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VICTORIA POV

I don’t sleep well as every time I close my eyes and get anywhere near falling asleep; I see all those rogues run out onto the field. Now I am an exceptional fighter. It is one of the benefits of being a princess but with not being anywhere near taking over the throne, as that goes to uncle Dominic’s children before me or any of my brothers and sisters.

I have been able to concentrate on my fighting and with all my training, Theodore has said that as long as I keep up with the progress I am making, there is no reason why I can’t take over his place as Head Warrior. I feel bad for him. He managed to find his true mate, but because of events in her past, she is unable to give him a son or daughter to take his place; it is why he has been training me so hard, not that I complain as I love what I do.

I give up trying to sleep; I climb out of bed, head into my bathroom and have a long hot shower, hoping that will help, but it doesn’t. So I head down to the training field, hoping to find someone to spar with. I smile as I see Mike doing some stretches. I walk over to one of the benches, put down my water bottle and towel and join in on his stretches. He surprises me when he says,

“Victoria, what has you out here at this hour?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I just keep replaying the rogue attack from yesterday... I keep trying to work out if there was a way we could have handled it differently, without Uncle Dominic letting them leave unharmed...”

“Sometimes what King Dominic did is the only peaceful solution. Why don’t you tell me if you were in his position, what would you have done?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you are training to be Prince Nathaniel’s, Head Warrior. You need to think like him but also for yourself, as you could have a better way to handle or a way to avoid something that could end up being a slaughter. Here is an exercise for you. Sit down with me...”

We sit on the ground facing each other as he continues, “Okay, close your eyes. It is yesterday and we are at the picnic, but you are King Dominic and it is your choice as to what and how things happen. Walk me through what you would have done!”

I sit there with my eyes closed and go over all that I saw and heard yesterday during the rogue raid. I then open my eyes and look at Mike. I then look back down again, saying.

“You are right. There is no other way Uncle Dom could have done anything without losing both my cousins and his mate, along with nearly everyone else.”

“That’s right and then he would have gone rogue and a lot of other innocence people would have been killed but then if King Dominic hadn’t found Queen Seraphina, he wouldn’t have cared about the casualties, he would have let Caleb out and killed every rogue and anyone else within reach.”

“Wow, uncle Dom would have done that?”

“Yes, I would have...” Both Mike and I scramble to our feet, face and slightly bow towards uncle Dominic

“That is not necessary, you two. Victoria, before I met Seraphina, I was in a very bad place. She saved my life and millions of others. I was getting to the stage where I didn’t care as long as I managed to get a kill or two, or maybe more. Who else was killed at the same time didn’t bother me.”

“So what was it about Aunt Sera that changed you?”

“Everything!! Once I finally got my head out of my arse and let her into my heart, I found a slightly varied version of myself that I would have most likely resembled if that day at the annual picnic with my parents and Seb’s sister didn’t happen but then if it didn’t happen none of you would be here... Sorry Victoria but I need to talk to Mike so you will have to train on your own for a while.”

“That’s okay, Uncle Dom. I wasn’t expecting him to be out here, anyway.”

Dominic and Mike walk away and head back to the castle, I did however catch just a hint of their conversation before they were out of hearing range and uncle Dom was starting to get worried about all these rogue attacks and the possibility of many more coming. I go back to doing my training routine once I have finished. I head back into the castle and go looking for Theodore to see if I can help with any patrols.

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NATHANIEL POV

I can’t believe someone was able to grab first Charlotte and then Scarlett without being detected. I needed to help find Scarlett and Charlotte and was out with the search patrols any time I could. What made me feel worse was that I couldn’t use my gift. It didn’t matter how hard I tried I couldn’t find my connection to either Scarlett or Charlotte, anyone would think that being her twin would make our connection that much more stronger but ever since our birthday and what I said to her about Phoenix not being Ruth’s mate she has kept her distance from me, the worst thing was that I already knew it to be true even before I questioned her about it.

Every time I went out with my allotted search patrol I would stand still, close my eyes and search through all the lines I can see connecting everyone to each other, the problem was whatever he was giving them; it was acting like what mother had when she was with Angus and Leo. I can see the connection to me and to the others they love but the ribbons just stop within a few feet of the one they are connected to, the only thing I can tell anyone that asks is that the connection is still there and they are alive.

After I showed my father that I had good leadership and management skills at the age of three he has been working with me to grow that natural talent but every time I watch my father or King Noah work I’m amazed at how they manage everything in both the kingdom and in their personal lives. I am with King Noah today; he is here to help teach me but also to help in any way he can assist to find Scarlett and Charlotte. We were running through different things and different ways to approach different events, like the rogue raid at our family picnic.

I keep telling Father that we need to update our security, on the borders and inside the castle, especially after Scarlett and Charlotte were taken by whom we have worked out to be an actual Royal guards. Instead of using the elite groups I put together within the Royal clan, father sent them to a couple of the other clans that needed help. Then there is the ongoing issue of this spy, the one that keeps, I would say, selling information on how and when a good time to attack us is.

King Noah looks at me as I am staring out the window and sighs. “Nathaniel? Are you even paying attention? Have you heard anything I have said in the last ten minutes?”

I look over at him. “Sorry Uncle Noah, but both Hunter and Cole are restless. Cole senses danger coming or a threat of some type and Hunter... Well! Hunter wants to get back out there and look for his sister. He doesn’t like that she feels so close, but we can’t seem to find her.”

“Well then, there is no point in continuing on with this lesson. Come, let’s go and do a search. The fresh air will do us both good.”

Just after we had exited the castle, we heard an explosion, so we moved more quickly in the direction of the sound. It wasn’t long before we met up with my father and Alpha Stefan; he is a wonderful male and will take good care of my sister Charlotte when we can find her and return her to him. It’s hard to say, but I think the explosion came from one of the old prison cells.

I smile a little to myself as I remember finding one with Scarlett and then using it as our little hideout for when the pressure from all the adults and others got too much, and we just wanted to relax either in each other’s company or on our own.

I know Scarlett used to go to the hideout way more often than I did and most of that was to do with what people would say about her and Phoenix being fated mates, some even think that it was an arrangement made between the Second and the King because the Second didn’t have any family.