Mated To The Hybrid Prince - Chapter 74: Chapter 74

(Queen Eden's POV)
I stood, unable to move.
My lungs ached, but I couldn't breathe. My heart thundered like a war drum, refusing to calm. “You two are mates?” I asked again, though I already knew the answer.
They didn’t speak right away, but then slowly they nodded.
Zion looked down while Lily avoided my eyes, and just like that the truth shattered the little peace I had left.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to shake them both and demand why they’d hidden something so sacred but I held it in.
My voice came out quieter than I expected. “How long? How long have you both known that you were mates?”
Zion looked up, guilt swimming in his eyes. “Since our eighteenth birthday.”
The words struck me like a blade. My knees buckled, and I leaned back against the wall to steady myself.
That was several months ago.
I stared at them, my thoughts spiraling. So much had happened since then, and they had kept this from us. From me.
My gaze narrowed on them; Zion opened his mouth to speak, his words stumbling over each other.
“Mom, we—we didn’t mean to keep it from you. It just got… complicated, and..”
“Enough,” I said sharply “We’re going to see your father.”
I brushed the tears from my lashes and turned around, leading the way through the long, quiet hallway. They followed behind me, footsteps heavy with guilt and hesitation.
The King’s study door was closed, but through the glass, I saw him hunched over his desk, surrounded by open books and thick stacks of parchment. His face was set in deep focus, his brows knit together as he reviewed a scroll.
I rarely disturbed him when he worked, especially at times like this but tonight, I couldn’t bear the burden alone.
I knocked once.
“Come in,” his deep voice answered.
I stepped inside, and the children followed. He looked up at the sound of the door, surprised to see all three of us.
“What is going on?” he asked.
I didn’t hesitate.
“They’re mates.”
His sharp blue eyes darted between their faces. He didn’t speak at first, but I saw the flicker of genuine shock pass through them.
He stood slowly “Zion,” he said with quiet command. “You told us Celeste was your mate.”
“I lied,” Zion confessed, voice low. “I thought she was the right choice. She seemed perfect. Lily… Lily was raised with me. It didn’t feel right.”
I stepped forward, my throat tight. “You both were standing in that room, about to reject each other. And I found out by accident?"
The King’s expression tightened. “And yet, you got Celeste pregnant?”
Zion’s face flushed. “I didn’t. I swear it. One night she came to my door to seduce me, and I turned her away but later, she came back. When I opened the door, she threw something in my face. Some cold liquid. And then… everything went black.”
He swallowed hard, eyes lowering. “When I woke up, I felt drained. My… seed was on the bed. And Ragnar, he’d been knocked out too. He remembered nothing.”
The King paced. I could see the storm brewing behind his calm face, the anger he tried to hide.
Then he turned to Lily. “Do you love him?”
Her voice was quiet but firm. “It doesn’t matter. Celeste is pregnant. I came to reject him, and that’s what I’ll do.”
My heart broke.
Tears welled in my eyes and slipped down before I could stop them. “You were a gift,” I said to Lily, voice trembling. “The Moon Goddess gave you to us; first as a daughter, and now Zion's mate...You weren’t a mistake.”
She looked away.
I turned to my husband, voice barely a whisper. “Could this be why I had that vision? Why I saw them fighting? Could their love twist into hate if we let this go on?”
The King looked at Lily for a long moment. Then he said, “I’m sorry, Lily. But I can’t let you both reject each other. Not like this. We’ll have to come to a compromise.”
His words echoed in the room.
A compromise... because this wasn’t just about love anymore.
It was about fate, and what the future of this kingdom depended on.