Chapter 156

Third Person POV

“What am I supposed to do?” Mia asked, peeking over at Lucas as their laughter died. “This is my fault, and I want to fix it.”

“Well, you can start by helping us search for Maeve,” Lucas suggested. “I’m sure they could use your help.”

Mia nibbled on her lower lip as nerves attacked her belly. She was afraid that she would be turned away as soon as she showed her face. Not only did she feel guilty about her actions, but she was also embarrassed. But she knew she had to try and help regardless of how she was feeling. She nodded and stood to her feet.

“Okay fine,” she said, putting on a high and mighty show to save face. “I suppose I can help out.”

Lucas grinned as he too stood to his feet. He motioned for her to follow him, and she went with him back to the palace. Everyone was already gone, which wasn’t very surprising. Lucas called for another car to take them into the city. Emily and the Vixen warriors joined Mia.

“Are you okay?” Emily asked as they stood in the background while Lucas dealt with getting them a car. Mia’s eyes seemed to keep wandering over to Lucas. He was tall and though he was younger than Xaden, he looked really good and nicely built. Had he always looked this good? “Princess?” Mia asked again, getting her attention.

Mia blinked, her cheeks warming as she glanced at Emily.

“Uh, yeah,” she said, chewing the inside of her cheek. “We are going to help look for Maeve.”

Emily nodded.

“You and Prince Lucas talked?” Emily asked, her brows raising.

Mia nodded again, trying to hide the smile that tipped the corner of his lips.

“There’s definitely stuff we need to talk about, but I think I’ve been a little too hard on him,” Mia admitted. “Someone who cares that much about his family can’t be that bad, right?”

Emily smiled and glanced at Lucas who managed to get a car and pulled open the back door. He turned to face Mia and motioned for her to get into the car.

“No, he can’t be,” Emily agreed as she followed Mia to the car.

……

Maeve’s POV

I woke up feeling hazy. I stared up at the ceiling, my entire body feeling numb. I enjoyed spending time last night with Nicholas. I only got a few hours of sleep because I spent most of the night with him, talking and laughing like we were the best of friends. It was nice, but it also gave me some clarity on my situation.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Xaden.

The second I woke up this morning, I knew I couldn’t stay here.

I put my hands on my belly and rubbed my baby bump gently. This was Xaden’s baby too; the evidence of that was back in the mansion and if he returned home either last night or this morning, he would see it right away. Once he saw that this baby was in fact his, he would be looking for me. I couldn’t take a father away from his child or vice versa.

I could protect my baby the best I could, but I knew when it came down to it, Xaden would want to be in his life, even if he didn’t want to be in mine.

My chest ached at the very thought of it.

I slid out of bed and grabbed the clothing that I wore yesterday. Nicholas was kind enough to let me borrow a long shirt for bed. I didn’t particularly like being enclosed in his scent all night, but I didn’t want to wear my clothing to bed.

I quickly dressed and threw my hair up in a messy bun. Nicholas mentioned having to patrol the borders early this morning and that I shouldn’t expect him until later in the evening. He wanted to take me to dinner in his favorite restaurant, but I wasn’t planning on being here that long.

I hoped he would forgive me for leaving so suddenly.

I opened the bedroom door and froze when I saw the guards at the door. They weren’t there when Nicholas walked me to the room last night.

When did they get here?

I stared at the two of them and they looked down at me.

“I want to speak with Kenneth,” I told them, folding my arms across my chest and trying to look bigger than I felt. They looked at one another with frowns.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I stood my ground as I peeked up at them.

“Come with us,” One of the guards said, motioning for me to follow him out of the room. I took a deep breath and then released it as I followed him down the hallway. The other guard followed closely behind me as if he were waiting for me to make a run for it.

What was up with the guards in this pack?

We walked down the long hallway and down the stairs. I felt uncomfortable being guided by these guards; I kept my head down and kept up my pace until we reached Kenneth’s office. The guard in front of me knocked on the door and after getting the okay from Kenneth inside, he opened the door and motioned for me to step inside.

I was expecting him to leave, but he didn’t; he stood at the doorway with his arms folded across his chest like a bouncer.

Kenneth glanced up from his computer and saw me standing there.

He glanced over my shoulder at the guards and nodded at them. As if that was all they needed, they stepped outside the room, closing the door behind them.

“Is everything okay?” Kenneth asked, leaning back in his seat.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.

“Are the guards really necessary? I feel like a prisoner,” I told him, tugging at my fingers nervously.

He raised his brows.

“You can never be too careful,” he told me. “With the bears attacking the wolf kingdom, it’s dangerous out there.”

“Out there, yeah. But in here?” I asked.

“I’d rather be safe than sorry,” he replied. “Was there something else I can do for you? I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of time this morning.”

“Actually, yes,” I said, staring down at my feet. “Thank you for allowing me to come here and take shelter within your pack, Alpha. I’m glad to know that I at least have a place to go if things go south. But I don’t think I should stay here…”

He frowned at me as his eyes studied my face.

“I’m sorry?” He asked after a long pause.

“I don’t think I should stay here,” I repeated. “This baby is Xaden’s and leaving without a word isn’t right. I had a lot of time to think, and I want to return to my mate.”

“After everything he had done to you?” Kenneth asked, his tone darkening slightly but the look of concern remained in his eyes.

I nodded and lifted my gaze to meet his.

“I know that we are having our problems, but they will never get resolved if we don’t speak about them,” I told him. “I want to return to my mate and have an actual conversation with him about this. Both me and my baby deserve to know all the details from him and he also deserves to know the truth as well.”

“And what about Nicholas?”

I frowned, not sure what Nicholas had to do with anything.

“What about Nicholas?” I counter-asked.

“From what I hear, he’s quite loyal to you,” Kenneth said, narrowing his eyes. “I recently found out that you’ve been friends for some time without my knowledge.”

I nodded as I nibbled my lower lip.

“He’s a great friend,” I replied. “I’m glad to be able to know him. I’m still thrown over the fact that he’s your son. I honestly had no idea.”

Kenneth nodded as he stared at me thoughtfully.

“He’s a good man,” Kenneth said, his eyes never leaving mine. “He would make a suitable mate and father.”

I wasn’t sure why he was telling me this, but I nodded along with him.

“I’m sure he would,” I said, feeling even more uneasy than I had before I walked in here.

“Why would you want to return to someone who doesn’t care for you when there’s someone else here who does,” he asked me.

I took a step back, thrown off by his words.

“Alpha…” I tried to say, but he held up his hand, cutting me off.

“My son would treat you like no other,” he continued. “I’m a patient person, Maeve. But I won’t tolerate you walking away from this opportunity and playing with his emotions. He’s interested in you and as a father, I only want my son’s happiness, and I have his best interest in mind. I also have your best interest in mind as well.”

“Playing with his emotions?”

“You spent a long time speaking with him last night and he was happy,” Kenneth said, standing to his feet slowly. “I’ve never seen that smile on his face before. When he hugged you, he was very content, and you looked pretty content as well. I watched you laughing and crying with him for most of the night. It gave me a glimpse of the future you both could have. I had never seen chemistry like that before.”

“Y… you were watching us?” I asked him, my voice coming out breathy. “Why?”

“Because, Maeve,” Kenneth said, walking around the desk. “You and my son would be good together. A powerful woman needs a powerful man and my son is powerful. I’ve trained him to be powerful… he would never hurt you. He would love and protect you until his dying breath.”

“I’m already mated to Prince Xaden,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “You aren’t making any sense, Alpha.”

“I’m making perfect sense,” he told me, his voice rising and making me flinch. “Stay here and mate with my son. Leave Xaden and join the Dawnguard Pride. Give me your allegiance, just as you were meant to.”

“Alpha, you’re speaking nonsense,” I told him, shaking my head. “I’m going home. I’m sorry, but I can’t give you what you want…”

“You’re making a huge mistake, Maeve,” he said, his tone getting darker and angrier.

I was beyond uncomfortable now; I knew I had to get out of here. I shook my head and quickly started to run out of the room.

“Maeve! You don’t want to do that!” Kenneth growled from behind me. I grabbed the door and flew it open only to freeze when I saw the guards outside of the door. That’s when it dawned on me… I was truly was a prisoner.

I wasn’t going to be leaving here any time soon.

“I’m sorry that it had to be the hard way,” Kenneth said just as I felt a sharp pain in my neck. I gasped and grabbed at my neck, but it was too late.

I turned to face him as his image grew hazy. He gave me a sly smile as he watched me tumble to the ground.

“Soon, everything will make sense…” was the last thing I heard before everything went black.