Chapter 170

Maeve’s POV

I was nervous as we headed towards the palace. We were having dinner with Xaden’s family, and this would be the first time seeing them since I was in the hospital. Xaden didn’t seem as worried as I was, but so far, good experiences at family dinners with the royals have been limited. I didn’t want to face the judging eyes of King Arlan and the condescending words of Prince Henry. I wondered what Henry would say to me when he saw me; would he bring up Isabelle? Would he ask me what had happened? Would he take her side over mine?

I suppose it didn’t truly matter if he took her side or not. Truth be told, I didn’t care what he thought about me. It wasn’t Henry, I wanted to impress. Prime Beta Burke was the one driving us to the palace and he was quiet as he kept sparing Xaden looks through the rear-view mirror. I wondered if they were having a conversation through their mindlink and what it was they were saying to one another that they couldn’t say in front of me.

A knot formed in the pit of my belly.

As the palace came into view, I swallowed the lump in my throat and waited with bated breath for Burke to park the car. Xaden thanked him and then helped me out of the car. I had gotten huge over the course of these last couple of weeks; so big that I was afraid I was going to pop at any moment.

As we walked into the palace, the first person I saw was Queen Leonora. She had a pleasant smile as she greeted us. First, she kissed Xaden’s face and then she opened her arms to hug me.

“Maeve, I’m so glad you could join us for dinner tonight,” she breathed, giving me a gentle squeeze before releasing me. She stared around my face and then her eyes wandered to my hair where they widened. “You look stunning. Charlotte told me that she helped you wash the hair dye out of your hair, but her description doesn’t do justice to see it in person.”

I blushed at her compliment. It was kind of a huge deal for the Queen to compliment me on my appearance. Xaden stood proudly beside me, and he draped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to his side. “The King had been looking forward to this dinner,” Queen Leonora continued.

I frowned and glanced at Xaden who was staring at his mother with furrowed brows.

“He had?” I finally asked after a brief silence.

She nodded and pulled me along to walk with her.

“He feels awful about what had happened. I kept telling him that it wasn’t his fault, but he feels responsible for you leaving in the first place.”

“Oh, he shouldn’t. it was my decision,” I told her quickly, not wanting anyone to take responsibility except for myself.

“Yes, but he pushed Xaden and Mia to spend time together,” Queen Leonora told me. “If it weren’t for that, you wouldn’t have left.”

I nibbled on my lower lip, not really sure what to say. She was kind of right. If it wasn’t for that, I probably wouldn’t have gone anywhere.

We wandered into the dining hall where Char was waiting for us. She gave me a pleasant smile as she rushed over to me and wrapped her arms around me.

“Looking lovely as always,” Charlotte said, touching my hair thoughtfully.

“Dinner will be served shortly,” one of the maids told the queen before she scurried off into the kitchen. I glanced at the table setting, counting out how many people were going to be joining us. There was a spot for the King and Queen at the head of the table, and then there were 6 more spots I assumed were for the rest of the family and myself.

“Come sit down,” Char said, glancing down at my belly. “I’m sure it’s difficult to carry that much weight with you all the time. Your back must be aching.”

I nodded, not wanting to admit that my back was in fact hurting from standing so long. I walked over to one of the empty seats and sat down, Char sat in front of me, across the table, and Xaden sat beside me.

“Will Henry be joining us?” Xaden asked, glancing at his mother.

She nodded.

“He’s supposed to be, yes,” she replied. “He’s been upset over the fact that we imprisoned his wife. But even he has to understand the seriousness of the situation.”

“What’s going to happen to her?” I found myself asking.

“I’m not really sure,” Queen Leonora admitted with a frown decorating her lips. “King Arlan is thinking about banishment.”

Banishment?

A wolf without a pack is as good as dead. She would be forced to live in the rogue territory and face off with the most vicious creatures. I doubted Isabelle could survive that. Before I could utter a single word, the door opened, and a powerful presence invaded the room. I Iooked up to see King Arlan walking in with his head held high and his aura shining brighter than I had ever seen it before.

When his eyes found mine, his expression softened.

“Maeve,” he said, staring around my face, his eyes wandering to my hair and then back to my eyes. “You look different.”

“It’s her natural look, Daddy,” Charlotte said proudly, giving me an encouraging smile from across the table. He studied me for a moment longer before he nodded and lowered himself onto the chair at the head of the table, right beside the queen who was smiling thoughtfully at her husband.

“You look nice,” he finally said, shocking both me and Xaden with his words. I glanced at Xaden who was staring at his father with an open mouth, like he wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure what.

“T… thank you,” I managed to stammer.

He nodded before glancing at his watch.

“The others should have been here by now,” he murmured. He turned to one of the guards who stood by the doorway. “Go find them.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said before leaving the dining room.

The King looked back at me.

“Kenneth won’t be a problem to you anymore,” he told me, making me tense. “Nor will Isabelle.”

I wanted to ask what was going to happen to them, but part of me already knew the answer. There was no way he was going to allow Kenneth to live after what he had done… and Isabelle… I’m sure she was probably being forced out of the pack by now. I wondered how Henry was going to take the news.

“Let’s not talk about that during dinner,” Queen Leonora suggested, reading my face before addressing the King. “I’m sure Maeve wants to forget about the things that happened to her at the hands of that monster. Let’s just be thankful she’s okay.”

Xaden nodded in agreement.

“You’re right,” King Arlan agreed, his expression soft as he looked at his mate. “We should start thinking about their wedding. Now that things should be calming down a bit, it’s probably a good idea to get some planning done.”

“Wedding planning?” I asked, raising my brows. With everything going on lately, I haven’t really thought about any of that.

King Arlan nodded.

“You are going to be giving birth sooner than later,” he told me, gesturing for my protruding belly. “You do want to get married before you give birth, don’t you?”

“Ideally,” Xaden said before I could say anything. “The sooner the better.”

“Then we should start the planning right away.”

The door of the dining room opened, and Lucas walked in, behind him was Mia. She wore a pretty pink dress, and her dark hair was pulled back and clipped with a diamond pendant. She looked a bit nervous as she stepped into the dining hall, her eyes remaining on Lucas’s back as she followed him to a couple of empty seats beside Charlotte.

So, Mia was going to join us? That left one seat left for Henry.

It made me wonder where Erik was. I should have known they didn’t leave a spot at the table for him. Did he even know anything that has happened these last couple of week? Did they bother keeping him in the loop?

I was surprised when Lucas pulled out the chair for her and she smiled as she lowered herself onto the chair. He sat beside her, smiling from ear to ear. I was going to ask how they were and strike up a conversation, so things weren’t awkward, but then I felt the baby kicking my bladder in a way that nearly made me pee my pants.

“I need to use the restroom before dinner,” I announced as I struggled to stand to my feet.

“Do you need some help?” Xaden asked, standing with me.

I smiled up at him.

“No, I think I can manage on my own,” I said, chuckling. I let him help me towards the door and then I made him release me so I could walk on my own. I was perfectly capable of making it to the bathroom without added assistance. As soon as I stepped out of the dining hall, I nearly ran smack into Henry.

I sucked in a sharp breath as he stared down at me, his eyes narrowed.

“Going somewhere?” He asked, his tone dark and sending a shiver down my spine.

“That bathroom,” I told him.

He stared at me for a moment, studying me, trying to figure out if I was lying or not. He glanced down at my belly and his eyes darkened, leaving me feeling uneasy. His eyes shifted back to meet mine.

“Then I will see you soon,” he said as he turned and walked into the dining hall.

I stared after him, not sure what that was about and not sure I really wanted to know.