Chapter 164

Xaden’s POV

“I thought you said you could find the underground dungeon easily?” I asked, feeling frustrated as I glared at Princess Mia. “We’ve been here for hours with no progress.”

“And none of the guards know where the dungeon is…” Nicholas muttered, folding his arms across his chest. “The King’s Alpha command on them proved that. My father was smart. They know it exists, but he never showed any of the guards above the ground where it was located.”

“So, you think he has more guards specifically for the dungeon underground?” I asked, turning to look at him.

He nodded.

“Yeah, it’s the only thing that makes sense,” he muttered.

“I said that we can find it,” Mia said, folding her arms across her chest. “I didn’t say we would find it quickly. It’s going to take some time. You have to be patient.”

“We don’t have time!” I growled, my wolf pushing towards the surface and fighting to take control.

Lucas quickly jumped in front of Mia, shielding her from me, surprising even Mia.

“Stand down, Xaden,” my little brother commanded, pushing his own Alpha powers at me. Though it wasn’t strong enough to do anything, I could still feel his protectiveness towards Mia, and I instinctively took a step away.

Mia narrowed her eyes up at Lucas.

“I don’t need you to come to my defense, Lucas,” she scolded.

He turned to look at her.

“You don’t want to go against a royal Alpha,” he told her.

She rolled her eyes.

“Are you forgetting that I’m royalty as well?” She asked. “I’m more than capable of fighting my own battles and defending myself.”

“Maybe we should head back to the packhouse and see if Alpha Kenneth returned?” One of the Vixen warriors suggested. “I think I’m picking up his scent nearby.”

I nodded in agreement. I trusted the Vixen warriors and knew if they could smell Kenneth, then he was most likely back from the underground dungeon.

Putting their argument on hold, Lucas and Mia headed towards the packhouse first, and the rest of us followed after them. However, as we reached the packhouse, the vixens sniffed the air with frowns, and I could see the confusion on their faces.

“His scent is fading fast,” one of them said, panicking in her tone.

“What does that mean?” My father asked, glaring at her.

“She means it seems the Alpha is leaving and fast…” Mia said, shaking her head. “He’s trying to hide his scent in his path. Someone tipped him off that we are here.”

“Are you able to track what’s left of his scent?” My father asked.

Mia nodded.

“I think so,” she said and then she paused. “But I’m going to need a tracking powder.”

“A what?” I asked.

“He’s using some kind of potion or dust to hide his scent. Emily has a powder that can track whatever he’s using. It’ll bring us right to him,” she told me.

“Okay, where is Emily?” I asked, looking around for the princess’s handmaiden and best friend.

“Back at the packhouse,” she told me. “I’ll mindlink her and have her come here with the powder.”

Surprisingly enough, it didn’t take long for Emily to arrive. She came with my mother and sister, along with a few more Gammas for protection.

“What’s happening?” my mother asked as she rushed over to my father.

“I think we might be able to track Kenneth,” he told her.

“Kenneth?” She asked, realizing there was much more to the story than she knew, my father nodded.

“I’ll explain everything on the way. But we are looking for an underground dungeon. We think he’s keeping Maeve there,” he explained.

Charlotte gasped, her eyes wide as she looked at my father and then at me.

“Seriously?” She asked. Then she turned to Nicholas and narrowed her eyes.

“Why would he do that?” She asked.

He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it, his shoulders slumping.

Emily chuckled and when I turned to her, I saw that she was sprinkling clear dust on the ground. The second it touched the ground it started to turn blue. Mia cheered happily and wrapped her arms around her friend; at this moment, Emily was not a handmaiden, she was just a friend, and that was evident on Princess Mia’s face.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Why are we celebrating.”

“Because Em is a genius,” Mia explained. “She created this dust herself. She’s a wiz like that,” Mia said proudly.

Emily shrugged.

“It’s nothing, really. I grew up around witches,” she explained. “Not human ones,” she clarified quickly, glancing at the King. “Vixen’s have witches as well, notorious for healing potions. They keep our warriors stocked. But they taught me a lot growing up.”

“And you’re able to track Alpha Kenneth?” I asked, staring at the blue dust on the ground.

She nodded proudly.

“Yes,” she replied. “He made the mistake of using magic to hide his scent. I’m assuming some kind of dust, potion, or maybe even a spray. Regardless, this dust can track that magic. It’s a rookie mistake honestly. Then again, I doubt he knows can easily track it.”

“Told you,” Mia said proudly. “She’s a genius.”

“Then take us to her,” my father demanded.

Emily nodded.

“Yes, sir,” she said, and then she got to work.

…….

Third Person POV

The second Kenneth stepped into his packhouse, one of his guards told him that the Alpha King, Nicholas, and Prince Xaden were snooping around, looking for Maeve. Nicholas was supposed to be long gone by now, but apparently, he stuck around and found out about the search. He informed Xaden and the King that Maeve was last seen here, and now they were snooping around.

Kenneth was glad that he made the decision to keep his packhouse gammas away from the dungeon. None of them knew where the hidden underground dungeon was, which meant they couldn’t give up their location. However, he knew they’d be able to track his scent if he were to go straight to the dungeon, especially if they were currently in Kenneth’s pack.

He grabbed some of the scent-masking spray that he kept for emergencies and sprayed it around his body. Kenneth sprayed a generous amount to keep his scent clean and then he went straight back to the dungeon. Isabelle was just walking up the steps when Kenneth returned and he narrowed his eyes at her.

“Stay down here,” he ordered, grabbing her arms and pulling her back down the stairs and into the dark passageway.

“Why? What’s going on?” She asked.

“Your bother didn’t leave like I thought he did,” Kenneth explained. “He’s here with Alpha King Arlan and Prince Xaden.”

Isabelle sucked in a sharp breath and ripped her arm away from Kenneth’s grasp.

“If they find out that I was involved… Henry would kill me,” Isabelle cried, her tone trembling.

“It’s impossible for them to find this dungeon. I have hidden it well. Nobody had ever been able to find it before. I masked my scent before returning. I sprayed the air around the packhouse and entrance of the dungeon as well to mask yours. If you leave now, it’ll bring them right to this location. We have to remain here until they are gone.”

Isabelle looked uncertain, but she nodded, nibbling her lower lip nervously as she followed Kenneth toward the cell blocks of the dungeon.

Kenneth paused outside of Maeve’s cell and stared inside the metal bars, glaring down at her.

“If I have to remove the baby myself and then dispose of Maeve… then, I will. As long as I have at least one Enigma, I can create more later,” Kenneth said, his eyes never leaving Maeves.

She looked furious at his words. Her breathing became even stronger, and she pulled herself to her feet. The guards had said that they had given her more food earlier after she was force-fed, and she ate willingly this time. They said it pained her to eat because her throat still hurt, but the fear of being force-fed again was too great for her to not eat willingly. She was a lot stronger now and the color was returning to her face. That was a good thing because she needed to be strong to birth this Enigma. But she was still locked in a cage and powerless when it came to Kenneth.

“You aren’t going to lay a finger on my baby,” Maeve boldly said through her teeth.

Her raspy voice made Isabelle laugh and Kenneth smirked at her bold sentence.

“I think you forgot who’s in charge here, Maeve,” Kenneth said.

Maeve stepped towards the cell door, her hands on her belly protectively as if that would help. The more she glared at Kenenth, the angrier she got. Unbeknownst to Kenneth, the rage was coursing through her veins, making her even stronger than she had been only seconds ago. Her baby was protecting his own strength and anger, making a protective cocoon around his mother.

“Sit back down,” Kenneth said, narrowing his eyes at Maeve who was stalking towards him. He wasn’t afraid of her, especially considering there was a whole cage door separating them, but his wolf was taking it as a challenge, and it was getting hard for Kenneth to calm him.

“You aren’t going to touch my baby,” Maeve said again, her tone even stronger this time.

Kenneth let out a laugh and turned away. He needed to get his wolf under control because he was starting to go wild within Kenneth. But one look at Isabelle’s face, made Kenenth freeze.

“D…dad…” she stammered, pointing at Maeve. “H… her eyes are glowing.”

Kennet turned back to Maeve and sure enough, her eyes were glowing white. Rage was clear on her face as she curled her lip up at Kenneth and spat, “Will do whatever I have to do to protect my baby.”

Kenneth let out a breath, not sure what was happening. Maeve wrapped her fingers around the metal bars and then Isabelle let out a scream. Kenneth didn’t need to ask her what was wrong, he could see it with his own eyes.

Glowing around Maeve, emerging behind her, attached to her… a part of her… was the ghost of a white wolf.

The wolf spoke in a tone that was so filled with authority that Kenneth was immiedalty forced to bow to her.

“And I will do what it takes to protect Maeve!” The wolf growled so fiercely that it shook the entire dungeon, making Isabelle stumble to the ground.

As if the metal bars were made from paper, Maeve ripped the bars apart, setting herself free.

A low growl escaped her, shaking Kenneth to his core. He had never seen anything quite like this before and he was too frozen to move. Maeve managed to escape from the cell though it was designed to hold the toughest of shifters. Just as her hands turned into large white claws, glowing at the point of her nails, the door of the dungeon burst open, and the Alpha King’s presence washed throughout the room.

“Maeve!” Prince Xaden shouted as he rushed into the room. Hearing her mate's voice, the white wolf disappeared back into Maeve and Maeve fell to the ground.