ONE

PHOENIX POV

I walk onto the training field and yell,

"I AM HERE! WHERE ARE YOU? COME ON YOU WANTED TO FACE ME SO COME OUT AND FACE ME!"

"I wasn't sure if you would turn up... I was actually hoping you wouldn't so that I would be able to have some more fun with your beautiful mate..."

"YOU WILL LEAVE HER ALONE! YOU HAVE DONE ENOUGH TO HER!"

"You don't need to yell. I can hear you perfectly well."

I watch as he steps out of the woods and onto the field. "Why are you doing this? What did Scarlett do to you?"

"Scarlett didn't do anything to me... Her father did but I fell in love with her, so what better way to get back at the King than to take away his eldest daughter.."

I know he has given me something as I feel even weaker than when I was using silver while training with Zachary but I still must fight him... That's when I see her our Butterfly so beautiful, I'm distracted and then on the ground. I see her run, then feel her over me and then there is this wonderful taste in my mouth. I drink what I can and swipe my tongue over the skin just as she is being ripped away.

I hear her soft voice in my head. "Nix?"

"Butterfly, why?"

"I... We wouldn't be able to continue if we lost you, we would follow you. Look after Ryker and Jayce, make sure they grow up as good, honest males. I love you!"

I wake up yelling "NO! BUTTERFLY DON'T DO IT!"

It is the same dream every time I close my eyes to get even the smallest amount of sleep, the reminder that I was not strong enough to stop him, not strong enough to save her.

It has been nearly twenty years since that day and we still haven't been able to catch up to them. Nathaniel travels regularly following his connection to her, but whenever he seems to be getting close, he moves them again. I know she is still alive because I still feel an odd tug on the mate bond every now and then, unfortunately whenever I feel those tugs she still isn't close enough to talk along our mate link even though I think he is using something to block it. She may have chosen to go with him willingly to save my life. She may even love him after all this time, but she is still fighting him on some level, as she has not given him the mate bond.

I turn to the door as there is a light knock, and it slightly opens slowly

"Father? Are you alright?"

I smile at Opal's soft voice. It is so like her mother's. I sit up and move so I am leaning against the headboard. I then wave her in. She enters the room completely and joins me on the bed, curling into my side.

"You had the dream again, didn't you?"

"Yes! The last of my failures in a very long list of them to do with your mother."

"Can you tell me about her again?"

"What would you like to know?"

"Anything!!"

I smile as I think of what I can tell her about Scarlett. "Your mother was a very strong female, but she had a much softer side. She was always fighting, always trying to protect others..."

"Am I like her?"

"In some ways, Opal, you are, you got her more softer side. The side that saw good in everyone, the healer that wants to help everyone they can, where River got her fight side. She is one that never backs down, never gives up and can fight better than some of our best males."

"Did I hear someone say my name?"

"Evening River, I was just telling Opal that you both are like your mother but have split her traits.."

"Okay! Father Ryker is fighting again..."

"Okay, thank you River, I will go and see to him now."

Opal climbs off the bed and I watch and smile as my daughters wrap their arms around each other and leave my room. I then sigh and get out of bed, go into the closet and get changed. I then make my way to the training field to find out what the fight is about this time.

**************

RYKER POV

"You take that back..."

"No!"

I sit on his stomach and punch him in the face "Take it back!"

"No.." I punch him in the ribs once, twice and then again in the face

"You do not get to talk about my mother and father like that... Now take it back!!"

He sits up as he says with a hiss "No... Why should I? Your mother was a slut..."

"She was not!!" I punch him again and again and again until someone grabs my arm and pulls me away and to my feet

"What's going on here? Ryker? Maxwell?"

"He called my mother a slut and a traitor and my father a failure, Sir!" I pull my arm out of Zachary's hand as I answer him

"Maxwell?"

"Well, it's true... If it's not then where is his mother why isn't she here doing her job?"

"You are right I failed at being a true mate but his mother Princess Scarlett was never a slut and she gave herself up to save another's life... Tell me Maxwell would you give your life for another??"

"Of course, that is what I am training for... To protect the Royal Family at all costs!"

"That is not what I meant... Would you stand in front of a friend, a stranger or even an enemy and take the hit meant for them? Just because you can not because you have to?"

I smirk as he doesn't answer my father but looks down at his feet instead, what my father just asked of him is the definition of a true Royal guard, a true protector. Like the ones that travel and protect Uncle Nathaniel. One willing to give their life for another no matter whose life it is. I know the story behind the day my mother left, as father explained it to all of us when we started asking ten years ago about why she left us, where she was and if she left because of us.

"Right back to positions, Ryker, Maxwell I think you two have had enough sparring for now. You two go see Theodore in the office and you both can start on the battle theory work."

"Yes Sir!" both of us bow towards Zachary and make our way to Theodore's training office. Maxwell surprises me when he says

"Look I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't just listen to the rumours and find out the truth along with the whole story."

"It's okay! Not many do but some would rather believe the rumours that make the rounds of the servants in the castle than actually finding out what the truth is."

"So may I ask what is the truth?"

I hesitate, Maxwell has never really been a friend, he was more the bully on the training field not liking if anyone got the better of him. His parents were Head Warriors in another clan and sent him to us as he was their second son, he can fight but he is no match for my wolf Christopher. Maybe if I can get him to see this truth he might be an asset in the future, even though I'm still not really sure if I should tell him, I do however explain a little of what happened to my mother.

"My mother was being stalked by one of the Royal guards, we didn't know which one until that day. He told my father that he wanted to get back at the King but after everything, he says he fell in love with her."

"What did your father mean when he said she gave herself up to save another?"

"My mother gave herself to who everyone then called the mystery male... Before you ask they called him that as he was always wearing black when he attacked and he never let anyone know his scent, he also always knew where, when and who was on patrol duty."

"So why did she do it?"

"She did it to save my father's life, we found out afterwards that it was a Royal guard that was known as H, he got close to my mother, and tried to seduce her into loving him instead of my father but they are true mates so the mate pull always made them work things out, no matter what they were going through."

"May I ask why she had to save his life? Your father is one of the highest-ranked officers, how would he have been able to get the better of him and why hasn't she been found yet?"

"He cheated, he called my father out to fight for the right to have my mother but he had given something to my father to make it so he couldn't access anything from his vampire. With no speed, no healing, no enhanced hearing or seeing he made my father fight as an ordinary human. With him using his vampire claws to place small cuts weakening my father more, he then broke a couple of his ribs and made a small cut to the main vein in the neck. If my mother hadn't interfered he would have killed him. We haven't found her yet as he always seems to be one step in front of us, Prince Nathaniel has gotten close a couple of times but he always seems to know when to move on and then it takes us a little while to pick up where they went again."

***************

PHOENIX POV

After seeing to the fight between Ryker and Maxwell, I headed to Dominic's office and the mound of paperwork I know is sitting on my desk. It takes me all day but my desk is finally clear, I sit back in my chair and run my hands over my face as I let out a sigh. I lean forward again pulling out the map Nathaniel sent me of all the sightings he has managed to follow up on, even though we have had no incidents with rogues or others since H left with Scarlett showing us that he was the main spy we had been looking for. Nathaniel still believes there may be another but one not as good as him, he also believes this other lower spy is still helping H with small bits of information so he won't discuss anything to do with finding Scarlett while at the castle. I have added my own sighting of Scarlett to the map, I have tried to link with her every time I catch a glimpse of her but he must have only the link blocked somehow as I can still feel the tug on the mate bond every time showing me that she sees me as well.

He seems to move to a new clan with her every few days depending on how close Nathaniel gets, in all the years that I have seen her and Nathaniel has been following her she has never had another child with her, I smile to myself as I think about this because it means Ruth and Cara are not allowing her too. There doesn't seem to be a pattern of where he goes, he just seems to pick a random clan and then goes there, I add the couple more sightings Nathaniel sent me to the map, sigh again, put it back in my draw and then head to my room, where I shower and climb into an empty bed. Falling into my nightmare not long after closing my eyes.