Lycan King's Regret: Punished The Wrong Daughter

Jasmine:

I stepped closer to her. "Explain that to me, Amy. The same guards who stood in front of me and refused to move aside... simply watched Arabella walk past them?" My tears spilled over again, but this time I didn’t bother wiping them.

"How is that possible?" I whispered. "How does she have more right to enter my future husband’s bedroom than I do?"

After a while, when my tears finally stopped, I wiped my face and stood quietly beside Amy, staring across the grounds. The anger was still there, but underneath it was something worse.

Confusion.

"She told me herself she wasn’t here for him," I said under my breath. "She said she came back because of the case. That once it was solved, she would leave."

Amy slowly turned her head toward me.

"Then why is she doing all this?" I asked. "Why is she getting closer to Lucien again if she has no intention of staying?"

Amy stared at me as though I had suddenly lost my mind. "Jasmine, are you even listening to yourself?"

I frowned. "What?"

"You actually believe her?" Disbelief filled her voice. "You think Arabella came all the way back here because she suddenly developed an interest in solving Anika’s murder?"

"Victor is her brother, Amy!"

"Her half-brother, whom she was never even close to," Amy shot back. "And Anika? She was my sister. She was Lucien’s sister. She meant nothing to Arabella. Why would Arabella give up the life she built for herself in the human city and walk straight back into this palace just to investigate what happened to someone she barely knew?"

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

Amy stepped closer. "Use your head, Jasmine. She had her freedom. She had a life away from all of us, and she still came back." My throat tightened again, but I refused to cry.

"She came back because of Lucien," Amy continued. "Maybe the investigation gave her the perfect excuse, but don’t fool yourself into believing that’s the only reason she’s still here."

"No." I shook my head. "She told me..."

"Oh, for Goddess’ sake." Amy cut me off. "Stop believing everything that comes out of her mouth. My brother marked her three years ago. Have you forgotten that?"

My eyes dropped. Of course I hadn’t. How could I?

Amy’s voice lowered. "She knows exactly what that mark means. And now she’s back in his life, sleeping in his room while you’re being stopped at the door."

Each word landed harder than the last.

"Wake up, Jasmine. She isn’t after some murder case." Amy paused, holding my gaze. "She’s after your crown... and your place beside my brother."

I shook my head hard and turned to Amy.

"No, Amy. You don’t understand. She’s wolfless, remember? I’ve been the head warrior long enough to know how to read people, and Arabella isn’t like that." Amy gave me a doubtful look, but I continued before she could interrupt.

"She always wanted to be the good one. The innocent one who wouldn’t hurt anybody or take something that belonged to someone else. That was one of the reasons she left three years ago." I hesitated before adding, "I know because I helped her."

Amy’s brows pulled together. "What do you mean? Y...you helped her? You never told me that."

Damn it.

"I mean, I encouraged her," I corrected quickly. "That’s all. I put a fake mate mark on my neck and showed it to her. I made her believe Lucien had marked me because I wanted her to understand that he was playing with both of us. I told her she should walk away before he hurt her... before he hurt us even more."

Amy continued staring at me.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I tried to calm my racing heart.

"You faked a mark... just to make her leave?"

I shrugged, forcing a small smile. "She already wanted out. I only gave her another reason. Whatever she planned afterward, who helped her or how she managed to escape, had nothing to do with me."

That much Amy needed to believe. She could never know about that potion.

If she discovered that I had been the one who put it into Arabella’s hands, I was finished. Lucien had lost Zorro because of that poison. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t known what the potion truly was when I gave it to Arabella. Lucien would never forgive me.

Amy folded her arms. "So, after everything happening right in front of you, you still believe her?"

"I’m not saying I believe her." I rubbed the dampness beneath my eyes. "I’m saying I know what kind of person she thinks she is. She won’t deliberately break someone’s home."

Amy almost laughed. "Oh, really? And what makes you so sure?"

"Blackthorn." I looked directly at her. "Remember what we learned about her family? About her father and stepmother? Arabella grew up hating women who broke other women’s homes."

Amy’s expression shifted slightly.

"She knows I was in Lucien’s life before she came back," I continued. "She knows we’re supposed to get married. In her mind, getting between us would make her the other woman." I swallowed, trying to hold on to that thought.

Because if Arabella truly believed that... Then what the hell had she been doing in Lucien’s bed last night? And why was Lucien giving her so much attention?

Suddenly, several lines appeared on Amy’s forehead. Before I could ask what was wrong, she lifted her chin slightly and drew in a slow breath.

"What happened?" I asked her in confusion.

She didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes moved across the grounds. "Can you smell someone?"

"Someone?" I glanced around. "What do you mean?"

"We’re not alone here."

Of course, her Lycan senses were far sharper than mine. I followed her gaze, searching the open grounds, but there was no one nearby.

"But... I don’t see anyone."

Amy raised a finger to her lips and started walking quietly toward the large tree at the far end of the grounds. My frown deepened as I followed her. When we reached the tree, she slowed and then suddenly stepped around the trunk.

I followed her and stopped dead. Arabella was sitting on the grass with two other people.

All three of them looked ridiculously comfortable. Toby was leaning back against the tree while Maya sat beside Arabella, and the three of them seemed to be in the middle of some very exciting conversation.

Arabella let out a small laugh while slapping the guy’s shoulder. I stared at them.

Of all the places in these enormous palace grounds, the three of them just happened to be sitting behind this tree?

Amy folded her arms. "Well," she said slowly. "Isn’t this interesting?"

Arabella finally looked up with an innocent smile. "Oh, hey, Jasmine! Amy! What are you two doing here? May I help you with something?"