The Crown's Entrapment

At Garet Manor, Moonlight Pack

Savannah let out a small breath as she found herself looking out from the balcony of her chamber. It had been a long time since she had some time to give herself some rest in the Grant Manor, but it was a welcome experience nonetheless as she sipped on her tea. She was there well ahead of her son and daughter-in-law arriving, which meant that she had to wait for them to arrive before planning for the inevitable announcements that would soon happen.

In the meantime, she took her time to relax while waiting for the children to arrive.

"It's been that long, I see..." she mumbled to herself as she looked out onto the forest below the manor. "How many years had it been..."

Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to reminisce in the memories long past their time. She could still remember the days when her husband was with her, his strong arms wrapping around her body as they stood on that very same balcony she was currently at. Perhaps at another time, he'd still be with her, but fate had deemed for him to leave her and their family well ahead of his time.

"What would you say now, Dear?" she wistfully murmured to the wind. "Would you be glad with how things had turned out?"

The Queen Mother let a small smile peer into her lips. She was sure that her dear husband would be proud of what their family had accomplished. Darius was a good ruler with his own mate, and their little Freya was also starting to come into her own as a Luna of her own right. Truly, while their hardships had almost sunk them to their lowest, the Almighty had His ways of rewarding good people.

"Your Highness?"

A knock on the door shook Savannah out of her thoughts as she went back inside her room. To her surprise, Elder Handi stepped inside, the old man inviting himself in after she gave him a nod of approval.

"Elder Handi," she greeted him with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"Ah, I've just received word that King Darius and Queen Xenia are currently on their way here," the Elder explained himself. "They've made a small detour during their journey, but the message I received told us that their arrival would only be delayed for about a few hours."

"That's great news," Savannah smiled as she took the letter from Elder Handi's hand. "I'm quite excited to see my son and daughter-in-law after all this time."

She let out a small chuckle. It had only been a few days at most, but she still couldn't help but miss her son and his wife. Things were simply too quiet without them around her, and she could only stand to be in the silence of her own company for too long before even her infinite patience began to run out.

"I couldn't agree more," the Elder warmly smiled at her. "Our Royal Majesties are a rather fun company."

Savannah let out another chuckle as she found herself looking at the Elder in front of her. Elder Handi was a good man. She knew that he had harbored feelings for her for a very long time, but she was grateful that the man never seemed to act upon it. He was great friends with her late husband, and it would seem that he had simply given up on her just to let her be happy.

However, she was starting to notice some of the things the Elder was doing for her these days... And the fact that he seemed to linger in her chamber at the moment was telling her that there was more to his visit today than she expected.

"Elder Handi, I sense that you have something to tell me," she stated. "Is there a problem?"

As if caught red-handed, the Elder froze up before he let out a small sigh. "Am I that obvious, Your Highness?"

"Normally, you would've already left," she bluntly pointed out with an amused smile. "The fact that you're still here means that you're holding onto something. Something that you want to tell me."

The Elder's shoulders slumped for a brief second before he quickly straightened his back. Savannah raised an eyebrow as he looked her in the eyes, a burning determination burning in his gaze as he leveled his look against hers.

"Your Highness... Savannah..."

She blinked at the sudden usage of her actual name. She hadn't heard him use it so casually ever since she became queen...

"I know that I have no right to ask of this, and I know that King Lucian would've smacked me in the head for even thinking about doing this, but I just can't help it anymore..."

Savannah felt her chest tighten as Elder Handi moved closer to her, his gaze piercing through hers as his passion washed over her in spades.

"If... If it's alright with you, I would like to offer my aid... No, my hand to you," the Elder sincerely offered. "Again, I know it isn't right of me and that there's no way that I can replace King Lucian, but I want to be by your side. I want to help you through these turbulent times... I'm only asking for a small piece of your heart, if that is even possible..."

Savannah was taken aback. Sure, she knew that the man had loved her all this time, but for him to confess to her in such a way was far from what she expected.

"I-I don't know what to say," she sheepishly admitted, her royal facade briefly coming down before she finally gathered her wits to her. "I... I would like to think about this..."

"Understandable, Your Highness," the Elder quickly backed off with a bow. "I... I'll take my leave then."

Savannah watched as the Elder quickly retreated from her room, leaving her alone with her thoughts as she let out a deep sigh. Absently, her eyes trailed to the picture of Lucian standing on her bedside, her eyes filled with confliction as she whispered to the wind.

"My love... What should I do?"

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AN: Can you give Savannah a piece of good advice on what to do? Hahaha