Chapter 462 - 462 Drake’s Burden

462 Drake’s Burden

Honour stared at the prince in shock. Between the nightmare, she’d just witnessed and the question the man was asking, she couldn’t form the right words.

For a while, she’d wrestled with finding ways to tell him about herself but something kept her from doing so. For a time, she thought she could get the prince to help her out. Since the goddess couldn’t help her friends directly, then perhaps telling the prince would do the trick.

Drake was the one person her powers could work on without the divine restrictions getting in her way.

Was Drake mad? How long had he known? Was he mad at her?

Panic set in.

The prince, however, didn’t look mad. Drake didn’t look angry. If anything, he looked… lost, curious and desperately searching for answers.

Still, shaking the slight feeling of fear was harder than the girl thought it would be…

More than a year…

That’s how long she had been spending time with the prince. She’d even become accustomed to using her powers around him without thinking twice about it.

.....

She could heal him, make flowers bloom and create small breezes that set a calm and peaceful mood. On some occasions, she’d parted the gloomy clouds on a cloudy day so that they could watch the sunset together.

And all that time, the prince had never once asked her why she could do all those things. Instead, when she did it, he would look around for onlookers, trying to make sure she hadn’t used her powers in public.

When he was sure they were safe, he would then try to advise her on how she was being reckless.

However, that was only half the time. Other times, he lived with her in the moment. It’s not every day he got to see someone part the clouds just for something as trivial as watching the sunset.

Lina learnt about it later on. And while Honour had been worried that her best friend would bother her with more questions of what was going on between her and the prince, none of that happened.

Lina had remained quiet.

The relationship growing between Honour and Drake wasn’t a secret. While there were no clear labels on what it was, everyone steered clear of the two wolves. Even the female delta that used to talk to Drake rather often halted in their endeavours.

Honour only partially knew why they weren’t bothered.

While she was not sure if her powers worked on Lina, she was sure the other wolves let them be…

simply because she wished it.

Her powers as the goddess of the moon commanded this much from all wolves that happened to be in her presence.

The prince waved a hand in front of the girl, snapping her out of her trance. “Oh, sorry… You asked…” the girl sighed, “If I was…”

“It doesn’t matter to me, just so you know. It changes nothing, honestly,” the prince cut her off, as though reading her mind. Another part of him that she found impossible to ignore.

The prince was capable of reading her like a book. It was irritating sometimes but very comforting at the same time… and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Y-Yes… Yes, I am,” Honour confirmed, setting her jaw with determination. There was no turning back now… and lying would only cause more problems and tear a rift between the two of them. Something Honour did not want at all.

“So… those dreams that don’t let you get a good night’s sleep?” the prince raised a brow.

“They are… memories,” the girl explained with a tight-lipped smile, “Memories of a past life… The life I had when I was the goddess of the moon.”

The prince stared at her for a moment and drew in a deep breath, “Was? Goddess of the moon?”

“Yeah.”

Honour could sense a myriad of questions swarming within the prince’s mind. His eyes sparkled with curiosity, “This is a lot to take in. I don’t even know where to begin.”

Honour was curious now though, “You could start by taking a deep breath. And while you’re at it, would you mind telling me how you came to that conclusion?”

The prince stared at a spot at the far side of the wall for a moment before speaking up, “Two years ago… on my last trip to find my mate. I purposefully visited the Golden Moon pack to find someone. I was looking for… the Seeker-” Honour’s eyes lit up at the mention of the Seeker.

“-I was tired of the fruitless search. It’s not normal for a royal to go through so many packs without finding their mate.

I was the crown prince and I hadn’t found her yet. I was getting desperate. Then I recalled an old rumour about this… werewolf that’s fabled to have the power to find another wolf’s mate for them. I was looking for a shortcut,” the prince sighed, rubbing his temples.

Honour’s breath hitched and her face turned a light shade of red, “W-What did the Seeker tell you?”

Noticing the rise in the pitch of her voice, the prince turned to the girl beside him and nearly burst out laughing.

“Hey, don’t laugh at me. You’re telling me you know who your mate is and here I was hanging around you. She must think so ill of me,” the girl cursed.

The prince soon stopped laughing and looked back at the girl, “You have nothing to worry about. The Seeker didn’t tell me who my mate was-is… whatever...”

This shocked Honour, who turned to Drake. The man had been searching for his mate for a long time before his visit to the Golden Moon pack.

Failing to get a name after that encounter with the one being guaranteed to help you find them must have been heartbreaking. Something was missing in his explanation, however…

“She told me that I was two years too early to find my mate. She also told me that my mate was in the capital and that she was someone… very special,” the prince’s voice took on a loving tone.

“I might be a goddess but there are still other werewolves in the capital that could fit that description,” the girl countered, “Quite a number to be honest.”

“I know that… but I’ve had almost two years to figure that out. Besides, the category of ‘special’ that fits the Seeker’s description really narrowed down the number of wolves I should have been looking through.

The first sign was that time that you made a flower bloom. With time, I realised there were more peculiar things happening around you that many hadn’t noticed… and for good reason too.

No wolf would defy you even though you weren’t commanding them.

'

You could speak to royals without lowering your gaze and staring into my eyes was never hard for you. You talk to me without flinching. You scold me when I’m slacking and you push me to finish my duties.

It’s rare, you know…

To find someone among the werewolves that would treat you normally regardless of your status. I quickly grew fond of you, but then… I knew my feelings weren’t so shallow.

There was something else my wolf was reacting to. Proving it was easy… but then came the other things that I started to notice. You could use your powers with me without any trouble. You healed my injuries before but I’ve never seen you heal anyone else.

Not to mention, your powers are much more suppressed when you’re in the presence of others. You can only do something… indirect and imperceptible.

It was becoming clear that I was some sort of exception.

I got more and more curious as time went on. Your powers when we were alone didn’t seem to have limits. Then there were those times when you would freeze up in the presence of a breeze that I’m sure you hadn’t caused.

I walked into the library one day… It was like fate when I found what I was looking for. Everything made sense then…”

“How… How did you realise so much? I can’t see it, Drake. I gave you no reason to think about…” the girl froze when Lina’s words echoed in her mind.

Drake had been getting distant from his family.

He wasn’t the same person they’d known two years ago. Drake was changing but she knew for a fact that he was the same person when he was with her. Could it be that he was growing distant because of her or was it simply because he had started playing detective and what he found out made him more distant?

“I got eager to find out… because of something else,” Drake mentioned almost passively, “I know you told me not to reveal your powers to anyone and I wouldn’t have but the part I didn’t understand is why I didn’t even think of exposing you one bit. It was almost like I was banned from thinking of it.

I had to scribble it down on a piece of paper once for me to remember that this was a possibility. And the day I tried to speak to Father about it, my voice betrayed me. I hadn’t intended to mention your name or who it was I was referring to.

I was trying to be completely hypothetical and yet nothing came through. It soon became clear to me… that everything mystical that I knew about you would never be revealed coming from me. It was scary…

I felt trapped…

But then… one day, I woke up to a howling wind… and a crying girl holding onto me for dear life. And when you tried to speak to me, nothing came out.”

Honour’s eyes widened in horror. Drake knew more than he’d let on…

It both astonished and shocked her. But she hadn’t known he was being affected by her abilities. How long had he kept this to himself? And if that was the case, why hadn’t he told her about it? How much did he know? What were they even talking about…

‘Oh right, we were talking about his mate… Wait… huh!’

“How does any of that prove that I am your mate?” the girl asked shakily.

Drake looked at her with a sad smile, “That’s quite simple. We’re bound in ways deeper than mates could ever be. And unlike mates, rejection is not an option. It would technically spell my death, but don’t focus on that,” the man chuckled nervously.

‘Oh, dear!’

The damage had already been done though. Honour’s thoughts roared with a raging ferocity, “Am I the reason you’re growing distant from your family? Have I been causing you…”

“Hey, stop right there. You’ve made me happier than any royal could ever hope to be. Did you miss the part where I said I was growing fond of you and that it’s rare to find someone that can speak to me and not flinch at the fact that I’m a royal?” the man tried.

“I haven’t forgotten that, Drake. How could I? It makes me happy to hear that… but I also heard Lina say you’ve not been the same,” the girl spiralled. It was like trying to tame a storm.

Drake’s expression fell… “That is because of something else I discovered about our relationship. It’s got nothing to do with you… and everything to do with what keeps us from saying anything to our loved ones.”

Honour stared at Drake, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. He’d already said more than she wanted to hear about her celestial self… and the look of sadness that spread across his face only made it harder for her to take in what he was to say next.

Drawing in a sharp breath, the prince looked into her amber orbs and proceeded with his story.