“Don’t leave,” Mia tightened her grip around his robe. It was already getting late and Xavier wanted to give her the space she needed to rest, just as they had done these past few days. He visited every day and stayed till the moon peaked and most of those hours they spent in silence. Today seemed different, though. She must have noticed his withdrawal, and it made her heart race in fear. She didn’t want to be away from him again. She wanted him with her, never leaving and never staying apart. Now more than ever, she needed him and didn’t want to be alone. It could be the effect of tomorrow’s full moon and its heightened effect on them all. It would be the first moon since Robb’s death and from the look of the moons in the sky in the last few days, it would be the crimson moon tomorrow.The moon was a sign that showed the alpha of alphas didn’t die a natural death, but rather met his fate at the hands of another. The earth and sky and the moon goddess grieved for the loss of Robb Ai

“That’s impossible, right? If he was your father’s son, don’t you think your father would have said something about it?”His eyes fluttered. “Robb had a lot of secrets, many of which he carried to the grave. I have thought and thought about it for the past few weeks. I thought back to when we were little, and I thought of us as adults. Until a few years ago, Robb preferred Elliott. He treated him like a son and loved him more than his children. That was where I missed it. He didn’t treat Elliott like his son. Elliott was his son.”Mia gasped. It made sense. The puzzle was coming together, and it was mind shattering. “Have you told Edward about all this?” He shook his head. “Edward loved Robb, and despite his shortcoming, he believed our father was noble and the best father he could be. Knowing Robb fathered a child and never claimed him till his death would tarnish that love and respect.”“You need to tell him before we get to the shore or he will hold a grudge against you for leaving

Edward stood on the ship's deck, staring down at the calm sea. They were three days from shore, and it could be him, but the days had gone by slowly, too slowly for his patience. He couldn’t use his magic without fear of harming himself in the process. The last time was a narrow escape, and taking on too many burdens at once would run him into his grave. He knew this, but the empty and helpless feeling he had whenever he thought about Kailani bore a hole in his chest. He wondered if the Ainsworths were under some sort of curse or if their father’s sin had somehow rubbed off on them. The more they strived for happiness, the harder it became. This wasn’t the Moon Goddess’s doing; this was the doing of Doom and Mischief, rulers of Inferno. The nemesis that had befallen the Ainsworths had Doom and Mischief written all over it. He tried to channel the calmness of the sea and somehow connect with his mate, Kailani. This didn’t require his magic, just his natural werewolf's sense, but he fel

The ship took a detour for the second closest shore to land instead of heading for the shores of the capital. Joi spent the early hours of the morning on the shores. He had gone ahead along with Casy to study the closest shores where they would land and the number of guards on the ground. Casy had gone with him because her expertise was in line with that of Joi. She was more of a fighter and if things were to go sour, they would join forces for a quick escape.After a whole day of scanning the areas, they returned to the ship with the information they had gathered.Edward spread the map of the kingdom on the counter and the two came closer and placed the small logs on the setting they had surveyed.Joi pointed out the shores while the others stood around and watched. “The black shores have about twenty guards stationed while the capital had thirty-five.”“Which do you think would be best to land?” Xavier asked, staring at the map. “The black shores, just like the red, have a little ab

Flashback to the pastThe last person to come for dinner was Robb, and just as they did every day, they waited for him. It was their table rule to wait for anyone who was yet to be seated before eating, unless that person had given instructions to not wait for him or her. Seated at the table now were the four of them: Queen Layla, princes Xavier and Edward, and their cousin Elliott. He had been living with them at the palace since the death of his mother, and he had been around Robb more than the princes had. Robb loved his company, unlike the company of his two sons, and most times brought him along to learn. Queen Layla had asked why he wouldn’t carry Xavier as well, and he said Xavier was always causing trouble. Xavier, however, complained about how Robb always talked down on him. This had also put a strain on his relationship with Elliott as the two young men were at each other’s throats, arguing, fighting, and trying desperately to put each other down every chance they got. Ellio