38

I stare at him. “So, you do think something’s going to happen to me if I investigate this matter?”

A flicker of a smile crosses his lips. “No, I don’t. But I do want you to lead the team. You’re the only wolf shifter who works as a private investigator. My intelligence team is gathering information, but they’re used to dealing with intra-kingdom relationship investigations. I can give you as many people as you need to do your ground work for you. You don’t have to be at the forefront of anything.”

I shake my head. “I can’t. I can’t take the risk.”

His eyes tighten. “You owe me.”

My blood turns cold. “Do you plan to use that every time you need something from me?”

He shrugs. “If I have to. This is serious, Leanna. I wouldn’t come to you if it weren’t.”

I hesitate, knowing what I’m about to say next is definitely going to piss off the man looking at me so expectantly.

“Erik—Your Majesty—”

His brows knit together at my formal tone. “I don’t think I’m going to like where this is going.”

“You’re not.” I try to keep my voice firm. Erik has a wolf’s nose for weaknesses, and if I give him any leeway, he’s going to make sure he corners me until I give him what he wants. “I’ve paid my dues to wolf society, to the Human Wolf Kingdom. I have already made my feelings clear to you about being involved in your world. I don’t want to belong to this realm of shifters. I just want to live with my son in the human world, where I can protect him.”

I press my lips together as Erik’s eyes narrow. When faced with the king, I feel slightly intimated. Eight years of clawing my way to where I am has been good for my confidence and self-esteem, but I can’t shake off who I was for so long.

“If you drag me into this, Sire, you’re dragging me back into a world where I can be hurt, where my son can be harmed. There are people who would do anything to get their hands on him and kill him simply because of the mixed blood running through his veins. I already have more visibility among my own kind than I would like. You can’t ask me to jeopardize Finn’s safety.”

Erik studies me, his fingers drumming a beat on the table. The stretch of silence that follows my words makes me tense.

“What if I guarantee his safety?” he finally says. “What if I guarantee that Cedric Raine, or his mate, or even the noble families working for the Northern Wolf Kingdom will never be able to touch you or your child? What if I give him imperial protection?”

My heart thunders in my chest. Imperial protection? Why would he go that far? “How can you even do that? Even if you say he’s under your protection, it doesn’t mean those who want us gone will stop. There are assassins and—”

“I can adopt him.”

His simple words have me clutching the edge of the kitchen counter. “What?”

He shrugs as if he hasn’t dropped a huge bombshell on me. “It’s something I’ve been considering for a while now. I don’t have a mate, and I need to secure an heir. If I don’t have a child, I will have to nominate somebody as my successor. It has been years since Griffin disappeared. If he doesn’t return, then I need an heir, Leanna. Why not a child who is already of royal blood?”

Griffin Wild.

Erik’s older brother, the true king of the Human Wolf Kingdom. He went missing a year before my first visit to the human world as Vivian. It’s been close to fifteen years now. I know Erik has never stopped looking for him. But what he’s suggesting has me reeling.

“You want to adopt Finn?!” I gape at him, still not able to fully comprehend the idea.

“Where’s the harm in it?” he asks, his eyes glinting. “He’s already somewhat attached to me.”

“Because you gave him your personal number—” I begin.

“And he’s a smart kid, he’s got potential, and he doesn’t have a father figure. Let’s face it, Leanna.” Erik gets to his feet and approaches me. “Cedric is never going to claim the child, and you know it. If Finn’s true parentage is revealed, he will be in danger. If I claim him as my own love child—”

I visibly shudder at the idea, and he looks amused.

“Now you’re just hurting my feelings.”

I run my hands over my face. “This is definitely not a conversation to be had at midnight.” Lowering my hands, I gaze at him. “You’ve clearly thought about this in detail.”

He moves his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug, his eyes still sharp. “I’m not completely unaware of the events on the other side of the Veil. I know Cedric took the real Princess Vivian as his mate. The very first time you came here, I knew you weren’t Vivian. I know the real princess. Before he disappeared, Griffin had been considering sending a proposal of marriage to her, to unite the two kingdoms. So, when I met you back then, I knew you were not her. But you were an ideal candidate for queen. You had received all the training, you had the necessary education, and—”

“And I’m somebody else’s mate,” I point out, quietly now. “Erik, are you proposing to me? Because let me tell you, I will not live in her shadow anymore. In the eight years I’ve lived here, you haven’t once asked me what happened. You asked me my real name. That’s it. It makes sense now that you were never curious. You already knew.” My fingers tighten on the edge of the marble counter as I look at him and try to stay composed. “Since you know what happened to me, you should know how I would feel about what you are suggesting. I consider you somewhat of a friend, so don’t try to use me like I’ve been used before. I’m grateful to you, Erik, but I will not let you or anybody else put me in that same position again. I am Leanna. I’m not Vivian. I will not pretend to be Vivian again.”

Erik gives me a small smile when I run out of steam. “Are you done?”

I narrow my eyes at him.

“I don’t need another Princess Vivian.” He puts his hands on my shoulders. “I don’t want you to be her substitute or a copy. I need an heir, and your son needs someone to protect him. It would be very strange if I were to bring an unknown child into the palace and declare him the heir. If I reveal his true heritage, I’m sure the elders will accept him since he is of royal blood, but it will start a war between the Northern Wolf Kingdom and the Human Wolf Kingdom. But if it’s revealed that he is the result of an affair, not only will it be easier to protect him, but you will also not have to worry about his true identity ever being revealed.”

I consider his words. He’s making sense. If I pass Finn off as Erik’s child, I can guarantee my son’s safety. “What about me then? If you do this, where do I go? I won’t leave Finn in the palace alone. I—”

Erik tightens his grip on my shoulders, his eyes intense. “That’s your choice to make. You can either be known as my former lover or we can officially become mates—which would be convenient for me since I’d be able to shut the elders up about my single status. Plus, Cedric would never be able to touch you.”

His words send me reeling.

“Your mate?” My body feels cold, my wolf rejecting the notion completely. “Erik, after what I’ve been through, I don’t think I can—”

“It will just be in name,” he coaxes. “You won’t have to work, and—”

“I built this life, Erik.” I shake off his hands, my heart quivering. “I worked hard to get where I am. I won’t be locked in some palace again. I can’t be.”

“That’s fine.” Erik pacifies me. “We don’t have to do that. Honestly, an heir is enough. But I will have to claim you as a former lover.”