Alpha Nocturne’s Contracted Mate by A E Randell
Chapter 132: Did You Ever Love Me At All?
“Guilty? You’ve already decided our fate then, my love?” Narcissa yelled as she raged against the bars and glass of her cage. Leopold glanced across at her and his gaze hardened.
“I don’t think I have ever been your love, not truly. I think, given all of the evidence collected and testimony from various parties involved, that I was merely a means to an end.” He said coldly as he stood from his seat and made his way down from the dais towards the area where Narcissa and Ada’s cages sat.
Narcissa watched him approach through narrowed eyes and smirked as he stood almost nose to nose with her, separated only by the glass and iron bars between them.
“What would you know about my goals or achievements, Leopold, hmm? No sooner had you decided that you wanted me, did you whisk me away to your palace with the promise of a happily ever after.” She laughed coldly. “Did you ever stop to think what I wanted?”
Leopold narrowed his eyes slightly as he inhaled deeply.
“The guilt trips don’t work on me anymore Narcissa so you can drop the act. Your words don’t seem to hold as much weight as they once did… curious, isn’t it?” He said flatly. “Tell me… did you ever love me at all?”
As Narcissa cackled wildly in her cage and shook her head in disgust at the man before her, a voice rang out from above.
“That is not why we are here, Leopold.”
Leopold glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the voice above and sighed lightly.
“You know full well what the prerogatives of this investigation are the information that we seek. Stick to what was agreed.” the ancient voice continued sternly.
“Very well.” He nodded in resignation as a small voice piped up from Ada’s cage.
“Father, please. Don’t do this. We don’t deserve this. You’ve got it all wrong.” She pleaded miserably from her hunched position on the floor.
Leopold glanced across at her and seeing her in this state clearly caused him great pain. After all, he had raised her all these years as his own daughter, with no reason to believe that she was not. The only doubts that had ever been voiced were from certain members of the nobility who questioned her lack of wolf. Regrettably, those voices had long since been silenced.
“Ada, I have no choice, you have both brought this upon yourselves, and please… refrain from calling me father, as it remains clear that although I have raised you, biologically you are not of my blood.”
The muffled sobs of Ada filled the room as she hung her head in despair.
“Whether you knew it or not, not only did you seek to destroy the relationship between myself and my blood daughter you also destroyed the bond of the moon-blessed fated pairing between Ann and Brad. I am yet to discover just how much you actually knew about your mother’s deceit over the years and whether or not either of you was responsible for the severing of my own fated pairing.” He spat furiously.
The room descended into a heavy silence, the only sound was that of Leopold’s furious breathing rippling through the air until Narcissa’s wild giggling began again.
“You really are pathetic Leopold. All these fanciful charges and you dare to think you can prise a confession out of me?” Narcissa laughed again, “You’re delusional. You always have been.”
“Did you sever the bond between myself and my fated mate, Narcissa?” Leopold growled as Narcissa continued her manic giggling. “Perhaps you should look deep inside yourself and ask why it is that your wolf has disappeared from your consciousness, and left you helpless for so many years!” Narcissa hissed furiously, throwing herself against the side of the cage suddenly, her nails d ragging down the glass as she glowered at him furiously.
A low murmur rippled around the ranks above, punctuated by shocked gasps at Narcissa’s words and all Leopold could do was seethe quietly.
“You’re all alone, Leopold.” Narcissa laughed, “Weak, abandoned, broken… why, even your wolf has deserted you!” Narcissa was clearly reveling in the discomfort that he was suffering and Leopold’s fists clenched at his side.
“Enough. Answer the question, Narcissa.” He growled through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing dangerously.
She paused and frowned at the change in his eyes, peering intently through one of the glass part*itions as she pressed her nose up against it. Leopold glared fiercely back at her, feeling his fury grow the longer she stared.
“Narcissa, this is your last chance. Don’t make me do something that I don’t want to do.”
She seemed to come back to her senses at his words and leaned back with a sly grin.
“Why should I change the habit of a lifetime, dearest?” she t*ittered, “I’ve been making you do things that you didn’t want to for years. If you had been stronger and not so focused on your human urges, then you could have resisted, but you men are all the same.” She grinned. “There is nothing in this world that you can do to make me tell you anything.”
Leopold growled loudly, the vibrations rippling through the room as he struggled with his anger.
“Then you leave me no choice Narcissa…” he said darkly as he straightened himself up and squared his shoulders, “By the goddess-given power invested in me through my bloodline, endowed and recognized by the Royal Elder Council, I, Leopold Veritas command you to speak only the truth whilst you remain within the boundaries of this Kingdom.”
Ann turned to Adam with her eyes wide, and he met her gaze with the barest trace of shock.
It wasn’t common knowledge that the royal line held innate abilities unique to their bloodline and passed down through the generations to each of their children. Now it made perfect sense as to why the Elder Council had insisted that her father presides over the hearing.
Ann wouldn’t yet come into her own abilities until she had been formally inaugurated as the reigning Alpha Queen. Her father was the only person of royal blood who could forcibly command Narcissa to speak the truth.
Ann knew a little of the abilities her father held, only through her own extensive private tutoring that she had been f*orc*ed to endure as a child when she was confined to the walls of the palace.
She couldn’t recall a time in history when the royal commands had ever been used on others in the presence of people outside of the royal circle. It was one of their greatest kept secrets. This was an incredible occurrence for Adam, Allen, and Lexi most of all, to witness this in person.
It went someway to quelling her fury at the evasiveness of Narcissa though. With his use of that command, there was no possible way that Narcissa could talk her way out of questioning now and Ann was more than ready to hear the truth of what had been happening all these years.