Her Unwanted Mate On The Throne

Chapter 196 A call home

“Do you trust them?” Doris asked after they were finally alone in their tent. The lords had left not too long ago but she couldn't help but wonder when they would arrive to the palace to speak to the king. “I'm not sure yet. I heard those two have strong opinions about how the kingdom should be run. My father always respected them enough not to replace them or toss them out.” William leaned back against the bed, she could see the exhaustion start to have its hold on him. “I want to keep them at arms length for the time being. I wouldn't want them to think they have any sort of hold over me for speaking to my father. The last thing I need is for someone to think I owe them anything.” “I feel sorry for the person that tries to pull one over on you. I surely hope they're not stupid enough to do something like that.” Doris said gently as she sat on the edge of the bed. She lightly ran her fingers through his hair and caressed his cheek. (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)“You need to rest. You've spent so much time worrying over this.” William took her hand and kissed her palm. “I would think you're the one that needs the resting.” He glanced down at her stomach. It was strange to think that soon she would have a large bump there. “How are you feeling?”

“I've been learning how to cope with the symptoms. I barely realize when I'm dizzy.” Doris tried to joke, but he only frowned. She hated when he looked at her like that, with so much regret on his face.

“I put too much stress on you. I shouldn’t have brought you alone with me, I should have made you go with Daniel.” He moved to sit up, but she pushed him back against the bed.

“I think that would have only caused more stress-not knowing if you were okay. Even if you sent me with Daniel, I believe things still would have gone the way they did. Martin would have found me eventually.” Doris brushed the hair from his forehead. She made a mental note to trim his hair once they got back. “Rest.” Doris stood, but he didn't let go of her hand. He held on tight. “Thank you for staying with me.” He whispered. “I'm sorry I brought you into all of this.” “Don’t be sorry.” Doris leaned down to kiss him softly. She pulled away just enough to say, “I'll always be here. Always.”

A small smile lit up his lips and made her want to capture the image forever. She pulled back and watched as he closed his eyes and sunk deeper into the bed. Doris left the tent quietly. Her heart stayed with him in the tent. She wanted so desperately to curl up beside him and let the world disappear around them. But she couldn't. She knew exactly why she wouldn't have been able to rest even if she wanted to-she was starving. She suddenly felt as if she could eat a whole table of food and still look for dessert. Doris went to look for Beth to see if she was hungry as well. It was always more fun to eat with her friend, she never judged her for any of the things she ate-even when she ate a lot of it.

What she found made her stop short. Enzo had his arm braced against the tree that Beth leaned back on. He smiled down at her and she had a lock of her hair twirled around her finger while she bit her lip. She laughed at something he said and reached her hand out to touch his arm lightly. (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)Doris had never seen her friend like that before. Not once. How strange to witness the beginning of something bloom. Beth used to tell her every boy at the palace that she thought was cute, but she was always too shy to A Call nome approach them or too scared that she would get in some sort of trouble. But with Enzo-she actually looked happy. Brave, even.

Doris quickly moved to step away when she tripped over her own feet in her haste. The last thing she wanted was to interrupt their private moment together and it seemed that she couldn't help but do just that.. “Doris?” Beth called. She glanced back to see her friend push away from the tree and hurry over to help her up. Her cheeks were bright red as if she had just stood super close to the fire. "Are you alright?” “Oh! Yes, I'm so sorry I disturbed you. I was just... going for a walk.” Doris stood and wiped the snow from her pants. Beth nervously glanced back at Enzo. “Please, don't pay attention to me! I'm going to go get something to eat!” “Okay,” “I'll come with you!” Beth said quickly, interrupting Enzo. She quickly linked her arm with Doris and walked them away as fast as she could. Doris almost tripped over herself again but Beth held her firm. “Really, Beth. It's fine! I just wanted to see if you had eaten yet.” “I haven't, and I'm starved! Sit, I'll get us food.” Beth seated Doris before she could respond and hurried off to tent where the food was cooked. Doris frowned and glanced back at Enzo, but he was already gone. When she came back, Doris almost forgot about everything when she saw the large bowl of pasta. She didn't think she had ever wanted anything more. She snatched the bowl like an animal and dug in as if she hadn't eaten in days.

Beth laughed. “I also brought you bread.” She set the small load on her lap but Doris could barely hear her over her chewing. They ate in their own silence for several minutes until their bowls were clean. Beth tried to take her bowl and hurry away again, but Doris gripped her arm and held her still. (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)“Tell me about you and Enzo!” Doris whispered. No one was near enough to hear her, but still. “I didn’t know you liked him in that way!" “I don't!” Beth said quickly. And just like that, her cheeks turned bright red again. “He's just... very kind and funny-"

“And handsome...”

"And handsome-" Beth snapped her lips shut and glared at Doris. “He's a rogue. You know how I feel about them. I could never-never like one in that way.” 1

"Yes, I felt the same way you did before I met Enzo. He changed everything.” Doris grinned and poked her friend in the cheek. “Though, I didn’t have a charming Enzo flirting with me like that.” “You're a liar! He flirts with you constantly.” Beth said and turned away. Doris gasped. “Are you jealous that he flirts with me? I assure you it doesn't mean a thing, it's all apart of his silly personality.” “No! Of course I'm not jealous!” Beth smacked Doris’s arm lightly. “Don’t you tease me about this! I will simply die if you do!” “Oh Beth, 1 don't think I've ever seen you have a real crush before. Why didn't you tell me?”

Beth shook her head and glanced around as if to make sure he wasn't nearby. “I.. I don't know. I feel strange inside when he’s around. It's like something is waking up inside me but I don't want it to yet.”

Something about her words made Doris flinch. “What do you mean?” A call home “I don’t know exactly. It's like this feeling of something that had always been there but I never felt it. It wasn’t until we met at the castle that I felt it for the first time.” Doris started to pick at her nails as she looked at her friend closely. Did her friend... did she have a wolf inside her? Doris had once felt something similar when she was around William, before her wolf woke up. She didn't dwell on it, she only pushed the feeling away until it was nothing because she didn't want to feel anything for William. Was her friend feeling her wolf start to stir inside her? No, it couldn't be. But... could it?(This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com) Doris hadn't known she had a wolf until she had to protect William from death. All the years she was supposed to have her wolf at her side, she didn't. Was it possible that her friend also didn't realize she had a wolf inside her? Was Enzo something more than a crush? Doris shook the thoughts out of her head. She was being paranoid. For all she knew, Enzo had a mate already. He didn't really offer up any information on his love life. “I'm sure it's just the butterflies you're feeling.” Doris smiled. “It's a wonderful feeling. It's scary, but it's lovely when someone makes your stomach turn and heart jump.” Beth smiled and nodded. “You're right... It's just my nerves.”