Chapter 63: Serve the omegas

"Calm down, Andrew," Davian intervened once more, taking a step toward his son. He placed a steady hand on Andrew’s shoulder. "I admit I did wrong by not listening to your wife and doubting her."

Seraphina stared at her husband in absolute bewilderment. He was supposed to drive Caroline out of the palace because as far as she was concerned, all of this chaos had occurred because of her.

The Alpha King withdrew his hand from Andrew’s shoulder and turned his gaze to Caroline. "I should have trusted you the day you told me what Victor had done. It is not that I disbelieved you entirely. Thanks to your warning, I was able to call back Nina and stop her from meeting Victor. Now that Victor has fled, his punishment cannot be fulfilled here. However, I welcome you into our family, Caroline."

"Davian?!" Seraphina gasped, staring at him in utter disbelief.

"Sera, a King cannot go back on his word," Davian said, a calm smile touching his lips. "Andrew clearly loves Caroline, and she is his fated mate. We cannot separate them, nor do I see any reason to try. Caroline may be an omega, but I am certain she will prove herself worthy of this family."

"Come here, dear. Receive my blessing," he added.

Caroline stepped around the bed and stopped quietly beside Andrew.

Davian raised his hand, resting it gently on Caroline’s head in a gesture of acceptance. She kept her gaze lowered, her hands clasped tightly together.

When the King withdrew his hand, Caroline kept her gaze lowered. "Your Majesty, I didn’t mean to bring any harm to Prince Andrew."

"Caroline, you didn’t," Andrew defended her immediately.

"No, I did," she replied, glancing up at him briefly before returning her head to the same position. "I promise this will never happen again. As for Victor, I will find him. Even if I have to search every corner of this earth, I will. He will pay for one more crime now: the crime of hurting my husband."

"I trust you," Davian stated.

"What about Nina?" Andrew asked, shifting his glare toward his elder sister. "She is also a reason why Victor had enough time to run away."

"Nina is a victim," Seraphina snapped.

"No, she’s the culprit," Andrew retorted. "She helped that bastard. She wronged Caroline, refused to believe Victor got her pregnant, and ridiculed her. Dad, you must punish her. You can’t back down from your word."

"I have already apologized to Caroline," Nina muttered.

"Oh, please, save it," Andrew replied with a wry laugh. "You are the reason for this entire mess today. I had him trapped, but you had to step in, declaring your love for him. You even brought father’s decree to stop Ilias."

"What do you say, Caroline? Shall I punish her?" Davian asked.

"Yes," Caroline replied without hesitation.

"Caroline, I thought you forgave me!" Nina said quickly, panic in her voice.

"I did, for the harsh words you directed at me. But I haven’t forgiven you for what you said about my parents and the pup I lost. Princess Nina views omegas as nothing more than pathetic wolves meant only to serve everyone else in this country’s packs."

Taking a brief pause, Caroline turned to the Alpha King. "Your Majesty, Princess Nina’s punishment should require her to serve the omegas and their families for a month. That is my request."

"Who do you think you—" Seraphina started, but Davian raised his hand to cut her off.

"So it shall be, Caroline," Davian declared. "For one month, Princess Nina will serve the omegas and learn to understand them."

Nina offered no objection, as this didn’t seem like a severe punishment in her eyes.

"Now, we must let Andrew rest," Davian said, turning to the royal physician, who had been standing quietly nearby in a respectful pose. "Doctor Jereth, how long will it take for his wounds to heal completely?"

"Prince Andrew will need three days of rest," Jereth answered. "He must remain inside the palace to receive proper treatment. The blade was silver-laced, so His Highness’ body still retains toxins. Traveling right now would be reckless."

"I’m not staying in this palace for another minute," Andrew muttered.

"You must. Your recovery comes first," Davian replied. "Let us leave him to rest." With that, the Alpha King turned and walked out of the chamber.

Seraphina shot Caroline a final, venomous glare before following her husband.

"Get some rest, Andrew. Let it go," Alarick advised quietly before filing out with the remaining siblings, followed closely by Jereth. The maidservant shut the oak door behind them.

The moment the latch clicked, Caroline wrapped her arms carefully around Andrew, keeping her weight off his injured chest. "Forgive me. It’s all my fault." Fresh tears spilled over her lashes, tracking down her cheeks.

Andrew rested one hand gently against her back while his other fingers cupped her chin, tilting her face upward. Seeing her in tears tightened his chest. Without a word, he brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumb.

"Victor will not live for long," Andrew said, a muscle ticking sharply in his jaw. "I swear I will kill that bastard soon."

"No, you won’t," Caroline replied. "He’s mine to kill. You will only assist me. Under no condition, I allow you to go near him. You’ve to listen to me on this. Please."

Andrew leaned down and kissed her out of the blue. His hand cradling her neck tighter. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she kissed him with the same intensity.

Stepping back slightly, she shook her head. "You need to rest. I’ll meet with Emmett and look into the other matters. Just sleep. Please."

She gently guided him down onto the mattress as the sedative Jereth had administered began to take effect, his eyelids finally giving in. Pulling the duvet up, she tucked it around him, resting her hand briefly on his forehead before pressing a soft kiss to his skin.

"Thank you, Andrew, for everything," Caroline whispered.