Chapter 225

#Chapter 15 Who are you Doris turned to see Daemon across the empty hall from her with his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

He looked even more wicked in the light but she supposed all of Eldon looked that way. At least he had a bit of kindness in his gaze to round it out. “ Doris, isn’t it?”

Doris glanced around to make sure no one was around them, especially not William. This man was brave to seek her out when he was near. Hadn't he heard of William’s reputation?

She had just finally gotten her baby back to sleep when he arrived. She moved Alec’s face against her shoulder and eyed the mysterious stranger.

“And who are you?” Doris asked.

“I should have known that you were more special than just a servant. It was foolish of me to think for a moment.” The side of his lips pulled up. “It made much more sense when I saw you at the king’s side. A girl like you would move kingdoms, just as I thought.”

Doris wasn’t sure where this man’s confidence in her came from, she had only just met him and it was all misplaced. She was a white wolf with no power yet. Better to let him believe she was everything he thought than useless.

“I asked who you are. A normal messenger boy doesn’t attend private royal dinners with royalty.” Doris raised her chin.

Daemon scratched the back of his head. “Ah, I suppose you could call me their advisor. They don’t trust many people to do this sort of work in Eldon, so I’m here to do all of the jobs.”

“All of the jobs?” Doris raised her brows. “Then you must know why those rulers are truly here?”

“They want peace for our lands, that is the only intention I’ve heard of.” Daemon said with a slight shrug. “ They think he is young and they don’t want him to make immature decisions regarding their own kingdom. They just want to remind him that they are in support of him.” “Interesting...” Doris said quietly. She glanced down the hall where the meeting still went on. She knew she should be back in there, but she didn’t want Alec to wake again. He clearly hated meetings— perhaps that was why William forgave Doris so soon. The thought left a bitter taste on her mouth. He had nothing to forgive her for.

“You should go back to your rulers. I’m sure they wouldn’t like to know that you’ve been slacking on all your jobs.” Doris moved to turn away.

“Aren’t you going back in too?” He asked.

“No, I have to put my baby down fora nap. William knows how to handle these things better than me.”

Doris offered a small smile before it faltered. “You shouldn’t seek me out again. My king doesn’t like when men follow me around unless he’s paying them to. In fact, it makes him quite mad.”

Daemon gave her an innocent smile that only made him look more sinister. “Oh, of course. I didn’t mean to intrude or offend.”

“You haven’t yet. Let’s end it like that.” Doris bowed her head slightly and turned to leave. This time, he didn’t follow.

It wasn’t until hours later that William returned. Doris had just finished eating at the table with Alec when he entered like a storm.

The dark circles around his eyes had grown. He raked his fingers through his messy hair and pulled off his jacket. So many thoughts crowded his mind, she could tell with just a simple look that he was overwhelmed.

“How did it go?” Doris asked. She stood and placed Alec in his bed before she went to him. “Are you hungry?”

“I already ate.” He gripped her shoulders and pulled her closer while he eyed Alec’s crib. “It went well. I think it’s a good thing they’ve come.”

“Why do you say that?” Doris moved her hands up his chest and started to unbutton his shirt. They hadn’t been very intimate since the baby came. After she healed down there, she had been waiting for him to sneak his hand up her skirt but he had been too busy to try it. It made her ache for him in a way that she wasn’t used to. It made the back of her mind wonder if he even found her still desirable —if he even wanted her at all.

His blue eyes finally met with her own, it made her catch the breath in her throat. She couldn’t get over how handsome he looked even at his messiest times.

“They want our kingdoms to be allies. It’s the first one that has come forward to want such a thing. Not even my father had other allies in kingdoms.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little strange that they came out of no where for this? You didn’t even hear from them when you were crowned or when the baby was announced. You even said that they didn’t like your father very much.”

William suddenly pulled away and went to take off his shoes. Doris dropped her hands in defeat.

“Nobody really liked my father. He was ruthless and only cared about his own intentions. They want to start fresh with my kingdom.”

“Do they have allies in other kingdoms that you know of?” Doris went to sit on the edge of the bed next to him.

“We haven’t discussed other kingdoms, just our own.” He grumbled. He didn’t like when she questioned him. He always wanted her to agree with everything he did and said.

“I just... I felt off from their visit. I want to make sure that they aren’t here with bad intentions.”

William rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “ Perhaps if you stayed like you were meant to, you wouldn’t have such thoughts. They aren’t bad people.”

Doris opened her mouth to defend herself, but closed it. It wasn’t worth it. He would fight until the sun broke and then go to his meetings like a zombie.

“Okay.” Doris said carefully. “I only hope you proceed with caution. People might think you don’t know what’s good for you so they target you.”

William scoffed and pushed off the bed. “I know more than any ruler of this kingdom ever has!”

“I didn’t say you didn’t.” Doris said calmly. She stood and put her hands on his shoulders. “You are a brilliant king and this kingdom is lucky to have you. I only don’t want you to be taken advantage of is all.”

William’s hardness softened just a little under her touch. His brows relaxed and she could see the exhaustion. Doris leaned up on her toes to kiss him gently and he leaned into her as if she could hold him up all on her own.

His hands gripped her waist and he pulled her to the bed. She felt her heart race in her chest when they hit the sheets, only for it to calm again when he pulled away and closed his eyes.

He was out before she could even say goodnight.

Still, the uneasy feeling kept her up at night.