Chapter 102

MAEVE POV

He’s here.

He’s finally here…

It had only been perhaps four hours since we’d last seen each other, and it felt like coming home after being days apart.

Xaden was with me again, and everyone else around me ceased to matter in the split second our eyes met.

His dark hair looked ever so slightly windswept from the hunt, his green eyes bright and wild with adrenaline. The faintest whiff of blood brushed past my nose, clinging loosely to his now-dressed figure, but it had all but evaporated with the shedding of his wolfish form.

But none of that mattered.

He was here, and that nervous energy I’d had instantly began to melt away.

With only Burke standing between us, Xaden was close enough that I could touch him if I so wanted to… which, oh, words could not even begin to describe how I wanted just to hold him and feel his strong, secure arms wrap around me… but I did not.

Not with so many wandering, eager eyes in the bustling palace courtyard.

I heard Burke faintly welcome him with a bow from beside me, which quickly reminded me that I needed to follow the same etiquette. After all, I was just another guest here.

I gave him a slow curtsy, with his eyes on me the entire time.

“Good evening, Maeve,” he said, addressing me with a formality that I was no longer used to, and yet… there was a subtle softness meant only for me.

I smiled, despite myself. “Good evening.”

After a beat, Alpha Kenneth spoke up.

“Your Highness,” he said, offering only a small nod in greeting to Xaden’s princely presence, who swiftly turned his attention to the older man, as if only just realizing he was there. “I must say, that was a rather impressive beast you caught tonight.”

Impressive was an understatement, to say the least.

Prince Henry had been the first to return to the banquet, carrying a great elk that had inspired many excited murmurs from the crowd. Both King Arlan and Lucas had managed to capture wild boars of differing sizes, while Charlotte carried the body of badger, and Queen Leonora brought a lovely deer.

And then there was Xaden… dragging a monstrous—and very dead—black bear in the powerful jaws of his hulking, seven-foot-tall wolf.

And that was what had sent the banquet into a wild frenzy.

Despite my slightly nauseated state earlier, even I couldn’t help but be in awe of his sheer power.

“Honestly, Xaden,” Burke commented amusedly. “A bear, of all things. It’s like you were trying to give the cooks something impossible to labor over.”

Xaden’s lips quirked up, though it seemed more out of acknowledgment than anything else. “It was all for the benefit of my hungry subjects, I assure you.”

“You were magnificent—” I blurted out, unable to keep quiet.

And, suddenly, everyone’s eyes were on me.

I gulped but kept going. “I only meant… it’s what everyone needed to see, especially in times like this. With a bear-shifter war possibly on the horizon… seeing you carry in that bear for the banquet,” I murmured, maintaining eye contact with Xaden, “I’m sure it reminded everyone how strong and capable our kingdom really is.”

“She’s right, you know,” Burke commented, impressed. “What better visual of strength than an alpha prince dragging the symbolic corpse of our enemies?”

Xaden chuckled. “And here I was, thinking I was being subtle,” he teased.

“Indeed!” Kenneth interjected with a pointed look. “One might also think you were trying to impress someone tonight.”

I bit my lip, allowing my gaze to wash over the busy courtyard for a moment. His comment was rather direct.

I just hoped it didn’t mean tensions would break out.

Xaden, as well, seemed to catch the sneaky jab. “Speaking of showing off,” he said, crossing his arms with a widening smirk, “I was surprised you didn’t join the hunt this year. I seem to recall you, yourself, catching piles of beasts for these banquets when I was but a pup.”

“Ah, I’m afraid not,” Kenneth said with an exaggerated sigh. “I was drawn elsewhere this time, so I thought I’d leave the hunting to those more eager.”

“Yes, I can see you’ve been busy enjoying the company of other guests.”

“Please, don’t pay me any mind, I was just becoming acquainted with Alpha Burton’s daughter,” he said, gesturing to me before he cut himself off with an awkward sort of chuckle, cocking his head to the side. “Well… I suppose I can’t quite call her that anymore.”

I could practically feel Xaden’s irritation flow from his body in hot waves at the abrupt mention of my father, but he masked it with seemingly remarkable ease.

“No, you are right,” he amended cooly. “She has a name, as well, that I’m sure she’d prefer to be addressed by.”

I couldn’t help but smile a little at that, warmth spreading throughout my heart with how swiftly he came to my defense.

Kenneth’s mouth cracked into a smirk. “Come now, Your Highness. We are all adults here. You needn’t hide from me your attachment to this young woman.”

“Excuse me?”

“Surely you must not think me so ignorant. I was just made aware of the celebratory news.”

Before gracing the older alpha with an answer, Xaden shot a glance in my direction. There was worry in his green gaze… burning with a silent question.

Should I put a stop to this?

If I chose to indicate in any sort of manner that I was not ready or willing to share the truth with that man under any circumstances—this stranger who had absolutely nothing to do with me, I had no doubts whatsoever about what Xaden would do.

He’d lie for me. He’d dismiss the alpha I had no desire to speak with. He’d have Burke whisk me away to find other company at this banquet.

He would do anything for me if I so asked him to, and that wholehearted truth never fully sunk in for me until that moment.

Despite this, I gave him a gentle shake of my head. “It’s true. He already knows.”

Xaden looked conflicted before Kenneth let out a small chuckle.

“Honestly, Your Highness,” he said with a smile, “it’s charming that you mean to defend your fiancee from harsh public scrutiny, seeing as you’re willing to go so far as to pretend she belongs to another man, but…” he trailed off, holding his arms out in an innocent gesture, “it’s only me.”

Once he realized there wasn’t much he could do, Xaden huffed a sigh.

“I… will hold you to your word, Kenneth.” His tone left little room for debate. “We aren’t ready to announce anything yet, but I assure you, everyone will know when the time is right, and not a moment later.”

“Because of the pup, I presume.”

A muscle feathered in Xaden’s jaw. “… That’s one of the reasons, yes.”

Kenneth smirked, leaning in a tad closer. “Your secret is safe with me. Now—” he chirped, straightening up, “I’m afraid something else beckons my attention, so this is where we must part ways. Enjoy yourself, Your Highness,” he murmured with a brisk dip of his head.

And then his gaze swung over to meet mine one last time. “Until we meet again, Maeve.”

I swallowed, steeling myself in the chilling spotlight of those cold eyes. “Have a nice evening, Alpha.”

With that, he disappeared deeper into the crowds, and we were left alone.

I was lost in awe of what just happened. Apart from the king, I’d never seen anyone speak like that to Xaden. So blunt and unapologetic, even in the company of royalty. True, his daughter was married to a prince, but I’d imagine such a detail would still weigh heavily on the minds of anyone else.

The confidence of an alpha is truly unmatched…

Burke let out a loud sigh. “Xaden,” he said, feigning sternness, “I’ll have you know I’m now fully expecting to be compensated for enduring such duress. These vultures have taken ten years off my life.”

“What on earth happened while I was gone?”

“Gossip… lines of questions… Isabelle causing trouble,” Burke listed off the tips of his fingers.

Xaden huffed, running a hand through his hair as he turned to me. “Not a moment of rest, huh?”

“None of it matters now,” I insisted, letting a momentary lapse cloud my judgment for a fleeting moment. I moved closer, stepping past Burke, and held onto Xaden’s arm—a casual gesture to onlookers, but one of intimacy for us. “We shouldn’t let this ruin an evening of celebration.”

At that, Xaden managed something of a smile. “Of course. This is your first lunar banquet, and you deserve to experience the best of everything.”

“Why don’t we show her the best places to watch the fireworks?” Burke suggested lightheartedly as I reluctantly let my hands fall to my sides. It seemed he’d already forgotten about his emotional duress.

My heart skipped a beat. “Fireworks?”

“There’s a grand display every month on the full moon,” he explained. “It’s not held until well after dinner, though.”

I didn’t even care about that. I was actually going to get the chance to watch fireworks—in person!

Xaden gazed at me, having noticed my reaction. “Is that something you wish to see?”

I nodded fervently, unable to contain my excitement. It was something I’d always wanted to see, but was never able to from my small, isolated room in Moonstone. Hearing the explosions always made my body thrum with wild thrills, so I could only imagine what they looked like.

His grin widened. “Then, let’s go.”

THIRD PERSON POV

That hussy…

That damned, no-good hussy…

Isabelle was currently in the middle of her third glass of champagne, the golden, sparkling drink tickling her throat with every sip and gulp, and she was utterly seething as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

It was one thing for Maeve to steal her spotlight.

It was another thing for her to become the jewel of the palace, enrapturing every single member of the royal family in mere days, while she’d been living with them for over a year. Not to mention that she’d hardly made any headway with even their innocent Princess Charlotte, who had nary a friend in the world but was quick to make friends with that… embarrassment of a girl.

If Isabelle were in a fair mood, she might have considered for the most fleeting of moments that Maeve was merely playing the game she, herself, had mastered.

After all, it was not easy to be a woman in an alpha’s world.

But… for Maeve to entrance Isabelle’s father—the one man she could rely on wholeheartedly and unconditionally when her mate could not be there for her…

It was despicable.

Unforgivable.

Kenneth might have been acquaintances with Maeve’s father, Burton, and it was true that she’d only ever accompanied him on two visits to the Moonstone pack, but not once had he ever taken the time out of their visits to speak with the girl. Hell, Isabelle had never even heard him say her name in her company before.

For him to say he’d been waiting to meet Maeve—and for some time—it had to have been a lie.

It had to be.

But… but why would he go so far as to scold Isabelle, his beloved only daughter, just to speak with the likes of her?

He can’t love her more than he loves me, too…

Isabelle downed the last of her champagne in one gulp, but the warm buzz from the alcohol did little to tame the distress growing inside her.

Just what else was Maeve going to take—

“There you are, my love!”

The familiar voice of her mate broke through her troubled thoughts. Before she realized it, he’d come up behind her and wrapped a strong arm around her waist, pulling her close. Henry pressed a kiss to the back of her head, eliciting heartfelt coos from onlookers.

“It’s almost time,” he said, and she could practically hear the grin in his voice. “Shall we blow away the banquet with our dance, like we always do?”

Isabelle squeezed the empty glass almost painfully in her hand, and then forced herself to tear away from the upsetting scene before her.

“You know what?” she eventually said, putting down the glass and exchanging it for her mate’s hand, as she wore a pretty smile for the pairs of eyes glued on the bedazzling pair. “Let’s give them a show they won’t forget.”