Page 54 of Alien Prince (Alien Abductions and Seductions #1)

Chapter Twenty

Kael

The air in the palace feels wrong. Too quiet. Too empty.

I stride through the halls, searching for Emily as I have for the past two hours. The meeting with the council had run longer than expected, the endless debates over security and stability grinding my patience to dust, but through it all, the thought of seeing her, of sharing even a quiet moment, kept me steady.

Yet now, she’s nowhere to be found.

I seek out Karlia. “Where is Emily?” I ask, my tone sharp.

The maid looks startled. “She was in her room earlier, Your Highthos. I haven’t seen her since.”

A knot forms in my chest. I already checked my chamber and Emily’s previous room, but she had not been there. Perhaps she returned, though.

I quicken my pace, heading straight for her chamber. The door is slightly ajar when I reach it, her faint scent lingering in the air.

“Emily?” I call, stepping inside.

The room is empty as it was before.

My eyes scan the space. Had the wardrobe been open before? I can’t recall that. Not all of her dresses had been moved to my room, but the wardrobe is now empty.

Something feels wrong. Final.

My pulse quickens as I rush to my chamber. Between the two rooms, her belongings are missing, including her bag.

The realization hits like a blow, and for a moment, I can’t move or think. My mind races, trying to piece together how this could have happened and why she would leave.

“Fetch Karlia now!” I bellow to the guards posted outside my chamber.

I hear their footsteps, but it’s not until my ears discern the maid’s approach that I leave my chamber for the hallway.

The maid looks fearful, but she lifts her chin to meet my gaze.

“Why did she leave?” I ask in a low, controlled whisper.

“Why didn’t you speak up in her defense?” the maid dares to ask.

The council.

The accusations.

My silence in the hopes that one might make an error and I learn who stands for us and who opposes us.

I curl my fingers into tight enough fists that my knuckles change hue. She clearly overheard them, but why would she believe the worst and not speak to me first?

I should have stopped the rumors the moment they started. I should have defended her and made it clear that she is not just another outsider to be dismissed or used as a pawn.

But I didn’t for a plan that now seems foolish. There were other means to try to learn who is with us.

And now, she’s gone.

A surge of panic and anger rushes through me, and I turn to my guards. “Prepare a transport,” I bark. “Now.”

I can’t lose her. Not just because of the kingdom or the throne, but because of what she’s come to mean to me.

Emily isn’t merely one of the vessel’s many choices. She isn’t just a queen-in-waiting. She’s the woman who’s challenged me, who’s seen past the crown and into the man beneath it.

She’s my match.

The realization sharpens my resolve, and I stride toward the transport bay, determination coursing through me.

I’ll find her. Wherever she’s gone, whatever it takes, I’ll bring her back.

And this time, I’ll make sure she knows—without question—that she belongs here. That she belongs with me.

Losing her is not an option.