haven’t seen him.” Beth said as soon as she walked through the tent with a tray of food balanced on her hip. Doris fell right back against the sheets and closed her eyes. Perhaps if she tried hard enough, she would realize it was all a dream.

“It’s been two days. He hasn’t sent word that he’s fine.” Doris said. She could feel Beth sit next to her on the bed and rub her arm with her icy fingers. “What if something happened to him and no one knows it?

What if the entire group he went with was killed?”

Doris opened her eyes to see Beth worrying at her lip. She quickly stopped when she saw Doris watching her. “It’s going to be fine. I heard the rogues were with him.” Beth said with a little uncertainty in her tone. She hadn’t yet warmed up to the fact that they were working with the rogues.

Not that Doris blamed her. Their whole lives they were taught to fear them and one day they show up at the palace and she’s supposed to trust them? Doris wouldn’t have either if she hadn’t been through the north and saw they were so much better than the kingdom painted them out to be. Beth still refused to be in the same room with one and quickly left before it could happen.

Despite her high praise of Enzo and the rest of the rogues, Doris knew that Beth was still scared of them.

Before she left for the north they heard stories of the rogues eating servants for fun, now she was forced to sleep near them as if it was all no big deal.

“Enzo and William are unstoppable together.” Doris whispered. More to herself than anything. In the north, there was no one that could best either of them alone. Together, she knew they were a force. She only wished one of them would send word that they were fine. I Beth made a face at her. “Enzo? Are you referring to Lord Enzo? The ruler of the rogues?”

“Yes, who else would be talking about?” Doris sat up a little. She felt like a mess and probably looked like one too. Her nausea came and went throughout the day and night. She missed when a simple drop of blood could cure all of her sickness.

“It’s just so informal that you refer to him as that.” Beth laughed. “I remember the days you would sweat when you heard a prince was nearby. Now you’re calling all these princes and lords by their first names.”

Doris grinned. “If you called Enzo a Lord, he would laugh at you. He doesn’t like his friends referring to him as that. It’s more for people he doesn’t like or don’t know him.” 1 “Oh, well, look at you miss fancy friend of a lord.” Beth stood and went to retrieve her tray.“ It’s time for you to eat. I don’t want you almost fainting again because you’re more worried about him than your body.”

Doris rolled her eyes with affection as she took the tray and ate every single piece of food on it. The flavors of fruit, bread, cheese and meat mixed together as one with how fast she finished. If it was anyone but Beth in the room, she would have been blushing with embarrassment.

Beth laughed at her anyway, “Did you want more? I can go get another plate—“

“No! No, thank you. I was just hungry today.” Doris stood and wrapped herself in a thick cloak. “Do you think we should go looking for him? I know it wouldn’t be wise but-truly! He should have sent word by now. We‘re not that far from the kingdom-” 1 “Doris.” Beth groaned. “You know that he wants you to stay here. If you go out there you’ll get in even more trouble. I’m sure there’s a ton of Martin’s army scattered all around the area and you have a giant target on your head. Everyone knows you’re the mate of the prince.”

“I know, I know. I just-It doesn’t feel right. I feel like he’s in pain somewhere. I don’t know if they captured him or not. What if that feeling is our bond trying to warn me about him?”

“I’m sure we would have heard if he was captured! Our army would be called off if he was captured, we’d all be in jail I’m sure.”

“I know-”

A loud scream came from outside the tent. Doris and Beth glanced at each other for a second before they ran out to the sound.

In the clearing of the camp, a crowd was already formed. Doris quickly pushed her way through until she was near the front. She had to clamp her hand down over her mouth just to keep in her own screams when she saw them.

William stood over the broken body of his brother, Jack. The prince that had tortured her for information she didn’t have, the prince that almost killed her and tried to frame his brother for something he knew he didn’t commit.

William looked up and locked eyes with Doris. For a moment, she didn’t recognize the eyes that stared back at her. They weren’t her blue ocean or even the storm that blew threw a village-they were cold and dark.

Prince Jack looked as if his neck had been snapped and his bones broken. His face was covered with blood and it dripped down his clothes like rain. William left him there at his feet. Discarded and dead.

“My brother wanted me dead. Perhaps more than the Luna Queen did.” William said. His voice carried in a way that he didn’t have to raise it even slightly, they all heard it. “I made sure her body was delivered and unsurprisingly was met with his rage.”

William turned his brother over with his foot and Doris had to look away before she threw up everything she had just eaten. “As you can see, he was unsuccessful.”

Nobody around him moved. It didn’t even sound like they were breathing with how silent it was. He looked through the crowd with his dark eyes and straight posture. She carefully took a small step back when his eyes were off her.

“We’re glad to see you’re alright, Prince William.” Patrick, the ever loyal beta, finally said. The tension was thicker than ever, but William only wanted to bathe in what he had done.

“This makes me one step closer to the throne. Prince Jack would have challenged me for it if our army had won and set us back even further.” William paced the small area. Slowly, Doris moved back even more. Was he trying to convince the crowd that this was a wise move, or himself?

“What’s next for us?” Someone asked. “Should we move in on Martin?”

“Soon. He’ll discover that his mother and brother have fallen and he’ll know that it’s time to stop this war and give me what I deserve.” William said through his teeth. He searched the crowd and found her instantly as she moved towards the back. It froze her to the spot.

“My brother deserves to be with the dirt in the ground. Consider this his redemption for all the wrong he has put into the kingdom.” William spat.

kingdom than Kingdom The crowd said nothing. Prince Jack wasn’t a well loved prince. He started more fires in the ut Doris knew that they were more frightened in front of them.

“Enzo won’t be back for a few days with some of the rogues, they’re getting a layout of what we’re up against. For now, as you were.”

The crowd took several moments before it finally dispersed. As if they all woke from the same fog she was in and had forgotten how to move.

William’s eyes didn’t move from her. He pinned her to the spot and didn’t release her until he was in front of her. “Don’t get a welcome back?” He said. She couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” Doris whispered. William gripped her arm and led her to their tent. Beth was no where in sight, she was smart enough to be long gone before William came in.

“What were the results?” William asked, ignoring her previous question as if she never said it. He sounded so cold and distant. She wasn’t sure if he was still in his battle mask or if he was pulling away from her more by the day. She could barely grasp on to what she had with him before, now it felt like trying to hold water.

Doris crossed the room and grabbed the purple tube. She said nothing as she pressed it into his hands.

William studied the tube as if to make sure it was real. Silently, he set it down and turned to Doris. “I should have been here for it.”

“Yes. You should have.”