Chapter 26: Walking On Eggshells

Kael’s POV~

The summons had arrived at dawn, carried by a raven that smelled of palace smoke and werewolf blood.

Sealed in black wax, pressed with the king’s sigil—a crown wrapped in thorns.

~The Moon Gathering Preparations~

Venue: Royal Palace.

All Alphas, Lunas, Betas, and wolves of noble rank are commanded to attend. Lycan Enforcer Kael Dravok required for royal protection.

~

I crushed the parchment in my fist. The paper hissed, edges curling black as fire licked from my skin.

Of all nights for the king to remember me, it had to be now. I already promised not to leave Annabeth's side till Lucien was gone.

Now I'd have to compromise.

But I couldn’t leave her entirely alone with him. Not for a day. Not for an hour. The thought alone made my fangs ache to drop.

But the king needed me. And I still had a duty to the throne.

If I didn’t show, it would look like defiance.

So I’d go.

In and out. Keep it short. Keep it sharp.

And every night, I’d be back before dawn.

I didn’t trust anyone else to guard Annabeth. Not even Mrs. Halloway, though the woman had more bite than most wolves twice her age, her strength was no longer as strong as before.

But I trusted Chad and Victor. My loyal werewolf friends who comes and goes here in the mansion freely as they chose.

“Chad. Victor.” I called for them.

They appeared in my study before I finished speaking, shadows peeling away from the corners like they’d been waiting.

“Kael. You called?” Chad said, already tense. His amber eyes flicked to the burned parchment on my desk.

“I'm certain you all know Lucien's here,” I said flatly. “I need You two to stay closer. Keep an eye on him and You don’t let him near Annabeth. You don’t let him speak to her. If he tries, find means to separate them. Quietly. If he pushes, you call me. No matter the time.”

Victor’s jaw tightened. A scar across his cheek pulled tight. “And if he asks why we’re hovering?”

“Tell him It was an order from me, and I couldn't leave him all alone in my house, because I don't trust him,” I said coldly.

They nodded once and left without another word. No questions. No hesitation.

I left the fortress an hour later. I avoided going near Annabeth so I wouldn't be tempted to take her with me.

Every step away from her felt wrong, like walking against my own instincts.

I needed a run to cool down.

The night air hit me cold as I shifted. Bone cracked, skin stretched, fur tore through. In seconds I was no longer a man, but a beast—larger than any werewolf, black fur streaked with silver, eyes burning like the moon.

A Lycan. Older. Stronger and Built for war.

And right now, all I wanted to do was run back to her.

~~

The ride to the palace took half the night.

The royal grounds were alive with different scent, wolves from different territories busying around in preparation for the gathering. Banners hung from the towers, silver and blue, rippling in the wind.

The king’s throne room was packed. Alphas lined up to register their pack in the invitation list that'll be dispersed soon.

“Kael,” the king said from his dais. His voice rolled through the hall like thunder. “You’re late.”

"Late? On the contrary your majesty, I'm right on time."

I stood at the king’s right, arms crossed, letting my presence do the talking.

Every hour, I sent a message back to the fortress through Chad.

`Status?`

`Quiet. She’s safe. Lucien hasn’t moved towards her.`

`Good.`

By the time the first light touched the horizon, I was already shifting, tearing through the forest back toward home.

---

Annabeth’s POV~

I avoided Lucien today like he carried a disease.

I took the long way to the kitchen. I ate in my room. I didn’t linger near the windows where he sat, one leg slung over the armrest, watching the courtyard like he was bored and deciding what to break.

It was working well. I was able to avoid him.

A soft tap came from my window and I froze.

Kael said no one but him or Mrs. Halloway, should be allowed through the door. He didn’t say anything about windows.

I pulled the curtain back an inch.

Riven was perched on the ledge, grinning, His dark hair ruffled from the wind, and his eyes gleamed with mischief.

“Open up, little human,” he whispered. “I promise I’m not here to kidnap you.”

I unlocked the latch and let him in.

“You must be a reckless fool,” I said, trying to sound stern.

“So I’ve been told,” he said, dropping to the floor without a sound. “Kael’s going to skin me if he finds out I'm here.”

"Yet here you are."

Riven sat on the edge of my bed, casual as if this was normal.

“How are you holding up? Big bad Lycan Brother has been stalking around the whole place.”

“He hasn’t tried to speak to me,” I said.

“Good,” Riven said, his voice dropping. “Cause I was asked to keep an eye on you. Said to keep you away from the evil brother’s head games.”

“Who told you that? Kael?”

“Word for word,” Riven said, then grinned. “Said you were too soft to deal with Lucien’s games. I told him I’d handle him myself.”

I laughed despite myself. “You’re a terrible liar.”

He just grinned wider and winked. "I won't tell if you don't tell."

We talked for a while about Stupid things. How the workers here in the kitchen dropped a whole tray of soup when Lucien simply walked past. How Mrs. Halloway had glared at him so hard yesterday that he’d actually sat up straighter. How Chad and Victor had been accidentally walking past my door every hour like clockwork.

I really enjoyed talking this freely with him. He reminded me of Tommy in this sense even though they looked nothing alike.

“Kael’s lucky to have you,” Riven said quietly before he left through the window.

“And he's lucky to have you equally,” I replied.

He climbed out the window, pausing to glance back.

“Lock it behind me. Don't worry, I'll be back to visit you again.”

I locked the window after him.

For a while, the room felt lighter.

But I didn’t sleep yet.

Every creak in the hallway made my heart jump.

Every shadow looked like blonde hair and sharp teeth.

~~~

Lucien’s POV~

She was being careful. Too careful not to run into me.

I’d seen her twice today, slipping through the west hall like a ghost. She didn’t meet my eyes. Her steps were quick, her posture rigid, looking over her shoulders.

Smart girl.

But she didn't know, avoidance only made things more interesting for me. It made me more curious. About her.

I caught her passing the library that evening. She didn’t see me at first.

I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and watched.

Her curly hair was loose tonight, falling over her shoulders in dark waves. She looked smaller than she was. Fragile.

Kael’s little human.

I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at her.

Protective. Possessive. And somewhat Terrified that she may disappear from his sight.

She felt me watching her.

Her head snapped up, and the moment our eyes met, she looked away and walked away fast.

I smirked.

“Running again, little human?” I murmured, just loud enough for her to hear.

She didn’t answer. Didn’t even slow down.

Good. Let her be afraid.

Let her tell Kael I unsettled her.

It would surely drive him mad.

And when Kael was mad, he made mistakes.

I pushed off the doorframe and watched her disappear around the corner.

I think I'm going to have to extend my stay here.

Plenty of more time to play this game.

And when I find out for sure what she is to him…

Oh, I'll make sure Kael hates me for what I'll do.

~~