Adeline shifted, the stiff texture of the bandages pulling at the skin of her back. She blinked slowly, her vision clearing to reveal a face she hadn't expected to see so close to her own.
"Gideon!"
She gasped, the name slipping out before she could catch it. "I mean, Your Highness!"
She tried to scramble into a sitting position, but dizziness hit her. "Agh!" She pressed a hand to her temple, her head spinning.
Gideon reached for a glass on the bedside table and filled it with water before pressing a call bell. "Here. Drink this, Adeline."
The way he spoke her name sent a strange warmth through her. No one had ever used that tone with her, there was a trace of something that sounded like genuine care and even affection.
'What am I even thinking?' she scolded herself. She took the glass from him with trembling fingers and whispered a thanks.
She focused on taking slow sips, half-expecting him to turn and leave, but he remained exactly where he was, watching her.
Gideon took the empty glass from her hand and set it back on the table.
He leaned in close, his fingers reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Adeline flinched at the contact, her body tensing as she clenched her fists against the silk sheets, but she remained silent.
"Who did that to you?" Gideon asked, finally pulling his hand away.
Adeline looked into his eyes, her expression flickering with confusion.
"What does Your Highness mean?"
"Use my name, as you did before," he commanded, his gaze intensifying. "You are to be my mate. Such formalities are no longer welcome between us. Do you understand?"
Adeline gave a hesitant nod. She was unable to understand why he was suddenly acting so sweet to her. Earlier, he looked so agitated.
"Your back is covered in the marks of fifty lashes with fresh wounds," Gideon said. "I must admit, you are the only person who has ever made me run to them. You made me lose my mind for a moment. You possess a rare talent for driving me insane, don't you, Adeline?"
"I don't understand. How did I drive you insane, Gideon?" Adeline asked, keeping a steady gaze on him.
She knew she should have been trembling, but the fear that usually dominated her was strangely absent.
A sharp knock at the door broke the tension. It was a maidservant, carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming broth.
"Come in," Gideon commanded.
The doors creaked open, and the maid entered with her head bowed.
Gideon stood, took the bowl from the tray, and returned to the edge of the bed. He stirred the soup slowly, blowing on a spoonful before holding it out to her.
"This will help restore your strength and speed your healing," he said.
Adeline opened her mouth and took the first sip, the warmth spreading through her. "I can manage on my own," she whispered, reaching for the spoon. "The Alpha Prince doesn't need to trouble himself with this."
"I've already troubled myself," Gideon said, his gaze locked on hers, refusing to relinquish the spoon.
"I have the information, Your Highness!" Micah's voice cut through the room as he appeared in the doorway. Eros stood a few paces behind him, looking pale and shaken.
"Speak," Gideon commanded.
"It was the stepmother and stepsister," Micah reported. "They are responsible for the injuries she sustained today. It seems Mr. Valois has completely neglected his biological daughter since his second marriage. They have systematically abused her for years."
Adeline stared at them, the fog of her exhaustion clearing as she realized they were discussing her life back in her pack.
"Did you bring them here?" Gideon rose to his feet, setting the bowl back onto the tray with a sharp clink.
"No. I conducted the investigation remotely through a contact within the Black Forest Pack," Micah replied.
"Prepare the car. We're leaving," Gideon said. He began to stride toward the door, but Adeline reached out, her fingers catching the edge of his sleeve.
"Are you going to my home?" she asked. The fear in her eyes was silent but unmistakable.
"Yes. I intend to deal with anyone who dared to lay a hand on you, Adeline," Gideon said. "Do not worry. I will be quick. Their heads… I will bring them to your feet."
Adeline's eyes widened in shock at his statement.
"Your Highness, what do you intend to do?"
Gideon turned back to her, his expression unreadable. "If you are asking me to stop, I won't. Do you truly not know who I am, or are you pretending?"
"I have heard that you show no mercy," Adeline whispered.
"You are slipping back into your merciless killing sprees, Gideon. Do not forget they are now your in-laws. Is this how you intend to demonstrate your greatness to the people?"
The voice was of Gideon's stepmother, the Luna Queen, Presley Knightley, who just stepped into the room.
"I don't wish to hear a lecture on justice from the Luna Queen," Gideon stated. "I deliver a form of justice that ensures no one dares repeat their mistake once my name is involved." The lack of warmth in his tone made it clear he held her in no high regard.
"Your father will not approve," Presley said, her heels clicking against the marble as she walked toward the bed.
"Do you really want to give him another reason to claim you are unfit for the throne? I imagine you wouldn't want that, Gideon."
Gideon chuckled as he took a slow step toward his stepmother. "Then I suppose I must demonstrate exactly how fit I am for the throne. Micah, bring those who inflicted such ferocious wounds on Adeline. I will execute their punishment within these palace walls. The capital needs to see that I am a man of my word."
He issued the order to his Beta without breaking his firm gaze with the Luna Queen.
"Gideon, you are being reckless," she hissed.
"It's a message," Gideon corrected. "And anyone who stands in the way of that message, regardless of their title, will find themselves on the wrong side of my mercy."