An Alpha's Duty

Chapter 32

The memory took longer to form than the rest as it fell into place around Ryan. When it finally did, it left him speechless. It was the colours that he noticed first, even where the memory was blurry, they still shone through.

Flowers of all types and colours surrounded him in one of the most beautiful gardens he'd ever seen. It took awhile for his eyes to adjust to the light and colours. The place was almost too beautiful for him to bare.

He wondered whether the sheer delicacy of the place was why it took so long for the memory to form. Lenah's mind wanted to show him every detail but there was just so much beauty to see.

It was obvious to Ryan that he must be in the whispered Fae gardens. He'd heard about their unparalleled beauty but he'd never seen it before. The Fae were very protective of their land and Ryan knew they didn't interact much outside of their own kind.

They had a representative on the council but mostly they were ruled by their royal family.

Ryan knew his mate had connections to the Fae family but it still took his breath away. All his ideas on what the Fae gardens would look like paled in comparison to what he saw around him.

The sound of muffled sobs was the only thing that broke the quietness of the garden.

Ryan followed the sound, his heart aching as the sobs increased. The sounds were coming from a large cherry blossom tree that was in full bloom. He looked around but he couldn't see anyone until a tiny shoe dropped from one of the branches.

Peering up into the branches he spotted a small girl tucked up in one of the high branches with her head buried against her knees. From where he stood, Ryan could just about make out Lenah's markings, as they swirled over her arms. Her beautiful black hair fell in front of her face, hiding her from view.

He watched as she continued to cry not knowing what he was supposed to do. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a very tall, well built man walking towards them. His long blonde hair hung down his back and his amethyst eyes travelled up the tree spotting the tiny child.

Although he'd never seen the man before Ryan instantly knew who he now found himself in the presence of. He'd seen the man's picture in the few Fae books his family possessed. Stood in front of him was none other than Prince James, better known to most people as the Cold Prince.

People said that he was uncaring and indifferent. They believed he didn't just hide his emotions but that he actually had none at all. His heart was made of stone and it was this that allowed him to eliminate the threats that threatened his family's reign.

The man walked up to the tree and began effortlessly climbing up, his long purple coat trailing behind him, as he sat on a larger branch next to Lenah. Ryan found himself following them both into the tree so that he could clearly watch and listen to their interaction.

"Why are you crying little one?" Prince James' words were spoken softly afraid that he would spook the small child.

Ryan watched as Lenah raised her tear stained face and looked over at the imposing figure sat next to her. As Ryan looked at her he realised she could only be about 7 or 8 years old but she was absolutely tiny. Although she seemed older than Poppy, he knew his niece would tower over her if they were stood shoulder to shoulder.

She rubbed at her red and puffy eyes, her sobs subsiding ever so slightly, until there was just a few stray tears leaking down her face.

"The guards wouldn't let me into the nursery to play with Elliot and Tallulah. They said I was a monster and didn't deserve to even look at the prince and princess let alone play with them." Her lower lip trembled as the words pierced through Ryan's heart .