The Alpha Queen and Her Rogue Kingdom

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

BASTIAN

* * * ONE YEAR AGO - EXECUTION DAY * * *



As soon as I leave the room that Elina is in, chained to a bed as she screams my name non-stop, I feel almost uncontrollable desires to go back there and tell her that everything will be fine, that I will do whatever it takes to make her happy, but no matter how much I want to do it, I know I can't, I know that as a king I also have a duty to my people, and if only she could understand this, things would be much easier, but Elina is too stubborn for it, and although I hate to admit it, she may not be a good queen consort and Luna for my kingdom, the power she demonstrated and her imposing aura would not allow her to be, she carries in her blood the strength of alpha kings, so it is not surprising that her entire being radiates the might of an alpha queen.

And although I don't understand why she seems so upset with what may happen to her adoptive family, her anguish and pain affect me too, so I head over to my office to try to find a quiet place in which I can think about a solution to this whole mess, if only I could find a way to punish him without having to take his life, I could defuse the conflict between what my alphas want and what Elina wants, thereby maintaining a balance in the kingdom.

"Offer him exile," a voice says from behind me, and I turn to find my mother standing in the office door, looking at me with a strange expression.

"What?" I ask surprised.

"Honey, I know you more than you think, and I know that you think that you have been able to deceive me all this time, but it is not like that, I know that something it’s going on between you and the Bloodmoon girl, and although I am not totally sure of what I am about to say, what I saw after the fight about her brother's arrest was enough to make a guess,” she tells me, and I frown.

"I don't know what you are talking about," I reply, feigning ignorance.

"She is your fated mate, isn't she?" my mother asks, and I am shocked for a moment.

"Your face says it all," she adds, and after a moment in which we are both silent, she continues speaking.

“I cannot say that I am happy with this whole situation, I cannot deny that I would prefer that you were the fated mate of any other girl in the world and not hers, but I know more than anyone the strength of such a bond, I almost died the day in which your father left this world, and if it had not been for you, I probably would have given myself over to the pain and suffering that his departure left me, I know what it is to feel every sensation that your mate feels, I know the happiness that seeing her happy produces in you, and I know you would do anything to protect her, but unfortunately you have duties beyond those of a mate, you are a king and you have to act as such, if she really loves you she will understand that you have a duty to your people," my mother tells me, and I run my hands through my hair in exasperation for the umpteenth time today.

“I don't know what to do, everyone is pressuring me to execute the traitor while she is tied on a bed with silver chains that are hurting her, and she begged me to spare his life… I don't… I don't want this, I know I sound like a pathetic jerk, but I don't want to have to decide between her and my kingdom because I would probably choose her, and then I would have failed my grandfather, my father, and you,” I tell her, and she reaches over to pat my head like she used to do it when I was a kid.

"Then offer him exile, tell him that he will be able to live as a rogue, he will surely accept it, and that will probably annoy the alphas who all want to see the blood flow, and it will also annoy the girl who will have to see the family that welcomed her, leave for good, but with time they will all calm down and surely everything will return to normal,” she tells me, and I know she is right, it is not the ideal solution to this, but it is the best option we have.

"Thank you, mother," I tell her, and she smiles sadly.

"I hope that one day you can accept Elina as my queen and luna," I add, and she rolls her eyes before leaving the office without saying another word.

So I go to the cell where Elina's adoptive father is, and find him sitting in the corner with his head in the middle of his knees while humming a song, the image is almost comical, since the man is probably one of the largest in the kingdom, and at this very moment he seems almost like a bear dozing; I then clear my throat to try to get his attention, and he slowly lifts his head towards me, then frowns slightly when he recognizes me.

"Is it time for my execution?" he asks in a monotonous voice, and then adds: "I thought they would let me say goodbye to my family before that,"

"No, it is not time yet, but I have come to talk to you about your sentence," I tell him, and he looks at me in confusion.

"What about it?" he asks.

"I want to offer you a different option to execution," I tell him, and he seems surprised.

"Did Elina convince you to spare my life?" the man asks.

"Well, actually, it is because of her that I am offering another option," I reply, and he nods slowly.

"And what is the other option?" he asks me with a somewhat hopeful expression.

"The exile," I reply simply, and his frown deepens, losing every trace of hope on his face.

"Go rogue?" he asks, and I nod.

"That would imply that my whole family must also go into exile with me, wouldn't it?" he adds.

"Yes, those are the rules of exile," I reply, and the man shakes his head sadly.

"And the rules of execution remain the same?" he asks, and I don't understand what his question is about.

"Yes, they stay the same," I reply.

Does that mean that if I die nothing will happen to my family? Will you let them live in peace and keep their jobs as they have always been doing?" he asks me, and I feel my blood freeze when I understand why he is asking me all those questions.

He will choose the welfare of his family over his own life, again.

"Yes, they will be able to continue their lives in the kingdom without any repercussions," I reply in a strained voice.

"Then there is nothing to decide, I don't want the sentence that has already been handed down to be changed," he responds, and puts his head back between his knees, completely ignoring me.

"No, you can't do that," I tell him, and when he doesn't lift his head, I continue to insist.

"Think about what is going to happen with your family, the suffering that this will bring to them,"

“They don't want you to die, and while it's wrong for me to say this considering that I am the king and that you were in cahoots with my enemies, couldn't you all just join Arthur Bloodmoon? That way you wouldn't have to suffer like Rogues,” I tell him in a desperate bid for him to choose exile, and thereby save his own life.

“Do you think Arthur Bloodmoon does not suffer in exile? And I shouldn't tell you this either, but even if I have helped them before, that is no guarantee that they will welcome me and my family with open arms, he only wants Elina, not us,” the man responds.

"Then why did you help him if you weren't even sure he was going to return the favor?" I ask with curiosity.

"I did it for Elina, as soon as I found out that he was still alive and was trying to get to her, I couldn't just refuse to give her the opportunity to go away with the only living relative she has left," he tells me.

"She is fine here with us, she doesn't have to go with anyone," I reply almost jealously, and he looks at me curiously.

"I don't want to discuss my actions anymore, I just choose to stick with the original sentence, it will be better for everyone in the end," he says, and for some reason it seems like he is hinting at something else.

"At least talk to her one last time," I tell him, hoping that she will convince him to change his mind, and he nods.

"I will do it if possible, thank you," he tells me, and I feel like I have lost a battle before it even started.

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* * * PRESENT TIME * * *

"I don't believe you," Elina tells me.

"It is the truth, every word, I swear," I tell her, and she shakes her head.

"I don't believe a single word of that, he wouldn't do something like that," she says, but her voice sounds uncertain, like she is really starting to question the veracity of my words.

So, I take a step towards her, and again she recoils, which causes a pain that feels like a punch to the face, but I do not give up, I take one more step, and another as she recoils almost instantly until her back collides against a tree, and her eyes widen in surprise when my hand brushes her cheek.

"I need you to believe me, I have tried to explain what happened for a long time because I can't stand it when you look at me that way, I can't stand it when you think I would do something like that of my own free will, I need you to trust me again," I whisper, and I feel her body stiffen with my closeness as her breathing becomes elaborate.

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