Chapter 111

Xaden’s POV

Maeve’s anxiety was palpable as she paced back and forth in our room, burning a hole in the carpet. She was chewing on her plump pink bottom lip and tucking strands of dark hair behind her ear.

“We don’t have to go,” I told her for what felt like the hundredth time. She stopped pacing to look at me and I could see the worry lines creasing her forehead. “We can tell them we changed our minds and stay in for the night.”

I wanted to ease some of her anxiety, but it seemed to be making things worse. She shook her head and slumped her shoulders as she walked over to me. I was seated on the bed, and she sat beside me, her eyes fixed on the ground. She said nothing for what felt like an eternity, so I reached over and took her hands in mine, stopping her from fidgeting any further.

“Maeve, talk to me,” I said, my voice pleading. “What’s going through your mind?”

“I don’t know,” she finally spoke, her voice coming out as a breathy whisper. “I just have all this anxiety, and I can’t seem to shake it. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, Xaden.”

“Nothing is wrong with you,” I told her, my voice serious as I turned my body to face her fully. She wouldn’t look at me and I knew she was on the verge of tears. I took her face in my hands and forced her eyes in my direction. “Nothing is wrong with you, Maeve,” I said again, more firmly.

This time, I saw the unshed tears forming in her eyes and she let out a shaky breath.

My heart ached for her; she had gone through so much in this lifetime and it seemed as if life wasn’t getting any easier for her, even while she was by my side. I wanted to cast away all the bad and only give her good. I wanted to chase away her demons and protect her, even from herself. But I needed more than anything for her to let me in and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was keeping something from me. I trucked a strand of fallen hair behind her ear and then leaned in to kiss her forehead.

Her scent engulfed me and immediately calmed my nerves; I hoped that my scent would do the same for her. Her body seemed to have relaxed, and she closed her eyes as she leaned against me.

“I’m so lucky to have you in my life, Xaden,” she whispered, her voice coming out as a choked sob. I wrapped my arms around her body and pulled her closer to me, needing to feel her warmth and touch against my body.

“I’m the lucky one,” I told her, but it was more to myself than to her. “So, did you want to skip tonight?”

She pulled back slightly and wiped the glistening tears off her cheeks. She shook her head and gave me a faint smile.

“We can’t,” she finally said after a short pause. “It’s important that we make an ally out of Kenneth. He’s a powerful Alpha Minister and having him on our side would benefit greatly.”

There was something more to it and I knew it; she wasn’t telling me something and that ping of doubt bubbled in my gut as I stared at her. She was back to staring at the ground and then she took a deep breath and stood to her feet.

We should get ready,” she told me, glancing at the clock across the room. “We need to be there in a couple of hours.”

I nodded and stood as well.

“It’ll be okay. Tonight, will go by smoothly,” she breathed; I wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince me or herself, but I nodded just the same as I placed my hands on her shoulders to calm her.

Her gaze finally lifted to meet mine and I gave her a small smile.

“You know you can always talk to me, right?” I asked.

She looked puzzled but she nodded and stood on her toes to kiss me. The warmth and sweetness of her kiss caused my heart to swell and beat so rapidly that I thought it would burst out of my chest. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her into me, careful not to pull her too rough and harm the baby. I smiled when I felt the small flutter from her stomach. Our baby between us made my heart skip a beat. She chuckled in the kiss, and I knew she was feeling the same way.

She pulled back and took another deep breath.

“Okay,” she breathed. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“Want me to join?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She froze and a glimmer of lust filled her eyes, but it was gone in a blink.

“If you joined, we would never get to the dinner,” she said, teasingly. “I think I can manage on my own.”

She turned and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

I sighed and sat on my bed; I couldn’t help but feel a wave of anxiety coursing through my chest and I wondered if it was because I was feeling her anxiety, or if it was because of my own. Something about this evening didn’t quite sit well with me and I wondered if it had to do with the act that Burke was here, in my home, inviting my mate to a dinner. It was clear that he had no intentions of inviting me as well; I had to invite myself in order to keep Maeve safe. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he didn’t want me to be there, but he wasn’t going to say that out loud. He had to go along with it if he wanted Maeve to be there.

He mentioned that he was doing his friend a favor by asking Maeve to the dinner on his behalf, but I wondered if there was more to it than that. A frown deepened on my face as I thought back to the conversation between Burton, Maeve, and myself.

This was the first time Burton reached out to Maeve since she moved out and I felt strange about the encounter.

I grabbed my phone and brought up Burke's contact. I pressed the call button and put the phone to my ear, waiting for him to respond.

“Your Majesty?” Burke answered almost immediately.

“I need you to keep tabs on the Moonstone pack. I feel like they are up to no good; pay close attention to Alpha Minister Burton.”

Was I wrong to feel this type of anxiety over something as simple as dinner? Or was there more to it than I understood? Was that why Maeve was feeling tense and worried about this evening?

….

Maeve’s POV

As I stood in the shower, I let the fresh tears wash over my cheeks. My heart was racing at lightning speed. I couldn’t get the dream I had out of my mind. I put my hands on my belly, feeling the light fluttering and letting it ease my worries. As of right now, my baby was safe, and no harm could come to either of us. Xaden was going to be there the entire time tonight and he wasn’t going to let me out of his sight.

I was aware that we were pretty much walking into a lion’s den, but I needed to keep Kenneth close if I wanted to find out what he wanted with me. I couldn’t tell for sure if he was the Alpha that I needed to be wary of, but I knew I needed to play safely. Something about this evening didn’t feel right.

I quickly brushed the thought out of my head and turned off the shower. I wrapped a towel around my body and looked in the mirror. I looked older than I had a month ago. My dark hair was beginning to fade, and I knew I was going to need to dye it again soon if I wanted to keep the appearance that I was, in fact, the daughter of Burton and Victoria.

I knew Burton was my father, but Victoria would never be my mother. I felt sick at the very thought of it. I hoped and prayed that she wouldn’t be there this evening because that was the last thing I needed. It was bad enough that I’ll most likely have to deal with Isabelle; I don’t think I can handle Victoria too.

I brushed out my hair and blew dry it. Once my hair was finished, I got dressed in a simple evening gown. I applied only a little makeup to make my features pop and then I took one last look in the mirror.

Satisfied, I left the bathroom to see Xaden standing before me in a suit. He looked as handsome as ever and my heart gushed for him all over again. He gave me a wide grin as he took me in.

“You look beautiful,” he breathed, making my cheeks burn and I knew I was all red, making him smile even more. “Shall we?” He offered me his arm and I took it without hesitation.

“Let’s do this,” I said, and together, we walked out of the room.