Chapter 5: Summoned to the Palace

"Don't worry about him, sweetheart," Daggy said, pressing a kiss to the top of Britty's head. "We're going home soon and everything will go back to normal."

But even as she said it, Daggy knew it was another lie in a long line of lies that were finally starting to collapse around her.

She went inside the kitchen and prepared a meal. They ate and went to see the town's night view.

*****

Two days have past, Lincoln was still acting all nice, Britty wasn't asking any questions about the stranger.

Although her father's condition wasn't getting better and she was about to start the shop renovation, because those bad guys destroyed a lot of things.

She was about to go to the hospital early in the morning when a guard brought a summon order letter from the Alpha.

Daggy's hands trembled as she read the carefully worded invitation requesting her presence, along with her husband and daughter, at the alpha's residence to discuss matters of territory business and proper acknowledgment of their stay in pack lands.

Lincoln came out asking who was knocking, then he saw her with the letter and read over her shoulder, then frowned. "This seems excessive for just visiting family. Do they normally do this?"

"Sometimes," Daggy lied, her mind racing through a dozen different scenarios of how this could go wrong. "The alpha likes to keep track of who's in his territory, especially outsiders staying for extended periods."

"We're not exactly outsiders if your family lives here." Lincoln took the letter and they went inside. "But I guess we don't have much choice."

The palace was a sprawling estate on the edge of pack territory. Daggy had been here before, years ago when things between her and Dynan were still new and uncomplicated.

A servant met them at the entrance and led them through hallways lined with portraits of past alphas, their painted eyes seeming to follow Daggy as she walked.

Lincoln was looking around with the expression of someone cataloging everything for future reference, while Britty held tight to Daggy's hand and stayed quiet.

Dynan was waiting for them in a formal sitting room, standing by the window with his hands clasped behind his back.

He turned when they entered and Daggy felt her wolf stir beneath her skin, responding to his presence in a way that made her want to bare her throat in submission.

She'd spent five years trying to forget what it felt like to be near him and now it all came flooding back in an instant.

"Thank you for coming," Dynan said, his voice very neutral. His eyes moved from Daggy to Lincoln to Britty, lingering on her daughter for just a moment too long. "Please, sit."

They settled onto the ornate couches and Daggy kept Britty close, her protective instincts on high alert.

Lincoln seemed relaxed enough, crossing one ankle over his knee like he was at a casual business meeting instead of facing down an alpha werewolf who could snap his neck without breaking a sweat.

"I apologize for the formal summons," Dynan continued, moving to sit across from them. "But it's customary for me to meet with anyone staying in pack territory for more than a few days, especially those with family connections here."

"Of course," Lincoln said smoothly. "We appreciate you taking the time. I know you must be busy."

A woman entered the room carrying a tray of tea and pastries, her movements looking a bit suspicious.

Daggy recognized her as one of the palace staff, though she couldn't remember the woman's name. She set the tray down on the coffee table between them and began serving, starting with Britty.

"These look delicious," the woman said warmly, offering Britty a small plate with chocolate pastries arranged artfully on it. "I bet you'll love them."

Britty looked up at Daggy for permission and only took the plate after she nodded.

The woman moved around the room serving everyone else, and Daggy noticed the way she seemed to pay special attention to Britty.

At one point she reached out to gently fix a curl that had fallen across Britty's forehead, her fingers lingering just slightly too long.

Daggy wasn't feeling comfortable but she couldn't quite place why. The woman smiled at her and moved away, disappearing back through the door she'd come from.

"How long are you planning to stay in the area?" Dynan asked, his attention on Lincoln now.

"Another week or so," Lincoln replied. "I'm finalizing some business deals and then we'll be heading back to the city."

"What kind of business?" Dynan's tone was casual but Daggy could hear the edge underneath, the alpha demanding information about what was happening in his territory.

Lincoln launched into an explanation of his construction company and the development project he was working on, and Daggy stopped listening because Britty had started to squirm beside her.

She was rubbing at her eyes and making small distressed sounds that meant she was getting uncomfortable or upset about something.

"Mama," Britty whispered, tugging on Daggy's sleeve. "I don't feel good."

Daggy touched her forehead but it felt normal, no fever or sign of illness. "What's wrong, baby?"

"I want to leave." Britty's voice got louder, more insistent. "Please, Mama, I want to go now."

Lincoln paused mid-sentence to look over at them, his expression mildly annoyed. "Britty, we're in the middle of an important conversation. You need to be patient."

But Britty was already crying, real tears streaming down her face as she tried to climb into Daggy's lap. "No, I want to leave right now!"

Dynan stood up immediately, his whole body going tense. "Is she alright?"

"I think she's just overwhelmed," Daggy said, gathering Britty into her arms even though her daughter was getting too big to hold comfortably. "We should probably go."

"Of course." Dynan moved toward the door like he was going to escort them out himself, but Lincoln stood up first.

"I'll take them back to the hotel," Lincoln said, reaching for his jacket. "No need to cut our meeting short on my account."

"Actually, I'd like to speak with you privately for a moment," Dynan said, and something in his tone made it clear this wasn't a request. "If your wife doesn't mind waiting in the hall with your daughter."

Daggy's heart was pounding so hard she was sure everyone in the room could hear it.

Lincoln looked confused but nodded, and Daggy was already moving toward the door with Britty still crying against her shoulder.

She needed to get out of this room, away from Dynan's scrutiny and the way he kept looking at Britty like he was trying to memorize every detail of her face.

They'd barely made it into the hallway when she started hearing noises from behin.

Daggy turned to see two large men in formal uniforms who positioned themselves on either side of Lincoln. One of them put a hand on his arm, not quite grabbing but making it clear he wasn't free to leave.

"Excuse me," Lincoln said, his voice filled with confusion. "What's going on?"

"Lincoln Lewis, you're being detained on suspicion of theft from palace grounds," one of the guards said formally. "You need to come with us."

"What?" Lincoln tried to pull away but the guards held firm. "I haven't stolen anything, this is ridiculous!"

Daggy stood frozen in the hallway with Britty clutching at her, watching as they started to lead Lincoln away. He was looking at her like he expected her to do something, to defend him or demand they let him go, but she couldn't make her voice work.

"Daggy!" Lincoln called out as they turned the corner. "Call someone, get a lawyer, don't just stand there!"

But she did just stand there, because part of her was wondering if this was Dynan's way of separating them, of getting Lincoln away so he could demand answers about Britty.

And another part of her was thinking about the text messages on Lincoln's phone.

Maybe Lincoln had stolen something. Or maybe Dynan had planted evidence to justify detaining him.

Either way, Daggy was suddenly very alone in a palace full of people who answered to the man who'd just discovered she'd been hiding his daughter for five years.

Britty had stopped crying but was still pressed close against Daggy's chest, her small body trembling. "Mama, why did they take Daddy?"

"I don't know, baby," Daggy whispered, turning her head back toward the sitting room because she needed answers and the only person who could give them to her was Dynan.