Chapter 18

Cassie

I felt instantly better after a shower, refreshed and eager to explore more and just like the King had promised the little omega , who was the housekeeper I was guessing was waiting outside my bedroom door for me.

She began shuffling forward , pointing out the people captured in the paintings and I stared at each one of them intently.

I could see aspects of Julian's face in theirs. The sharpness of a jaw here, the arch of eyes there. It was almost uncanny how alike the family all were.

"They look so much alike." I mumbled. Leaning forward I studied one picture closer. Taking in all the details. This one was of a woman and a man, and the way he was looking at her melted my heart. This was a painting of a family who were completely in love with each other. I could see it in their eyes.

Fated mates for sure, a couple that had come together in happiness and raised- my eyes scanned the children that had been painted playing around their legs. Seven of them. My eyebrows lifted. They had had a big family.

A big happy family. Something I had never witness and would never have.

A sigh escaped my lips.

"Yes." The omega who still hadn't told me her name and simply answered to omega tapped her fingers against the painting. "And you and Prince Julian's children will look like him. His family's genes are very strong. But that's because they are royalty." She gave a little chuckle but I didn't . I didn't understand why she was laughing.

"Lots and lots of children." Giggling like a school girl she turned to me and without warning pressed her hand against the material of my shirt. Right over my flat stomach. Her eyes glittered as she searched my face. "Maybe you are even with a pup already? Hey? Hey?"

I took a step backwards, so her hand dropped to her side. That was just weird. Who touched people's stomach like that without asking first? Even if she had asked first it was just a strange thing to do.

"No I don't think so." I said quietly with a smile because I didn't want her to feel bad. She seemed to be permanently on edge as it was.

At least I didn't have to worry about having a baby. I reminded myself. Julian could barely stand to be in the same room as me let alone the same thing.

Except.

My hand fluttered to my throat as heat rushed up and burnt my cheeks. The memories of that night at the hospital were still as vivid as ever. The look in his eyes as he stared down at me and sucked my juices from his fingertips. Things had gotten out of hand that night but at least we hadn't slept together.

At least we hadn't done that so there was no way I was carrying his child. If I fell pregnant then there would be no escaping him and my fate.

There would be no pups for us.

"What is this room?" Wanting to change the subject I pushed open a partially ajar door.

"Oh this." She shuffled forward, moving across the dusty dark room to pull open the drapes. Weak sunlight streaked in , illuminating the tiny dust particles so they glittered.

"This is Julian's room."

I glanced around, a frown pinching my brows together. "This is his-"

"His childhood room." She amended quickly. "He doesn't come in here anymore but he used to spend all his time in here before. Locked away with his models and his books."

Moving around the room I laughed. I couldn't see Julian reading at all. I kind of doubted he even could but everywhere I looked I could see musty leather bound books. And on the desk by the window a model plane that was half finished. Like one day Julian had just stood up and walked away from it.

It made me wonder what had made him do that.

"Where are his toys?" I couldn't help but ask. The room was dark , even with the curtains open and the sunlight streaming in. Dark drab wallpaper, dark wood. No colour at all apart from the half finished model.

This didn't look like a child's room at all. Even the bedspread was muted. It was a room a child stayed in but that wasn't theirs. There was no personality, no colour. Not even a nice print on the wall.

It was miserable but maybe that was Julian's choice. He was a miserable sod now so he might have been one as a kid too.

"Toys?" The omega sounded confused.

"Yes children have toys." I mumbled. Reaching on to a shelf full of books, my fingers curved around a small wooden box. It was carved with intricate flowers.

It didn't belong here. It was too beautiful.

"What the hell are you doing?" Julian roared and I jumped out of my skin, the fragile box tumbled from my fingers and I rushed to grab at it before it smashed on the floor but he got to it first.

"How dare you-" he was screaming at me. His spit flying from his lips to hit me in the face. "How dare you come in here and touch my things. Touch this."

His eyes flashed , lighting up from inside with a rage and hatred that made my blood run cold. It wasn't even his wolf that looked out at me. It was something so much darker.

Julian's usually handsome face twisted into a monstrous mask as he clutched the tiny box to his chest like a precious child. I stared at him even though every part of me was telling me to run away and hide. This was a side of Julian I had never seen before but had always suspected was there , hiding just below the surface.

He was a monster, a demon.

"I didn't mean to drop it. I was just-"

He stepped into me. His hand came out and gripped my shoulder and he began to shake me. Roughly and with all his strength. My head whipped back and forth. My brain literally rattling in my skull until my eye sight blurred.

"Never touch any of my things ever again you money grabbing whore. You worthless piece of shit." Without warning he pushed me away from him with so much force that my feet left the carpet.

I pinwheeled backwards. Desperately trying to break my fall by grabbing hold of something.

I landed hard, sliding down one of the many bookcases. Something sharp punctured my arm. Hot blood bubbled up.

Blearily I sat up and tried to regain my bearings. My cut arm cradled against my chest.

"I didn't ask to be -" I began to say but he was already gone.

"Miss." The little omega rushed forward. Crouching down with some difficulty on her old knees she reached for my arm and it was only then that I realised I was bleeding. Somehow when he had thrown me aside I had cut it and it was bleeding profusely.

"Let me see that-" her fingers on my arm stung and I winced backwards. "He did this." She began to shake her head.

"Julian did this?"

We both rushed to our feet as the king stepped into the room and for an old man he moved fast. Reaching for my arm he studied it. His eyes growing angrier and angrier. "I will call for a doctor."

"It's not so bad and I am a doctor." I pointed out. I probed at the edges of the cut. And a now familiar warmth began to spread through my fingers.

My fingertips glowed and before my eyes my skin began to knit together.

Magic.

That's all it could be or what was it that the alpha Bill had called it? My alpha power.

"That was impressive Cassie." The king nodded his head. "You are a very special young lady. Now why don't you go into the bathroom." He pointed to a door that I had completely missed when I had looked around. "And clean the blood off your arm and then I would like you to join me for breakfast."

I wasn't hungry. I was too in shock to eat but I couldn't say no. The king was asking me to eat with him after all.

"They haven't been together long and he's already hurting her." The omegas voice came to me through the closed bathroom door. The kings sigh was loud.

"I know." He sounded tired. "What started this?"

"The box." The answer was a whisper and I had to strain to hear it. Pressing my ear against the door I held my breath.

"Yes, that would do it." The king sighed. "You know how precious it is to him. What it means-" he trailed off and for a second I thought they might have realised that I was listening in.

"We must find a way to make this work."

"I don't know if we can. He is already acting like a monster to her and it's only going to get worse."

"Then we have to make sure that Cassie stays. Did you find a doner?"

There was a pause. "Yes."

"Then we have everything we need to make this work." The Kings words were firm.

Not thinking I twisted the door knob and stepped out of the room and the silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"I think I will clean up in my own room." I forced myself to smile at them but inside my mind was going a million miles an hour.

Just what were they planning?

I needed to find out.