LOGINMax knocked on our door just in time, but to our surprise, he wasn’t the only one on the other side of the door.“Soloman,” I greeted happily. “This is a pleasant surprise. I thought you had to arrive with the other council members.”“Oh, nonsense,” he said. “I’ve never been known to be a stickler for customs. I would much rather escort two lovely ladies.”I looped in the one Soloman offered while Helene did the same with Max. The halls were filled with other party-goers on their way to the festivities. The closer we get, the more nervous I became. I tried to embrace the situation, putting on a happy face. But only ended up dreading the night even more. Nova attempted to lend me her strength but I was having a hard time holding onto it.As we entered the ballroom, I was immediately overwhelmed by the weight of the crowd. The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement. I could faintly hear music playing over the din of conversation that came at me from all directions. I took slow deep brea
I pushed my breakfast around my plate as I sat in the palace suite the next morning. Lucas never responded to my text the day before. And he didn’t answer when I tried to call him last night. Eventually, I gave up. Settling for leaving him a message that we had made it safely.I’d say I woke up a dozen times throughout the night, but that would imply that I actually slept. It wasn’t just because I hadn’t heard from Lucas. It was the first time since we’d met that I had gone to bed without him. I didn’t know how to fall asleep without him.“Okay, you’ve been moping all morning,” Helene commented. “What’s up?”I sat up straighter and forced a half-smile. “It’s just the first time Lucas and I have been apart,” I told her. “It’s harder than I thought it would be. I know that seems crazy but…”Helene grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Not at all,” she assured me. “The best way to deal with it is to stay busy, right? So, let’s get ready for our visit with Grandfather. Then we’ll go find Nomi. I
I pushed my breakfast around my plate as I sat in the palace suite the next morning. Lucas never responded to my text the day before. And he didn’t answer when I tried to call him last night. Eventually, I gave up. Settling for leaving him a message that we had made it safely.I’d say I woke up a dozen times throughout the night, but that would imply that I actually slept. It wasn’t just because I hadn’t heard from Lucas. It was the first time since we’d met that I had gone to bed without him. I didn’t know how to fall asleep without him.“Okay, you’ve been moping all morning,” Helene commented. “What’s up?”I sat up straighter and forced a half-smile. “It’s just the first time Lucas and I have been apart,” I told her. “It’s harder than I thought it would be. I know that seems crazy but…”Helene grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Not at all,” she assured me. “The best way to deal with it is to stay busy, right? So, let’s get ready for our visit with Grandfather. Then we’ll go find Nomi. I
Lucas stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I let out a frustrated cry, stomping my foot in anger. Nova was snapping her jaws at me in my head but I ignored her. He’d been acting off for weeks. Every time I’d bring up Raphe’s birthday, he would get moody. I tried to find ways to make it seem more fun but it didn’t seem to work. Sure, he tried to sound supportive but the bond gave him away every time.Still, I didn’t necessarily want to go without him. People would ask questions. But I suppose it was a good reason for us not to be there together. But I still didn’t think it was enough of one for us to not show up at all. So, I guess this was the best solution for both of us.I just wish we hadn’t come to it in that way.By the time I’d finished packing, I was feeling terrible for what I’d said to him. It was over line. I wasn’t wrong that he didn’t want to go, but he still would have been there with a smile. Even a forced one. And he just saw this as a party. Of course
I finished my third cup of coffee as I sent my last email. I hadn’t been sleeping much the past few days. The plan to find the key had been more complicated than I had hoped and I was worried that Sera wouldn’t be able to get everything in place in time. After the first night of trying to sleep, I knew it would be no use just laying in bed tossing and turning. Even Sutton wouldn’t sleep through that for long. So, I went to my home office and started reading through Leanetta’s journals.I couldn’t tell if Sutton had realized I hadn’t been in the bed with her or not. Most of the time she seemed normal, happy. But there were moments when she felt distant, like she didn’t want to say what she was thinking. Rhonen felt those moments the worst. Only adding to my stress with his incessant prodding.“Dude, you need to sleep,” Max said as we sat in my office. “The party is tomorrow. You’re not going to make it through like this.”“Because I think it’s a good thing to live off of caffeine and t
“Eight days is more than a few, Ned,” I grumbled as the strange little man set up his workstation at my office conference table. “You better be here with good news.”Ned raised an eyebrow as he gave me a look over the top of his glasses. “Would I be here if I didn’t?”“You’ll have to excuse our Alpha, Ned,” Max said, clapping me on the shoulder. “He’s been a bit cranky lately.”I tried to throw an elbow at my Gamma but he dodged the swing. Giving up, I dropped into a chair at the table. He wasn’t exactly wrong. My mood had improved for a while but gradually soured again the longer it too Ned to crack into the contents of Nomi’s laptop.“So, Ned,” Max said, rubbing his hands together, “what do you have for us?”Ned pointed to the TV we used for presentations as he shared the screen.“There two files that were the hardest to decrypt,” he said. “I didn’t open them but they’re ready to go.”I gave him a nod to go ahead. With a click, we were shown a list of documents, images, and even a f







