Chapter 126

Maeve’s POV

My blood went cold from the sound of King Arlan’s words. I stared at him in disbelief. He had a stoic expression on his face and his lips were pressed in a thin line. He was staring between Xaden and me, and my cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment. Did he seriously think that this baby wasn’t Xaden’s?

I could feel Xaden’s anger from where I sat and when I looked over at him, I knew I was right. He was fuming.

“What are you talking about?” Xaden asked his father, his face red with fury.

“Did you even think to get a paternity test?” The King asked. “It’s been brought to my attention that a test has yet to be done, and I’m concerned about it.”

“There’s no need for that,” Xaden said, his eyes fixed on his fathers.

“Do you know how many women would fake a pregnancy to secure the throne?” King Arlan asked. “As a royal, you can never be too careful. Your mother would agree with me on this”

“Where is this even coming from?” Xaden asked, shaking his head. “I don’t understand why you are even inquiring about a paternity test.”

“Because we just checked in with the hospital and I asked them about it,” King Arlan shocked me by saying. “They told me that no test had ever been done. Don’t you find that a bit concerning?”

“You had no right to ask the hospital about our personal business,” Xaden nearly growled.

“I am the king; everything is my business!”

“Father, the baby is mine. Maeve had never been with another man,” Xaden said through his teeth.

“Maybe not before you had sex with her. But what about after? After she got a taste of it… perhaps she couldn’t get enough,” the King said, raising his brows as his eyes found mine.

I was stunned and speechless. It seemed that the others were also speechless because we were all gawking at the king like we couldn’t believe what he was saying.

“Father, you have crossed the line!” Xaden said as he stood to his feet.

My heart leaped into my throat; was he going to challenge his father? The King??

“I am thinking rationally,” the King stated, his aura darkening.

“I would never lie about something like that,” I blurted, turning their attention to me. “But I’ll get a paternity test if it’ll clear things up.”

“No,” Xaden barked. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” I lied, standing to my feet so I could stand beside him. “This baby is yours, Xaden. We both know that, but if it’ll make your father feel better, then there’s no harm in getting a paternity test.

Xaden stared down at me for a moment, and I could see his inner turmoil. He soon sighed and wrapped his arms around me.

“Okay,” he breathed. “We’ll make an appointment with the pack doctor and get a paternity test.”

“Excellent,” the King said, glancing over his shoulder at Kenneth who nodded at him. I frowned at the gesture. “It was actually Kenneth who brought it up earlier to me and we called the hospital together. He mentioned having a trusted doctor who could do the test.”

Kenneth stepped forward.

“I’ll give him a call myself,” Kenneth said, his eyes landing on a very pissed-off Xaden.

“And what right does Alpha Kenneth have to interfere in my mate's pregnancy?” Xaden asked through his teeth. “Why was this a topic for conversation between the two of you?”

“Kenneth was just showing his concern for the future of the throne. He’s been a trusted ally for many years, and he doesn’t want the throne to land in the wrong hands,” King Arlan stated simply, narrowing his eyes at his son.

“Well, Kenneth should learn to mind his own business,” Xaden growled. I quickly put my hand on the back of his shoulder, trying to ease him.

“As I said, I have nothing to hide. It doesn’t change anything. We will get the paternity test and prove that this baby is in fact Xaden’s,” I said firmly. There was no other possible solution; this baby had to be Xaden’s because I was never with anyone else. I was embarrassed that I was being questioned and everyone was staring at me, but I was confident in this test.

“Then, I will make the call,” Kenneth said, his eyes finding mine. There was a sparkle of something in his eyes that I didn’t quite understand. It made me step a bit closer to Xaden. Sensing my anxiety, Xaden reached over and grabbed my hand, entwining his fingers through mine.

“We are going to take off now,” Xaden said, as he started to pull me towards the door. “Let me know when the appointment is, and we will be there.”

“Will do,” Kenneth said.

I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to the others; we were out the door quickly.

“Are we going home?” I asked him.

He turned back to look at me, a smile appearing on his lips.

“Not yet,” he told me. “I want to take you somewhere.”

The guards that had been following us around, the ones I almost forgot were present, stood tall as Xaden whispered something to them. They looked around at one another before responding. Xaden said something else and then they reluctantly nodded, stepping back. He turned back to me and took my hand again, pulling me into the car.

I was surprised when the guards didn’t get into their own car and follow us as we drove away from the palace.

“What did you say to them?” I inquired.

“Told them to hang back for a while,” he told me. “I wanted us to be alone.”

I raised my brows.

“Is that wise?” I asked.

He shrugged.

“Probably not, but I thought maybe you were getting sick of constantly being watched. I can keep you protected, Maeve. There’s nothing you need to worry about right now.”

I trusted him; at that moment, I knew deep in my soul that I could trust him. I leaned against him, basking in his comfort and allowing his scent to envelop me.

We reached the royal park, and my heart started to thump even faster. I had only heard stories about this park; I never thought I would get to see it with my own eyes. It was just as beautiful as I could have ever imagined. There were stone statues of all the great Kings before King Arlan and statues of the Luna Queens as well. The grass was beautifully green, with stone benches and a giant porcelain water fountain in the center.

In the distance, I could see a waterfall that went down into the riverbank.

“This place is incredible,” I whispered.

He smiled.

“My mother comes here often. It’s one of her favorite places in the capital,” he told me, taking my hand and pulling me towards the fountain. “It’s peaceful. She calls it paradise.”

“I can see why she loves it. I’ve only heard stories. My sister would brag about coming here a lot,” I told him. “She always made me feel bad about it.”

He frowned.

“She has no room to talk,” he muttered.

I laughed at that and nodded. We sat beside one another, and I snuggled into his side as he wrapped an arm around me.

“You really don’t mind getting a paternity test?” He asked. His sounded distant as he stared off into the horizon. I could tell he was upset about the whole thing and my heart tugged a little. “You don’t have to do it just because my father and Kenneth have doubts.”

“I don’t want there ever to be doubts, Xaden,” I told him softly. “If your father doesn’t believe that this baby is yours, then let's prove him wrong.”

“We don’t have to prove anything to anyone,” he murmured.

I sighed and peeked up at him through my lashes.

“I just want to keep the piece,” I told him.

He nodded and then bent down to brush his lips against mine. My heart began to beat faster from his kiss. I leaned into his kiss, allowing him to deepen it. I felt his soft tongue between my lips. Our tongues danced together in a beautiful rhythm. Everything we felt for one another was being poured into this kiss and I felt tears stinging the corner of my eyes.

When the kiss ended, it felt like it was too soon. We were both left breathless, and he pressed his forehead against mine, taking in my scent. Our breathing was in sync, and I felt a smile tugging at the corner of my lips. He kissed the bridge of my nose, and I pulled back slightly so I could look him in the eyes.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered. “Inside and outside.”

I put my hand on his cheek and then leaned in so I could give him a chaste kiss.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” I whispered. “Thank you for this time alone. It’s nice to truly be alone with you.”

He nodded and rubbed his nose against mine as he wrapped me back into his arms, tucking me into his side.

“Once we find out who is behind these attempted kidnappings, things will be better. I promise,” he reassured me.

I nodded.

“I know,” I told him.

“And once we are officially mated and married, we will get away from here for a little while and just spend some time alone together,” he told me. “Would you like that?”

I nodded.

“Yes,” I murmured. “I’d really like that.”

We sat there for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. But I couldn’t help but get the feeling that things were about to get much worse, and we were about to face challenges we had never faced before.