Xaden POV “Wake up, Your Highness.” That voice… I recognized that voice… and it was one I was not ready to hear. Frowning, I rolled onto my stomach, burrowing as deep into the bed as possible. It was none other than Burke, my Prime Beta—diligent and reliable as ever, having served alongside me f
Maeve POV No. Not Sarah. Anybody but Sarah! My blood ran cold. Of all people, she was the absolute last person I wanted to find out about this… apart from one other person. As the biggest gossip I knew, maybe even in the whole kingdom—she would not hesitate to make this spread like wildfire
Maeve POV “Your Highness,” the room collectively murmured with a bow. Prince Xaden. The crowds dispersed as he strode into the room with authority, and the ground beneath me crumbled. My one-night-stand is Prince Xaden. Seeing him once more in the flesh, without the haziness of a drug-indu
Shocked murmurs floated around behind us. “This can’t be true…” Sarah muttered, appalled. Victoria stepped forward, gaping at me. “Why didn’t you tell us it was the prince you’d been with?” “I… didn’t know...” Honestly. “Wh-Why don’t we continue this matter in my private office, Your Highnes
Maeve POV Prince Xaden’s hand tightened over mine. The expression he wore on his face as he stared at me was indiscernible and it frightened me to not be able to know what he was thinking. Father had always been susceptible to Sarah’s lies, swayed by her innocent facade—even when we were children,
Victoria retreated with a flinch, pulling behind her husband. “Dear, do something,” she panicked. “Our daughter!” Sweat gathered on Father's forehead as he hesitated, stuck in an internal battle with himself. Still, he managed to find some shred of courage and knelt before the prince with his head
Maeve POV That was all I’d ever be to them—always the villain in their story. I was the one who destroyed their happy, peaceful lives. They never held a scrap of respect for me, no matter what I did for them, no matter how desperately I tried to please them… so what did it matter if I obeyed t
I had to tear my gaze away. That train of thought only served to spiral me down a dark path that I didn’t want to explore. As we walked to the car, someone clearing their throat caught my attention. “So…” Prince Xaden drawled, sounding light-hearted, “this is where you’ve been hiding all this time
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 f
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
“I was on your team!” He growled, nearly shaking the entire dungeon. “I didn’t want you to continue making a fool out of yourself. Do you have any idea how important our image is right now, and you fucked it up, Isabelle! I’m in the running to be the next Alpha King. These next few months are crucia
Maeve’s POV I hadn’t noticed Charlotte slipping out of the room, but as soon as I turned around, I realized she was no longer standing at the doorway. I peeked up at Xaden who stared down at me with such sincerity that it made my heart skip a beat. “You love me?” I asked him, my heart thudding v
“You won’t need to worry about her going after Xaden,” she continued softly. “I know that’s why you left. You should know that Xaden doesn’t want her. He never did. It’s you he wants, Maeve.” I blushed at her words. “I want him too,” I admitted. “I shouldn’t have left like that. I should have st
“I took another paternity test,” I blurted, without giving him much of a warning. “Because I left… I took another test. I was going to show you the results but…” “I know,” he said, cutting off my words before I could say anything more. I furrowed my brows. “You know?” I asked him, confused.
Maeve’s POV “You’ve been dying your hair this whole time?” Xaden asked, his eyes wide as he studied me. I felt hot in the face under their scrutiny, and I hated that they were all staring at me like this. I knew I should have told Xaden the truth about me, but I couldn’t find it in me to do it. Tr
Xaden hugged me even tighter and kissed the top of my head. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “She can’t hurt you anymore. I won’t let that happen.” “What about Henry?” I asked. “He’s not going to be happy that his wife is in a dungeon. I’m assuming that’s where she is.” Xaden nodded. “That’s where
Maeve’s POV Once I was dressed, it was like a tornado of people flooding into the room. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by the attention, but after a while, I started to relax. The first person who ran to me and wrapped her arms around me was Charlotte. She had tears in her eyes, and she hugged