Prologue

Alpha King Cian

“Just one more, Luna. One more strong push, now, push!”

Gwen screamed, gripping my hand so tightly that I’m sure I felt something crack. Following the doctor’s prompts, she pushed and pushed. In what felt like no time at all to me, but I’m sure forever to her, the sound of a crying baby echoed in the hospital room.

“Congratulations, Luna, Alpha. You have a beautiful baby boy,” the doctor said, clipping the cord and passing my son to the waiting nurse. My eyes swam as I looked over at him, such a tiny little thing. He was wailing so loudly, you wouldn’t think he was so tiny.

‘Our pup has an excellent set of lungs. Strong,’ my wolf Aodhan said.

‘Yes,’ I agreed. ‘Befitting the next heir to the kingdom, don’t you think?’

I turned back to my mate, who was lying on the bed. Even with sweat running down her temples, her light blond hair plastered to her forehead and exhaustion lining her face, she was still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

“He’s lovely, my love. You’ve done so well,” I told her. She squeezed my hand, then gripped it tighter as another contraction came on.

“That’s it, Luna. Your daughter is ready to meet you. Same as before, now. Push now, Luna.”

“You’ve got it, my love.” I told her. Once again, she’d gripped my hand so hard the bones rubbed together. And once again, we heard a strong, clear cry.

“She’s beautiful, Luna,” the nurse said as she took our daughter from the doctor so that he could clip the cord.

“That’s it, Luna. You’re almost done. Two beautiful babies, and you’ll soon have them both at your breast. Let’s just get this afterbirth clear and the babes cleaned up,” the doctor said. “Another push, but this one shouldn’t be nearly as bad.”

Gwen followed the doctor’s instructions and lay back on the bed, a small smile on her face as she reached for our newly cleaned and swaddled babies. Each pup was wrapped in handmade blankets with their names embroidered on them, a gift from our pack leadership team.

“Look at them, Cian. They’re so beautiful,” she beamed at the twins as they rooted for her breast to feed. “Little Seren and Gideon. We couldn’t have asked for more beautiful babies.” They latched on with little to no effort. I felt a powerful wave of love as I watched my strong, beautiful mate care for our pups. She looked up at me as she felt the echoes through our bond.

“They’re perfect, my love. You’re amazing,” I told her.

“They will want for nothing. The most perfect heirs the kingdom will ever have!” she happily sighed.

The nurse approached her after the babies finished feeding. She took them from her. “Here now, Luna, only for a moment. We just need to make sure we’re all set for the records and to get you all clean. They’ll be right here in their bassinets when you’re finished with the doctor.”

I looked over at the nurse, who seemed to have everything well in hand. There were two bassinets waiting by the exam table for the infants. The doctor came over for one last check on Gwen.

“Luna, your wolf is already healing you. Everything went so well, I expect that you’ll be back up to full strength and fully recovered within the week. Go ahead and get cleaned up. Take a shower if you’d like. I will check in on you again a little later,” he stated, stripping off his medical gloves as he turned and exited the hospital room.

I reached for Gwen. “Come now, love. Let’s get you up.” Helping her from the bed, I glanced over at the nurse and our babies one more time. She was humming slightly under her breath as she tended to them, and they were both already sleeping, swaddled in their blankets. I let Gwen lean on me as she headed for the bathroom.

“I’d really like a shower, Cian. Can you help me?” she asked.

“Of course, love.”

I helped Gwen wash quickly, as neither of us wanted to be separated from the babies for too long. As I helped her into a clean dress, the coppery scent of blood seeped under the door. Panicked, she looked at me, eyes wide. “The pups!”

Tearing the door open, I rushed into the room. Keeping Gwen behind me, my heart sank. I could feel her panic rising in the bond, and terror gripped my insides. She came around from behind me. “Cian. No, Cian…” she cried out.

The nurse was lying on the ground in a pool of blood with her throat slit, Gideon was wailing in his bassinet, and Seren was nowhere to be seen. Gwen rushed to Gideon and grabbed him up, cuddling him close.

“Guards! Doctor! The Queen’s room, now!” I shouted down the hallway, then turned back to Gwen.

‘Guards—close the borders, surround the pack. No one in or out. Send trackers to the hospital. Your new princess has been taken!’ I barked through the mindlink.

The doctor rushed in, skidding to a stop at the sight of his nurse on the floor. I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall. “Did you do this? Did you let someone onto our floor, into our suite?” I demanded, flames licking the fingertips of my free hand. I was so enraged that I was losing control of my elemental magic.

“N-No, Alpha King,” he stammered. “I don’t know how they could have accessed this level. Everything was locked down, and the only medical personnel allowed had been fully vetted by Beta Griffin.” I dropped him to the floor and turned to the guards who appeared in the hallway. “Find out how they got past our security! Interrogate every doctor and nurse if you have to! I want answers now!”

Turning back to Gwen and Gideon, I gathered them both close in my arms. There would be hell to pay when I found out who was responsible for this. I would burn them to the ground.

***

The guards searched the hospital, the surrounding buildings, and the rest of the packlands. They searched for hours, into the next day and night. They found no trace of the newborn princess. That night, the king and queen quietly mourned, keeping the infant prince close. Outside the castle, the sky flashed. The air trembled. And the gods wept.