Page 28

M y temper got the better of me as my fingers grip his shirt, and I slam him against the wall.

“Where is my fucking queen?” I scream in his face just as the door flings open, distracting me, only for him to punch me.

I grunt before he kicks me, sending me flying backward into the bookshelf.

The books rattle, and some fall off the shelves as I lunge at him.

Only Damian gets between us and shoves me back.

I growl, pointing at him, feral with rage.

“You have made a fucking mistake, king or not; I won’t stand by this. Now, where is our queen?” I snarl at him, my voice raising. Damian, caught between us, looks at us both, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Will someone tell me what happened and why you just made me put her in the fucking stables?” Damian demands.

“You fucking bastard, you fucking promised. She isn’t her mother,” I spit at him. He said he would speak with Damian, but he didn’t.

“Who, what in the world happened when you were gone, and who are you talking about?” Damian demands.

Kyson can explain it to him as he should have when he got back.

For now, I need to verify that Marrissa was her mother because he very well may have done this for no reason, not that his motivation is good enough in my eyes.

“Fix it, I swear, Kyson. I have stuck by you for fucking decades, never opposed anything you have asked, but if you don’t fix this, I am walking. King or not, I am fucking done,” I warn him before heading to the door.

“Where are you going?” Damian demands as I move toward the door. I stop, my hand on the door handle.

“To see my queen,” I snap. The king growls at me.

He may be too stubborn to see the error of his ways, but I’m not going to continue watching him kill himself because he can’t leave the past in the past. I refuse to watch him toss her aside, and expect us to go back to living on eggshells around him.

“Wait, just fucking wait until I know what’s going on,” Damian snarls at us both. I snap but close the door and fold my arms across my chest, worried I may just attack him again if I don’t.

“Now, explain,” Damian says.

“Marissa Talbot is Ivy’s mother,” Kyson tells him while shaking his head and muttering too low for me to hear.

“What?” Damian asks, clearly shocked by this information.

“The werewolf hunter, the one who killed my sister and the other Lycan bloodlines. Her mother was the insider. She was the one who killed them,” Kyson growls as if we aren’t aware of her crimes.

“That’s what Alpha Dean had to tell you?” Damian gasps, glancing between us. I snarl when I watch the king walk to his bar to drown his sorrows so he won’t have to deal with them.

“Wait, that is why you sent her to the fucking stables, Kyson? For something her mother did?” Damian asks, outraged.

“She is innocent. She didn’t fucking kill your sister, Kyson,” I snap at him.

“You think I don’t know that?” Kyson roars. Yet with the expression on his face, I can tell he is conflicted. His heart was here with her, but his mind was trapped in the past with how he found his sister.

“What about her father?” Damian asks,

“They are trying to figure out his link, but we believe it was her partner. We also think he wasn’t aware of the crimes bestowed on his wife. We found nothing on him. That’s why we’re late,” I explain.

“And you’re sure it’s her parents?” Damian asks, sitting down and rubbing both hands down his face.

“He was supposed to show a picture to Ivy to make sure, but instead, I come up here and find out she has been taken to the fucking stables,” I growl.

“Gannon enough, it may not be right what he did, but stop. Just let me think,” Damian says. I press my lips in a line, waiting for his orders.

“Go, take a photo to Ivy, verify it’s her mother,” Damian says, and I nod, leaving out. Abbie was waiting for me with Clarice at the bottom of the stairs. Liam had taken the guard’s position by the doors, and relief flooded me when I saw she hadn’t been removed from the castle.

“What did he say?” Abbie said, rushing up the last couple of steps as I walked toward her. “Nothing, I am going to see her now,”

“I will come with you,” she says, and I sigh. I’m not sure what state she is in, and I glance at Clarice. She nods to my silent message. That woman can read me like a damn book.

“How about first we go clean up, then we can take her a cupcake for her birthday,” Clarice says and I almost groan hearing that. That’s right. The queen will shift any day now, and Damian told me Kyson promised to be there. It’s also why he was so hesitant to leave her, not wanting to miss it.

“No, I want to see her. She will be petrified, please,” Abbie pleads, and I grip her face in my hands.

“You will see her, I promise. Just stay with Clarice. I need to speak to Ivy, then you can come down.”

“Speak with her? You say that as if she did something wrong, I have been with her all day. She has done nothing that—” she sighs, and I glance at Liam, who nods, and I know he must have told her to watch what she says because she doesn’t finish.

I tug her closer, and she pushes off my chest with her hands, but I hold her tighter. Not caring that we have witnesses, yet her body pressed against mine calms me as her scent invades my senses. It seems to have the same effect on her because she stops struggling to get out of my grip.

“I promised Damian, and I will handle the king, but for now, you just need to be patient.”

“I want to see her,” she says, and I kiss her forehead.

“Let me speak with her first,” I tell her before letting her go. She chews her lip before realizing we have witnesses, and her cheeks turn red. Liam and Clarice say nothing about it, then Clarice waves her over.

“Come, you can help pick out which cupcake she wants, and we should find her something warm to wear,” Clarice tells her, and tears fill Abbie’s eyes, but she nods, storming off toward the kitchen. I sigh and leave for the door when Liam grabs my arm.

“You should know Trey is down there with Dustin.” I furrow my brows at his words.

“So?”

“He wasn’t here when the pact was made,” Liam says, and I realize that means if the king orders him to kill her, he will. “I’ll handle it,” I tell him.

“Be sure you do, because Dustin is already having issues with him, apparently. Everything was fine until the king kicked her out; I spoke to the driver, who apparently let it slip to Trey what happened. His reaction to the news is somewhat worrisome,” Liam tells me.

“How so?” I ask.

“He was quick to escort her out,” Liam tells me and nods, heading toward the stables. The air is cold, and I will have to send someone to get firewood. I won’t allow my queen to freeze down here. Approaching the stables, I hear Dustin snap at Trey.

“Fuck the king,” Dustin snaps, and I walk in just as Trey moves to challenge him. Dustin sets the bandages down that he was using to try to wrap Ivy’s bloody hand . He moves to stand in front of her, clearly not liking Trey’s presence near her.

“Yes, fuck the king. Remember where your loyalties lie, Trey.” I snarl, and he pauses as Dustin straightens. He was a stupid man challenging Dustin.

I don’t care if he was once part of the Landeena’s Guard when the kingdom existed, Dustin is part of my men, and if push comes to shove, I will back the men of my kingdom before I back another.

I hold no loyalty to him, and if he thinks he can fuck with Dustin and Liam, and not kill him in his sleep, he will be in for a rude shock. We all know Liam and Dustin are close.

“They are with my king,” Trey stupidly says.

“And she is your queen,” I snarl at him, and the man whimpers before his eyes glare at Ivy with hatred I don’t understand. I just know I can’t allow him around her if he has issues with her.

“You haven’t been here as long as the rest of us, but the king swore us all to choose his queen over him,” I tell him.

“If so, why is she down here, then?” Trey demands.

“Because the king is an idiot. Move Dustin. I will wrap her hand. Go fix up the king’s old quarters for me,” I tell Dustin, crouching down in front of her.

“Yes, sir,” Dustin says while Trey growls.

I glance over my shoulder at him to see the fury on his face.

What has gotten into him? Once this is over, I will have to have a word with the king.

I don’t like how he is looking at her. Trey is usually quiet, did his job, which he is good at, and is observant, so it throws me a little that he is acting like this and openly.

“You’re off guard. Get out of my face,” I growl the order at him, and my aura rushes out. Trey doubles over before rushing out when I drop it.

I set to work cleaning her hand and wrapping it with the supplies Dustin had. “It will heal once you shift. Do you think you can hold on for a couple of hours?”

“Can’t you heal it?” she asked.

“I would if I could, but only the king can heal you. My saliva or blood won’t work on you since you aren’t mine,” I tell her, cupping her face with my hand. I wish I could, but even if I could, I wouldn’t. The king would kill me for letting my DNA mingle with his mate’s.

I pull my phone from my pocket, checking the time. “Once the moon is at its highest peak, I will take you outside, so you can shift, My Queen,” I tell her.

“Please don’t call me that,” Ivy murmurs, looking away from me.

“I need to ask you something,” I tell her while unlocking my phone and scrolling through the pictures. I stop before turning my phone in hand to show her the screen.

“Do you know this woman?” I ask, praying she says no. She takes the phone from me. A sob escapes from her lips, and her bottom lip quivers. I know the answer before she says it. She nod, tears trekking down her face.

“She’s my mom,” Ivy smiles sadly while brushing her thumb over the picture of Marrissa. I curse too low for her to hear and hang my head before shaking it and looking up at her.

“He will come around, Ivy. You just need to give him space,” I tell her, but she looks at me, confused. So no one has told her anything at all.

“What do you mean? I don’t get it. What did I do?” she asks. Knowing she did nothing, I frown when Kyson’s voice flits through my head.

“What did she say?”

I bite back a growl.

“Marrissa is her mother,” I answer, wishing I had a different answer for him.

“You did nothing. It’s what your mother did. She killed the former king and queen and the king’s sister.” I tell her as I come out of the mindlink. She blinks, astonished, unable to believeit.

“Just try to get some rest. After your shift, I will take you to Kyson’s old quarters.” I tell her.

“But my birthday isn’t for another couple of weeks,” she tells me as I’m about to get up.

“The fact you recognized the king as your mate, Ivy, shows your birthday is today,” I tell her, just as I hear someone curse.

The stable doors open, and Clarice and Abbie come inside.

They stop by the door and glance at me. I nod to them before standing and leaving, giving them space as Abbie rushes to her side. I stop by Clarice at the door.

“Don’t be long; I don’t want to be dragging you to the cells for disobeying the king,” I tell her. Clarice nods, and I stride out.