Chapter 179- What Are You Hiding?

Lucien:

Jasmine looked at me in shock, as though she couldn’t believe I’d brought up something that happened thirteen years ago.

I gave her a small smile and nodded. "I still remember what he went through that day, Jasmine. Every bit of it. And you knew how much he was suffering, didn’t you? But you didn’t take pity on him. You didn’t choose him. You chose power. You chose the crown."

"Lucien, that’s not fair!" she protested, shaking her head. "You know why I made that decision. I had no choice!"

"You always had a choice, Jasmine." I spat, "You just didn’t like the other one."

"But Lucien, I love you!" Her voice broke as she pressed herself against the bars. "I’ve loved you for so long. Everything I’ve done..."

I raised my hand, cutting her off. "Oh, cut the bullshit, Jasmine. You don’t love me. You love the crown that comes with me."

"How can you say that?" she cried. "I’ve stood beside you for years! I’ve done everything your mother asked of me. I’ve waited for you!"

"And there it is." I let out a short laugh. "You’ve waited for me. Not because you care about what I want, but because you think waiting long enough will make you Queen."

"That isn’t true!"

"Then tell me something." I took a step closer to the bars. "Three years ago, I called you into my office and asked you to back off. I told you this was supposed to be a temporary arrangement. I told you that Arabella would be the only one for me. And you agreed. You signed that contract. Why are you upset now?"

"Because I love you, Lucien."

"Do you? If I weren’t King, would you still be standing here telling me how much you love me? Save it for your trial, Jasmine. I’m done listening."

Jasmine opened her mouth to argue, but I had heard enough. I turned around and walked away, ignoring her screams as they followed me down the corridor.

"Lucien! Come back! You can’t leave me here!" I didn’t bother looking back.

What I couldn’t understand was why she was making such a fuss about being arrested. Her mother had always had a strong influence over mine, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone arranged for her release.

Jasmine knew that too. We all did.

She wasn’t afraid of spending a few nights behind bars. She was worried about her reputation. Her precious ego couldn’t handle the thought of people finding out that the future Queen had been arrested for attempting to poison the King.

Bradley was waiting outside the prison building, leaning against one of the stone pillars. He straightened when he saw me approaching.

"Did you know anything about this?" I asked as we started walking.

He shook his head. "Not until Her Highness ordered the arrest. She specifically wanted Jasmine behind bars right after dinner."

"Did she explain why?"

"No. She just said it needed to be done." Bradley glanced at me. "She also told me there was nothing to worry about because Jasmine would be released soon."

My mother had practically admitted that the whole thing was temporary. I nodded and continued walking, already thinking about Arabella. I’d left her sleeping in my room, and I wanted to get back before she woke up.

But after a few steps, something occurred to me. "Bradley." He stopped beside me. "Do you think Arabella had something to do with this?"

He gave a confused shrug. "No idea. Why?"

"She visited my mother today." Bradley considered that for a moment before shaking his head.

"I don’t know what they discussed, Lucien."

Neither did I, apparently.

I started walking again, but the silence between us reminded me of something else. Bradley still hadn’t spoken to me about Anika.

I knew he was upset with Arabella for bringing up his past, but she hadn’t been wrong to question him. He should have told me himself that Anika was his mate.

"You were upset the other day, so I didn’t bring it up," I said. "But you still haven’t told me why you hid the truth about Anika."

Bradley slowed down. For a while, he said nothing. Then he rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. "I was angry, Lucien."

"At Arabella?"

"At the whole damn situation." He looked down at the path. "I never thought she’d find out about Anika and me. And when she started questioning my intentions, I lost my temper."

I waited for him to continue. "Anika wasn’t just my mate. She was my best friend’s little sister. Do you seriously think I could ever imagine hurting her?"

"I never said you hurt her."

"I know. But that’s what it felt like when Arabella questioned me." Bradley stopped near a bench and rubbed his hands together.

"You and your mother took me in when I had no one. I was just an orphan, Lucien. No family name, no powerful relatives. And then you decided I was good enough to be your Beta. Remember what happened when the council objected?"

I almost smiled. "How could I forget?"

"They said an orphan wasn’t fit to be the King’s Beta. And you stood in front of those old men and told them that either I became your Beta, or you didn’t want the damn crown."

"That shut them up pretty quickly, didn’t it?"

Bradley gave a small laugh, then looked away, rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand. I’d known him since childhood, but I’d never seen him cry.

"I never forgot what you did for me, Lucien. Not once." His voice was beginning to break. "All these years, I never had to prove my loyalty to you. You trusted me when nobody else did."

"Bradley, I ..."

"And now, after everything we’ve been through, I’m being questioned about whether I could have hurt your sister."

He wiped his cheek again before continuing.

"I could handle Arabella doubting me. But the thought that you might start doubting me too..." He shook his head. "That hurt, Lucien. More than you know."

I rested a hand on Bradley’s shoulder. "I’ve never doubted your loyalty, Bradley. And I’m not about to start now."

He nodded, although he still looked upset. I wanted to say more, but I knew him well enough to understand that he needed some time to himself.

By the time I reached my chambers, all I wanted was to get into bed beside Arabella.

I opened the door quietly, expecting to find her asleep. Instead, she was lying on her back, looking at the ceiling with sleepy eyes.

The moment she noticed me, a drowsy smile appeared on her face.

"Why are you still awake, little menace?" I asked, dropping onto the bed beside her and pulling her into my arms.

"Waiting for you," she murmured, settling against me. Then she lifted her head. "Oh, and I’m planning to visit my pack tomorrow."

I hadn’t expected that. "Your pack?"

"Mm-hmm. I’m so excited to see my family." She smiled again, but something about it bothered me.

Arabella had never been particularly excited about seeing her family. In fact, most of the time, she preferred to avoid them. That day, when I’d walked into the shop, her father’s sudden display of affection had seemed fake to me. And now she was suddenly looking forward to visiting them?

I brushed her hair away from her face, trying to convince myself I was worrying over nothing. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that her excitement wasn’t genuine.

What are you hiding from me, Arabella?