Love and Chaos Series
The Alpha King’s Ugly Bride Chapter 80

Xavier sat at the table of his study, handing three royal scrolls to Valerio. He wanted him to personally deliver them to the supervisors of the Capital 3 project. The door opened and Edward, who had gone ahead to the temple earlier, stepped in and he approached him.

Xavier nodded at Valerio and he took his leave and as the door closed, Xavier's attention turned to Edward.

He had gone ahead with four elders to confirm the information Xavier had given about the men he killed. Edward was to report whatever their replaceings were.

"Any news?"

"The bodies of those men which were supposed to be at the temple are missing," Edward said, locking his hands behind his back.

The council of Alphas, Robb Ainsworth, the queen, lord Edward and prince Elliot were the only ones that heard his remark about those he killed and he wanted to narrow down to who amongst them could have done this. His guts told him his enemy sat with them at the courtroom. He couldn't ignore that feeling.

He scoffed and tightened his right grip on the arm of his chair. "Who else knew about their placement?"

"Almost everyone in the kingdom knew they were moved to the temple and preserved there. My question now is who can be behind this?"

"Anyone could be behind it, even you." he dropped the inked pen in his left hand down on the table.

Edward's brows narrowed at him. "What?"

"You heard me."

"You think I have something to do with the disappearance of those bodies?"

"I think you can answer that question yourself. You've got a lot to gain if this trial goes through and I'm found guilty and dethroned. You become next in line."

"And you think I need to paint you as the bad guy to do that?"

"I don't know; you tell me. Eliminating me would give you what you've always wanted: power. And with it, you can have anything you want; everything I've always had, power, authority. And even Mia."

Edward chuckled in surprise. "You are stupid, brother. I shouldn't be surprised. Wisdom was never your strongest point. I am a wizard and that makes me not only powerful but also dangerous." he took a challenging step forward so the only barrier between them was the desk Xavier sat before.

Edwards eyes lost its radiant blue colour and a black glow appeared in them. "Remember when I told you if I wanted the throne, I would kill you and take it? I meant it. I do not have to go around and round in circles to get what I want. I can take it by stopping your heart right this minute!" he held up his hand and Xavier's heartbeat began speeding up at an alarming rate.

"Stop that!" he commanded, and Edward's hand dropped, and so did Xavier's heartbeat.

The storm in Edward's eyes faded away and his sea-blue orbs appeared. "My point has been proven."

"Then how did those people know what road we will be on that day? Mia, you and I were the only ones that knew this."

"You're right, but the walls of the palace also heard Mia making reservations for your date. Anyone with an ulterior motive could have gone ahead and planned your attack. This might seem difficult for you to understand, but I do not want your throne, it's not my birthright. I saw how hard you struggle just to be worthy of it and I see how hard you fight just to keep it every day. I want you to remain king, because I've always known you were good, and that's what the kingdom needs."

Xavier believed him. He might not have had the magic his brother possessed, but he could tell when his brother was lying or telling the truth. He also knew Edward hardly lied. The bastard never had a reason to and always spilt the truth the way it appeared. He had always counted on Edward and his loyalty to him, but in times like this, it made him question everything. His brother's loyalty, however, was intact, and that made him happy.

"The trial had already begun and will run through the next month. Without those bodies to back my words, my chances of being worthy of the throne would drop." "Then we replace an alternative."

"Which is?"

Edward placed his hands on the table before him, his eyes leveling up to Xavier's. "Make your words not just mere words. I will back you up like always and I'm certain the queen will as well. I will also try to get to the root of this. There can be nothing hidden under the sun."

"Edward," Xavier called to him as he took his leave.

"Thank you."

He smiled, "You're welcome." he took hold of the doorknob and paused, "and if I wanted queen Mia, I would have taken her a long time ago." he said before stepping out of the study.

..

"Are you going to stand at the door all day, or are you going to come in?" Mia asked, without looking up at Xavier who stood at the door, staring at her as she read through a big book before her. Realising she had caught him, he detached himself from the door and stepped further into her study. "What are you doing?"

"Reading. This is the kingdom's book of trials. I need to know everything there is to know about the trial by witnesses. Edward told me to start here." She answered. "I'm already in the third part of the book, the rules of the trials."

He arched a brow at her. "You intend to finish that today? No one has ever finished a book that big in a day." he told her with concern.

"I've been told I'm passionately stubborn when I put my mind to something."

He strolled closer to her table. "Who told you that?"

The corner of her lips rose to reveal a coy smile. "The Alpha King of the Wahala kingdom."

His face heat and he tore his gaze away from hers. "Sounds like a wise king."

She played along. "He is. He's also caring and kind, but doesn't like to show it."

Xavier's face was as red as the tomato, and he pressed his lips together. "He's lucky to have someone like you in his corner."

"He is, but I will not tell him." She dropped the feathered ink in her hand beside the scroll and rose to her feet.

"Are you scared?"

"The bodies are missing from the temple and without them, there will be no way to prove that my words are true. So yes, I'm scared that I might lose this trial and my throne." he didn't hide the fear that showed in his eyes.

He slumped onto the chair, covering his face with his palms. "I've done everything to be a worthy king for as long as I can remember. I also remember giving up halfway because it got harder. No one told me being a king could drive me mad, but it did. I remember once longing to watch this kingdom burn, but then I married you. You were the exact opposite of who I was, or at least who I told myself I was. You were good, and you were strong, and I wanted to be like that. And today, I want nothing but to be a good king to my people. An alpha king to every being in Wahala."

...

Mia watched him say those words, her heart swelling in her chest. She couldn't believe how so much had changed about him and sometimes she had called it her imagination.

He wasn't the man that unveiled her many months ago and hated her at first sight. He had changed into a man that was worthy of love, worthy of affection. And yes, once, she was afraid to love him, ashamed to have her heartbeat for only him, but not anymore. She moved over to him, dropping beside him and cupping his face. "And you will be. Everything will work out fine."

He took hold of her hands, squeezing tenderly on them. "Why are you helping me?" his eyes searched out the truth.

"Because we are in this together. Our vows said until our last breath and that's how it should be. Also, because I feel like this is my part for not looking for the truth hidden. Everyone needs to know that you did what you did out of love. You're not the monster we've held you to be in our hearts for so long."

Her eyes swam in an ocean of love.

"You are a great king, Xavier Ainsworth. Not because you've always been a good king, but because with every day that passes, you do your best to be a better person, worthy of your people and worthy of your queen. And I know some of your people see it too and if the council and your father see half of what I know, they will love you too."

His green eyes grew glassy once again at her words. "Does that mean you love me?"

She grinned at him, nodding vigorously, "I love you, Xavier, I have for a long time now." she wiped the tears that rolled down off his face.

"You didn't say it back," he reminded her of when he said those words to her four days ago.

Her eyes dropped as she remembered how hurt he'd got at her silence that day. She hated doing that to him, but she didn't know better. "I was scared. I thought I was the only one that felt this way and your confession made me realise I wasn't. That changed everything. It also told me I couldn't hide it or act like I didn't love you any longer. I did, I do. And it scares me, but now, I don't care." She beamed at him.

He cupped her face and pressed his forehead on hers. "This is the best thing you've said to me." he gazes into her eyes.

"It won't be the last." She leaned in and kissed his lips.