Chapter 145

Maeve’s POV

I stared at Xaden with my mouth hanging open. His words were like a slap in the face. It stung and I couldn’t help but stagger backwards a little. He didn’t look like he regretted what he had said, and I wasn’t sure what to make of the situation.

How could it be that his mother, Charlotte, and even Alpha Kenneth believed me… but Xaden didn’t? He was supposed to believe me above everyone else and be on my side… but it seemed he wasn’t. My entire heart ached as I stared up at him.

“You think this baby isn’t yours?” I asked him, my voice coming out sounding unfamiliar and distant.

“If you want to accuse me of being unfaithful… then maybe I can accuse you of the same thing,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. “How do I know you aren’t just projecting, and this is because of your guilt??”

“My guilt??” I gasped. “You not believing in me speaks volumes right now.”

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair again.

“Look, I’m exhausted and I think it’s better if we just get some sleep.”

I bit my lip; I knew he was probably going to sleep in the guest room again so he could avoid me. I wasn’t going to argue against it, so I nodded. I wasn’t sure what more there was to say. I was feeling numb on the inside and I just wanted today to be over. I needed those test results to come in soon so that he could see that I wasn’t lying, and we could just move from this entire thing.

I waited in the living room for a while, unable to bring myself to our bedroom and sleep in that empty bed. I wasn’t sure if I could handle it for the third night in a row. I sighed and got to my feet. Maggie had made me some tea that I just finished. I put the teacup in the ink before retreating to my room.

When I opened the door, I froze. Xaden was lying in the bed; his back was facing me though and I couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or not.

But it didn’t matter though. He was here. He was sleeping in our bed, and he wasn’t avoiding me anymore. Maybe he wasn’t as mad at me as he once was. Relief flooded me and I quickly hurried to my side of the bed, slipping beneath the covers.

I heard Xaden’s deep sigh, indicating that he was in fact awake.

“Xaden?” I whispered, glancing over at him.

After a brief pause, I heard him saying, “Hmm.”

He still didn’t turn to look at me and I couldn’t get our conversation out of my head. He was right earlier; I shouldn’t be accusing him of such things when it looked just as bad the other way around too. I couldn’t imagine what he must be going through and if it was anything remotely to what I was going through, then I couldn’t blame him.

Guilt was eating away at my stomach; I should have been more understanding towards him.

“I’m sorry,” I told him, turning to face him fully.

“Let’s just get some sleep,” he murmured in a sleepy state. “We can talk more in the morning.”

I sighed and turned away from him, pressing my knees to my chest as tears slipped down my cheeks.

“Sounds good.”

Not before long, I was drifting into sleep. It wasn’t dreamless like the last few nights had been though. I knew right away that I was in the dream world because my baby was in my arms and the surrounding area around me was a bit hazy. I was seated against a large Oaktree and my baby was cooing my arms.

He looked just like his father; I had no doubt in my mind that Xaden was the father, and this new paternity test will prove just that. The baby in my arms was Xaden’s double and I couldn’t wait for him to see that too.

I felt a presence approaching and when I looked up, I was shocked to see that Xaden was walking towards us. A smile lit up my face; this dream was different. In the last dream, there was a faceless man who claimed to be the baby's father, now Xaden was here, and we could be a family. I quickly stood to my feet, cradling the baby in my arms.

“Xaden….” I breathed. “Hey, I—”

I couldn’t finish my sentence because he walked past me. I spun around with a frown, narrowing my eyes at his retreating back. It was as if he hadn’t seen me at all. What did that even mean?

I decided to follow him.

“Xaden!” I called after him, rushing to catch up.

Once again, I was left ignored.

“Xaden, can’t you hear me? I’m here with your baby! Why won’t you look at me!” I tried once again. But like the other times, I was left ignored and incredibly confused.

He disappeared through the forest, leaving me behind without a single word or looking in my direction. He couldn’t see either of us, I thought to myself. I stared down at my baby and tears slipped on my cheeks.

Could that mean that I was losing Xaden?

When my surrounding area turned black and my dream ended, I was left feeling empty inside. When I woke up the next morning, Xaden was gone.

…..

Xaden’s POV

I probably should have stayed and spoken to Maeve this morning, but our argument last night left a sour taste in my mouth, and I just needed to get away for a few hours. I did the one thing I had been trying so hard these last few days to avoid… I said something I regretted.

I wasn’t planning on being gone all day. I wanted to return home and actually have a conversation with her. I wanted to apologize for what I said.

I certainly didn’t want her to think that anything was going on between Mia and me. The media spun lies and made it look a lot worse than it was. If only she knew that I was trying to get Mia to back off me and turn towards Lucas instead.

A force nearly knocked into me in passing as I walked through the palace.

“Sorry…” a familiar voice murmured.

I frowned and looked over at Eric who seemed to be in a rush to get away.

“Hey, Eric, wait up,” I said, rushing after him. “Everything okay? You look distraught.”

Eric frowned and he looked around for a moment before turning back to me.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “I’m fine. I just need to get somewhere.”

“Maeve told me that she overheard you and father arguing not too long ago,” I told him. “Was it something serious?”

Eric’s face reddened and then he glanced at the ground, avoiding my eyes.

“Have you ever found out something you wish you hadn’t?” He asked.

I wanted to laugh because that seemed to be the highlight of my week.

“Yes,” I answered. “I have.”

Eric nodded.

“It’s kind of like that. I found out something that makes Father look not so great in my eyes. Not that he ever looked great… but still.” For a second, he looked startled by his own words; like he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. He then cleared his throat and shook his head like he was shaking off the thought. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll figure it out.”

I nodded, not wanting to pry. If he wanted to tell me, he would tell me. Eric had always been closed off.

“I’m sorry. I’m here if you need anything,” I told him. “That includes if you need to talk.”

He nodded and started to turn away, but then he froze and turned back to look at me.

“Maeve is a good girl,” he surprised me by saying. “If she says she didn’t do something, then you should believe her.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that, but I nodded. I knew he was right, and I really shouldn’t be that cruel towards her. My words from last night replayed in my mind and even more guilt bubbled in my chest.

“You’re right,” I told him. “Thanks.”

Eric turned and left without another word; news travels fast around here… even Eric was in the loop.

Before I could get anywhere else, my father walked around the corner, and his eyes narrowed.

“Princess Mia is out in the gardens. You should speak with her. Keep her happy until we figure out what to do about the Lucas situation.”

I sighed.

“Are you figuring it out? Or are you trying to force my hand in marriage?” I asked.

My father rolled his eyes.

“Don’t be smart with me,” he said sharply. “I am doing what I think is the best for this kingdom. You are the only option right now, so you need to entertain her.”

I relented and nodded.

“Sure, father,” I murmured as I walked past him and into the garden.

This was my chance to make myself less appealing to Mia. I needed to force her to not want to marry me and to marry Lucas instead. This reminded me, that the next time I saw Lucas I was going to kill him for putting me in this kind of position. It was supposed to be him entertaining her and spending all this time with her… not the other way around.

“Hello Xaden,” Mia said, a smile spreading across her face. “I’m so glad to spend more time with you.”

Time to get this over with. Princess Mia was about to see a whole new side of me.