The next morning, Alie’s sleep abruptly broke with the sa nightmare that she saw in San Ravendale before coming to the palace.
She took deep breaths while caressing her chest, trying to steady her racing heartbeats.
Turning her head, she saw Gabriel sleeping soundly.
’I need to talk about it with the Queen. But what if... She starts blaming instead of giving the answers?’ Alie thought, her heart again palpitating in worry.
Getting quietly out of the bed, Alie went to the washroom to freshen up and then decided to go for a walk in the royal garden for so ti.
As she arrived there, her eyes landed on the Queen. Cold sweat appeared on her palms. ’Why did I have to see Her Majesty in the morning? I should leave quietly before she catches ,’ she decided ntally.
However, Mabel had already turned around.
Alie gulped. She quickly lowered her head in a respectful bow, masking the nervousness in her posture.
"A morning walk is good for both mother and the pup," Queen Mabel said. "Co. Let’s walk together."
It wasn’t a request Alie could refuse.
With hesitant steps, she fell into pace beside the Queen. A tense silence hung between them, the kind that seed to echo with unspoken thoughts. Alie’s fingers fidgeted nervously.
Noticing the gesture, Mabel finally broke the silence. "A lot happened yesterday," she said in a much subdued voice than usual. "I shouldn’t have spoken to you the way I did."
Alie was stunned to hear the Queen’s words . She hadn’t expected the Queen to even acknowledge the previous day’s exchange, let alone express regret for her harshness.
"Your Majesty... I shouldn’t have spoken out like that in front of everyone," Alie replied, lowering her gaze. "I misunderstood your intentions, and I’m truly sorry."
"You didn’t say anything wrong," Mabel said quietly. "You were right. I’ve hurt my children with my sharp words more tis than I care to admit. Only Gabriel dared to speak about it on my face. His Majesty does too, but he loves , so he tries to be soft with ."
Alie looked at her face, and saw a weary expression occupying it.
"Then, why does Her Majesty do that?" she inquired and then reached to her neck to hold the pendant. "Her Majesty gave this pendant to Gabriel to protect him. He never took it off which ans he always cared for his mother more than he admits."
"And he passed it to you," Mabel replied.
"I didn’t an to take it, Your Majesty. If I knew–"
"It was ant to be yours one day," Mabel affird.
Alie got confused, and she lowered her hand to her side. "I-I thought Her Majesty was annoyed with the fact that Gabriel gave it to ."
"I was surprised," Mabel answered. "He had many casual flings in the past. He used to see Alpha she-wolves, many ca from strong Alpha lineages. So, I never expected him to give it to a woman he t for the first ti and blindly trusted her." Then, turning to Alie, she looked into her eyes.
"You’ve a wolf, don’t you?" Mabel asked.
"No. I’m wolf-less. It was revealed in a ritual," Alie admitted.
"You’ve a wolf, but it’s bound by a spell," Mabel stated. "A wolf-less oga can’t get the mate’s scent. But you got it from Gabriel. And I saw your eyes gleaming last day when we argued," she explained, a small smile began forming on her lips.
"I’m sorry about that. I truly didn’t wish to argue with you," Alie said, feeling guilty again.
"Alie, I’ll tell you why I always remained so cold to Gabriel. However, you’ve to promise you won’t utter a single word to him," Mabel affird.
"But he deserves to know. More than anyone, he should know why his mother never showed loved to him," Alie spoke her mind.
"Because of the curse he carries from his past life. He was betrayed in love in the past and the only redy to remove that curse was never let him know what love is, let him crave for it, but not give him that love. The High Priestess ntioned that he’s destined to suffer in this birth too for sothing he did in the past," Mabel revealed to her, "and it’d related to his mate."
Alie was shocked to learn that. She recalled about the nightmare she got twice in a row. A frown of worry appeared on her forehead, and once again, her heart raced in anxiety.
"Was that why Her Majesty didn’t want to marry Gabriel? And would he be hurt if I-I stay with him? Will it cost him his life?" Alie questioned.
"Maybe," Mabel replied. "But according to the high priestess, Gabriel was destined to suffer after so ti if he would receive the love. A price he has to pay," she muttered.
Alie’s hands started trembling in fear.
"I leave the decision to you, Alie," Mabel said. "I asked you the previous day to prove you’re worthy to be on his side. So, this will be your task."
She paused for a mont before continuing, "I won’t ask you to leave Gabriel anymore. But I do want sothing from you. Find the cure to his curse. He asked about a mark recently. I’m sure you bear the sa one on your body."
Alie’s brows furrowed in confusion and surprise.
"Speak to your mother," Mabel added. "She must know sothing. That mark is not ordinary, it’s tied to your past. And keep all this conversation hidden from him. If you believe in your mate bond, this Moon Goddess guided fate, then you’ll definitely save Gabriel. As a mother, I did everything I could do. I realized that I’ve to stop now."
Alie curled her fingers into fists as she nodded her head. "I’ll do it, Your Majesty. Thank you for telling the truth. Since you put your faith in , I’ll prove it to you."
This unimaginable strength suddenly ca in Alie’s body. A few monts ago, she feared thinking about the nightmare. But now, she got a direction and understood how she had to start working toward it.
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