Marriage Alliance With The Lycan Monarch-Chapter 233: The Progenitor

"NO!" I screamed, my heart pounding in my ears.

I watched with wide eyes as Diana’s body sagged on the ground, and blood pooled around her.

"You’re a weak lycan," Orianna said, attempting to finish what she started.

"STOP!"

She turned to me.

"You want me, don’t you?" I tapped my chest. "Diana has nothing to do with this. Leave her alone!"

"Are you willing to come with me? Your answer depends on my next course of action."

I gulped. "You said Grandmother wants to see me."

She’s a Winter. I thought the Winters were gone, but her appearance proved that wrong. And Grandmother? All this was too much to take in, but I knew I needed to do something to protect Diana.

"Yes," Orianna replied. "I do not want to strain you because of your condition."

My breath shuddered as I leveled my gaze at my bump.

"You carry the snowblood’s future. Will you come with me, Eloise? I shall take you home."

Home? I almost laughed at her words. I chewed the inside of my mouth. This was the only way to protect Diana.

"Yes, I’ll go with you."

"Perfect!" She smiled and walked to me, stretching out her hand. "Take—" Her gaze travelled behind me, and her entire body froze.

Orianna backed away slowly as if something had caused her great fright. I was confused at first, but when I felt something lethal behind me, I understood why there was a flicker of fear.

Something large shadowed me. I lifted my gaze, finding a huge lycan towering above me.

Drevon?

He growled deeply, keeping his beaming molten crimson eyes on Orianna.

Multiple growls followed, and then I realized others were around, encircling Orianna. She sighed, frustrated, before raising her hands in surrender.

~•~

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked, worried.

"She will heal," Celia assured me. "The princess has awakened her moonblood, so you have nothing to worry about. Corvin has done a spell to have her sleep more comfortably." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

I brought my gaze back to Diana, stroking her head gently.

"I don’t believe this..." The Dowager murmured, "Her moonblood runs strong."

"Your Majesty?"

I nodded, rising to my feet.

"Come, my dear, you need to rest after experiencing such an ordeal."

"I’m fine, save your worries for Diana," I said, stepping out of the room before she could say anything else to me.

"Where is Drevon?"

"The monarch is trying to figure out how the snowblood could infiltrate the castle. Apparently, the knights guarding your path were all found dead."

I halted my steps, shaken.

"Your Majesty, you should let me take you to your room; the monarch specially ordered me to do so."

"Talia and Osha were my handmaids in waiting."

"They were sent on an errand by the Dowager to get gifts for the royal baby. They weren’t around at that moment."

I sighed in relief. They were okay.

"Take me to Drevon."

"But you—"

"Now."

She gulped when I pinned her with a dark look.

"Your condition—"

"I’m perfectly capable of going to my husband, and I have no intention of going back to my chambers, until I see him."

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."

~•~

When I neared, I saw Corvin and Drevon talking, while the bodies of the Knights were carried away with stretchers.

How could one snowblood do so much damage? It wouldn’t have gotten this much if it wasn’t an ambush.

When Drevon saw me, he was quick to come to my side, pinning Celia with a deep frown, causing her to retreat behind me.

"My love, you should be back in the bedchamber," Drevon softly.

"I’m fine. The snowblood, where is she?"

"Eloise."

"She’s a Winter."

Drevon fixed me with a pointed stare. "She told you that?"

"Yes, please tell me you haven’t killed her yet."

"Not yet."

I sighed in relief. "I want to speak with her."

"I cannot allow that. Corvin will interrogate, then we will find out why she came."

"She came because of me."

"Zevrin..." Drevon said sternly. "He mentioned that others will come."

"Do you think he spoke of the Winters?"

"The last I remember, the Winter clan has died out," Corvin cut in. "For them to show themselves in such a manner is highly unforgivable."

I could tell he was angry from the tone of his voice.

"I’m a Winter, that is why she came for me," I said.

"Are you certain she simply came because she’s family? Perhaps for a long overdue reunion."

I instinctively place a hand on my bump. I didn’t think so. She mentioned I carried their future.

Orianna came for my baby, too.

~•~

Drevon still didn’t adhere to my request to see Orianna. He kept her in the dungeon, heavily guarded, and soon Corvin would rip through the layers of her mind and carry out the interrogation.

"I wish I’d come sooner," Drevon said, leaning at the doorway.

I ceased knitting and placed the layette on my lap. I was on the wainscot chair close to the window.

"You came in time. If you hadn’t, I’d have gone with her to protect Diana."

He neared me and crouched in front of me. "Diana will be fine; it was her first shift. She could have taken her down before you could blink."

I smiled. "I know she will be fine; she has Corvin."

Drevon took a sharp intake of breath.

"The sooner you acknowledge it, the better."

"I didn’t say anything."

"You didn’t have to, dearest. Your disapproval is plastered on your face."

He forced a smile.

"That was the first time."

"First time for what?"

"I saw you in your lycan form." I caressed his cheek. "At first glance, I could tell it was you."

"Did I look terrifying?"

"You were, but I wasn’t afraid. I felt safe."

Drevon simply nodded, leveling his gaze at my bump. "All these dangers towards you..." he mumbled. "I hate it."

I took his hand and placed it on my bump. "I’m safe, Drevon, with you. No matter the dangers."

"I know... now we have the Winters to worry about. They choose to show themselves now, I wonder how they knew..."

Drevon was right. Richard sent a letter to Lysandra’s grandfather saying she didn’t make it with the baby, but with Orianna’s appearance, it could only mean that they somehow got the information that Lysandra’s daughter was alive.

"We need to find out how the news got out. Who else knows about Richard’s secret marriage?"

Drevon narrowed his eyes. "It was a strict secret, and Richard was very careful. He..." he paused. "The small council."

"The small council..." I winced, recalling how they assessed me before the bride’s presentation. Those disgusting fellows.

"Lucan sent a raven months ago about movements."

"What do you think they did?"

"I don’t know. I’ll have Lucan dive in further. It’s time to act and apprehend them."

Lucan’s cover will be unraveled, but at least we know how the snowblood got information about me. If they truly were the ones who made contact with the snowblood, then it was given.

"Let him not kill them just yet. He should extract information." I leaned back on my chair. "The more we know, the better."

"You should get some rest, my love."

I know I should, my fatigue wasn’t the same, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t tired.

"Why won’t you let me see her?" I asked. "She mentioned a grandmother, I think she means my mothers or something like that."

"You’re curious..."

"Yes," I said breathlessly. "For months, I have searched for anything about the Winters, and now I have found one. I won’t let this chance pass me by."

Drevon didn’t look happy about this, but he asked regardless. "What do you intend to do when you meet her?"

"Hold off the interrogation. I’d like to speak with her first. Please, Drevon."

~•~

I walked the dark corridors and, turning towards the next one, I came to a stop.

A cell lay before me. Orianna paced within. For someone who was trapped in an empire with lycans ready to rip her throat out, she looked quite comfortable.

"Hello, Eloise," She said, eyes flickering to the shadow behind me.

It was Drevon, leaning against the wall. He was silent, but the bloodlust rolling off him made Orianna quiver slightly.

"The terror of snowbloods. I guess I should be lucky I still breathe."

"Why show yourself now, Orianna?"

She brought her gaze back to me. "The war didn’t kill all of us. We’re a hard bunch to rid of. You didn’t think we would just cease to exist."

I knew, no doubt, the war was only over when the snowbloods lost their forces. They were lurking somewhere. However, Drevon told me the damage was too great; she was speaking in dignity and didn’t want to seem lesser in the eyes of the enemy.

"You came alone," I said. "Why?"

A slow smile took over her lips. "Who said I was alone?"

She’s not giving me a straight answer, then. Good. I’ll play her game.

"Which was it? News from the humans, and you’re all so quick to act without concrete proof of my existence. Haven’t you learned after what happened to Lysandra?"

Her smile fell.

"They could have told a lie just to pit you against the lycans again."

"But it wasn’t a lie, I smell our blood in you." Her gaze dropped to my bump, which I caressed. "I smell it in your son too... the Progenitor."