Chapter 201
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CAMILLA’S P.O.V
I couldn’t stop myself from fidgeting as I walked out of the room. I had never felt so at war with myself before. I knew that girl- at least, my body did- but my mind could not conjure up a single memory of her. I knew fiercely in my heart that I loved her, I knew that if I had said those words, they would be true but I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to say them when I didn’t even know who she was.
“Camilla,” Marie wrapped her hand around my bicep and pulled me to a stop. “I cannot keep running after you. You need to stop.”
“Did you see that?” I asked and she shrugged.
“She looks like you,” I shot her a hard look and she laughed. “If I had any doubts that those were your children, they have been
mate and away. It was like looking into your past. Damn, Camilla, you have daughters, you have a
mate and a cousin, you have a family.”
“That’s the problem, I don’t remember them,” I whispered harshly not wanting anyone to overhear me. “I feel like an imposter. I feel like they w
want
like an imposter. I feel like they me to be this person and I cannot be her because I do not know her. I am not the girl they think I am and that has to be one of the most horrible feelings because I would give anything to be that girl.”
Her eyes softened and she pulled me in for a hug. I was surprised because Marie was not the affectionate type. She was the kind of person cared about someone and yet here she was, embracing me like her life depended on it. Her shoulders were stiff and her arms were a bit cold, but it was contact nonetheless and it was something I needed.
O would rather put her hands into the mouth of a bear than actually show that she
We stayed there for a full minute not speaking or even breathing too loud before she finally pulled away. “That is all the warmth I have in me for the next year or so.”
I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of me. “Thank you, Marie. You don’t know how good it feels to know that I have at least one familiar face here. If you and Peggy weren’t here, I would lose my mind and it has barely been forty eight hours yet.”
“You will get used to being Queen, Camilla. This is who you are and I am sure that one year here will show you that.”
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Chapter 201
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I scoffed. “I don’t think this is something I will ever get used to. I don’t know if I can last an entire year. I just want to go back to the town. I want to go back-”
“Are you kidding me?” I was shocked by the venom and anger in her voice. I looked up only to find her features contorted into a frown. “You want to give up all of this.”
“In case you haven’t realized, Marie, I am not cut out to be queen.”
“Stop with the woe is me pity party, Camilla. It was good for a few days but now this is getting embarrassing,” she crossed her arms over her chest. “You have been given a once in a lifetime opportunity. So many people will kill for the chance to just get out of that town and live in a pack. You got the chance to be Queen and you want to throw it away?”
“Marie-”
“No!” she cut me off and I frowned. “I never pegged you as a quitter, Camilla, I thought you were better than that but apparently I was wrong.”
She stormed off before I could form any words and I let out an exasperated sigh. I wanted to go after her but knowing Marie, she needed some time alone. This wasn’t just about me, it was clear that there was more to the story than she was letting on to. I decided to give her some time to come to terms with her emotions on the matter before turning on my heels and walking straight out of the palace.
I let my feet lead me. The guards whispered as they watched me, I tried to pretend like it didn’t affect me but it did. I kept my head high and briefly acknowledged each of them as I made my way out of the palace. I walked down the side until I got to what I realized was a beautiful fountain. It stood there in the middle of the open garden and I couldn’t help but feel a strange pull towards it.
Before I could stop myself, I was seated cross legged on the floor in front of it. I reached out a hand and willed
it the water to come to me. It flowed so easily and I let out a sigh. Despite it being the thing that almost killed me, was the one thing that managed to give me some form of comfort.
“I didn’t expect to see you here, your majesty,” the water sloshed to the ground as I nearly jumped from the strange voice. I turned to see an older man wearing a coat. He had salt and pepper hair and his eyes were kind. “It is good to see you back here.”
“It is good to be back.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, I was one of the few who truly believed you to be dead. It would have been a
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Chapter 20L
shame for someone with such raw power to lose herself before she got to the extent of it,” he said as he took the
spot next to me and I immediately knew he was Loris. Ryker had told me about him. “Although, I did hear that you managed some impressive feats on that cliff. I was proud.”
“I don’t want to talk about the cliff.”
“Of course,” he looked a little sheepish. “I have never really had a filter and I never learned how to streamline my thoughts before saying them out loud. What you went through must have been traumatic for it to have taken you over two months to recover from it. Did you come here to train?”
I thought about it for a second before shaking my head. As appealing as training sounded, I just needed some time to myself. I wanted to think and this seemed to be the only place where someone wasn’t looking for me or expecting me to be Queen Camilla.
“Well then, I suppose I will take my leave,” he bowed. “Whenever you feel the need to get back into it, you know where to find me.” he started to walk away but at the last minute, he stopped and turned over his shoulder to look at me. “If you are looking for a challenge, then I don’t think animal shapes is the way to go. You can do those in your sleep.”
I laughed. “Fishes have always been the easiest.”
“What?” I turned to see Ryker staring at me in shock and confusion. Loris bowed and walked away leaving me with my mate who was staring at me with apprehensive eyes. He made his way over to me and there was something predatory in his gaze that had my spine straightening. He stopped directly in front of me and I couldn’t stop myself from looking away.
“You’re standing too close,” I whispered but he made no move to leave.
“You said that fishes have always been the easiest. How would you know that?”
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