Code Black

The drive back to the castle was a blur.

Dante drove the backup car himself. He drove fast, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white. He didn't speak. He didn't look at me. He just stared at the road, his jaw set in a hard line.

I sat in the passenger seat, shivering. The heater was on full blast, but I couldn't get warm.

I had used the Royal Voice. I had forced an Alpha King to his knees. And I had told him I was pregnant.

My life was over. The secret was out. Now, I was just waiting for the judgment.

We arrived at the castle gates at midnight. The guards waved us through, but Dante didn't drive to the main entrance. He drove around the back, to a private underground garage that only he used.

The heavy steel door rolled down behind us, shutting out the world.

Dante killed the engine. The silence in the garage was deafening.

Dante told me to get out of the car. His voice was low and rough.

I opened the door. My legs were still weak from the energy drain. I stumbled.

Dante appeared immediately. He didn't ask if I was okay. He just scooped me up into his arms, carrying me toward the elevator.

Dante commanded Liam to join him at the penthouse in solitude while he declared Code Black.

Code Black. I didn't know what that meant, but it sounded terrifying.

The elevator ride was short. The doors opened to reveal his private sanctuary. Dante kicked the door shut and locked it. He carried me to the sofa and set me down.

He walked to the window and pulled the heavy blackout curtains shut. Then he turned to face me.

He looked like a mess. His expensive tactical gear was torn. He had dried blood on his leg from a rogue bite. But his eyes... his eyes were burning.

Dante extended his hand and commanded the file to be handed to him.

I reached into my coat pocket. My hand was shaking. I pulled out the crumbled papers I had stolen from the Moonfall Archives.

I gave the documents to him.

Dante opened the file. He read the birth certificate. He looked at the baby photo. He read the letter from my mother, the late Queen.

He stood there for a long time, just reading. The only sound was the clock ticking on the wall.

Dante whispered Princess Selene to me. He looked up at me. You are the daughter of King Lucius.

I nodded in agreement.

And Miller... he stole you?

Miller killed my parents. He led the raid to take me. He realized who I was, and he kept me as a slave. He poisoned me to hide my eyes.

Dante closed the file. He tossed it onto the coffee table.

He started to walk around the room. He looked like a caged tiger.

Dante asked Maya if she understood the consequences. The Council will declare war on my pack because of your survival. They fear your bloodline more than anything.

I understood the situation, which made me cry. I didn't want to tell you because I thought you would protect your people by handing me over.

Dante stopped pacing. He looked at me with pure shock.

You thought I would give you to them?

I told him that he had to keep his pack protected because he was the king. I am just a liability. I am just a debt payment.

Dante growled. A deep sound of anger escaped him.

He crossed the room in two strides. He grabbed my shoulders, pulling me up from the sofa.

Dante ordered me to look at him.

I gazed into his golden eyes.

Dante declared that I had no obligation to pay him because I was now his child's mother and his Mate.

I gasped. You accept the baby as your own?

Dante dedicated himself to all the committed obligations through his pledge. Your social standing does not matter to me because you belong to me as my possession. Nobody has the right to take things away from me which I possess.

He released his hold on me while he activated his headset by touching the button.

Liam, get in here.

The door opened. Liam, Dante’s Beta, walked in. He looked nervous. He observed the blood on Dante’s leg and the pale looking person who was present.

Liam asked the Alpha about Code Black while he wanted to know about the castle status. Liam wanted to know about Code Black. He wanted to know if intruders invaded the castle.

The castle remains safe according to Dante. The circle of trust has just become very small. Liam, from this moment on, nobody enters this floor except you and Dr. Evans. Not the maids. Not the guards. Not even Elena.

Liam acknowledged the command through his nodding motion.

Dante declared while his voice became more dangerous that any person who requested information about the Auditor must receive the sick report. She is in quarantine. All contact attempts must be brought to my location.

Liam responded with Yes Alpha. Liam looked at me, then back at Dante. The Rogues situation remains undefined because Kael escaped.

Dante said that Kael currently operates as a walking dead person. The current situation presents us with more severe challenges. The Council knows she was at the ruins. They know something suspicious exists.

Dante walked over to the fireplace. He picked up the file—the proof of my identity. The only record of my birth.

He positioned the document above the flames.

Dante? I gasped. What are you doing?

Dante confirmed that he would erase Princess Selene from existence.

He dropped the file into the fire.

The paper we watched began to curl as it turned black. The photo of the baby with violet eyes disappeared into ash. The letter from my mother turned to smoke.

I asked while tears streamed down my face. That was my only link to them.

The fire showed his situation as he explained that Dante watched the flames. As long as Selene exists, you are hunted. So Selene is dead. She died in the fire twenty years ago.

He turned to me.

He declared that I am Maya. You are an orphan from Silver River. You are my Auditor. And you are my chosen Mate.

He walked back to me. He took my hands.

Dante explained that we hide the truth in plain sight. We stay right here. I will claim you publicly. I will say that I chose you. We claim that your eyes represent a rare gift which exists as a mutation.

I whispered that they won't believe it. Vanessa won't believe it.

Vanessa can suspect all she wants. Dante said that without proof, Vanessa can't touch you. And if she tries...

He placed his hand on my stomach again. His face softened.

She would become my enemy after she attacked my family.

He looked at me with a new intensity. It wasn't the cold look of a businessman anymore. The expression became that of a business associate.

Maya, he said in a serious tone that means the contract becomes void. I will lose my authority over you. If we do this... if we fight the Council together... there is no going back. You are tied to me forever.

I know the information presented.

I looked at the man who had bought me. I looked at the man who had fought ten wolves to save me. I looked at the man who just burned history to keep me safe.

I had lost all fear of him.

Dante, I will stay right here. Our agreement remains in effect.

Dante released a breath which he appeared to have retained throughout the entire duration. He leaned his forehead against mine.

Dante confirmed through his quiet voice that he wanted you to go to bed. Your body needs to recuperate because of the baby.

He led me to the bedroom. He remained inside the room without exiting.

He removed the damaged tactical gear from his body. He washed the blood off his leg in the bathroom. Then he climbed into bed beside me.

He pulled me against his chest. His arm draped over my waist while his hand rested on my stomach area.

Dante? I whispered in the dark.

Huh?

I appreciate your help.

He kissed the top of my head.

Maya should go to sleep because tomorrow will begin the actual battle.

I closed my eyes. I experienced my first feeling of safety after twenty years.

I was a secret Princess. I was a pregnant fugitive. And I was in love with the Monster King.

The life I led was extremely dangerous. I discovered one truth through listening to Dante's calm heartbeat.

I had found my permanent residence.