Prophecies and Lies

Chapter 28

Edward's pov

Liars, what are they, if not scared people, who dress up in bravery?

I'm not sure who's the liar this time. Maybe it's my brother or Andria, my supposedly dreadful mate.

I am not surprised that this has happened. I always found Andria strange, with her voice sounding too sweet for my ears to comprehend. I am not surprised. Well, that is what I tell myself.

It still hurts knowing that I was made a fool of again. Hurts, to think that I was foolish enough to believe that maybe I would be lucky enough to find love,  find a mate who would cherish me to no end.

She seemed to have been perfect, maybe too perfect, though our encounters had always been short.

Her beauty was like no other, but her touch wasn't perfect. It always made a bitter dullness settle in the pit of my stomach. Maybe that was a sign that she was never mine, like I was never hers.

I never saw the signs. I was blinded by hope that we were meant to be. We weren't. It's obvious now that she never loved me.

I wish I could let this go, but I can't, not when something in my gut tells me something is wrong and not when they're so many unanswered questions, like how is it possible that she's my brother's mate when I too felt the mate bond towards her?

Something just isn't adding up, and right now, I don't think there is a single soul in the entire palace to whom I could happily disclose my queries. My brother is too smitten with Andria to understand my doubts about her, and the last thing I want to do is cause problems in our family by questioning Andria and my brother. If the Royal court finds out that somethig is wrong they could easly rebel against any one of us. That will be a big problem for me, especially if Will wins them over.

Though, I could easily challenge him before they find out. I could kill Andria after defeating him for her decietful lies. She would have no reason to live after he's dead anyways.

I push the thought of hurting Will out of my mind. I had promised our mother that I will always stand beside William and never against him. Not for his sake and not for mine but for the memory of our mother.

The last thing I want is for us to be against each other. The way Andria's sister has gone against her.

News about Andria's sister challenging her traveled around the palace fast. No one could believe that one sister could turn on the other without any valid cause but jealousy.

Alpha Alec had claimed that it was probably due to Ariana's curse. It is apparently like a demonic entity that has trifled her life, since the day she was born, causing her to behave in strange ways and commit inhumane acts. He didn't say much about this curse, making me suspicious that this rift between Andria and her sister is probably more than a symptom of a curse or jealousy.

For this one reason, I have chosen to leave the palace to see how things go. If it comes to my recognition that Andria is not fit to be my brother's mate, I will be see her banished from the realm.

She may be my brother's consort, but I am my brother's heir, and as my life has always dictated that duty comes over love.

I make my way to Clainton Manor, a small place my parents used to take us to when we were pups to escape the royal court.

The manor is more magnificent than the palace, as it resides in a remote forest on the hills of the Royal pack. It is small, yet cosy. The only place I'll ever call home again.

I've decided to travel in wolf form to clear my head so I no longer think about her.

Forgetting her would probably be impossible, especially when I return to the palace.

The palace is the demonic entity of my life that has always feasted on my joy. When I was younger, I never thought of it that way. Back than, it was home.

Home, where Mama would spend endless hours reading and playing with us. Where Papa would join us for late dinners, as much as it hurts to say, that home disappeared the day I saw a knife being drawn through Mother's heart, where every happy moment in my life shattered like a piece of glass.

Most people believe that my parents were poisoned, but they weren't. They were murdered in cold blood by someone who lives to this day.

Ever since that day, all I have wanted is blood, their blood in particular. For destroying my life and for killing my king and queen.

If it hadn't been for Will I would have killed their murderers. But he stopped me. He told me it was best to leave the past behind us and that Mama and Papa would be happier if they knew I was at home than seeking revenge.

I regret my decision to go to the palace, where I met Andria, the small flake of hope that crushed my desire to go back there.

The climb up the mountain to the manor is fairly easy, the terrain friendly on a hot day, with the puddles from yesterday's rain dried up, leaving no space for mudslides to occur.

I'm halfway up when the manor comes into view, my body almost relaxing at seeing the familiar white stone of the place.

Mr Walton, the housekeeper, rushes towards me when he sees me. He patiently, waits for me to shift back to my human form. He hands me some pants and a cotton shirt, which I throw on quickly. I can't force myself to say even hello. The old man doesn't seem to care as he rushes back inside leaving me alone.

My feet make their way into the manor's library, a small room with all wood furnishing. It's my little cave, where I like to think.

I slump onto a chair, a sigh leaving my lips as its plush cushion meets my back. I close my eyes for one sweet moment, in an attempt to forget everything that's happened.

The peace never lasts though, as I find myself thinking of Andria again. My mind wants answers to all my unanswered questions.

How is she my brother's mate? I thought she was mine...

I try digging through my mind to find the answers. There are none, just one that they are lying.

That she and my brother are lying, but Will will never lie... at least not to me.

So there must be something wrong. I can't fanthom that Andria is not my mate.

There must be a way to find out if she's my mate without looking like I am paying too much attention to my brother's affairs.

I pace around the room, trying to find a solution. It's only when the maid knocks on the door to tell me that brunch is ready to eat. That I think of something worth trying.

Mates are sacred to the point where infidelity by one can lead the other into pain and even death.

If Andria is my mate and she mates with Will it can leave me in a position of vulnerability, which I am not looking forward to especially when people won't believe that she is the cause of it.

If she is my mate, she too will feel pain if I mate with someone else....

I smile internally at the thought. It wasn't a good plan, but it was something. Something that could help me understand this better.

"Stop!" I say to the maid at the door, causing her to turn around.

"Sisily's your name, right?" I ask her.

She nods meekly, her eyes almost shy, before she says, "Yes my lord, will y.."

She's about to say something, but I cut her short as I near her in a few long strides, taking her hand in mine I lay a chaste kiss on it before looking up into her eyes and saying with a smile " What a beautiful name..."

The instant the words leave my mouth her cheeks color in a rose red, her chest almost heaving as her eyes slightly dilate.

My smile widened at seeing her reaction. This is going to be perfect.

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