Chapter 123

Third Person POV

Alpha Kenneth stood in the King’s office; the King was just getting off the phone with his son, Xaden, and Kenneth was standing paralyzed. He was shocked at what he was hearing. Maeve had been kidnapped and then in an accident. A furious wave coursed through his veins, and he had to fight the urge to growl on the spot.

His servant had one job; it was to take Maeve and bring her safely to the Dawnguard Pride pack. But he was stupid and careless; he wrecked the car and nearly cost Kenneth everything he had been waiting for so long.

After the King hung up the phone, he rubbed his aching temples.

Arlan had to admit that he felt a bit guilty because of how he treated Maeve in the beginning. He realized that she made his son happy and with the help of Leonora, Arlan remembered what it was like to meet your fated mate. He didn’t want to take that away from Xaden. Plus, if Leonora liked her, then perhaps Arlan could grow to like her as well. He did admire her bravery after all, despite how foolish she might have been to speak to him in that matter. But she stood her ground and it made him respect her a little.

However, Maeve was starting to prove herself weak once again; allowing herself to get kidnapped, trusting a servant she had never met blindly. How was Arlan supposed to trust her as a Luna princess, let alone the Luna queen? He knew that Maeve was important to his son, and he started to open up to the idea that maybe she was the right one for him, but was she the right one for the kingdom? ‘

Meanwhile, Kenneth was deep in thought plotting as he watched the King’s many expressions. It was clear that the King was rethinking Maeve. If he could just make sure that King Arlan never fully accepts her, maybe it’ll force her to walk away from the royals.

There was a knock on the door that brought Kenneth out of his thoughts.

“Enter,” the King demanded, his tone dry.

The door opened slightly and one of his guards poked his head in.

“Your Majesty, Sir Nicholas is here to see you,” the guard said.

King Arlan nodded.

“Send him in,” he ordered, waving his hand dismissively.

The guard nodded and disappeared through the door. A moment later, Nicholas entered. He bowed his respects to the King and then raised his gaze, spotting Kenneth seated in one of the chairs. Kenneth raised his brows but said nothing.

Nicholas cleared his throat and turned to the King.

“I came to report to you my findings from earlier,” he said. “One of my own warriors double-crossed the Kingdom. He had been working with the Bear Shifter community and giving them important intel. We have him in custody.”

“Find out what information was given to the bears,” the King growled. “And then I want him executed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Nicholas said, bowing his head.

“When did you find this out? You’ve been gone for hours,” The King said before Nicholas could gracefully leave his office.

“A few hours ago,” Nicholas said, not wanting to lie to His Majesty. “I meant to come here sooner, but I got word about Maeve’s accident, and I went to see her first.”

That piqued Kenneth’s interest.

“You went to see Maeve?” Kenneth asked.

Nicholas met the Alpha’s eyes and nodded.

‘Yes,” he answered.

“And how is she doing?”

“She’s recovering,” Nicholas answered. “She should be released any day now.”

Kenneth nodded thoughtfully; he was relieved that Maeve was okay. He hoped that the child was okay too.

“Next time report to me important information first,” the King snapped, breaking through the conversation.

Nicholas snapped his attention back to King Arlan and bowed his head low.

“Yes, Your Majesty. It was an oversight. It won’t happen again,” Nicholas assured him.

The King waved him off dismissively.

“You may leave now,” he said without looking at him.

Nicholas nodded and retreated from the room.

“I’ll walk you out,” Kenneth shouted after him, quickly standing to his feet. He turned to the King and bowed to him. “I’ll come to speak with you again soon.”

The King barely paid him any attention as Kenneth hurried out of the office and after Nicholas.

“How do you know Maeve?” Kenneth asked, stopping Nicholas in her tracks.

Nicholas took a deep breath; this wasn’t something he was planning on exposing right now, but he supposed he wasn’t going to be able to hide his motives for much longer, so he turned to face the Alpha with his back straightened.

“I met her at the banquet,” Nicholas answered.

Kenneth raised his brows.

“She’s the one you met?” He asked.

Nicholas nodded.

“And we had a connection,” Nicholas murmured. “But she’s engaged to marry another.”

Kenneth nodded and narrowed his eyes.

“It’s best to remember not to get in the way of the royals,” Kenneth warned. “What’s meant for you will find you. You must be patient. Is that clear?”

Nicholas stared at him for a moment, unsure about the cryptic message, but ultimately, he nodded before he turned away.

“Yes, Father,” he answered, and, on that note, he walked away.

A smile stretched across Kenneth’s lips; things couldn’t have been working out more perfectly.

…..

Maeve’s POV

“I wouldn’t exactly tell my brother that Nicholas was here,” Charlotte said, glancing at me. “He would go insane if he knew.”

“It was only a harmless visit,” I assured her. “We only talked about surface-level stuff. He was sweet to show his concern.”

“He’s definitely into you,” she told me, shaking her head. “He makes it so obvious. If you aren’t careful, he’s going to try to snatch you from Xaden.”

I let out a laugh at that. The thought of anyone taking me from Xaden was too funny to think about.

“That’s not possible,” I assured her. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

She sighed and nodded, but I couldn’t see the uncertainty on her face. It bothered me that she was untrusting. It made me wonder if it was Nicholas she didn’t trust, or if it was me. Charlotte stayed with me for a couple more hours until Xaden returned. He looked exhausted with his dark circles beneath his eyes.

He gave his sister a grateful smile before sitting on the edge of my bed, taking my hands in his. I could feel his body relaxing from my touch and it made me smile knowing that I had this kind of effect on him and his wolf.

“Thanks for staying with her, Char,” Xaden said, fighting back a yawn.

“Of course; what are sisters for?” She asked, shrugging casually. “Did you find any new information?”

He shook his head, looking a bit sunken.

“No, I haven’t. But one thing is for sure, he wasn’t working alone. Others were waiting to meet him at a certain destination. Burke and some of the warriors are out searching for them now.”

“Do you think they were all working for someone bigger?” Charlotte asked, worry evident in her tone. My chest tightened at the thought of others being after me and my baby. I put my hands on my belly, feeling the light fluttering from my babies kicking and a smile tugged at the corner of my lips. My baby knew that I was going to protect him no matter what.

“It’s possible,” Xaden said, shaking his head. “Burke and I are trying to figure out who and why they are targeting Maeve?”

I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t sure if it was me, they were targeting our child. How would one start that type of conversation? It would only worry him and saying it out loud makes it feel more real. But I couldn’t get my dream out of my mind. The Moon Goddess had come to me and told me that my baby was the most powerful being on earth and he was in grave danger.

I needed to be careful of who I allowed into my life; I needed to be wary of everybody. But did that include Xaden as well? I didn’t want it to include Xaden… but did it?

“Hey…” Xaden breathed; his hand came around my back and he started to rub soothing circles, relaxing me. “You don’t need to worry about anything, Maeve. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.”

“Something already happened to her,” Charlotte said, folding her arms across her chest. “You weren’t able to prevent that from happening.”

“Now that I know that there are people actively trying to get to her, I won’t make that mistake again,” he said, his eyes narrowed in the direction of his sister. “I’m not letting Maeve out of my sight and if I have to let her out of my sight, then she’ll be in someone else’s.”

“What?” I asked, raising my brows. “You are putting me on 24/7 surveillance?”

“If that’s what I must do to keep you safe, then yes,” he said firmly, leaving no room for arguments. “I’m not letting this happen again. I’m going to keep you protected if it’s the last thing I do.”

I knew he was serious because his eyes grew darker with each word he spoke. He was fierce and it sent a chill down my spine. I glanced at Charlotte who was staring at Xaden with wide eyes.

“Just don’t keep her on too much of a tight leash, big brother,” she said, raising her brows. “Because she might try and break the chains that bind her.”

He squinted at her before he looked at me; my cheeks reddened. What kind of game was Charlotte trying to play? Did she truly trust me that little?

She stood from the chair and gave me a small smile.

“Just be careful, Maeve,” she told me softly. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt; especially you.”

On that note, she turned and left, leaving me alone with my mate.