Chapter 55: Chapter 55

"Lenora " A thick voice called my name and when I realized it was from the King my body shook.

Perhaps I should have been calm because the liquid in my mouth wasn't helping as I gulped it down but unfortunately choked on the water while coughing my lungs out.

I brought up my head to look at the King who seemed to have crossed me out of his list with the disappointment in his eyes.  My eyes shifted to Alaric who was more concerned about me as he placed some gentle pat on my back but stopped immediately the King cleared his throat.

"It's understandable that you've never been in the presence of this much royalty so I'll let it slide" He casually said like I had purposely made myself choke on the water.

"I'm sorry, your highnesses" I managed to apologise as I was no longer choking from the water but my face was ruined already and I looked awkward.

"Where was I?" He asked before gently patting the dining table.

"Oh, I remember now. I was about to ask you some questions " he said after a while as my whole body started to tremble.  Alaric noticed how tense I was so he placed his hands right on my laps trying to soothe me. It might have worked a little but the King's eyes made everything worse as I got scared even more.

"I guess the rumors are true about my son claiming to be your mate, is that so?"

"Yes sir" I responded with my head facing the plate on the dining table, perhaps if I don't look at his face then I wouldn't be so nervous. Heaven only knows if I might shit my panties if I stared at his face again.

"Due to my research about who my son claimed to be mated to, you happened to be a commoner of no class so what makes you think you deserve my son?" He asked as my heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

Even an outsider knows how ordinary I was from miles away. Maybe I truly meant nothing to anyone but Alaric, he somehow saw the potential in me that even I couldn't see.

"I know I don't deserve him your highness, the moon goddess chose to bless us" I responded as I could instantly feel Alaric's gaze on mine and on turning to look at his face he had the most satisfied and happiest smile I have ever seen.

I wouldn't have loved to say these words in the presence of Alaric but at this point I knew if I didn't say anything then I might as well watch Alaric getting another wolf marked which I just can't let happen.

The queen also seemed to be happy at my words but the King's face held no emotions still as his face was just calm as he ate his breakfast and constantly wiped the side of his mouth with a napkin.

I've never pictured Adolph as a man with morals, I thought he'd be more rough and haggard with lust for blood and if one was to tell me that this man kills thousands of people in a minute then I would think they were going crazy.

"Well that's not what I needed to hear, why do you think you deserve my son, little one? " he asked in a much lower tone but his voice held a lot of power as they vibrated.

This time, I knew he didn't want any answers that did not involve my actual powers and capabilities but there would be a problem as I didn't think I had any power or strength.

Minutes passed yet I said nothing about the question he asked, I could feel his eyes burning into my soul but I didn't know what to say and I honestly wish I could give him an answer but I have no answers.

"I hate to be kept waiting " he growled and I could notice his wife getting more scared as she looked at me with pity eyes that were telling me to speak up.

"I have no answers my King" I responded after some time and the king scoffed immediately while pushing the plate of food away from his side on the dinning.

"You've heard it haven't you? She's a nobody and has nothing to offer. What makes you think she'll be a better queen in the future son?" He looked at Alaric whose head was bowed and facing the table.

"The audacity! The audacity to claim this atrocity as a mate and think I would let my son,my heir, get married to her." He spat in annoyance as he stood from the dining table to leave the room.

The queen had also stood up afterwards, she clearly wasn't happy as she followed her husband behind.

"Wait Father!" Alaric yelled, causing his father to halt on his steps as he stood still waiting for what Alaric had to say to him.

"Lenora has more potential than you think ,father," he said after having a deep breath.

"Cooking in the kitchen is a job of a chef not a queen" he responded and I would say that really hurt me deeply as I didn't even know how to cook either.

"She's strong, one of the strongest females in the pack" Alaric said and if not for the situation we were in, I would count it as a compliment but now it was just complicating as I was actually the opposite of that, I was the weakest in the pack.

"I chose not to believe, she looks like she can't kill a mere dog, she's practically useless and that is one of the reasons why I hate the moon goddess and don't worship her. She's just a stupid fairytale that blesses good people with stupid people." He scoffed and walked away from the dinning afterwards leaving me broken.

I tried to not let his words get to me but no matter how hard I tried they still stung badly that I had no appetite to continue my food. I would hate to leave this food as it tasted delicious but my body wouldn't accept the food at the moment.

"I'm sorry" Alaric apologized but I didn't want to be here anymore, tears were about to leave my eyes but I didn't want to cry in this place.

Jenny was still standing there with a satisfied grin on her face after watching the King bluntly calling me useless and incompatible for his son.

"I need to go " I said as my voice broke but I managed to leave their sights before any drop of tear would fall.

I immediately rushed to my bedroom as I closed the door shut behind me and crashed on the floor beside the bed as I cried my eyes out on my knees which were folded to my chest.

I had mixed feelings about the breakfast but had tried to hope for the best yet nothing good came.

"I don't think I will bother to let him know I am a good match for his son. He can marry his son to any other person for all I care" I cried out but deep down I knew I wasn't able to give Alaric up that early, perhaps I had grown a liking for him and I know our bond is more connected as I can't be broken like I was anymore.

I can't be broken twice.

After some while of crying my eyes out, having no tears left to cry. I just sat on the floor as I placed my head on the bed, hoping everything would come to an end soon but then I heard a knock on the door.

I could easily tell it wasn't from Alaric nor was it from anyone that has been in the pack for long but the smell coming from the person was deadly familiar and triggered some hormones in me yet I couldn't point out the exact person.

The person knocked again and I decided to check up on who the person was. The moment I opened the door, I came face to face with the last person I wanted to see in my entire life as my wolf started growling at her irritating smell.

I had no idea how she knew my exact room and who the hell had let her through the gates and not the dungeon.

While eyeing her continuously, I tried to shut my door back as her face angered me but she had held the door tight and there was no way I was able to push past her.

She might have aged but was still strong like Tala, if not more than Tala and unfortunately,  I'm the outcast of the family.

"Why the fuck are you here?" I growled as my wolf immediately came out of her corner ready to pounce and fight in anger but deep down we both knew we would be beaten with ease and had no chance against her.

"When did you learn to use swear words on your mother, Lenora?" She asked, still with full pride and I wished to tear her face apart.

"Since my late mother decided to abandon me like an outcast, you're a stranger to me and I could curse you as much as I want" I replied with my eyes being fierce and I could feel my anger trying to leave my body.

"Will you be calm for once, Lenora Hunter?" She called my name but this time the tone she used was different as she wasn't being as bitchy as she was when she first spoke.

"Why should I?"

"Because i need to tell you something"

"Well I don't want to hear it" I immediately responded as I reached for the door once again but she had held it with her strong hands while I silently cursed today in my head. Why does today have to be as bad as this? Does the moon goddess really want me to gulp down a whole bottle of wolfsbane?

"I've come to apologise " She said in a much lower tone that it made it seem real. I didn't realize the moment where I scoffed out loud and laughed at her really expensive joke.

"I'm serious here Lenora '' She said again and with the look on her face, it was quite deceiving that she actually meant what she had been saying about being sorry.

The last thing Clara would say to me would be sorry and I doubt she would even say it on my deathbed else she has a motive.

"When you're done, please get out...."

"I know I've wronged you and you hate me so much right now. I just need you to believe me or trust me this once when I say I'm truly sorry for having you go through all of that while growing up " She apologised while I stared at her in dismay.

"I don't think you're sorry because you can't just wake up one day and walk up to me claiming to be sorry for the amount of years you've hurt me" I yelled at her and realized my emotions were already crowding the room.

"I know I've done you bad but I swear I was forced to,I didn't want to do it but it was after I birthed you that your father decided to move away from the house and never came back. " She said as she wiped the corner of her eyes. Does she really think I would believe this excuse she's giving?

"But father has always called you and spoke to Tala yet he never spoke to me, every time he would call you would send me off. Why the hell do you hate me so much after birthing me?" I said but realised I had let my emotions get the best of me as some tears escaped my eyes.

"I'm sorry Lenora, I was just a sad mother at that point and that was why I thought he had left because of you" She cried and as much as I didn't want to pay attention to her, seeing her cry broke me because she was after all the woman who birthed me into this cruel world.

I tried to reason from her point of view but it was so useless because I still couldn't get why she would treat her own daughter so unfairly because of a thought in her head that my father left because of me.

Always neglected me from doing the fun stuff and I spent all of my childhood in my room while Tala on the other hand had a lot of fun.  The only person who kept me sane was my grandma.

"I'm sorry Clara, but I can never forgive you "