Princess Nomi, Prince Raphe’s mate, eyed me up and down curiously. Lucas’ grip on my waist instinctively tightened. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Prince Raphe coming in our direction. Nova was on the edge of my consciousness, pacing anxiously over this new development.“My apologies, Your Highness,” Lucas replied with a tight — yet still polite — smile. “Of course that wasn’t our intention.”“Alpha Lucas,” Prince Raphe called as he approached. “It’s been a long time. I’ve heard you scored a victory during this summit.”“Not at all, Prince Raphe,” Lucas replied. “We simply set the record straight. Righted a wrong that was done to us.”“As humble as always, I see,” the prince replied. “Good to see nothing has changed there.”I couldn’t help but feel that was some kind of underhanded insult toward Lucas. Nova let out a low growl in my mind. The urge to correct his attitude fed my boldness. I would have said something if his eyes hadn’t landed on me. The intensity behind his ga
My head shot in the direction of the Dawn Stalkers. I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed but he was right. Hannah was nowhere in sight. Panic gripped at my stomach.“Do you think he…”“No, that’s not why we’re concerned,” he admitted.“Then why…?”“Our plan to get her away from Anders depends on both of them showing up or neither of them,” he said.I half glanced toward our friends in time to see Amos and Tarvyn slip away. Lucas had been very vague about his plan for saving Hannah from Anders. Well, no… he hadn’t even been vague really. He just kept telling me to trust him, which I did entirely. But now that I knew there was a snag, it was too hard to let it go.“I don’t understand, Lucas,” I told him. “What was your plan?”“Separating them was our best bet,” he said. “Here would have been the most ideal. The only reason they wouldn’t show was if they were leaving. That would have given us a window to get to her as well. But if she’s up in their rooms… we can’t get near her. She’s going t
I was checking my appearance in the floor-length mirror as Motty finished getting dressed in the bathroom. Making sure everything was in place before putting on the jewelry Soloman had given me. I pulled the velvet box from the hidden pocket of my suitcase, where I had already stashed my mother’s letter. Opening it, I set it on the dresser next to the mirror. Motty came out of the bathroom as I was putting the earrings on.“You look stunning, Luna,” she said kindly.“Thank you, Motty,” I replied as I took the necklace from the box. “You look beautiful as well.”She gave me a shy smile. “Here. Let me help you with that.”Taking the necklace, she draped it around my neck and fastened the clasp for me. It felt incredibly heavy against my skin. More so because of the expense rather than the actual weight. I’d never worn anything so extravagant. I wasn’t sure I was comfortable with it, but I promised Soloman I would wear them. And they made me think of my mother in a way I could handle rig
We didn’t bother attending most of the sessions the following day. He sent Max in his place while we spent the morning in bed. Lucas went to a short meeting after lunch and, after leaving early, took me out to the city for the afternoon.It was the first time I’d ever been to the capital and he wanted me to see some of the more historical sites. One of which was a huge city park with a hill looking out at the royal palace. I wondered if he brought me to see if I had any reaction. I wasn’t going to tell him, but it did feel odd knowing that I had family somewhere inside that building. But that didn’t mean it stirred any desire to be a part of the life that was led there.Overall, it was a pleasant day. We made our way back to the conference center after Max told us that they were concluding the summit today. That meant the closing ball would be tonight. It still amazed me that they could get these big events together so quickly when it seemed to take me forever just to get dressed for
Dinner was less tedious than I had expected but still lasted longer than I would have liked. Sutton’s demeanor was forced most of the evening. Luckily, no one seemed to notice. Or they simply attributed it to the day’s events. Either way, we managed to be the first to leave without too many questions or protests.It was late when we finally made it back to the hotel room. Rhonen and I watched Sutton move absently through the suite, completely lost in thought. I don’t think she even realized she ended up right in front of the drawer that now held her mother’s letter as she took her jewelry off.We’d decided to keep the box at Soloman’s penthouse for the duration of our stay. After Anders’ stunt with that room search, it seemed safer. I still didn’t trust that he wouldn’t try to send someone to break in to get it back. The letter, however, wasn’t something one of his henchmen would think anything about. So, I insisted she bring it with her. Whether she read it or not, at least she would
Lucas gently took the photo from me. He’d met my stepfather, he would know I meant this was my biological father. My real father.“And the woman…?” he questioned.I nodded. “My mother,” I confirmed. “She looks different but it has to be her.”Lucas looked up at Soloman. “I’m guessing you know exactly who they are.”“That is Princess Leanetta,” Soloman stated, “and her mate, Ashad. That was taken a few weeks before their accident.”“So… she was…? She had to have been…”“Pregnant with you,” Soloman finished. “Yes, it would seem so.”They looked so happy. I’d never even thought to ask his name. I had known so little about his existence for so long… Even when my stepfather had told me about him there wasn’t a lot of information. My mother hadn’t even told him he died. So, instead of wondering if he just abandoned her — and me — I just didn’t think about him. I suddenly felt horribly guilty for my callousness. My lack of curiosity in my own heritage.My attention shifted to the letters. I