Chapter 12 Truths #2
Luna should’ve been relieved that she wasn’t returning to that dungeon cell, but the king’s offer sounded awfully like she would be kept as a pampered captive in the palace.
The irony of Damien calling her a captive only days ago hit her like the first wave of a tsunami crashing onto the shore—unbelievable, tragic, and far from humorous.
The king returned to his throne and beckoned Luna to come closer. Nervously, she made her way down the rest of the aisle to where the king and prince sat on their thrones. She curtsied again before she asked, “How may I serve you, Your Highness?”
It was the prince who answered. “He wants you to take your necklace off, Luna.”
That one request provided all the clarity she needed.
The king had been the one to ensure she couldn’t access her powers. All this time, he had known what she was; no wonder he had so many rules for her.
But did he know she now wore a fake?
Her heart pounded in her chest, but she refused to show how afraid she truly was. With as much grace as she could muster, she rose.
The prince chewed his nails, his gaze switching between Luna and the door as if she could merely walk out of them and escape. King Hendrix, on the other hand, looked perfectly at ease, lazily lounging across his throne with a goblet of what Luna could only assume was wine.
Her hands shook as she undid the clasp. Only Damien knew she had lost the original heirloom necklace Angie had given her, and at this moment, she was very grateful to have a replica of it. Not knowing where to put the necklace, she placed it on the ground next to her feet.
King Hendrix drank deeply from his goblet before he spoke again, “I have some news that will come as a surprise to you. But with everything that has happened, it has become necessary for you to know. Nina is no longer in our midst. To my knowledge, she has passed from this life. She was your real mother, which makes you a unicorn.”
Luna stumbled backwards in utter disbelief.
Nina’s my mother. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to quiet the sob that threatened to escape.
Her birth mother had lived at the palace this whole time, and the king knew.
Who else did? Who else had lied to her? Her family?
Tears pricked at her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away before they could roll down her cheeks.
“Nina performed certain tasks, as well as the protection ceremony. Now that she is gone, you will train to perform the same tasks that she did, starting immediately.” He spoke with boredom, seemingly annoyed that he had to explain this all to her.
“The necklace you have been wearing contains a special substance that interrupts the flow of magic. According to my experts, now that you aren’t wearing the necklace it is only a matter of time until you begin your first transformation. ”
Fear took hold of Luna, chilling her to the core. She wasn’t going to transform; she’d already undergone her first transformation, and she had no idea how to kick-start it. How was she going to explain that? She stole a steadying breath before she asked, “What if I don’t transform?”
“If you refuse, then you are against me and my kingdom. I believe you have already tasted what life would be like in the dungeons.”
She better figure out how to transform and do so quickly.
As the thought entered her mind, defiance followed.
She didn’t want to be a unicorn, and she most certainly did not want to live a life continuously transforming and sacrificing herself for this kingdom like Nina.
Maybe that made her selfish, but she didn’t care.
“Who else knows my true identity?” she demanded.
The king’s eyes narrowed on her. “Only a select handful and no one else needs to know.” He leaned forward on his throne. “It can be our secret, and you can continue to be a lady of the court. I’ll even give you a special title to explain why you reside in the palace now.”
Knowing she couldn’t deny the king, she politely nodded along.
The information was like an invisible blow to the head, leaving her reeling internally while she remained outwardly immobile.
The king spoke nonchalantly, as if they were merely discussing the weather.
It was hard to digest all of his words. Deciding that it would be best to be ignorant and agreeable, she asked, “When should I expect to transform?”
King Hendrix sat up a little straighter, the question seemingly sobering him. “You should already feel something. Do you not?”
“No, Your Majesty,” she said with a shake of her head. “I don’t.”
He twiddled his thumbs together, and time seemed to pass incredibly slowly, especially under his scrutinizing gaze. Luna tried her best not to fidget, and instead, focused on counting her breaths.
In and out.
One.
In and out.
Two.
Three.
This continued until she couldn’t remember if she was on number two hundred and three or three hundred and two.
“I see no point in watching her wait,” Prince Kieran told his father, who only sighed in agreement.
“Maybe some isolation in your room will do you some good. Send word when you transform.”
Luna bent down to grab her necklace, but the king’s booming voice interrupted her, stopping her mid-action. “You can leave that there.”
She nodded, rising to stand before she scurried out as fast as she could politely do so.
Clyde was waiting outside of the throne room to escort her.
She didn’t say anything to him; didn’t even look at him as she hurried down the hall to her new room.
Numbness spread from her head to her heart, down through her legs.
She could feel herself mentally breaking, not only from the truth bomb the king had detonated, but everything else she was going through and trying to process.
It was all too much: Being a unicorn. Finding out who her birth mother was.
And then, finding out her mother was dead.
Her foolish mistake of introducing Damien to Clyde.
She knew Clyde was loyal to the king. She should’ve known better than to trust him.
She should’ve been more careful. Now, her whole life was upside down, and she couldn’t even go to her family for help.
She stumbled over her own feet and fell, hitting her knees hard on the ground. The pain made her cry out. The moment she let out a sound, sobs took over until she was crying so hysterically she couldn’t breathe.
“Are you okay?” Clyde’s voice was low, hesitant, and his hand rested lightly on her shoulder.
His touch burned and she flinched away. “Don’t pretend to care,” she spat through her tears, her voice raw and jagged.
He didn’t respond, didn’t defend himself. Instead, he simply bent down and scooped her up. She was too drained to resist, too shattered to protest. His grip was steady but gentle as he carried her against his chest through the halls.
When they reached her suite, he pushed the door open with his shoulder and stepped inside. He crossed to the bed and carefully lowered her onto it. It was harder than her bed at home, but it was far better than the dungeon floor. She curled into herself, wrapping her arms around her knees.
Clyde lingered for a moment, standing over her, clearly wanting to say something.
After some time, he finally did. “I hate to see you cry.” The admission sounded genuine, like his heart was breaking alongside hers.
She shook her head, pressing her face against her knees. “Please. Leave me alone.”
As if her words had struck him, he took a step back.
When she didn’t say anything else, he left, the door clicking closed behind him.
The dam she’d been holding back broke. She held her hands to her face and wept and wept. The threadbare sheet scratched her delicate skin, but she didn’t care.
Her birth mother had been here all along, and she had no idea.
Why had Nina never approached her? Sent her a letter?
Explained herself at all. She had so many questions, to which the answers she would now never know.
Who was her biological father? Where was he now?
Angie and Darius had never mentioned him, only that her birth mother had discarded her due to her sickness—which obviously wasn’t true.
She was never sick. So why had Nina abandoned her?
Luna sat up and threw the covers over herself, sliding into bed still wearing the ripped gown from the protection ceremony. She didn’t have the energy to undress. Lying face-first on her pillow, she screamed. What was she going to do about the king’s request for her to shift?
How was she going to explain that she didn’t want to? That even if she did, she didn’t know how to? Tears flowed down her cheeks, soaking her pillow.
Her entire life had been a lie. She had been given the title of a noblewoman, but in reality, she was the backup unicorn in case something happened to Nina.
Her sobs became more violent, and her entire body shook as she cried.
Why had Nina given her up? Why had Nina worked for the king?
Why stay so close to the daughter she abandoned? None of it made any sense.
Questions kept repeating themselves on an endless loop; her head spun like there was a tornado in it. The one that kept surfacing the most, the question Luna desperately wanted the answer to was, Had Nina loved me?