Chapter 65: How is that possible?

The atmosphere remained silent for several minutes until the Crown Prince’s voice was heard once more.

"Did you not hear me?" he asked again.

"Your Highness?"

Liliana gripped Vincent’s arm, causing the man to turn at once. The girl shook her head, signaling him to step back.

The Crown Prince smiled coldly at their closeness. He walked toward Liliana, then lowered his head until it was level with the girl’s ear.

"Liliana... Liliana Draven. You’ve already slept with him as well," he said softly, so that only the two of them could hear.

"What if I mark you right here, right now? Hm?" he added as he touched the woman’s neck.

Liliana’s body trembled violently; every inch of her responded to that touch.

"Your Highness... I beg you, grant me a little dignity," Liliana finally said in a trembling voice.

Vincent, realizing something was wrong, immediately pulled Liliana away. Liliana did not resist, yet she remained frozen for a moment. Her body, which had been trembling all this time, now grew still without any reaction. The desire that should have surged, struggled, and begged the Crown Prince to claim her that very instant suddenly surrendered. Her inner wolf, Silver, grew calm once more.

"Your Highness... Liliana is my Luna, and I have already marked her. I beg the Crown Prince not to make her tremble in fear. As the future Alpha of the Arden Pack, I guarantee that she will never offend Your Highness in the future."

The Crown Prince’s eyes narrowed, then a thin smile formed on his lips.

"She is your Luna?" he asked.

"That is correct, Your Highness."

The members of the Crown Prince’s pack—who were the royal family of Morovela—were slightly stunned. For Vincent Arden was a future Alpha with a very high chance of becoming the Crown Prince’s right-hand man in the future, besides being one of the eight future Alphas who possessed great strength like the Valmont family: Lucien.

Who would have thought that he had already marked his mate so quickly? And that it was a Luna who was considered useless, of ugly appearance, and had even been discarded by two other future Alphas.

Everyone’s gazes there shifted to Liliana’s simple appearance, then compared it to Vincent’s, before they finally shook their heads slowly.

"Liliana... I never expected you to be so skilled at controlling it," he said with a sneer. "Did he satisfy you in bed?" he asked, staring sharply at Vincent.

"Your Highness..."

The Crown Prince waved his hand. "You controlled it far better this time, Liliana. However, something that is meant to happen will soon take place in the near future."

The Crown Prince turned and left them together with the members of his pack. No one realized that Leonhart also felt the same powerful urge—far stronger, even, than Liliana’s.

When he touched the girl’s neck, he had longed for her that very moment. He had nearly forgotten the etiquette taught by his Queen Mother.

"Your Highness... your hand?" asked a pack member beside him.

The Crown Prince snorted. "It is none of your concern. We part ways here; something is calling me. Take good care of yourselves."

"But Your Highness..."

The Crown Prince gave no further reply. He immediately shifted into a golden-furred wolf and ran, vanishing into the dense forest.

The blood flowing through Leonhart Sterling’s body was far purer and stronger than that of any other wolf prince in the Morovela Empire. That was why he had been designated as Crown Prince since childhood.

With that blood, he would easily control the Alphas throughout the entire empire. Yet this was not solely an advantage; he also felt the pressure and hatred from those around him, including the pressure from the strong urge to mark Liliana just now.

He had even had to injure his own palm in order to restore his sanity. Had it not been for the rigorous physical training all this time, he was certain he would have disgraced himself with that mad action earlier.

Leonhart snorted softly and continued walking toward the place where the object that kept calling him was located.

The moment everyone disappeared from view, Liliana’s body, which had been rigid all this time, immediately collapsed to the ground.

"What’s wrong?" Vincent asked in panic.

Liliana shook her head and then looked into Vincent’s gray eyes.

"Liliana?" Vincent asked again, immediately kneeling before her.

"Vincent..." Liliana said softly. "He..."

"Are you afraid of the Crown Prince?" Vincent cut in. "Even though he is cruel, he will not kill indiscriminately. You need not worry."

Liliana shook her head. "Vincent... call him again. He... that man... the Crown Prince, he... is my fourth mate designated by the Moon Goddess."

Vincent’s eyes widened in disbelief at that confession. His mind felt as if it had been struck by lightning in broad daylight.

"Liliana? What do you mean?"

"What you heard is the truth. I am not lying to you. And earlier... that Crown Prince wanted to mark me right here. In front of all of you."

Vincent’s face froze. "Liliana, how many mates did the Moon Goddess actually give you besides me, Lucien, and Xavier?"

"Only the Crown Prince. That is the last one."

"You can control your wolf’s desire? How is that possible?" Vincent asked, still finding it difficult to accept the reality. He understood perfectly the power of the royal bloodline. Whatever the owner of that blood desired—especially the designated heir—could not be resisted by anyone, not even by his own Alpha father.

"Explain it to me!" Vincent demanded an explanation.

"I don’t know," Liliana answered. "I am not lying to you. But when you pulled my arm earlier, the desire in my body vanished instantly."

Vincent gazed at Liliana’s face, which appeared sincere. His hand immediately reached for the gray stone stored in the pocket of his cloak. The stone in his hand quickly changed color under both of their watch. What had once been a dull gray now split into two colors: Gray and Silvery White.

Both of them looked up and locked eyes at the same time.

"Vincent, what is that object?"

Vincent swallowed hard. Just as he had suspected last night. This stone. The object that had called to him yesterday was indeed closely connected to Liliana. He could feel a faint vibration and Liliana’s distinctive scent slowly emanating from the stone in his hand.

"Try holding this," Vincent ordered.

Without questioning his intent, Liliana accepted it at once.

"Do you feel anything?"

"No. I don’t feel anything," Liliana answered.

"Are you certain?"

"Mm," she replied with a nod.

Vincent’s brow furrowed, then he took the stone back. Yet before he could think any further, a man’s voice was clearly heard from behind his back.

"Liliana?" the voice called.