KING REAGAN'S POV
"The last thing we want is for Ella to find out about her father. She will hate us even more than she does now," Aleric huffs in frustration after Kian finishes recounting what happened.
Sounds like the little punishment we gave Hellen wasn't enough to stop her evil even for a day. Apparently she is still trying so hard to keep Ella away from us. We should have ordered her execution as soon as we arrived back from finding Ella, but we were too happy about finding our mate to think about it.

"Even if we manage to silence Hellen, we can't keep it from Ella forever. She'll learn the truth eventually," I point out. "And she'll be angrier that we kept it from her."
"You are not suggesting we confess to Ella that we were responsible for her father's death, because trust me she would never forgive us." Kian asks, shaking his head.
Sounds like his little visit to talk and check her didn't go so well. Why else would he be so convinced she won't forgive us?
"No one is confessing anything," Aleric declares. "We will ensure Ella never learns the truth about her father by dealing with the only person who can tell her."
"That should be simple. We were already going to order Hellen's execution for attempting to kill Ella," I say, but Kian shakes his head with a sigh.
"Apparently, Ella also insists that princess Hellen is not the one who tried to kill her," he informs us.

"What do you mean? Then who attacked her?" I ask, puzzled. Only Princess Hellen knew Ella was our mate and could heal us, so who else would want to hurt her? Her bad injuries couldn't have just happened by themselves, right?
"She claimed she was attacked by rogues at the border the night she escaped."
That now sounds like a lie.
"Princess Hellen literally confessed to us that she kidnapped and tried to kill Ella when we confronted her." I point out suspiciously.

"You just mentioned that you found Princess Hellen in Ella's quarters. Perhaps she threatened Ella to keep quiet," Aleric suggests.
"Without evidence of the threat, and with Ella denying it, we can't order Hellen's execution," Kian says sadly.
"There are other ways to deal with her besides an execution," Aleric says with a sinister smirk on his lips piquing our interest.
"Did she not agree to leave in exchange for the chest of gold she requested," he asks and Kian nods in confirmation.
"Then we'll give her the gold, let her leave our territory, and have guards ready to take care of her outside our territory," Aleric declares.
"Perfect. Her death won't be traced back to us once she's outside our borders," I agree.
"We will avoid war with her father, and Ella won't know anything about it," Aleric concludes and smiles of relief grace our faces.
PRINCESS HELLEN'S POV
There is a knock on my bedroom door just as I finish addressing the small note I was writing to my number one enemy, Ella.
"The old sorcerless is here, my Lady!" Asher calls out from the other side of the door.
 
I immediately jump from my seat, taking the note with me.
Time to find out why the love spells I paid for aren't yet effective. The kings haven't been treating me with love, if anything, they have been treating me with so much loathing.
 
It's nice the woman has showed up fast and early. We will have time to talk undisrupted. The kings expect me to be out of their palace by nightfall today. Well that is if they fulfill their end of the deal, to give me a chest of gold coins. Not that I am planning to leave anyway.
I hand the note to Asher as soon as I am out of my room. "Keep this safe, and give it to the human if anything should happen to me," I instruct and the smile on Asher's face gives way to fear and confusion.
"What do you mean by 'if something happens to you'?" She inquires, her tone laced with concern.
"I mean if the Alpha kings attempt to harm me as they have before," I respond taking quick steps towards the sitting area where I know the old sorcerless will be waiting.
"You have grown so beautiful. I'm sure it's from the king's love because of my spells," she sings when I get close to her. She stands and bows her head.
 
Is she kidding? Are the bruises on my face invisible. I have no time for her little games, I want to get straight to the point.
 
"What I want is for you to tell me why the love spells you cast on the alpha kings have not taken effect as promised!" I order in a stern voice.
 
The woman seems astonished as she sits back down. "What has happened? Did they tell you they do not love you?" she asks, her tone laced with genuine curiosity.
"Well, yes." King kian did indeed utter those words to my face, even if I am uncertain if he actually meant it. However, I believe if he were under a love spell, he wouldn't have said such a thing to me.
 
The woman raises an eyebrow but speaks anyway. "Then maybe you are the problem."
 
"What do you mean I am the problem?" I snap.
"Love spells come with conditions, much like any other spell." She explains calmly.
"What conditions are you talking about?" I press impatiently.
"For a love spell to truly work at least one side involved must love the other unconditionally."
"But I do love the kings unconditionally!" I answer eagerly. "They are wealthy, powerful, and good-looking. What is there not to love." I might even love them more than I love myself!
The old woman shakes her head looking disappointed. "That is not the kind of love I am speaking of. To make the spell effective, you must genuinely and utterly love the kings beyond anything else in your life." she says and my heart starts thumping hard in my chest, this is beginning to turn bad.
But then, if my love for the kings isn't unconditional, then why did I go to such lengths to break their curse and get rid of their mate so that we would be together? How else can you define unconditional love?
 
" I... I do love them more than anything! They are my world." I assert, though the woman still regards me with skepticism.
"What do you value most, Princess Hellen?" she probes.
"The kings, of course." I answer confidently.
A sly grin crosses her face. "And why is that? Why prioritize them when there are so many other important things in your life?"
That is such a personal question that does not concern her, but I still need her help.
"Because if they love me back, they'll marry me and I will be the most powerful and wealthy woman in all kingdoms!" Do I even have to explain that?
"It sounds to me like it's their wealth and power you love unconditionally, not the kings themselves." She says and I feel anger rise within me.
"No... that is not true." I deny but deep down I know that the sorceress's words are true. I love them for their good looks, wealth and power, but accepting it is another matter entirely.