Chapter 408: Princess Tells Faye

After Faye confessed her part, it was Princess’s turn.

Princess sat in the dining chair, her hands resting flat on the surface. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from Donny. The little girl sat in her high chair, humming softly while poking a spoon into her food, smearing porridge across the rim.

"I’m all ears, Princess," Faye said, her voice cutting through the quiet kitchen and bringing the Alpha back to reality.

Princess lifted her gaze, looking up at her girlfriend.

The question had been sitting on her tongue all morning, heavy and sharp.

"Are you mad that Donny has my traits? The other ones?"

"Yes, I am... but it’s more jealousy than anger."

"What?" Princess blinked, confusion washing over her face.

"I don’t like the fact that they all have your features, and now one of them is even acting like you," Faye said, shaking her head. "By the way, did you always sleep all the time when you were little?"

Princess looked down, her fingers tracing a pattern on the tabletop. "I don’t know. My mom and dad never had the talk with me. They were always busy with my grandfather’s errands. Adam was the one I spent most of my time with."

She paused, her throat tightening.

"I didn’t realize what I was until you left. It broke the wolf inside me, and I lost myself."

Princess lowered her head completely, avoiding Faye’s eyes.

A wet drop hit her knuckle, followed by another. She was trembling, small sobs breaking past her lips.

"I didn’t mean to infect my daughter with my illness."

Faye’s chest squeezed. She stopped leaning on the counter, stepped around the kitchen island, and walked straight over to Princess. She didn’t hesitate. She wrapped her arms around Princess’s shoulders, pulling her head close against her.

Princess buried her face in the thick fabric of Faye’s hoodie, her hands coming up to grip Faye’s waist tightly as she let the quiet tears spill over.

"Don’t say that, okay?" Faye murmured, pressing a cheek against Princess’s soft hair. "You’re still you, and it’s not a big deal."

"I killed a lot of people in that state, Faye," Princess choked out, her fingers digging deeper into the hoodie. "I couldn’t control myself, and it wasn’t even the full moon that night."

She shook her head against Faye’s chest, the memories hitting her like a physical blow. She couldn’t think about the first time it happened without feeling the sudden heat in her veins, the blacking out, the blood on her body when she finally came to.... She had gone completely berserk.

"Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry. It’s not your fault," Faye said softly. She reached down, lifting Princess’s chin with two fingers. She used the plush sleeve of her hoodie to gently wipe away the tears falling down her girlfriend’s face. "And you’ve even improved. Since I’ve known you, you haven’t killed anyone in that state. The only time I’ve seen you rip people’s hearts out is when it comes to those loco tribes. They deserved it because it was either they ate us or they died."

Faye smoothed back a stray lock of hair behind Princess’s ear. "You haven’t done anything berserk."

Princess sniffled, looking up at Faye through eyes. "If you had seen me three years ago, you wouldn’t have even come close to me. It’s because of Silviana’s therapy sessions and the medication she prescribed that keeps me calm."

Faye’s jaw set into a hard, rigid line at the sound of the name.

"I know, your crazy doctor," Faye said, her tone suddenly shifting into something absolute. "But just so you know, she is not going to be my little girl’s therapist."

Faye’s mind was locked shut on the matter. She had made up her mind last night while lying awake, staring at the ceiling. No matter what happened, no matter what kind of history Princess shared with that woman, Silviana would never come close to her daughter.

"But she’s the only one who can help me," Princess said, her voice trailing off softly.

"That’s what she wants you to think, baby," Faye shot back, her eyes flashing with a sudden dark wanger. "That bitch of a snake is not going to give my girl venom as medication or even talk to her."

Faye pulled back slightly, gripping Princess by both arms and holding her steady.

"I don’t care how long it takes, but as long as I’m alive, I will find another way to help Donny control her berserk side before she awakens her wolf."

Faye leaned down, forcing Princess to look her directly in the eyes, leaving zero room for doubt.

"Our daughter will be treated by another doctor. This world is populated, and I’m sure there’s someone better than her."

She squeezed Princess’s arms, offering a firm, solid anchor. Even if it took years of searching through every town and city, she would do anything for her children. No third party was going to come between their family.

Not now, not ever.

Princess took a deep, shuddering breath, wiping the last bits of wetness from her eyelashes. She squeezed Faye’s hands back.

"There’s something else I have to tell you," Princess said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Faye didn’t move. "Okay. Go on."

"Do you remember when I said I promised Kiara that I was going to marry her after highschool school?"

Faye’s eyebrow twitched upward. "Hmm. I can never forget that day. You also mentioned that she was your Luna."

"Yeah, that," Princess sighed, looking down at their joined hands. "Now that I’m with you and I’ve marked you, I can’t marry her anymore."

Faye’s chest tighted as a familiar heat crept up her neck. "Where is this going, babe?"

She let out a heavy sigh, already getting the awful feeling that Princess was about to drop something that would make her blood boil right over.

"Kiara is cursed by a demon," Princess explained, her voice dropping into a flat, steady rhythm. "And to release her from the curse, a ritual has to be performed. If she isn’t released before her 18th birthday, she has to be killed along with the curse."

Faye stood motionless, digesting the words. The pieces were swirling, but the core reason was still blurry.

"I have a question, and as my girlfriend, you have to answer it," Faye said, her eyes narrowing. "What is the curse?"

She had been meaning to demand the truth behind that specific detail....

Princess looked out toward the kitchen window, her mind drifting back through old records and half-remembered conversations.

"I actually don’t know the whole story, but from what I heard, when the founders first arrived here, they needed to get rid of the Night Walkers."

She brought her attention back to Faye.

"There are two ways to kill them.... Sunlight. But they wouldn’t simply walk under the sun, so the founders created another sun."

Faye didn’t interrupt, listening closely as Princess laid it out.

"One of the ingredients needed for the ritual to create a sun powerful enough to kill them was to awaken an ancient demon."

Princess took a breath, her fingers tightening around Faye’s wrists.

"After everything was done, they needed a vessel strong enough to control the demon. That vessel had to come from the Petrova family. The firstborn had to be under 18."

Faye’s eyes widened slightly as the dark timeline began to form.

"After they succeeded, they realized the demon couldn’t leave the vessel, so they killed the vessel."

Princess paused, her jaw tightening.

"But in the Petrova family, a firstborn was eventually born with the Eyes of the Sun. The demon could never truly be killed, so the council began killing the vessel before they turned 18."

Silence stretched across the kitchen. While on their, the pups were making quiet noises, but by the table, the air felt cold.

"And this town is becoming more undeserving of the people living in it," Faye spat, disgust evident in her voice. "Oakland is evil."

"Yeah," Princess agreed quietly. "So many sacrifices have been made in its name."

Faye’s brain caught a sudden disconnect. She clicked her teeth together, piecing together the family tree. "So Kiara isn’t the first child. It’s supposed to be that bitch of a principal."

Princess nodded. "That is because Silviana figured out a way to free herself from the demon, and then the demon possessed the next person after her."

Faye rubbed her temple, trying to keep up with the mess. "Okay, so let me guess. Marrying her happens to be the solution to freeing her from the demon?"

"Yes," Princess said. "Marrying a compatible Alpha from the Kings bloodline breaks the curse. The Alpha has to imprint on Kiara."

"Like marking Kiara?" Faye asked, her voice dropping dangerous notches lower.

"Yeah. The marking thing is always difficult to form if it’s not an Alpha and Omega. But if it’s an Alpha and another type of wolf, an imprint has to take place....."

Princess shrugged faintly, though her expression remained guarded.

"Through blood oath, and I think there are other rituals, but I didn’t memorize them because they weren’t important."

Listening to Princess spell out every single dark detail made Faye’s head spin. Something was still missing. Princess was laying down all this background information for a reason. Her voice was too careful, her hands twitching slightly where they held Faye’s. She was clearly trying to lead up to something else, hiding behind the ancient history because she was hesitant to say the actual dark part out loud.

"So, tell me," Faye said, leaning in close, her eyes searching Princess’s tense face. "What did you and Silviana discuss last night that you returned smelling like fried chicken? Don’t tell me she tortured you until you agreed to marry Kiara."

Faye reached up, gripping Princess’s collar, pulling her close enough to feel her quickening pulse.

"Girl, you claimed me, marked me, and we have pups. I’m not sacrificing you to make another woman happy. I want to be the only girl in your life, Princess.... You Alphas are always cunning."

"No, we aren’t," Princess said quickly, her eyes wide with earnest panic. "And of course, you’re going to be the only person in my life. No one else."

She looked down at the floor, then back up into Faye’s fierce gaze.

"I don’t even care if Kiara dies, but Silviana does care. She will do anything to keep her sister alive."

Princess reached out, catching both of Faye’s hands in her own, holding them tight against her chest.

Faye felt her stomach plummet straight down... A horrible, sickening thought flashed through her mind, the absolute worst-case scenario. She instantly figured her girlfriend had already backed down last night under pressure and agreed to go through with the marriage behind her back.

Princess swallowed hard, the words finally breaking free.

"She wants Donny to imprint on Kiara."

Faye froze.

The kitchen fell dead quiet. Her breath caught right in her throat, the blood rushing into her ears like a roaring wave.

And somehow, hearing those words... that was so much worse than her girlfriend marrying another woman.