Chapter 160

Maeve’s POV

I stared up at Alpha Kenneth, my heart in my throat. I wrapped my arms around my body and shook my head as I took a step away from him. He had tricked me; this was all part of his plan. He only wanted to trap me; he never cared about me.

How could I have been so stupid?

“Alpha Kenneth, what is going on? Why am I here?” I asked him, and my voice came out weaker than I intended.

“Because you are very special Maeve,” he told me. “That baby inside of you is very special.”

I touched my belly protectively, not wanting to give him any access to me or my baby.

“What are you talking about?”

He grinned.

“Haven’t you wondered why you are growing much faster than you should be?” He asked, raising his brows. “Haven’t you ever wondered the truth about your mother?”

My breath hitched in my throat.

“My mother?” I asked, my voice coming out as a breathy whisper. “W…what do you know about my mother?”

“I know as much as your father knows,” he told me simply. “I was there that night he killed her and the tribe she came from.”

My eyes grew large as I stared at him, shock consuming me.

“Y… you were there?” I asked, shaking my head. I was in disbelief; there was no way this was happening. Kenneth couldn’t have been there… could he have been? “Wait… my father killed her??”

He let out a laugh and nodded.

“I was young at the time, just starting off as an Alpha myself,” Kenneth explained. “I was passing through when I heard your father talking to your mother about how she lied to him about birthing an Enigma child. He made her entire tribe suffer and killed them all, including your mother. He was going to kill you as well, but I stopped him.”

I couldn’t breathe; my vision became distorted as I stared at him through my tears. I was completely numb and paralyzed. How could my father do such a thing?

He truly killed my mother?

“W…why would you stop him?” I asked, my voice coming out unfamiliar.

“Because I knew the truth,” Kenneth said, a grin emerging on his thin lips. “I knew of the prophecy she spoke of. It stated that her line would produce Enigmas. But that didn’t mean she herself would produce an Enigma. It could have meant her children and further generations. By killing you, he was killing the chance of an Enigma being born. I couldn’t let that happen. So, I made a deal with him.”

I was feeling sick to my stomach, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know more information right now, but I knew I needed to know the truth.

“What kind of deal?” I asked him.

“I told him that I would keep his secret if he raised you as his own. Once you turned of age, he would send you to my pack and you would marry my son. From there, you would have his children and produce Enigma wolves, building the strongest army in the world… all under my power,” Kenneth explained.

I shook my head, not wanting to believe him.

“Then why didn’t he send me to you when I turned 18? Why wait until I’m 20?” I asked.

“Because my son wasn’t going to return until then,” Kenneth growled. “Nicholas was abroad, training to be the best warrior that he could be and becoming the lead commanding officer for the royal family. Once he returned, Burton was supposed to send you to my pack so you could marry him and produce Enigma children with him. So, imagine my surprise when I found out you were already pregnant and engaged to be married to another man?”

I held my stomach and turned away from him, my body trembling.

“That baby inside of you is an Enigma and I was promised an Enigma… so I’m collecting my dues,” Kenneth said through his teeth.

I’ve heard of Enigmas, but I always thought they were rumors; how could my baby be one? I didn’t have time to process that information right now.

“Your debt to my father is his debt, not mine,” I told him, glad that my voice came out stronger than I felt. “It has nothing to do with me.”

Kenneth stepped around me, facing me and he grabbed my chin between his fingers, squeezing it tightly. I let out a whimper of distress as he pulled my head and forced me to look up at him.

“That’s where you are wrong, Maeve,” he said, his eyes darkening. “It has everything to do with you. You are part of that debt whether you like it or not. Your father promised me your Enigma babies the day you were born. The second he allowed you to get pregnant with Xaden’s baby, he went back on his word. I’m still going to collect my debt. That baby is mine, just like all your future babies. Once my son returns from his trip, I’ll make sure he marks and mates with you.”

Nicholas went on a trip? Since when?

“Nicholas would never go along with something like this,” I said, hating that hot tears were burning in my eyes, seconds away from spilling down my cheeks. “He’s my friend!”

“If he knew you were in danger and it was the only way to protect you, he would,” Kenneth said, shrugging. “From what I can see, there isn’t much he wouldn’t do for you.”

“How is mating and marking me going to protect me from anything?” I asked, my mind whirling.

Just as I spoke the question, another figure appeared behind Kenneth and my eyes wandered to the new presence. I gasped at the sight…I should have known Isabelle had something to do with this as well.

She had a smug smile on her lips as she stood beside her father, her phone in her hands, and pointed at me.

“Oh, she looks so pathetic,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s too bad she’s not going to survive the pregnancy without being marked.”

My heart fell deep into my stomach as I narrowed my eyes at her.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, and then I glanced up at Kenneth. “What is she talking about?”

“Giving birth to an Enigma baby is impossible without the extra strength of your mate,” Kenneth said, folding his arms across his chest. “If you want to survive the birth of your baby, you need to be marked.”

I shook my head, not able to stop the tears from spilling from my eyes.

“Nobody had ever said that…” I said hoarsely. “Not even the doctor. How could you know such a fact?”

“Because nobody knows the truth about your baby,” he said, grinning. “If they did, then they would have told you.”

I glared at Isabelle.

“Why are you recording me?” I asked her, hating that her sole focus was on me as she stared at me through the screen of her phone.

She laughed.

“For my brother, of course,” she answered. “He’ll never believe any of this if we don’t show him for ourselves. He’s been sent away for right now, so he doesn’t know about the search for you. But once I send him this, he’ll come back and then he’ll mark you to protect you from dying.”

“Don’t send that to him until she is close to giving birth,” Kenneth instructed her. “It needs to be an urgent life or death matter.”

“Duh,” she agreed, still laughing. “I’m not stupid, Daddy.”

They mentioned something about a search. Did that mean Xaden was looking for me? Hope swelled in my chest. I had to keep the faith that he would find me and that everything was going to be okay.

……

Xaden’s POV

“What the hell are you talking about, Nicholas?” I asked, anger surging through me. “Where the hell is Maeve??”

“If she wanted to be found, she would have told you where she was going,” Nicholas said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t betray her trust.”

“She’s in danger,” I growled, stepping closer to him. “Orenda Gorre told me that she could feel Maeve’s emotions… she was betrayed. Something is wrong. If you know where she is, you have to tell me!”

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” Nicholas all but shouted, his eyes blazing with anger. “I won’t betray her trust like you did. You’re the jerk that broke her heart. If she left you, she had every reason to do so.”

My heart twisted in my chest. It killed me that he was right. I did hurt her and now Maeve was gone. I only had myself to blame.

It was clear that Nicholas now knew the truth about Maeve and me. Whether she was the one who told him, Kenneth, or if he figured it out on his own, there was no use in denying it any further.

“Maeve wouldn’t have left without saying anything,” I said, refusing to believe the worst. “She wouldn’t have just left knowing she was carrying my baby.”

“Nice try. My father told me the paternity test was negative. You aren’t the father,” Nicholas scoffed, pointing his finger at me. “Good thing too. The baby doesn’t need a father like you.”

“She got another test done,” I told him, trying to refrain from punching him in the face. “It came back positive. She is carrying my baby.”

Nicholas’s face went pale for a moment, but he stood on business and refused to back down.

“I don’t have to tell you where she is,” he said, pressing his lips in a thin line, but his resolve was fading. I could see the disappointment and questions all over his face.

“No, but you have to tell me,” A deep voice of authority rang throughout the palace, turning our attention to my father who marched towards us. His eyes were burning with fury as he glared at Nicholas who took a hesitant step backward. My mother stood by his side along with Lucas, Mia, and Charlotte. They were all staring at Nicholas with wide eyes. My father held up Maeve’s phone, his fist tightening as he squeezed it. “And keep in mind, I already know the truth, so if you lie to me, you won’t like the punishment you face.”

Nicholas let out a breath as he stared at the phone and then back up at my father.

“She’s in the Dawnguard Pride Pack,” he finally said, making my heart sink.

She went to Alpha Kenneth’s pack?

I turned to my father for confirmation; he tossed the phone at me, nodding his head, and confirming Nicholas’s words.

“The last person she spoke to was Alpha Kenneth,” he answered my unspoken question. “Now, do either of you want to tell me why he would want Maeve, and don’t tell me that you don’t know… because I know there’s more to the story. So, one of you better start talking.”