THIRD PERSON POV Look at her, Isabelle thought with a scoff. Daring to enjoy herself. The afternoon of the banquet had come and, as a prettily-dressed Maeve mingled with Xaden and Charlotte on the far end of the banquet hall, engaging in private, light conversation with one another, the dubious
It was out of Isabelle’s hands now. MAEVE POV The moment I learned that there was going to be another banquet held at the royal palace, where our attendance was unfortunately deemed mandatory, my stomach sank with dread. One week was not enough time for me to mentally recuperate from the event
MAEVE POV I had thought I was well hidden. At least, as hidden as I possibly could be in the banquet hall of the royal palace, that was. I’d been so careful to choose a seat that was well out of range of any wandering eyes or gossiping lips. And everyone in the room had seemed to be so submersed
“It’s okay! I’m just—” “Ma’am.” The man’s sudden interruption seemed to suffice enough to quiet her down for the time being. “I apologize for cutting you off,” he said, though the tone of his voice indicated that he very much felt otherwise. Inwardly, relief bloomed within me once she had stoppe
MAEVE POV “Y-You?” I repeated, mouth open agape in shock as I scanned over his amused face. “You’re the alpha?” Upon first glance, I had pegged him for a mere soldier, or the son of one of the soldiers, at best. Nothing about him gave me the impression that he was the rough and tough, battle-bor
Xaden bristled at my side. The longer this conversation persisted, the more restless he was becoming… and the more panicked that made me. I was not sure if it was due to jealousy or his urge as an alpha to claim me, but whatever it was, it was not good. I could feel his anger roll off his body in wa
MAEVE POV Xaden burst out of the banquet hall doors like a man on a mission, dragging me behind him with Burke following closely behind. “Wait right here—” Xaden barked the order to his beta once the three of us were alone in the hallway, pointing his finger firmly at him. “Do not move from this
While the couple answered, I briskly pulled away with a quiet gasp, though Xaden’s hands remained firmly locked around me. Flushed red, I gently tried to pry his needy hands off of my body while focusing my attention on the three voices a short distance away from our slightly disheveled forms. Bur
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