Xaden POV The moment Father caught sight of his mate standing in the doorway, glowering with an uncharacteristic rage that was rarely seen in her, he lost his cold, callous composure as alpha. All of a sudden, the only thing the man before me saw was his wife. “Leonora—” “What in Goddesses’ na
Until I could learn the truth about her mother and settle this issue with her family, he had to be kept in the dark. That, I would make absolutely certain of. I set my jaw. “You won’t. I swear to you.” He grunted in tense approval. Mother echoed her appreciation, smiling at him, and my father
Maeve POV He smiled ruefully in response. “In the flesh,” he said. “Though I’m guessing I’m not quite what you expected.” To be honest, I was inclined to agree with him, and I was filled with shame at having thought so. People hardly ever spoke of any of the royals except for Alpha Princes Hen
As he led me down the hallway, Prince Eric seemed a bit reluctant to answer, making me realize that I’d just asked to borrow a book that belonged to the palace. Embarrassment crawled up my throat. Perhaps I’d become too comfortable too fast with him. “Of course,” he eventually said, “but I’m afrai
Maeve POV I was alone again. No Xaden. No Maggie. No home to protect me. As I fell deeper and deeper away into unconsciousness, what remained of my lucidity trembled with remembrance. I could still feel the pain and fatigue from last time. How my legs, from hours and miles of running, stung an
“Sometimes the truth is not what you want to hear… but you cannot ignore it…” My heart lurched painfully into my throat. A vile, sickening thought forced its way to the forefront of my mind that I had no choice but to voice aloud. “W-Was this what happened to my mother…?” “Love and loss… that is
Maeve POV I put my glass down as gently as possible. None of the chilled water within spilled over the fancy, gold-encrusted rim, and not a sound was heard as it settled against the table. “Like this?” I asked with a trepid smile. Perhaps I got it right this time. Luna Queen Leonora had electe
Oh no. This is going to be a disaster… “You don’t need to worry, Maeve,” the queen said, trying to comfort me. “It’ll only be the family you’ve already met.” The family I already met. I couldn’t help but wonder if that really meant everyone. “Will… Eric be there?” I asked. The queen seemed s
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