Mated To The Hybrid Prince - Chapter 76: Chapter 76
You are reading Mated To The Hybrid Prince, Chapter 76: Chapter 76. Read more chapters of Mated To The Hybrid Prince.
(Lily’s POV)
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at nothing.
My fingers kept twisting the same piece of thread from my duvet until it nearly snapped. Zion's words haunted me, he wouldn't even let me finish the rejection. Why would he not let me go? And now... now I was stuck in a storm of emotions, trying to count all the ways I could force him to reject me instead.
A soft knock came at the door and before I could answer, Aunt Lamia pushed the door open and stepped inside. Her face was unreadable as she sat with me on the bed. She showed me a cream-colored envelope sealed with the royal crest.
“There's a letter from the palace”, she said softly, placing it beside me.
My eyes widened at the seal. My stomach twisted as I reached for it, tearing it open with shaky fingers. As I read the content, my stomach dropped.
[Royal Summon – By Order of the Crown ]
Lady Lily Pison,
You are hereby summoned to attend a royal meeting at the Palace in two days’ time. This meeting concerns an unresolved dispute that now demands the attention and presence of all involved parties.
Your attendance is not optional.
His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Zion, and the family of Lady Celeste Atherton will also be in attendance.
Failure to appear will be regarded as an act of defiance to royal authority and will be treated with appropriate consequences.
May the Moon Goddess guide your steps.
Signed,
Lord Valerio Ovasti.
Chief Royal Scribe
On behalf of His Majesty, King Eros of the Realm.
“They’re summoning me… for a dispute meeting with Celeste’s family? because of the mate bond?” Tears pooled in my eyes. “Why are they doing this to me?”
My stomach clenched. Aunt Lamia didn’t say anything, she gently rubbed my back as she pulled me to her side. My throat burned as I clung to her. After everything... After all the betrayal, they still wanted to drag me back there to compromise on Zion, and I’s relationship.
“You don’t have to do this alone,” Aunt Lamia said. I looked up to her and nodded as more tears pooled down my face. “I’m going to support you, and don’t forget you have your friends too, okay?”
“Yes, Aunt Lamia. Thank you very much.” I whispered, pulling out my phone to dial Aria’s line. We spoke, and the trio arrived in minutes.
“Lily,” Aria said, rushing to hug me, “we’re going with you.”
Tobe squeezed my shoulder. “Time to handle some confrontation."
Even Dev nodded. “You’re not facing this without us.”
Two days later, it was time to appear for the summon.
A sleek white car from the palace pulled up in front of the house. We were all ready, Aunt Lamia and I followed the chauffeur while Aria, Tobe and Dev drove in a car behind us.
The drive to the palace was tensed, with Aunt Lamia constantly rubbing circles in my hands to calm me. When we arrived at the palace gates, the guards opened them without question.
The palace was quiet, almost too quiet. but I could feel the tension ripping through the air. We were led to the waiting room and there we saw them, Celeste and her parents, seated with tight expressions.
Aunt Lamia walked beside me. My friends flanked me protectively. No one said a word.
Finally, a servant guided us into the King’s throne room.
This was going to be my second time here in a roll. The first time was when I was sent out of the palace after Zelda's party, and now, it was to sit and talk about my fate.
The King, Queen, Zion and Zelda entered moments later. The Queen offered a polite smile but the King was grim.
“Let’s begin,” he said firmly. “I am quite aware that we all have an idea of why this meeting was called. It just came to our notice that Zion and Lily are fated mates, and Celeste is pregnant for Zion.”
Celeste's mother stood to her feet, her voice cutting the silence. “What has fated mates got to do with the issue at hand? The crowned prince obviously chose, and publicly announced Celeste as his future queen. Now that she is pregnant with his child, why is that an issue or a thing for deliberation? Nothing ought to change.”
The Queen responded, “Celeste will bear the child but the prince will not be forced into a bond with her. There will be no union between them."
Celeste’s father bristled. “But she was born for this role. She's perfect for the prince.”
Zion immediately raised his head. “Born for this role? Then the Moon Goddess must have gotten it wrong because I didn’t choose her.”
Celeste's mother snapped “You're not a child Zion! You must take full responsibility for your actions. You got our daughter pregnant, and so the best thing to do is to reject your mate. Then all these would be over,”
"Nah," Zion chuckled bitterly “I won’t.”
Lord Adonis shot up from his chair, pointing angrily at Zion "You will reject your pest of a mate or..."
"Or what?" Zion said, daring him as he stayed composed in his seat.
Lord Adonis opened his mouth to speak again when the King suddenly bellowed "Enough!" he said “The Prince will be with his fated mate and that is final... However, Celeste will conceive and raise the child, and Zion will co-parent with her. Nothing more.”
The air thinned. “Unacceptable!” Celeste's father growled as dark veins snaked over his skin. My friends snapped out their claws, ready to defend me when the Queen shut him down.
“You'll do your best not to shift here, as that will be taken as a threat to the throne." She thundered, projecting her powerful aura which made him cower.
Still, he bit his lips, not meeting the Queen's eyes “You’ll regret this!"
“Are you threatening us?” the king growled while getting up. The whole room immediately went silent.
“Never," lord Adonis lied, looking away.
The King chuckled dryly “I'll be watching you, Friend."
And just like that, I knew their friendship was lost.
Then Celeste's parents gave a mock bow, and proceeded to storm out. I stood slowly, still shaken; my friends and Aunt Lamia following me out to the main foyer... when Celeste appeared behind me, and brushed past me hardly. The bracelet gifted by Aunt Lamia snapped off and fell to the floor.
I bent to pick it up.
That was when I saw it.
Celeste's father, stepping toward their waiting car. His foot landed near the curb and my heart dropped.
The shoes.
It was the exact replica of the brown shoes I saw when I got stabbed on my sixteenth birthday.
I froze. My vision blurred, and my hands trembled... all I could hear was the rushing in my ears.
It was Celeste's father?
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at nothing.
My fingers kept twisting the same piece of thread from my duvet until it nearly snapped. Zion's words haunted me, he wouldn't even let me finish the rejection. Why would he not let me go? And now... now I was stuck in a storm of emotions, trying to count all the ways I could force him to reject me instead.
A soft knock came at the door and before I could answer, Aunt Lamia pushed the door open and stepped inside. Her face was unreadable as she sat with me on the bed. She showed me a cream-colored envelope sealed with the royal crest.
“There's a letter from the palace”, she said softly, placing it beside me.
My eyes widened at the seal. My stomach twisted as I reached for it, tearing it open with shaky fingers. As I read the content, my stomach dropped.
[Royal Summon – By Order of the Crown ]
Lady Lily Pison,
You are hereby summoned to attend a royal meeting at the Palace in two days’ time. This meeting concerns an unresolved dispute that now demands the attention and presence of all involved parties.
Your attendance is not optional.
His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Zion, and the family of Lady Celeste Atherton will also be in attendance.
Failure to appear will be regarded as an act of defiance to royal authority and will be treated with appropriate consequences.
May the Moon Goddess guide your steps.
Signed,
Lord Valerio Ovasti.
Chief Royal Scribe
On behalf of His Majesty, King Eros of the Realm.
“They’re summoning me… for a dispute meeting with Celeste’s family? because of the mate bond?” Tears pooled in my eyes. “Why are they doing this to me?”
My stomach clenched. Aunt Lamia didn’t say anything, she gently rubbed my back as she pulled me to her side. My throat burned as I clung to her. After everything... After all the betrayal, they still wanted to drag me back there to compromise on Zion, and I’s relationship.
“You don’t have to do this alone,” Aunt Lamia said. I looked up to her and nodded as more tears pooled down my face. “I’m going to support you, and don’t forget you have your friends too, okay?”
“Yes, Aunt Lamia. Thank you very much.” I whispered, pulling out my phone to dial Aria’s line. We spoke, and the trio arrived in minutes.
“Lily,” Aria said, rushing to hug me, “we’re going with you.”
Tobe squeezed my shoulder. “Time to handle some confrontation."
Even Dev nodded. “You’re not facing this without us.”
Two days later, it was time to appear for the summon.
A sleek white car from the palace pulled up in front of the house. We were all ready, Aunt Lamia and I followed the chauffeur while Aria, Tobe and Dev drove in a car behind us.
The drive to the palace was tensed, with Aunt Lamia constantly rubbing circles in my hands to calm me. When we arrived at the palace gates, the guards opened them without question.
The palace was quiet, almost too quiet. but I could feel the tension ripping through the air. We were led to the waiting room and there we saw them, Celeste and her parents, seated with tight expressions.
Aunt Lamia walked beside me. My friends flanked me protectively. No one said a word.
Finally, a servant guided us into the King’s throne room.
This was going to be my second time here in a roll. The first time was when I was sent out of the palace after Zelda's party, and now, it was to sit and talk about my fate.
The King, Queen, Zion and Zelda entered moments later. The Queen offered a polite smile but the King was grim.
“Let’s begin,” he said firmly. “I am quite aware that we all have an idea of why this meeting was called. It just came to our notice that Zion and Lily are fated mates, and Celeste is pregnant for Zion.”
Celeste's mother stood to her feet, her voice cutting the silence. “What has fated mates got to do with the issue at hand? The crowned prince obviously chose, and publicly announced Celeste as his future queen. Now that she is pregnant with his child, why is that an issue or a thing for deliberation? Nothing ought to change.”
The Queen responded, “Celeste will bear the child but the prince will not be forced into a bond with her. There will be no union between them."
Celeste’s father bristled. “But she was born for this role. She's perfect for the prince.”
Zion immediately raised his head. “Born for this role? Then the Moon Goddess must have gotten it wrong because I didn’t choose her.”
Celeste's mother snapped “You're not a child Zion! You must take full responsibility for your actions. You got our daughter pregnant, and so the best thing to do is to reject your mate. Then all these would be over,”
"Nah," Zion chuckled bitterly “I won’t.”
Lord Adonis shot up from his chair, pointing angrily at Zion "You will reject your pest of a mate or..."
"Or what?" Zion said, daring him as he stayed composed in his seat.
Lord Adonis opened his mouth to speak again when the King suddenly bellowed "Enough!" he said “The Prince will be with his fated mate and that is final... However, Celeste will conceive and raise the child, and Zion will co-parent with her. Nothing more.”
The air thinned. “Unacceptable!” Celeste's father growled as dark veins snaked over his skin. My friends snapped out their claws, ready to defend me when the Queen shut him down.
“You'll do your best not to shift here, as that will be taken as a threat to the throne." She thundered, projecting her powerful aura which made him cower.
Still, he bit his lips, not meeting the Queen's eyes “You’ll regret this!"
“Are you threatening us?” the king growled while getting up. The whole room immediately went silent.
“Never," lord Adonis lied, looking away.
The King chuckled dryly “I'll be watching you, Friend."
And just like that, I knew their friendship was lost.
Then Celeste's parents gave a mock bow, and proceeded to storm out. I stood slowly, still shaken; my friends and Aunt Lamia following me out to the main foyer... when Celeste appeared behind me, and brushed past me hardly. The bracelet gifted by Aunt Lamia snapped off and fell to the floor.
I bent to pick it up.
That was when I saw it.
Celeste's father, stepping toward their waiting car. His foot landed near the curb and my heart dropped.
The shoes.
It was the exact replica of the brown shoes I saw when I got stabbed on my sixteenth birthday.
I froze. My vision blurred, and my hands trembled... all I could hear was the rushing in my ears.
It was Celeste's father?
End of Mated To The Hybrid Prince Chapter 76. Continue reading Chapter 77 or return to Mated To The Hybrid Prince book page.