I slowly tilted my head to look at Alaric's face, hoping to find answers to the questions that had been bothering me. It can't be true; Alaric can't be the father of that child, and he would never do anything like that to me.
He will never betray my trust in him, and he would never consider sleeping with another wolf, let alone impregnating the wolf. It cannot simply be. Jenny is unquestionably lying.
As I looked at him, I noticed that he had no emotions on his face and only stared at Jenny with a straight face. Anger, sadness, and frustration were all absent from his expression, and his hands were still holding mine softly and without tension.
"Why isn't he reacting, and why isn't he saying anything?" I asked myself, with tears piling up in my eyes. I shouldn't be doubting him, but I can't just help but need answers from him, and he isn't saying anything nor is he reacting to the news in any way. Could he have known already, and is he truly responsible for that child?
"Alaric, say something, Alaric, please say something," I whispered under my breath, staring into the depth of his unfazed eyes.
"Why aren't you saying something? You didn't do it, so please say something," I muttered once again, under my shaky breath, yet no words left his lips. Hell, no words left my lips either.
My heart shattered into a thousand broken pieces as I suddenly found it hard to breathe while reaching out to gather the broken pieces of my heart. I need to leave this hall; I might end up losing my mind if I remain here for another minute. I just need to cool off my head and think well. Being in his presence isn't helping because he isn't saying anything.
The room was as silent as a graveyard, but my head was as loud as a storm. I couldn't stand it any longer in this place; I couldn't stand the number of eyes that were on me. They were too much; it was freaking me out. I am losing my mind.
His grip on my hand was still very tight. I tried to slip my hands away from his warm touch, but the moment my hands almost slipped out of his palm, he tightened his grip even more as he gave my hand a soft squeeze. He's finally reacting after being quiet for a very long time.
Ever since Jenny said those words, his gaze had been hard on her without blinking, but now he has shifted his eyes away from her and has finally brought them to look at me. He's finally looking at me, and I took in every expression on his face in search of answers, but the moment his eyes met mine, a smile tucked at the corner of his lips as his eyes gave me the assurance I needed.
Softly, he stretched out my hands, covering my hand with both his hands as his eyes smiled at me.
"You're prettier when your lips are curved upwards." He said.
"I will never be the cause of your sadness, Lenora," he added. My brows furrowed as my breathing continued in a stable rhythm. The pieces of my heart that kept falling apart were suddenly healed as I stared at him with my eyes filled with salty tears that were threatening to fall. There was no reason to hold them back at this point, so I let them run freely down my cheek, smearing my makeup, but I couldn't care less.
My doubts have been cleared, and my questions have all been answered, even though I feel guilty for ever doubting how strong our bond is.
For a moment, I happened to have forgotten that there's nothing as strong as the bond between us that prevents us from ever causing harm to each other. The bond between us kept me sane for weeks while I was away from him, and the bond between us that left him restless till he had me in his arms. Jenny stands no chance against what we feel for each other. She's just a liar who will soon beg for her demise.
All of my confusion and doubt quickly turned to anger, as I wanted nothing more than to see that wench die by my hands, but I had to stop myself, control my urge, and be patient.
This is Alaric's battle with her now, and I should let him do to her as he pleases.
"Jennifer, it's a shame you'd stoop so low," Alaric said as Jenny froze in shock at hearing him speak to her in a tone I'd only heard him use when he was angry. The rate at which the tone of his voice changed from the calm voice he spoke to me with to a threatening voice was scary. He's more than angry, and Jenny stands no chance against his wrath.
"Your highness, you made love to me, and as a result of that, I became pregnant..."
"Silence!" Alaric roared, every bone in her body trembling.
"I remember that day vividly. I decided to pardon you because I saw you as a little child, but you claiming that I impregnated you is the height of it," Alaric said. I could immediately sense that dangerous aura surrounding him as his eyes slowly started to change colour while his veins grew larger and more visible.
"Your highness, we made love," Jenny yelled, crying at the top of her lungs. I was fighting with every fibre of my being to keep me from pouncing on her and ripping her face off her skin, as her partner had done to those helpless she wolves.
"Are you that desperate?" Alaric asked, staring at her with absolute evil in his eyes. Seeing him let out his emotions, I think someone has found a way to calm me down.
"What do you wish to gain from all of your reckless acts?" Alaric asked.
"I wish to gain you, you alone," she yelled, crocodile tears falling down her cheeks.
"It's no new thing, and you know how much I love you, ever since I first laid my eyes on you, yet you chose a little girl over me." She added, yelling and trying to break free from the guard's grip.
"You chose a weak bitch over me," she added. My jaws clenched as I wished I could deal with her this instant. Even if I need to keep her alive for now, cutting off her lips would appease me for the little time she has left before I kill her myself.
I wasn't the only one fighting my anger, as I felt Alaric's anger increasing; he was more upset about the fact that she insulted me. Her insult shouldn't mean a thing to me because that so-called weak b*tch will be the last face she sees before dying.
I knew Alaric would never do something like that with someone as irritating as her, and I should have known better than to trust any words that left those lying lips of hers. I am a horrible person for letting that doubt cross my mind.
"Alaric, let her be for now. I need some answers from her, and then afterwards you can do as you please with her," I whispered into his ears in an attempt to reduce his burning anger. I could say that I was being a hypocrite because I also harbour the same thoughts of evil toward Jenny and want to cause her a lot of harm.
I could feel his muscles tensing as he was trying hard to fight it; he was trying his best to suppress his anger. Jenny should be lucky that Alaric wasn't as ruthless as he was, or else she would be long gone the second she accused him of impregnating her.
It took him a while before giving in to me and letting me lead him away from the hall, while the guards dragged Jenny back to her cell. I had high hopes for this feast and didn't even get to taste the meal before Jenny ruined it. She's always ruining everything.
As I walked up the staircase leading to the passageway for our room, I spotted Josh rushing towards Jenny as she was dragged away by the guard. I hope he makes sure that she never leaves her cell, but something about the look on his face tells me that he wasn't there to punish her but was rather going to meet her to ease the tension in his face, to sooth the furrow on his brows, and to clear the surprise in his eyes.
Something about his body language tells me that he once had something to do with Jenny. I watched as he approached her with burning anger, but the moment he got to her, his anger subsided as his eyes trailed down to her stomach. A look of regret was on his face, but Jenny, on the other hand, didn't take her time before spitting on his face.
It seems to me that Josh was indeed the unfortunate one who impregnated Jenny. How sad. How sad for both him and his mate.
*********************************************************
"Lenora," Alaric said as soon as we walked into his room. He turned to face me as his feeble blue eyes stared at me with a creased brow.
"Yeah?" I answered. By the look on his face, I could tell that he was unsure whether I believed him or not. He wants to clear up any doubt that might pop up in my mind, and he wants to know how it all happened.
"I'll never harm you." "Are you aware of this?" he asked.
I didn't answer him; rather, I erased the distance between us as I walked closer to where he was with a smile on my face.
On getting to him, I lifted my hands to meet his cheek and gave it a small squeeze.
"You don't have to say anything; I trust you," I answered.
"I remember that incident vividly. She made me drunk and weak, but I swear I didn't sleep with her..."
"Alaric, I trust you," I told him, cutting him off with a soft chuckle that soon turned to laughter on seeing the cute worried look on his face.
"On hearing my words, his face beamed with excitement as he pulled me into a tight hug.
"Alaric, the child," I said.
"I'm so sorry," he apologized, a chuckle leaving his lips as his soft smile melted every bone in my body.
"I'm sorry, my little love," he said, referring to the baby as he lowered his head down to my stomach, planting a deep kiss on it.
It was supposed to be a wholesome moment between us, but why did I suddenly appear in a strange place with flashes of blood, death, and war?
I couldn't help myself; I couldn't stop seeing blood everywhere, and on every corner that I turned, there was a body laying lifelessly on it. A loud shriek of wails echoed in my ear with every breath I took. Screams of both young and old people, cries of mothers calling for their children, and cries of people getting slaughtered.
My breathing roughened as my eyes opened wide. I could hear Alaric's voice calling my name, but all I could see was red. I could feel Alaric touching me, but all I could feel was the wet blood splattered on my body. Looking down, I realized I was stepping on a child, a small child. It was crying its lungs out, but I couldn't bring myself to step away from it. Blood. War. Death. Everywhere. All around me.
"Lenora!" Alaric yelled, everything returned to normal, there wasn't any blood anymore, and the cries of the innocent faded away. I returned to the room.
"Lenora, what happened?" Alaric asked in distress. I couldn't bring myself to provide an answer and could only stare at his face with shivers running down my spine. I also want answers to what just happened.