Chapter 12: Watch an omega rise

"Let Victor go," Andrew ordered.

Without waiting for another word, he turned toward Caroline and gently lifted her into his arms.

Caroline got surprised but she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her back into the room. He walked carefully, making sure not to jostle her injured body, before placing her gently on the bed.

"Don’t walk around too much," he instructed.

He pulled the blanket over her and tucked it around her body before stepping back. Caroline watched him quietly for a moment, still struggling to understand why someone as powerful as Andrew was going this far for her.

"Prince Andrew, why are you going against your family for me?" she asked, keeping her gaze lowered. "You already have a fiancée. You shouldn’t be caring for me like this. It’s wrong."

"I don’t have a fiancée," Andrew replied firmly. "That’s the truth, and you need to believe me."

He looked at her for a moment before continuing, "You must be wondering why I couldn’t do anything just now."

Caroline’s fingers tightened around the blanket. She lowered her head further, her voice carrying more pain than anger.

"Who can go against the order of the Alpha King?" she asked. "Besides, Princess Nina has already called me a liar. Why would anyone believe me now?"

She swallowed hard before continuing.

"The pup that could have been used as evidence for a paternity test is no longer alive. And I don’t even know if the pack hospital kept anything from my pregnancy. They might have already destroyed the records or disposed of whatever evidence was left."

Her voice trembled slightly as she looked down at her hands.

"I have nothing left to prove that I was telling the truth." Tears brimmed in Caroline’s eyes. "They spoke so easily about why I deserved to be punished along with my parents. I didn’t even see Victor flinch, not even for a second. He just stood there as if none of it mattered to him."

Her voice trembled as she continued, struggling to hold back the emotions threatening to overwhelm her.

"I-I will fight for myself once I get better. I will avenge everything Victor and Princess Nina took from me, especially Victor, who didn’t even care about the life growing inside me. Until then, please bear with me."

"Nina will have you killed the moment you leave my side," Andrew said firmly.

He walked over to the chair beside the bed and sat down, his gaze fixed on Caroline. "Do you honestly think you can fight them alone?"

Caroline didn’t answer immediately. She lowered her eyes and took a slow breath before finally speaking.

"I know it won’t be easy. But I’ll make it happen. Victor will burn in agony and pain just as I did when I lost my parents and my pup. He will watch his own family die in front of his eyes, and he will even lose the woman he chose over me."

Her eyes hardened as she imagined the revenge she wanted.

"Killing my sister won’t be easy," Andrew said calmly. "Especially when most of the packs in the kingdom are willing to protect her. So why settle for revenge when you can rise above all of them?"

Caroline looked at him in confusion. "Rise above all of them? How?"

"By becoming Andrew Kensington’s wife and Luna," he answered with a smile.

Caroline stared at him, unable to respond immediately.

"I didn’t let Victor go because I was afraid of my father’s order," Andrew continued. "I don’t fear anyone. The only person I fear is myself because when I lose my temper, I don’t know what I am capable of doing."

His expression turned serious as he looked directly at her.

"I let him go because I don’t want anything to happen to you. You are my mate, the woman chosen for me by the Moon Goddess. I won’t put you in danger just to satisfy my anger. That’s why you should marry me, Caroline Blackwood. Let the entire kingdom watch an omega rise and become its Luna—the same woman Victor will one day beg for mercy. And Nina will fall with him. She doesn’t care about the lives beneath her, so why should we show her mercy?"

The proposal Andrew had given Caroline offered exactly what she needed: power. He was right.

She couldn’t even touch Nina because of her position as the Alpha Princess, and Victor was protected by his own status and the connections of his pack. No matter how much she wanted revenge, she had no way of reaching either of them on her own.

But by becoming Andrew’s Luna, everything would change.

"Fine. I will marry you," Caroline finally accepted.

She looked at him carefully before adding, "But you must be expecting something in return. A prince like you wouldn’t offer marriage without wanting something from me."

"Love me until your last breath," Andrew replied without hesitation.

Caroline stopped blinking for a moment. Of all the things he could have asked from her, love was the one thing she had never expected to hear.

"I don’t feel the mate bond anymore," she admitted quietly. "And I don’t think I’m capable of loving anyone anymore."

"Then don’t promise me love right away. Promise me that you’ll try," Andrew said.

He leaned back in his chair, his expression unusually calm as he continued, "My grandmother used to say that love protects you. She believed love could heal the wounds people carried inside, fill the heart with warmth, and give you strength when you’re left alone to fight the darkness in your life."

Caroline remained silent, listening to every word.

"Perhaps you don’t believe in love right now," Andrew added. "That’s fine. You don’t have to force yourself to feel something you aren’t ready to feel. But give yourself a chance to heal first. And when the time comes, try to let someone into your heart again and that someone shall be me."

Caroline felt strange inside. It was the glimmer of hope that brightened her mind and even heart.

"Your Highness–"

"Andrew," he corrected.

"Andrew, you must announce the world about me then," Caroline told him.

"Sure," Andrew replied with a smile. He then leaned down, and quickly planted a kiss on her forehead. "You’re beautiful, Caroline." He rose to his feet and walked out of the room, leaving her heart palpitating.