The Mad Alpha's Substitute Bride-Chapter 57: Goddess’ Blessing

(CORRINE)

Locke ends up liking pizza. We have to get two large pies for him alone, two for Derrick, and one for Finn, who also wants his own. I choose to steal two slices from Locke’s pizzas, which he doesn’t mind.

Seeing him enjoy the cheesy treat makes me want to snicker. Both he and Derrick look amazed each time the cheese stretches through the air from their mouth to the slice they’re holding. Finn wants to imitate them, so I get to watch all three boys behave like idiots while I eat.

It’s entertaining.

After dinner, Finn wants to sit in the yard to do his schoolwork. Derrick accompanies him. He’s seemingly fascinated by Finn.

"It’s because Derrick hasn’t really been around young children before. He has been on the battlefield with me since he was a teenager," Locke explains as I watch Finn and Derrick from the window. "Plus, Finn is my son. Derrick is going to be his personal guard due to the nature of his relationship with me. He’s my most trusted person."

I turn to face him. "Sigrid told me you two fell out after I disappeared."

Locke’s expression darkens. "I blamed him. It wasn’t his fault. Derrick’s father had been the head of their family, but when he and his mate died, alongside my parents, his uncle became the new head. The position should have reverted to Derrick when the time was right, but his uncle kept nominating him to fight on the border. After our falling out, he tried to get Bella married to Derrick at her request. He turned her down, and his uncle took that and used it as an excuse to disown him."

"So, you made up with him?"

He looks irritated. "We’re not children. I told him I was returning to the border, and I took him with me."

I hide my smile. "Of course. It was all very macho of you both." He just scowls.

I sit down on the couch, take the file from my bag, and open it on the coffee table. The photographs of Harold are on top. Locke looks down at the open file, and his expression changes as he picks up one of the pictures.

His reaction has me glancing at him. "Locke? What is it?"

"These marks on his hand, I’ve seen them before."

I straighten up. "What?"

He shows me what he’s looking at in the photo, and I see the bruises between Harold’s fingers. "My parents’ bodies were badly mangled when we found them, but they had similar bruises, both on their left hands, between their index and middle fingers. There were needle marks there, which caused the bruising. Did you find any needle marks on this man?"

I shake my head. "I can’t say. I didn’t check. And the examination report doesn’t mention anything like that."

But as I say those words, I recall seeing Harold waving his hands at me, moments before his death, a wild, manic gesture. I think there may have been something between his fingers. It’s just a memory of a flicker of a moment, but I don’t think I’m imagining it.

I look at Locke. My heart is pounding, and my voice is low. "We have to convince Erik to let us conduct the autopsy. And I’m going to need anything you have on your parents’ deaths, Locke."

He doesn’t flinch, simply nodding. "I’ll have everything sent to you. There’s not a lot. Ravenna’s father tried to bury most of the evidence, and he killed off two individuals who claimed to be witnesses to the kidnapping."

"What?" I gape at him. "Say that again."

Locke looks grim. "The reason I needed to make Ravenna a political prisoner, and why I was so adamant that you become her substitute, was because my parents, along with Derrick’s, were visiting the Eastern Kingdom when they were kidnapped and tortured. Ravenna’s family used the opportunity to try to gain control of the North. Even when they failed, they refused to let me investigate the murders. I always suspected Ravenna’s father knew a lot more than he was letting on."

I am shocked by his words. "What? Wait, are you saying he was involved in—"

"We don’t know for sure. But a lot of evidence was buried and disappeared. The few witnesses we had managed to find were killed off by the king."

A lot of pieces I never knew existed are falling into place now, including Locke’s initial hostility toward me when he brought me to the North. "Hold on. You invaded the Eastern Kingdom. And then you gave the ruling power to Ravenna’s uncle. Why not just control the East in its entirety and investigate the murders?"

Locke closes the file in front of us. "Balance. There is a delicate balance within and among all three kingdoms. This balance maintains the existence of the Veil. All three royal families need to remain in power for this very reason. Wars can be fought, and kingdoms can be toppled, but the ruling family has to be of the same royal blood as that land. This is something only the royal families are aware of. Which is why, despite our show of power, ultimately it is Ravenna’s family who has to rule the East. And they can stop us from investigating. But as long as we have Ravenna, either as a political prisoner or queen, they won’t interfere, because she is beloved in her country. Tying her to me as my mate was simply a way to keep the royal bloodline strong. That was my intention when I invaded the Eastern palace. How was I to know that you would be the one waiting for me there?"

He gives me a faint smile. "I could say that the Goddess blessed both me and my kingdom when you became our queen."

I flush. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

He sighs. "I won’t claim to be a good king, Corrine," he finally says, slowly. "I could either protect my people or help the economy. Before my father met my mother and discovered that they were fated mates, he was betrothed to a woman who would have looked after the kingdom while he fought at the border, like his parents before him. But my mother was of warrior blood, like him, and she was not interested in looking after the people of the North. She preferred to fight on the front lines."

I’ve never heard Locke talk about his parents, and I find myself fascinated as he opens up to me about his past. "So, the kingdom has been neglected since your parents mated?"

"More or less," he admits. "My mother did try, but she was a warrior. I always told myself that I would bring in a queen who would look after my people while I focused on protecting the border and the Veil. When I went after the Eastern Kingdom, I didn’t intend to take Ravenna as my queen. I had planned to take her as a political prisoner. But when I entered that room, you were the one standing there, and you were my fated mate. I changed my plan."

Reeling at his words, I wrap my hand around his arm, my nails digging in. "Wait. Hold up. Are you saying I wasn’t a substitute for Ravenna?"

His eyes meet mine. "No. You were never a substitute."