Chapter 159

Xaden’s POV

“What?” I gasped. “Are you saying Alpha Burton killed Maeve’s mother??”

Orenda seemed a bit dazed and exhausted. She must have had some kind of vision because her eyes were still a bit dilated. I wasn’t sure if I believed in this whole psychic thing, but I do believe that something just happened that I couldn’t exactly explain.

“I was only able to see bits and pieces of what happened back then,” Orenda admitted as she stared down at the necklace. “But Esme told Alpha Burton that it was predicted that her line will birth an Enigma…”

I gasped and stared at her with wide eyes.

“Enigmas don’t actually exist,” I said, shaking my head. “They were only rumors.”

“You out of everyone should know how false that is, Your Majesty,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Your great great great great grandfather was an Enigma. That was how he became the Alpha King. He passed his title down to the next generation, but that was how it all started.”

I heard a rumor about that story, but even then, I still didn’t truly believe it. A wolf that powerful was something out of a fantasy novel.

Even so, Enigmas were supposed to be boys, which meant Maeve couldn’t have been an Enigma. The witch mustn’t have been telling the truth.

“So, Esme lied then,” I said, shaking my head. It wasn’t a question, just an observation. Orenda raised her brows at my conclusion. “Is that why Burton slept with her and got her pregnant? He was hoping that she would birth an Enigma for him?”

“It seems that way.”

“Esme had to have known that the lie would cost her life though,” I pointed out, my brows furrowed. “I can’t imagine how pissed off Burton was after Maeve was born.”

“Who said anything about her lying?” Orenda asked, her eyes narrowed.

I raised my eyebrows at her.

“But Maeve isn’t an Enigma,” I pointed out. “So, it had to have been a lie, right?”

Orenda shook her head.

“Esme didn’t tell him that her own child would be an Enigma. Only that it was in her line. Meaning her future ancestry,” Orenda explained.

My mind was whirling, but everything froze upon hearing Orenda’s words.

“So… you’re saying…” my voice trailed off as I processed her words.

Orenda nodded, already knowing where my mind was heading.

“Your son is an Enigma, Your Majesty,” she told me, confirming my thoughts. I let out a breath of air I hadn’t known I was holding, and I felt my entire body deflating. “After Maeve was born, Esme gifted her the necklace; she enchanted it and made sure it couldn’t be removed from her until she reached a certain age and could protect it herself. She tied a piece of herself and a piece of Maeve in this pendant. No matter where Maeve goes, this necklace will always be tied to her, and it can always find her.”

“This necklace can find her?” I asked, my eyes finding the golden pendant.

She nodded.

“You just have to learn to listen to it,” she told me. “Only those who are truly connected to her can find her through this necklace.”

“And you think that person is me?”

She shrugged.

“You are her fated mate,” Orenda said simply. “There’s no one more connected to her than you. If I were you, I’d hold onto that necklace. When you are close to Maeve, it will tell you.”

I remained silent, letting her words process in my mind.

“So, it was true then. Burton killed her mother?” I finally asked, feeling my heart breaking for Maeve.

“The second Burton saw that he had a daughter, he lost his cool. He slaughtered the entire tribe.”

“What about Maeve?” I asked, leaning back in the seat that I sat in. “Why would he keep her alive if he didn’t even want her in the first place?”

She thought about it for a moment, her eyes still fixed on the pendant.

“That’s where things got blurry in the vision,” she admitted. “I’m not entirely sure what made Alpha Burton keep Maeve. But I do know that Maeve is more powerful than anyone ever thought. And that baby inside of her is even more powerful. If anyone were to find out about what that baby is…”

“It could put them both in danger,” I whispered. I grabbed the necklace off the desk and stared at it. It felt a bit warm in the palm of my hands and I felt a strange sense of power surging through it; something I hadn’t noticed before. It was almost like a vibration in the palm of my hand. Maybe Maeve hadn’t left it behind… maybe it stayed behind on purpose knowing that I was going to need it.

Could her mother have sent me this necklace so I could find her daughter? It was strange though to think Esme was speaking to me from beyond the grave, but there were many other things that I couldn’t explain.

“And you have no idea where she could have gone?” I asked, shifting my gaze to Orenda.

“I don’t know where she went or who she is with,” Orenda said, her brows pinched together. “But I can almost feel her emotions when I touch that necklace. I can feel that she’s in distress. Wherever she is, she’s not happy. I think she might be held against her will. I can sense a bit of betrayal as well, so whoever has her, she trusted them and then they betrayed her. I can feel her heartbreak, so something happened that broke her heart as well…”

My heart cracked from hearing her words. I was the one who broke her heart; I drove her away to someone else and then they betrayed her.

“Do you think they know that she’s carrying an Enigma?” I asked.

“It’s a possibility,” Orenda said. “I wouldn’t out-rule anything at this point.”

I nodded and quickly stood to my feet.

“Thank you, Orenda. I know I wasn’t very kind to you when we last met, but your help and guidance means the world to me,” I told her, genuinely meaning that.

She looked at me for a moment longer before she nodded; her expression was hard to read.

“What is it?” I asked her, studying her face. “Is there more you aren’t telling me?”

“She’s going to give birth to an Enigma child… she needs to be marked before that happens.”

My eyes grew large.

“What?” I asked. “Why?”

“She needs the strength of her mate. Giving birth to an Enigma is difficult and it could take her life if she’s not strong enough. There’s a chance she could handle it on her own… but if you want to guarantee her survival, you’ll need to mark her and give her some of your strength.”

I let her words process in my head before I nodded, my heart hammering against my chest.

“Noted,” I managed to say.

“I’m here if you need anything more. You won’t even have to make an appointment to see me,” she said, a smile tipping the corner of her lips.

Without another word, I quickly turned and left. Burke was waiting for me in the car just outside of the shop. As I got into the car he glanced at me from the rear-view mirror.

“Are we heading somewhere?” He asked.

“Let’s head back to the palace and speak with my father about our discovery. I’m not sure if should tell him everything, but I think he needs to know that there are Alphas who aren’t exactly being truthful,” I told him. “I think we need to get a hold of Alpha Burton as well.”

…….

Third Person POV

“Why exactly are traveling hours out of the territory?” One of Nicholas’s gammas asked as he finished loading the truck.

“It was an order from the King,” Nicholas explained. “It’s our duty to protect the entire Kingdom, not just the Capital. Some issues need to be addressed in the Starlight pack.”

“Yes, but we have gamma officers there that can take care of it,” he reminded Nicholas, his brows pinched together. “Are you sure it was the King’s orders?”

Nicholas turned and growled at the officer. Sure, he didn’t actually speak to the King, it was Kenneth who mindlinked Nicholas to give him this assignment, but how dare the warrior question his commanding officer.

“Are you calling my father a liar?” He asked through his teeth.

“No, of course not. Just, stuff doesn’t exactly add up,” he murmured, shaking his head.

Nicholas had no reason to doubt his father, especially after his father told him that it was a direct order from the King.

Then again, his father had been acting strangely lately.

He spoke to his father just this morning and he hadn’t mentioned this assignment to him. But they weren’t talking about work, they were talking about Maeve. Nicholas spent most of the night talking to her. After they spoke about her and Xaden and she confessed it was Xaden she was engaged to, they shifted the conversation to lighter topics. Nicholas told her all about his duties for the Royals and how he came to be the head commander. He also explained to her a bit about the pack.

He promised to show her around the pack this evening, so this assignment came at a bad time.

Kenneth told him that Maeve had a paternity test done and apparently the baby wasn’t even Xaden’s. It made Nicholas wonder who the father was if not Xaden… but he quickly brushed it out of his mind, not caring who the father was. Nicholas could be the father and he and Maeve can raise this baby together.

“Commander!” His warrior asked, waving his hand in front of his face. “Did you hear me? I said it doesn’t add up.”

“I’ll head to the palace and speak with the King myself,” Nicholas conceded.

It didn’t take him that long to reach the royal palace.

Nicholas walked through the front doors and nearly ran directly into Xaden who was in a rush to leave.

“Nicholas?” He asked, narrowing his eyes. “Where have you been? Lucas was trying to get a hold of you.”

Nicholas frowned and reached for his phone which was usually tucked away in one of his vest pockets, but he came up empty. He must have dropped it somewhere.

“I don’t seem to have my phone on me,” Nicholas said with a frown. “Is everything okay?”

“Maeve is missing, and we have been searching for her all day. I just returned from seeing Orenda Gorre, the psychic in the city, and I found out some information that might be helpful. I’m about to go to the Moonstone Pack and speak with Alpha Burton. I think he might know more than we think.”

Nicholas’s face went pale as he listened to Xaden. He was too stunned; he couldn’t interrupt him to tell him that he knew exactly where Maeve was.

“I have my family and the best warriors searching for her,” he continued. “Her scent is kind of everywhere so it’s difficult to get a lead. I just called them back to the palace. I’m going to need some backup when I go to the Moonstone pack—”

“I know where she is,” Nicholas blurted before he could stop himself. If Maeve truly didn’t want to be found, then he couldn’t just give up her location like that; however, he thought that she would have at least made it known that she was safe so a search party like this wouldn’t happen.

“Wait, what?” Xaden asked, his eyes narrowed and turning into slits. “What do you mean you know where she is?”

“She’s safe…” Nicholas said to him, keeping his eyes locked on Xaden’s. “That’s all you need to know. She isn’t in any kind of danger.”