Page 43

Chapter

Forty

A ZALEA

After we had settled the situation with Peter, Kyson leaves me in the company of Abbie, Liam, and Trey.

Together, we make our way back to Abbie’s room, where we intend to check on Gannon and retrieve Tyson from him.

Gannon needs to meet up with the King and Damian to strategize their next move regarding Crux and Larkin.

As Kyson had predicted, Crux still hasn’t provided us with the tracking information we need.

It appears that we will have to find another way to obtain it.

But the more I think about it, the more convinced I become that Crux is deliberately taunting us and stalling.

He knows he is cornered and is now plotting against us harder than ever, buying himself time.

I can’t fully comprehend how Peter fits into this intricate web, but a nagging feeling tells me I am onto something. Everything seems connected in some way. “I can’t believe Kyson let Peter stay,” Abbie remarks, voicing her confusion.

“Not without conditions. A guard will be with him at all times until we figure out what to do,” I reply with a sigh. It is a better arrangement than having him sleep in the stables unsupervised.

“I just don’t understand why Ester abandoned him again. And where could she have gone?” Abbie murmurs, her perplexity mirroring my own. Kyson is equally baffled by Ester’s actions. She had fought to save Peter’s life, only to abandon him at the first opportunity. It makes no sense.

“It’s as if she saw him as nothing more than a pawn, someone to be saved for her own benefit.

She doesn’t deserve to be called a mother,” Abbie states firmly, causing me to pause in my tracks.

Her words strike a chord within me, and I furrow my brow as I try to make sense of it all.

Trey halts just in time to avoid colliding with me and steadies me by gripping my arm.

“You’re right,” I mutter, lost in my thoughts.

“I know. What mother does that to her son?” Abbie continues.

I don’t even realize I’m still stopped in place, trapped in my own thoughts.

Liam halts as well, placing a hand on Abbie’s shoulder to bring her to a stop.

They both stare at me, waiting for an explanation.

The gears in my mind churn as I consider the possibility that Ester is connected to both Kingdoms and somehow the council, she goes missing the same day Larkin does, that can’t be a coincidence.

“Azalea?” Trey murmurs. I look between them as they stare at me, the cogs in my head turning. Ester had access to both Kingdoms. And both Kingdoms were attacked by hunters.

She had a reason to resent my father when he rejected her while she was pregnant with his son.

And Marissa had been present in both Kingdoms during the attacks.

Though I know Marissa is not responsible, it raises questions about what Ester stood to gain by killing Claire and letting Marrissa hide me away while she hid Peter from the world.

“What is it?” Liam asks.

“It’s Ester,” I murmur, attempting to piece together the puzzle. But why would she have a motive to kill Claire? That is the one aspect that eludes me. What could she possibly gain from it, and why did Marissa flee afterward?

In the hazy memories from my dream, my mother specifically instructed Marissa to take me to my mate.

So she must have known that Kyson was my mate even before we did.

My mother believed I would be safe with him.

But then why didn’t Marissa hand me over to Kyson?

And why did she run away from the Kingdom after Claire’s death?

“What about Ester?” Trey presses for more information.

“Just as Abbie said, Peter is a pawn to her. It’s the only explanation that fits.

It would explain how she could abandon him after fighting for his life.

Blaming my father for rejecting her is her motive.

And she had connections to both Kingdoms when the attacks occurred,” I explain, connecting the dots in my mind.

Liam draws closer, exchanging a glance with Trey as they ponder the implications of my words.

“It was Ester who allowed the hunters to infiltrate Landeena, she had to have let a hunter in to kill Claire,” Trey suggests after a moment of reflection, but his brows furrow at the last part because the bit about Claire doesn’t make sense still. However, I interject, finding flaws in his theory.

“But she wasn’t present when Larkin came here. She wouldn’t have known about any of it,” I point out, finding holes in Trey’s reasoning.

“Peter did say Ester went missing the night Larkin left here,” Liam says, looking at Trey.

“Peter!” Trey exclaims suddenly, but I shake my head.

“Think about it, Azalea. Who else could it be?” Trey insists.

“Peter seemed genuine,” I counter, but Trey scoffs dismissively.

“There is one way to find out for sure. Command him to answer, question him, and extract the truth,” Liam proposes.

“But that would hurt him,” I protest.

“Sometimes, Azalea, commanding is a necessary evil. Remember what Kyson told you earlier when he agreed to let Peter stay?” Trey reminds me.

“He said I had to see past my own desire to see the good in someone,” I recall with a heavy sigh.

I know they are right. It is the only way to know for sure.

But the thought of causing him pain, even after he has hurt me, is difficult to accept.

Still, I know Kyson will manipulate my aura if I ask him to, and he will do it for me.

“Okay, but first I need to retrieve Tyson. The King wants to see Gannon,” Abbie says.

“We are going with him to see the King. I promised Kyson I won’t go near Peter without him.

I am not breaking that promise and giving him reason to kill Peter before we get answers,” I tell her.

Abbie nods, rushing off to find her mate and Tyson.

Liam observes her departure before turning to me with a knowing expression, a knowing of what I am unsure of, but the way he watches her is odd.

“I don’t know what’s going on between you and Abbie, but mark my words, I’m watching you, Liam. Gannon has entrusted you with keeping an eye on her when he can’t be with her. But your presence lingers on her like a foul smell, I know you’re up to something,” I warn him.

“I would love to argue about the foul smell comment. I exude a divine scent, one of blood and sultry sin. Just ask Dustin; he’ll happily confirm it.

But you’re right, my Queen. You’re very perceptive, I am up to something, though I promise my Queen you have no reason to be concerned,” he teases.

I shake my head, and Trey offers me his arm, which I gratefully accept.

I lean against him, using him as a support.

Fatigue weighs heavily on me, and I desperately need rest.

“Apparently not observant enough. Look at the mess we are in,” I tell him.

“Good thing you have a guard and friends willing to help you clean it up,” Liam laughs, sauntering off after Abbie.

“Can we make a quick stop at my room? I want to retrieve the books Cedric gave me,” I ask, looking up at Trey.

“Of course,” Trey replies, studying me with concern. “What’s on your mind? You seem troubled.”

“Nothing. I’m just trying to figure out how Claire fits into all of this. She’s the one piece that doesn’t make any sense. Ester seeking revenge on my father, no matter how petty, still provides a motive. But killing a pregnant woman?” I question aloud.

“Like mother, like son,” Trey murmurs, his words hanging in the air.

“We’ll figure it out. Though I’m not sure Ester is clever enough to pull off such an act.

But you’re right—there are too many coincidences surrounding her.

And her sudden disappearance only makes her appear more guilty.

Either she has unbelievably bad timing and constantly finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, or there’s something we’re missing entirely.

” Trey analyzes the situation with a thoughtful expression.

“And if she is guilty, it means someone was aiding her. She managed to navigate through two kingdoms without arousing suspicion. How is that even possible?” I ponder, feeling more confused by the second.

“The same way, it’s possible that none of us knew she had a child or, in my case, that she kept the child.

Secrets have a way of coming to light, even the best-kept ones.

Nothing remains hidden forever. You’re living proof of that.

And if someone is assisting Ester, my bet is on the council and Crux,” Trey surmises.

“Wait, didn’t Tandi mention that Crux had a mistress?” I recall.

“No, Crux wouldn’t associate with someone like her, especially not if his uncle had been involved,” Trey counters with a shake of his head.

“Unless they both had motive,” I muse, piecing together another possibility. But what motive would Crux have? What would he gain from killing his own uncle?