Chapter 5: The Blood Moon Sierra Valium

"Keep your voice low when you speak to me, and do not repeat anything I ask you to anyone else. Do you understand?"

The maid nodded quickly, her eyes darting toward the door as if she expected someone to burst through it at any moment. Her name was Elara and she was young, maybe sixteen or less, the maid that was assigned to me throughout my time as Prince Kai's wife.

"Good. Now tell me about Liriel. Who is she to the prince, and why does she act like everything here belongs to her?" I was really curious to know especially after Kai's cold response yesterday.

Elara hesitated for a second before deciding that she would tell me. "Lady Liriel is the daughter of the Alpha King, miss. She and Prince Kairo have known each other since they were children. They grew up together in this palace."

"The Alpha King's daughter," I repeated slowly, and the pieces clicked into place. "What else do you know about her?"

"She's in love with the prince, miss. Everyone in the palace knows it except for him. She's been waiting for him to choose her as his mate for years, ever since his first mate died. When the betrothal contract with your family was announced, she was furious. She broke three vases in her chambers and dismissed her personal maid."

"And the prince? How does he feel about her?"

Elara shrugged slightly. "He treats her like a friend. A trusted friend, closer than anyone else in the court. But if he has romantic feelings for her, he's never shown them publicly. Some of the older servants think he keeps her close out of guilt because of what happened to his first mate."

I shifted in my bed, curious now. It wasn't that I was being nosy. I just wanted to know more about the man I just accepted to marry. "What happened to his first mate?"

"No one knows exactly, miss. The official report says she was killed by a rogue werewolf from the Glendale Pack, but the details were never made public. Prince Kairo doesn't speak about it, and anyone who asks too many questions tends to find themselves relieved of their duties immediately."

I took note of that information for later, it could be useful in the long run. "So Liriel is in love with him, he's oblivious, and she's been waiting for years to become his mate. That explains why she looked at me like she wanted to set me on fire."

"She's not used to competition, miss. Most of the noblewomen who try to get close to the prince find themselves intimidated into leaving. Lady Liriel is very persuasive when she wants to be."

"I'm sure she is." I stood up and walked to the window, staring out at the gardens below. "And the kiss I saw? When she wrapped her arms around him in his study?"

Elara's eyes widened. "You saw that?"

"The night of the mating ceremony. I was walking to my chambers and the door was open. She kissed him on the lips like she had every right to be there."

"She's always been physically affectionate with him, miss. It's her way of marking her territory, I think. The prince doesn't seem to notice it as anything unusual because she's been doing it since they were children. But everyone else sees it for what it is."

I thought about the way Kairo had responded when I confronted him. So? Why does that bother you? The words had hit me like a punch to the gut, and I had stood there frozen in the doorway while he waited for an answer I couldn't give. Because the truth was that it did bother me, and I didn't want to ask myself why. I didn't want to think about the way my chest tightened when I saw her lips on his, or the way my hands had curled into fists at my sides out of jealousy.

"Stupid," I muttered to myself. "You are being so unbelievably stupid right now."

"Miss?"

My head snapped up and I saw the confusion in her eyes. I smiled sheepishly that she had caught me talking to myself.

"Nothing, Elara. I'm talking to myself." I turned away from the window and forced my thoughts back into order. I wasn't here to develop feelings for the Lycan Prince. I wasn't here to care about who he kissed or why or whether he was oblivious to his childhood friend's obsession with him. I was here to save Aurora, and everything else was a distraction I couldn't afford. Once I had my daughter back, I would disappear from this palace and never look back.

*

I left my chambers and began pacing the hallways, my mind racing with thoughts I couldn't organize. The palace was quiet at this hour, the servants were finished with their duties and the nobles had retreated to their quarters. My footsteps echoed against the stone walls as I walked without any particular destination, letting my body move while my thoughts churned.

What did Liriel want with my child? Why had she posed as Aurora's mother? And what was she doing here in the Lycan palace, wrapped around Kairo like she belonged to him, when just weeks ago she had been standing beside Darius in Glendale with my daughter in her arms? None of it fit together in a way I could understand.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice where my feet were carrying me until I heard voices drifting through a partially open door. I stopped dead in the corridor. 

Kairo's study. 

I had wandered all the way to Kairo's study without realizing it, and I pressed myself against the wall and held my breath.

"The child was born some days ago," Liriel was saying, and her voice made my skin prickle. "Darius has her locked in a warded tower on the eastern edge of Glendale. She's healthy and strong, and she has the silver eyes. There's no doubt about her lineage."

"And the ritual?" Kairo's voice was cold. "How soon is he planning to move?"

"The next Blood Moon but he already has everything he needs. The altar is being constructed, the incantations have been sourced, and the child is under constant guard. If he completes the ritual, he'll have power equal to a Lycan King. He'll be unstoppable, Kai. He could challenge your throne directly."

There was a long pause between both of them until Kairos finally spoke. "Then we stop him. What do you propose?"

"The simplest solution is to eliminate the child before the ritual can take place. No child means no ritual, and no ritual means no threat. We can send our secret A team into Glendale before the Blood Moon. They are quiet and efficient, and would leave no traces. Darius will never know what happened until it's too late."

My hand flew to my mouth. I pressed my palm so hard against my lips that I felt my teeth dig into the skin. Eliminate the child? And with Darius looped into the conversation it could only mean they were talking about murdering Aurora. My daughter...

"You're certain there's no other way?" Kairo asked, and his voice was quieter now, almost reluctant.

"Don't tell me you suddenly care about the innocence of a child when the fate of your throne is at stake... when he killed your mate, Kai! That child is the key to Darius's power. Remove the key, and the lock cannot be opened. It's the only way to protect yourself and your kingdom."

Another long pause followed, and I could hear my heart thundering so loudly I was certain th

ey would hear it too.

"Make the preparations," Kairo finally said.