The Hidden Luna Queen 2

For a moment, I thought I caught the subtle motion of his jaw clenching, but it disappeared as quickly as it happened. If he had any idea of rebuking me, it was all but abandoned, with him choosing to instead dip his head. The sight of him yielding to me and all my superior prowess filled my simmering inner beast with immense gratification.

Nicholas, however foolish he might have acted, was no idiot.

So, he does not have a death wish, after all.

I'd never had any qualms with the man before. Considering his lineage and recent achievements, I'd thought him to be an exceptional example of an alpha, but after what happened at the banquet, my patience with him had quickly run thin. Impressive or not... decorated or not, I would be damned if I let him think he had any claim whatsoever on my Luna.

Even if he was not yet aware she was mine.

"Believe me, I have no intention of being so disrespectful again," he said. " You have my word."

Setting my jaw, I nodded, turning away to return to the task at hand.

Nicholas, however, seemed to have more to say. "If I may," he added with a touch of reluctance, "I would like to arrange a meeting with Prime Beta Burke. I wish to personally apologize to him, as well."

I fought back the urge to scoff. I had to keep up with the charade my sister so graciously crafted as best I could. "There will be no need for that. Any apologies can go straight through me. I will be sure to pass them on." "With all due respect, it was his-"

"Stop," I commanded, halting in my tracks and holding a hand up.

Briskly, I heard Nicholas stumble to a stop, startled by my sudden action. "Your Highness, I only mean to..." And then he trailed off.

It didn't take long for me to realize that he saw what I saw.

Slowly, steadily, I approached a bush some twenty feet away from where we had been standing, with Nicholas trailing closely behind me, where something small and shiny caught my eye. After making sure we were completely alone and safe, I bent down and picked up this strange object that dangled from one of the branches of this bush.

My brows pinched together in deep concentration as I investigated the object more closely. It was not just an object, I realized... but a trinket.

A bracelet, to be more precise, that was wound with a delicate silver chain. But what stood out to me the most, and struck me to my core, was the small violet gem that lay embedded in the middle of the chain. A vibrant shade of violet that appeared to almost glow from within despite the looming shadows of the trees that surrounded us.

It... it looks an awful lot like...

"Prince Xaden?"

I blinked, shaking myself awake from my stupor as Nicholas' voice brought me back to reality. My eyes flickered from the bizarre bracelet that rested in my palm to the bewildered face of my fellow alpha.

"Do you recognize these origins?" he questioned, looking over my stunned expression very carefully.

I felt at a loss. This... bore a striking resemblance to the amulet that Maeve claimed belonged to her long-lost mother. The first and only thing I'd seen thus far that looked even remotely similar to that amulet. If you are not reading this novel on Jobni b.com, some sentences are incomplete .But that was not something I could just say out loud in mixed company, not if there was any risk of the information somehow getting back to my father.

He could not, under any circumstance, find out about Maeve's illegitimacy, nor of the grave likelihood that her mother was not of our kind.

Was it... possible this type of jewelry belonged to the bear shifters...?

If that was the case, did this mean Maeve's mother hailed from that kingdom...? Such a thought made my heart lurch. What did that mean for us if that was true?

"No," I ultimately answered, switching my gaze back to the trinket. "I don't recognize this craftsmanship."

It was not a lie, but it was not quite the truth either. No one in the palace, with the exception of Burke, knew about the existence of the unusual necklace in Maeve's possession. That being said, those who did know about it lacked the faintest idea of where it came from.

"Whatever this is," Nicholas mused, looking pensive, "it looks like nothing I've ever seen here before. It has to have been left behind by one of the bear shifters."

Hearing another confirm my thoughts made my stomach twist into knots.

"I can let your brothers know-"

"No," I interjected, cutting him off. I could feel his confused gaze bore into me before I turned to look at him. "Let me look into this privately first. For all we know, this is just a necklace that was dropped in the battle. I don't want to raise any cause for concern if it ends up being nothing significant after all."

For what seemed like forever, he was silent as he regarded me. I tensely waited for a sign of his cooperation. Nothing good would come from my father or brothers learning about this yet.

As much as I didn't want it, I needed his help right now.

And then he sighed, followed by a brisk nod, much to my subtle relief. "If that's what you want, Prince Xaden."

XADEN POV

Patrolling the rest of the area went by well enough.

Once Nicholas had said what he needed to say, he'd calmed down significantly and otherwise left me alone for the most part, unless to point out certain parts of the border that had been weakened during the attack.

Nor did he bother to question me about my decision to hide the bracelet for the time being.

Good. This was my business, and my business alone.

I wasn't sure what I would do if Maeve's necklace was somehow actually tied to this confounded bracelet we stumbled upon. Maybe there was a logical explanation for it to be in the middle of scenic nowhere, where a battle just so happened to take place. Maybe it was pure coincidence that they happened to look the same.

... But maybe it wasn't.

I rubbed my temples with tense fingers. All this damn thinking was making my head throb. This was an obstacle for another time.

Before long, we circled back to the rendezvous point, where Henry and Lucas were waiting for us.

"So," Henry drawled, straightening himself back up as we approached," the kingdom's Golden Boys return unscathed and unharmed."

I pushed my hair out of my eyes, letting out a low exhale. His sly tone didn't slip past me.

"Yes, yes," I muttered, "perhaps you should tone down that overwhelming enthusiasm of yours."

Meanwhile, Nicholas chuckled, unfazed by the nickname. "We could say the same about you two," he remarked, gesturing to my brothers' relatively clean appearances. "No valuables left behind for you to find?"

"Not a damn thing. What about you? Did you two happen to find anything?" Henry asked, directing the question to Nicholas, who didn't even so much as sneak a glance at me.

I, on the other hand, said nothing but paid close attention. Whether he would cover for me or not was up to him.

And then Nicholas shook his head.

"Nothing, I'm afraid," he said, sounding so nonchalant that, if I hadn't been the one to give him the order, I never would have guessed he was lying through his teeth. "Just foliage and wildlife."

I let out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding.

He kept his word, after all. Maeve's secret was safe for now, and I could investigate the matter without worry.

Despite his previous recklessness, he was a good, trustworthy man. Perhaps it was worth letting go of this petty grudge I held against him. After all, he was now an accomplice in hiding this from my family. From my father-the Alpha King, himself-of all people. All to prove himself and his loyalty.

What a noble alpha-to know where his loyalties and priorities lay.

Something I could resonate with.

"What," Nicholas pressed, talking to Henry, "were you expecting another showdown so soon?"

"It would've made things interesting, that's for certain," Henry answered. "It's been a while since I've seen any sort of action around here. You're lucky, you know that? You're the only one of us all to knock the shit out of those brutes in months." "Perhaps you should've volunteered to lead the patrol, rather than shack it up in the palace with that wife of yours," Nicholas quipped.

"Children-" Lucas mockingly scolded, bringing the two alphas to a slow stop. "Don't you have better things to do than engage in locker room talk?”

"And who are you to talk, Mr. Arranged Marriage?" Henry taunted, ruffling the hair of our stiff little brother. I watched carefully as Lucas' face fell a little with the reminder. "You're only a few weeks away from meeting your little vixen bride." Fidgeting under the sudden scrutiny, Lucas shoved Henry's hand away. “I know, I know,” he mumbled, avoiding all of our gazes.

Before long, we found ourselves surrounded by upwards of thirty troops, all sent by Father to aid us at the border. Many were new recruits, but there were a few familiar faces from last week's banquet. We were quick to show them where to focus their attentions and strengthen the edge of our territory.