Chapter 5: Nothing More than a Substitute
(CORRINE)
My body aches as awareness floods through .
I’m pressed against sothing hard, and I feel warm and comfortable.
I don’t want to wake up. I snuggle deeper, not willing to relinquish this source of heat. My wolf is comfortably curled inside the recesses of my mind, content for a change.
It’s the quiet growl that makes my eyes fly open.
I am instantly looking into a pair of mildly annoyed, amber eyes set in a face that has been carved by the gods themselves.
A startled "eek" slips from my mouth as I scramble backward, get tangled in the sheets, and fall off the side of the bed onto the hard floor.
Groaning, I try to sit up but fail, my lower back hurting.
The bed creaks, and the owner of the face, the king of the North, walks around the foot of the bed toward .
"I’m sorry!" Petrified, I try to move away from him, but he just ignores , lifting , sheets and all, and dumping
back on the bed.
"You sleep like the dead." His voice is cool and unaffected, those sharp, amber eyes studying .
"I–I’m sorry."
A flash of irritation crosses his face. "Stop apologizing."
I clamp my mouth shut, not knowing what else to do.
He’s wearing a pair of dark pajama pants, his upper body bare. The hardness I felt was his bulging muscles. His hair is jet black, with ssy curls that make him look dangerously handso.
I tamp down the flare of attraction within , horrified that I can think of sothing like that at a ti like this.
King Locke stares at
for a long mont before dragging over one of the chairs and settling down in it, facing .
"Do you know why I’ve brought you here?"
"To execute ?" I venture slowly.
He gives
a look as if he considers
incredibly stupid. "You think I bathe and feed all prisoners who are to be executed?"
My body tenses. This is it. This is where he’s going to tell
he plans on torturing . Just like—
"You are a political prisoner of sorts. I don’t wish to rule the East. You, Princess Ravenna, have offered to marry
to keep the peace between the two kingdoms."
My eyes widen in shock. "What?"
"The mating ceremony is in a couple of hours. Sigrid will—"
"I can’t do it!" I burst out, terrified. It would be so easy to keep my mouth shut and go along with this, but if he finds out the truth down the line, it will be so much worse for . I can’t live in fear of him discovering my true identity.
The king has fallen silent, so I continue, lowering my head. "I’m not— I’m not the real Princess Ravenna. I just look like her."
"I’m aware."
His words throw
for a loop. Shocked, I lift my eyes to et his. "You are?"
"You don’t have the mark of the royal family of the East."
I gape at him. "If—If you know, then why—"
"My reasons are not your concern. The real Princess Ravenna was found dead, her corpse mangled almost beyond recognition."
My eyes widen in horror. I was sure she would make it out. She knew all the secret passageways. She was being guided by her most trusted maids.
"I want to know how long you’ve been a stand-in for the princess."
I twist my fingers, trying to absorb this bombshell news. "Ever since I was five. She found
on the street. I was an orphan, and she brought
to the palace. I have studied under the royal tutors in place of her, taken etiquette classes alongside her—"
"She trained you as a duplicate," Locke recognizes.
I nod. "It was her father’s idea. If she were ever in danger, they could use ."
At least, that’s what Ravenna told : that the purpose of my entire existence was to live under her shadow.
"So, you received the sa training as her, the sa education?"
I nod hesitantly.
"Then you can be used as a substitute for the princess." His words stun , my heart tightening in my chest.
A substitute for the princess? Is that really all I’m good for?
I know I should be grateful that I get to live, but at this mont, I feel small and worthless. Does no one care about Corrine Hale? Does no one care about her existence?
"Given that you’re my fated mate—"
"I’m sorry, what?" The words explode from , my body jerking in shock.
He gives
a vaguely exasperated look. "You must have sensed it upon our eting. We are fated mates. I was already planning to tie the princess to
since I need heirs of royal blood, but now I have no choice but to use you. The Northern Kingdom values its pure bloodline—"
Numbly, I stare at the man before . "But I can’t give you pure-blooded heirs. I’m not Princess Ravenna. I’m—"
"I don’t care what your na is," he says, clearly uninterested. "As long as you can bear
heirs that can be passed off as having royal blood, I have no interest in you, your likes, or your wants. You are a substitute, nothing more."
Suddenly, the world feels colder. He’s my fated mate. Shouldn’t he care a little bit?
He gets to his feet. "Since you have all the necessary training, I expect you to act like the queen of the North. You will have certain responsibilities, and a royal assistant will be appointed to guide you. Don’t overstep your bounds, Ravenna. As long as you rember your place and don’t cross any lines, you can live in comfort here. Do you understand?"
I stare at him, my heart turning to ice as the last ember of hope dies within .
This is my fated mate in front of , and even in his eyes, the only value I have is that of a substitute. The one individual in the whole world who is supposed to want
for
doesn’t.
The emptiness that fills
makes
go limp, all the fight finally leaving .
"I understand." My words are quiet, lifeless. He called
Ravenna. My na is Ravenna now. Corrine Hale is dead.
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