Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 374

Abby

Karl and I step into Reginald’s study, and the faint scent of incense mixed with herbal tea fills my nostrils. The room is large with high ceilings and more open-air windows, but it has an even cozier feel now that the sun has mostly gone down.

A large oak desk sits against the far wall, with a sofa and a few plush armchairs arranged around a coffee table in the center of the room.

It’s clear that the room is made more for socializing rather than delegating, which is strangely comforting in comparison to all of the practical Alpha studies that I have seen during my lifetime.

Beautiful portraits hang on the walls, with one in particular catching my eye; a painting of a stunning woman with long brunette hair and striking blue eyes. She’s holding the reins of a horse.

A jet black horse.

“Is that…” I point slowly at the portrait. Reginald follows my finger, although Karl’s gaze has been fixed on it since he walked in.

“Yes,” Reginald says. “That is Alessandra.”

“She was beautiful,” I breathe. “May I?”

“Of course.” Reginald nods. I take a few steps forward to look closely at the painting. It’s so lifelike that Alessandra’s striking eyes almost seem to follow me as I move.

“Is that her horse?” Karl asks.

Reginald hums to himself. “Yes; Zephyr was his name. The horse I rode today, Eva, is Zephyr’s daughter.”

Karl falls silent. I guess that explains the strange connection he had with that horse today; perhaps their blood recognized one another. Children of two illustrious beings.

When I turn back to face them, Reginald is pouring three cups of tea. I wander back over to Karl’s side, and he absentmindedly loops an arm around my waist. Reginald hands us both our tea.

“So,” Reginald says, “I know it’s been a long day, but I wanted to speak with you two about several things. First and foremost…”

Karl and I both watch as Reginald crosses over to his desk, opens a drawer, and pulls out a small wooden box with an ornate lid. He hands the box to Karl, who takes it gingerly and shoots Reginald a curious glance.

“Inside,” Reginald explains, “you will find letters. Countless letters.”

And as Karl opens the box, it’s just that; piles of letters. He picks one up and begins to read, his eyes widening as he scans the words.

“They wrote to you all that time?” Karl asks softly.

Reginald nods. “Yes. Your adoptive parents sent updates every month, using code words so as to keep you safe. Even during periods in which I could not write back for your own safety, I still read each and every letter.”

“And so the gifts…” Karl slowly looks up from the letter in his hand. “The gifts from ‘great uncle Gerard…”

Reginald laughs heartily. “That was me,” he says. “Of course I had to send my son gifts on his birthday and holidays, but I couldn’t give up our ruse.”

For the first time in a while today, Karl smirks. “I thought that was my adoptive father’s uncle,” he laughs. “An uncle who I could never meet because he was always either traveling or sick, or both.”

“Did you keep any of the gifts?” Reginald asks. “Of course, I wouldn’t hold it against you if you didn’t…”

Karl pauses for a moment, furrowing his brow, and then slowly pulls something out of his pocket; a small silver pocket watch. It’s plain, unadorned with no engravings.

When he presses the button to pop it open, however, it reveals a beautifully ornate clock face in which you can see the gears turning through the clear glass.

“I kept this,” he says. “It was always my favorite.”

Reginald’s face seems to soften, then split into a smile. “It was always my favorite, too. I have the matching one.” Slowly, he does the same; he pulls out a pocket watch and flips it open. The clock face is the same, except for one thing; the time is not set to the time zone here on the island.

It’s set to our pack’s timezone back in the north.

“I always kept it set to your time,” he says. “So I could always feel a little closer to you.”

There’s a long silence after that. I can feel Karl stiffen beside me, and then…

And then he rushes forward and hugs his father tightly. Tears burst to my eyes, and I quickly look away from the tender moment, averting my gaze instead toward the portrait of Alessandra to give the two men their privacy. She seems to stare back at me, and there’s a hint of a smile in her blue eyes.

A few moments later, Karl pulls away and clears his throat. “I, uh… I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m not sure what came over me.”

“Don’t apologize, son.” Reginald shakes his head, then crosses over to one of the plush chairs and sits down. He gestures for us to sit as well, and we do.

“But that was not the only thing I wished to talk to you about, you know,” he says, looking back and forth between me and Karl. “There was more I wished to discuss.”

“What is it?” Karl, seemingly more open now, says as he leans forward.

Reginald pauses for a moment as though choosing his words carefully before he, too, leans forward. “I’m getting old, Karl. And after what happened between my second wife and Damon, I’m… I’m tired.”

I furrow my brow. “What happened with your second wife, exactly?” I ask. “If you don’t mind sharing.”

He sighs heavily and passes his hand over his face. “Political marriages are difficult to traverse and even more difficult to end,” he says. “After twenty years of a miserable marriage, I was finally able to finalize our divorce. But it did not go smoothly.”

As he speaks, he gestures around him. “It took six months to clean up the damage she did to my property alone,” he says. “And of course, she still poses a threat; her son, despite being in prison and formally disowned, is still technically an heir to my throne. She could very well rear her head again if she so chooses.”

“Oh.” I exchange glances with Karl. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“This sort of drama is all part and parcel to the throne,” Reginald says, sounding tired now. “Which is why, Karl, I will not force you to take over in my stead.”

Karl’s eyes widen slightly. “What are you saying?” he asks softly.

“I am saying,” Reginald says slowly, “that I plan on retiring soon, if I can. And you, Karl, are my heir.”

The room falls into a hushed silence. Stunned, I look over at Karl. His eyes are as wide as saucers, and his mouth is agape.

“I—this—it’s all happening so fast,” Karl whispers.

Reginald nods. “I understand that it’s a lot to process,” he says, then pauses, taking in a deep breath. “I do not plan on stepping down for a few years yet, if it’s any consolation. But considering the fact that you… missed out on a royal upbringing, and thus the training that goes along with it, I wanted to speak with you now.”

“You want to… train me?” Karl asks.

“Yes.” Reginald, once again, looks back and forth between me and Karl. “I would like to invite you to live here with me. Undergo your training, and when you’re ready, you will have your coronation and become king. And you, Abby…”

He turns to look at me, and his eyes burn with that same look of hope that I saw earlier.

“You would become queen.”