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“I love you, too!” I interjected, stopping him.
His shoulders relaxed, and his smile returned.
“And yes,” I breathed.
His brow rose. “Yes?”
“Yes, Zen, I will marry you. I want to be your queen.”
Chapter20
Zen
We made love until the wee hours of the morning, Mirielle laying spent and asleep in my arms when we had finished, her breathing even and contented as I watched her in the moonlight. I hoped that there would be no nightmares for her tonight, but if there were, I would be there to wrap her up in my arms and kiss her awake until she saw that she was safe with me.
I could have stared at her beautiful, serene face forever at that angle, a peaceful glow overtaking her pale skin, a halo of moonbeams cascading over the fire of her red mane as I slowly untangled myself from her slender arms to slip from the bed and find my pajama bottoms.
Careful not to wake her, I retreated across the bedroom floor, easing out of the bedroom and into the hallway of the castle, where Calliver and another one of my Royal Guards stood. They both appeared startled by my presence.
“If Mirielle wakes, let her know I’ll be back shortly,” I told them with a grin. They seemed even more baffled by my expression. “Tell her… tell her I’ve gone to spread the news.”
“The news, Alpha?” Calliver echoed.
“You’ll hear it soon enough, Calliver,” I reassured him, clapping him on the shoulder with a chuckle. He blinked, stunned by the unexpected display of affection, but I didn’t stick around to indulge his curiosity, making my way toward the second floor to find Endora. I wanted this wedding to take place immediately. The back-and-forth doubts had played a role long enough in my head and heart with Mirielle, and I wasn’t going to let them for another second. The sooner I could make Mirielle my queen, the faster the kingdom could resume as normal.
“Zen!”
I whipped around, shocked to see Cyndella out of her room for the first time since the attack in the castle.
“Cyndella!” I sputtered, blinking to see my disheveled sister at the doorway of the west wing. “What’s wrong?”
“What are you doing?” Her voice was clear, unmedicated, and it gave me chills as I neared her.
She was still a mess physically and in dire need of a shower, but her face was hard and serious.
“What areyoudoing?” I retorted. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“You had that outsider, that trespasser, in Mother’s chambers!” she hissed at me. “How dare you!”
I balked, but immediately stiffened. “Her name is Mirielle, Cyndella—”
“No, it’s not!” my sister yelled, stomping her foot indignantly. “That’s just a name she picked for herself! She has no name, not one we know. She’s an imposter, a spy! And you let her in!”
Alle threw open the doors to the west wing, her eyes wide with apology when she saw me. “Forgive me, Alpha,” the maid whispered, face pale. “I didn’t know she was out of bed.”
“It’s all right, Alle. My sister and I need to have a chat, anyway,” I growled, reaching for Cyndella’s arm and pulling her toward my mother’s suites.
“Let go of me, you beast!” Cyndella barked, but she didn’t make much of an effort to pull away as I marched her into our mother’s rooms and closed her inside. She sniffed the air petulantly, her green eyes narrowing. “Where is your mistress? Is she hiding? Waiting to come out and stab us both when she has the chance?”
I drew in a deep, resigning breath and spoke the words that would undoubtedly begin a battle that would wake the entire household.
“She’s not my mistress, Cyndella. Mirielle and I are going to be married. It’s best that you know that now.”
Shock overtook my sister’s bratty anger, her face paling as she began to shake her head. “W-what?”
“Don’t be alarmed, Cyndella. She’s good, and if you give Mirielle a chance—”
“No! No, you can’t, Zen!”
