Chapter 109

THIRD PERSON POV

Burton slammed the car door shut behind him, relieved that he finally had a moment to breathe.

Those five minutes of conversation felt more like an hour, what with Prince Xaden constantly hounding away at him every time he so much as tried to speak to Maeve. Frankly, it was a miracle he was even able to get her to accept his dinner invitation.

Damn it—he cursed silently, watching distractedly as the mansion slowly vanished into the horizon behind him. Kenneth had been right, after all.

The prince and Maeve were becoming too close… and that would no doubt prove a recipe for disaster.

But that was not his concern right now—he needed to tell Kenneth about the plans for tonight. He shuffled around his front coat pocket before pulling out his cell phone and dialing the number he’d begrudgingly memorized.

After a single ring, there was an answer.

“The only reason you should be calling me right now,” the voice on the line said coldly, “is if you’ve done what was asked of you.”

Burton inaudibly huffed, shoving a hand through his hair.

“It’s done,” he muttered, sinking into his seat like a ten-ton weight had been lifted from his weary shoulders. “Maeve has agreed to meet you. This evening at seven at your pack, exactly as you requested.”

At first, there was nothing but silence on the other end of the line. For a moment, he wondered if the line had gone dead, until—

Laughter. Harsh laughter echoed in his ear.

“And here I was, so convinced you’d let me down yet again,” Kenneth guffawed, his beaming grin obvious even over the phone speaker. “Of course you wouldn’t—not when you know how much is at stake.”

At that, Burton could not help but gnaw at the inside of his cheek, debating whether or not he should say this next part. No… that was inaccurate. He knew this part needed to be said, but he also knew that it was possible Kenneth would not be happy to hear it.

“There’s something else you need to know,” he slowly said.

“… What is it now?”

Burton sighed. “… Prince Xaden is accompanying her.”

There was a prolonged silence, tense and heavy with Kenneth’s unspoken displeasure.

“I tried to dissuade him,” Burton rambled, “but this was inevitable. He hardly left her side the entire time I was there. And when I brought up the subject of dinner, he was insistent—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kenneth quickly dismissed him, his tone curt, making Burton’s hand twitch around his cell phone. “All I need is for her to come. And as for Xaden, I’ll just have to make do. I won’t let something as trivial as an infatuated prince get in my way tonight.”

“Then…”

“Tonight will commence as planned.”

Before Burton could savor the relief flooding his system, Kenneth continued. “And don’t think this means you’re off the hook yet,” he warned, freezing Burton where he sat. “Until dinner is over and Maeve has finally let me in, you still have your work cut out for you… so I expect you to charm your daughter like never before.”

… Of course, how could he have expected otherwise?

A muscle twitched in his jaw, and the words he loathed to say stalled in his throat, but he forced them out. “I’ll… do what I can. Tonight, she’ll be treated like a princess.”

Kenneth ended the call with a swift push of his thumb, and tossed his phone to the leather car seat adjacent to him, with a sharp tsk.

Incompetence, he loathed, and Burton was the very definition of the word.

He’d had all of twenty years to take care of everything. Twenty years to maintain and preserve his perfect specimen, and this was what he was left with—a pregnant girl, used and dirtied by an arrogant boy.

To hell with all of that. Starting tonight, I will be the one pursuing Maeve.

Before long, his black luxury car rolled to a stop where, before him, stood the majestic sight that was the royal palace, in all its golden glory. An omega quickly hurried forward and opened his door, allowing him to step outside and bask in the rich atmosphere.

“Welcome, Alpha,” the guards said in unison, simply stepping aside for him to enter.

Kenneth barely acknowledged them, and instead walked right on through the grand palace doors, with a confidence as if he owned the place, passing lines of omegas as they worked to clear the aftermath of yesterday’s banquet.

For years… decades, he’d walked those halls, filled with dreams and fantasies he once believed could never live beyond the plane of his mind… dreams that suddenly felt closer than ever. Close enough that he could just barely touch them with his fingertips, if he tried. There were times in the last twenty years when he thought he was played the fool, taken advantage of in a moment of blind ambition.

Seeing Maeve at the lunar banquet, however… talking to her and feeling her presence, one that was so unlike any other… he had the strongest feeling all of his exemplary patience was about to pay off.

He drew a long breath, lazily taking in the scenery of the palace as he ventured from the halls to the rear gardens.

But he wasn’t here to marvel at the beautiful sights.

No, he was here for—

“Ah, there she is!” Kenneth exclaimed the instant Isabelle came into view, sitting on a bench in the middle of the flower gardens, a perfect picture of beauty with her soft, blonde hair and floral blue dress. “The pride of Dawnguard, the apple of my eye, and the greatest beauty to live in the entire kingdom.”

He grinned as her eyes met his, shining with the afternoon sun, but nothing about her seemed to reflect his joy.

She looked aloof, intense with a coldness contrasting with the lovely atmosphere.

“Good afternoon, Daddy,” she greeted, her tone somewhat clipped. Her icy blue gaze, identical to his own, drifted away to instead focus on the lush gardens surrounding them. “Are you here for someone?”

“Who else would I want to see, if not my darling daughter?”

She didn’t even attempt to hide her scoff. “Perhaps one of your new friends from last night?”

“Come now,” he crooned, sitting beside her on the bench. “Don’t be short with me, not when I came all this way to visit you.”

A brief silence enveloped the garden.

“… What did you want?” she slowly asked.

“I’m hosting a special banquet tonight—nothing too extravagant, just a few close friends in attendance.” He pinched her cheek with the doting adoration every child yearned to feel from their parents. “I’d love it if you’d come and honor us with your presence.”

His daughter suddenly grinned with a sparkle that wasn’t there before. “Really?” she asked, bursting with giddiness.

Here it was… the apology she’d waited all day from her father. Never again would he prioritize that pregnant servant over—

“Of course, it goes without saying that I’ll need you to be there before Maeve arrives,” he said with an air of nonchalance. “So when you apologize for your behavior yesterday, it feels like we are truly and sincerely welcoming her as one of our own. You can do that, yes?”

And, just like that, the world seemed to come to a complete standstill. The birds that were once singing suddenly stopped, and her light blonde hair slowed with the dimming breeze, leaving her with empty nothingness.

The smile that lit up Isabelle’s face dissipated without a trace.

“… What?”

He blinked. “Do you need me to repeat myself?”

“Daddy!” Her expression flashed between appalled and indignant as she jumped to her feet. “You’re saying you… want me to attend a welcoming dinner for her at our home—” she muttered, dripping with horror and disbelief, “where you also expect me to apologize to her?”

“Yes. That’s exactly it.”

His answer came so swiftly, so simply, so matter-of-factly that it made her chest prickle with something hot and slimy and red. He did not seem to even consider the magnitude of what he was asking of her—or… perhaps he did and didn’t care how it affected his own daughter, only that he got whatever it was he wanted.

And that… that was far worse.

“I won’t,” she answered, just as simply as her father had. “I don’t want to.”

His brow furrowed as he slowly rose to his feet. “And why not?”

“Why should I?” she questioned. “She’s never done a thing for me, nor has she been at all considerate of what I want and how I feel. She’s an eyesore, and I have much better uses of my time than feeding that ego of hers.”

“Because she’s important,” Kenneth said, purposefully vague. “More important than any feud you have going on with her, so I need you to compose yourself with grace and dignity, and do this for me.”

Her eyes glinted. “So she’s more important to you than I am.”

“She’s not—”

Kenneth sharply cut himself off, heaving a frustrated huff as he rubbed his hand over his jaw. While she waited expectantly for him to gather his thoughts, Isabelle’s bitter frown deepened.

“On no grounds,” he said firmly, leveling his gaze with her so she could see how serious he was, “could she ever begin to compare to you. You are my princess—and she is nothing but a tool. The only reason I spoke with her in the first place was because I need something, and she’s the only one who can give it to me.”

He watched as Isabelle’s expression slowly shifted into that of disgust. “You’re… you’re not looking to have an affair with her, are you?”

The pure absurdity of that almost made him howl with laughter.

“Where on earth did that come from?” he questioned with a disbelieving huff, faintly amused. “I have no desire to enter that level of relationship with her, nor to break my mated bond with your mother.”

“Then why?” Isabelle pressed, looking just as tense as before. “Why is she so important?”

It would certainly be easier if she knew the truth. Perhaps she might even understand the special treatment if he just explained the circumstances.

But he couldn’t.

Not when he still had yet to confirm whether Maeve could do what he needed.

“Just trust me when I say,” Kenneth ultimately murmured, resting his hands on his daughter’s thin shoulders and forcing her to look him in the eyes—icy blue to icy blue, “having her on our side will benefit us in the long run.”

The breath she took was sharp. “More than my position as a luna princess?”

His hands tightened around her shoulders, but he couldn’t deny it. “Yes.”

Suddenly, she pulled away from him, as if she’d been physically struck, glinting with betrayal. “Then go, have your dinner with your precious tool,” she jeered, much to his surprise. “I refuse to suck up to her.”

And with that, she spun on her heel and stormed off.

“Isabelle—” he called out, stern, almost scolding, but she did not turn back around. Within seconds, she had vacated the gardens and he was left standing all alone, with nothing but yellow roses and the overbearing scent of something bitter.

Well… damn.

Kenneth sighed and shoved an impatient hand over his hair, careful not to mess it up.

This certainly put a little damper on his plan. An apology, in his mind, would prove an earnest willingness and desire to be in her life and to hopefully wipe clean the slate of any past wrongdoings. Without his daughter’s cooperation, Maeve’s trust would require more effort to obtain.

But in the end, it mattered not.

Even if it took him a few extra months to win her trust, he would do it. For twenty years, he’d waited to meet her… had been held at arm’s length, all at Burton’s mercy until she was deemed ready to be turned over to Kenneth…

Another month would be nothing, with him at the helm.

So, with his resolve standing strong once again, Kenneth made a beeline for the palace gates. He couldn’t waste time here anymore. He had a banquet to prepare for in just a matter of hours.

However long it takes… whatever it takes… I will make you mine.