Chapter 14

Laurel hid from Adolph for the rest of the day, barely sneaking to get something to eat before returning to her tent. She had to be careful since his tent was right next to hers, but it seemed that something was keeping him away from his tent for most of the day. She hoped her luck held out.

The next day, Laurel decided to brave leaving the tent to go see Sam. The guilt was gnawing at her from not seeing him the first time she heard about him being unwell. After dressing for the day, she listened for any sign of movement from Adolf's tent. She thought she heard Adolph leave his tent much earlier, but she had to be sure.

It sounded as though the coast was clear, so she left her tent and headed towards Sam's tent, but Adolf stepped from behind another tent and into her path with a little smirk.

She guessed her luck had to run out sometime.

*Mate!* Alice cheered.

Laurel wanted to roll her eyes and sneer at Alice's excitement, but she remained still as Adolph approached her. It seemed he'd been waiting to catch her. Had he noticed that she was avoiding him?

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Alice laughed and Laurel winced, scrambling for an answer. What could she say? She wasn't even entirely sure why she was avoiding him herself. Sure, the little thrill of happiness she'd felt when he'd thanked her the day before and seemed to be grateful for her work was enough to make her angry with herself. Didn't she know such a thing wouldn't last? Didn't she know better not to be swept away by such a small thing?

*Basil never said thank you*, Alice reminded her. *Our mate is a true man among men*.

Laurel sighed, pushing Alice's thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Because... I am just an ordinary werewolf, and you are the honored king." Laurel gave him a weak smile. "Obviously, we shouldn't cross paths often."

Adolph laughed, "You should work on your excuses. If you are just an ordinary werewolf, then you should obey my orders, stay close to hear my orders, and obey me promptly."

Laurel huffed and he grinned as he leaned into her space to speak in a low tone. This close, his breath ghosted over her neck and ear, sending a shiver down her spine. The scent of roses, cedar, and blood filled her senses and made her bite her lip to suppress a little moan of desire.

He smelled so good. She barely held herself back from stepping closer to him.

"Better yet... marry me."

Laurel flushed and went rigid before drawing back sharply, "You promised me you would not force me to--"

"Do I look like a king who won't keep his word?"

Laurel hesitated a little, averting her gaze. Basil had betrayed her. It wasn't a stretch to think that his father would do the same, but she couldn't say that.

Adolph saw her hesitation. Anger and confusion warred in him. He was actually not very good at pleasing a woman, as he didn't have much experience in that area. Why was she so hesitant to accept him? Money, status, love, and anything she desired within his power would be hers. He'd give her anything. No one could resist that, so why was she?

"What do you want that you think I won't give you?"

Laurel knew being married to Adolph would bring her anything she could desire, but she'd had all of those things. She had been luna. She'd had money and power, and her parents had used her. She'd had status, yet she had never felt worthy of it. There was nothing a noble or royal title could give her that had made her happy. If anything it felt more like a death sentence looming in her future.

Laurel shook her head, "I don't want your money or your power. I want"

She swallowed and lifted her head to meet his gaze, "I want happiness and freedom. You are the king. I would have to be your luna and there is nothing free about the responsibilities you carry."

Adolph narrowed his eyes at her for a moment. She could almost see his thoughts churning before he spoke, "If you were some vulgar woman who just wanted to climb into my bed, I might have said that I'm not the kind of fool who can't make the woman I love happy As it stands, you are not that woman."

Laurel searched his eyes as he continued, "You are capable and kind, smart and thoughtful. Yes, you are right. I am the king, and I have responsibilities, but I am looking for the kind of person who can share that responsibility with me. I want a person to stand beside me as an equal."

Laurel's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Adolph to say something like that. An *equal*? Her?

Hadn't she been burned before thinking that a title was enough to make her anyone's equal? Had she not tried to live up to that title of luna and wife of a great noble before and died for it? Hadn't she been abandoned when someone better suited to Basil's needs had come along?

"Well," Laurel began. "Then, I'm definitely what you're looking for. I'm nothing like that."

Adolph chuckled, "Oh, I don't need someone to tell me how to judge my mate."

She flinched. It was an arrogant thing to say and not a sentiment she hadn't heard from Basil before.

Adolph narrowed his eyes, "You're thinking of someone else. "

Laurel was stunned. How had he known? There was no way he was that perceptive.

"N-No, that's not--"

"If you're attempting to reject me because of another man, then you had better hide him or you'll have nothing more than a corpse."

Laurel should have been frightened, but she didn't freeze in terror. A little tickle of humor went through her and she tried to keep it closed as Alice howled with laughter in her mind.

*But that's your son!* Alice cried, cackling. *We should tell him!*

Laurel ignored Alice and forced her expression to be neutral, "Your Majesty, you shouldn't think such things."

"We'll see," Adolph grinned, soft, boyish, and teasing. "You're mine, my mate. Eventually, you'll cave and embrace me completely."

Laurel shook her head and turned to walk. He fell into step beside her as she headed to Sam's tent. He remained silent beside her as she pondered Sam's situation. She had seen many werewolves in the hospital who had never recovered. The one who did had either found a second mate or had simply decided to keep living, distracting themselves from the pain. Many of them ended up back in the hospital before long, but at least in the hospital, they weren't a danger to anyone, not even themselves. She knew of a few who had eventually been able to pick up their lives, but they'd had a family to support them and look after them. She was almost certain that none of them had ever found a second mate despite every effort to make it happen.

She thought of Sam curled up on the ground sobbing and fighting himself to stay in control. Her heart ached for him. She wondered if he had known his mate long or if they had bonded recently. She glanced at Adolph. She couldn't imagine Adolph showing such pain. How had Adolph managed to survive losing Basil's mother? Everyone knew they had been in a great romance and fated to be together. It was why he'd never married again.

Had he simply had the strength to fight through the pain? Had he directed his fury and heartbreak into destroying the vampires?

The thought of his late wife made her a bit bitter. She was only the backup, the second chance mate because the first died giving birth to their son. It was almost ironic that she was also Adolph's second mate after having married his son and helped run the kingdom.

How far down had he buried the agony of losing his late wife to go on seemingly without problem? If she died, would he forget her the same way? Would it be easier to forget her?

"What is it?"

"... Is it really painful to lose a mate?"

Adolph frowned, tilting his head in apparent confusion, "Why would you ask me?"

Laurel froze and he stopped walking as well. They stared at each other. What did that mean? Maybe he didn't want to talk about it?

"Y-Your Majesty, I didn't mean to." His expression grew more confused and she was at a loss. "Did you one lose your--"

She shut her mouth as Adolph froze. His expression turned dark, but not angry. There was no melancholy, but a deep bitterness she could almost feel standing so close to him.

Alice grew a bit wary, *Something isn't right.*

"No," he said, his tone was flat and cold like an echo from an abyss.

He turned sharply and walked on leaving Laurel to stare at the spot he once stood in shock and confusion.