"Mabel, don’t say that," Alpha King Raidan finally intervened. He cast a glance at Gabriel, who had yet to respond. Before the argument could start, Raidan said, "You should go to your chamber. Take some rest."
Gabriel, however, had no intention of leaving without making his stance clear. His violet gaze locked onto his mother’s.
"I won’t set foot in this palace again after I attend the gala with Amelie," he declared. "Your treatment has hardened me so much that your words no longer affect me, Queen Mabel." His lips curled into a smirk, though his eyes held no amusement. "And as long as it infuriates you, I’ll keep doing everything that makes your heart burn with hatred."
Gabriel tightened his grip on Amelie’s hand as they made their way toward the Eastern Palace, the secluded part of the estate where they could find some peace, away from the suffocating tension of the main palace.
"Butler Lester, make sure my dear brother and his partner have a comfortable stay," Casaio ordered. He then turned to his mother. "Mom, you should start treating Gabriel better. He’s no longer a child."
Raidan nodded in agreement, but Mabel scoffed, her face contorted with anger.
"He will bring chaos to this family one day. His birth was a mistake," she spat. "I don’t want to hear another word about this. You’ve disappointed me, Casaio." With that, she turned on her heels and stormed out of the hall.
Casaio exhaled sharply, rolling his eyes as he leaned back into his chair. "Dad, why don’t you make Mom understand? Gabriel already sees all of us as his enemies. I warned him not to bring Amelie here, but he was stubborn. He even went as far as claiming she was his mate."
"But there was no mark on her neck," Dominick pointed out. "She’s not claimed by him."
Raidan remained silent for a moment before exhaling deeply. "I’ll speak to Gabriel later. For now, stay away from him," he instructed his sons. He knew, better than anyone, that Gabriel was far more wounded by Mabel’s words than he would ever admit.
"Well, I have no intention of going near him," Dominick stated firmly as he stood. He adjusted his coat before turning to his father. "I have urgent business to attend to outside," he added with a respectful nod before striding out of the hall.
Casaio remained silent, casting one last glance at Raidan before he, too, left for his own room.
Left alone in the vast, dimly lit hall, the Alpha King exhaled deeply, his fingers tightening. His gaze lingered on the grand chandeliers above, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
’Gabriel will bring calamity?’ Mabel’s harsh words echoed in his mind, laced with the same resentment she had carried for nearly three decades.
Raidan shook his head. ’No... Gabriel is not the one bringing destruction. It is us, the very family meant to protect him that has pushed him to the edge.’
’How can he still smile after the way his mother spoke to him?’ she wondered, her heart aching for him. ’I always thought I had a bad mother, but at least she wasn’t cruel. Gabriel, on the other hand, has spent his entire life under the shadow of a mother who hates him.’
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