Chapter 28
Alice
I never thought I would ever return to LA.
As I get off the private plane, I feel a sense of dread. This city holds too many painful memories for me, memories I have tried for years to outrun. Even though I am back now as a successful lawyer and the mate of the king of the Wolf Kingdom, those memories still linger.
“Leaving Mira behind doesn’t sit well with me,” Darian says tightly. “We should have brought her with us.”
His hand is wrapped around that of a little girl who’s wearing a face mask and a hat, her red wig in a braid. She’s Jimmy’s niece, but from a distance and with this wig, she’s a dead ringer for Mira.
“We don’t have a choice.” I smile down at the child in case anybody is watching. “Katherine, Jimmy, and Mary will look after her. As far as anybody knows, Mira is right here with us.”
“Let’s hope you’re right,” Darian replies grimly. “I left half the Black Arrows with them, just in case.”
“Any word on Thomas?”
“We’re pretty sure he’s in California.” My mate puts on his sunglasses as we head toward the black car waiting for us. “My intelligence team is still looking for him. But if he is here, I’m willing to bet anything that he’s in touch with his supporters.”
He opens the car door for me, and I nudge the little girl inside gently. “I’m sure you know who his supporters are.”
My mate gives me a cold smile. “Of course. Come on. Time for your debut.”
We drive to the royal palace. Willow’s divorce was a public spectacle, so I’m not surprised to see the number of cars parked outside.
The man who opens the car door for us looks surprised to see me but doesn’t comment, addressing Darien instead. “Your Majesty, welcome back. You have visitors. They arrived as soon as your plane landed.”
“Have they brought companions?” Darian asks lightly, lifting the little girl into his arms.
Jimmy told his niece how to behave, and she is putting on quite a performance. She wraps her arms around Darian’s neck and hides her face in his shoulder shyly. I can see the butler’s curiosity. He looks between me and the girl, and understanding dawns on his face.
“Brian?” Darian looks at the butler, who shakes his head as if to clear it.
“I—Yes, they are accompanied by young ladies.”
Darian and I exchange a look. We anticipated this.
“May I”—Brian hesitates before continuing—“May I take the young miss?”
“No.” Darian looks him square in the eye. “Set up a room for my daughter next to the royal chambers.”
“Your daughter, Sire?” His eyes widen as he nearly chokes out the words. The shock in his eyes is evident and is immediately followed by a beaming smile. “Of course! I’ll set up a room for the young princess.” He pauses, discreetly glancing at me. “And for the madam?”
“My mate will sleep in my room.”
If he became any happier, the butler would start skipping with joy. He hurries away, muttering, “Very good. Very good.”
“I wasn’t expecting that,” I comment. “I thought he would be a little scandalized, at least.”
“The servants hated Willow,” Darian tells me, carrying the young girl in his arms as we head inside. She seems to be falling asleep. Or is that part of the act? “She believed in putting them in their place. My father always treated the servants with respect, as do I. Willow liked to demean them. And according to Jimmy, they’ve all been very worried about me possibly being impotent. I guess I’ve managed to preserve my reputation.”
He gives me a strained grin, and I roll my eyes.
“Let’s go get this over with, stud.”
Hearing him laugh makes me feel a little better.
The royal palace has quite a lot of modern touches now, but it still resembles the Victorian one I remember from years ago with its large ceilings, marble floors, gorgeous chandeliers, and ancient architecture. I could never call this place home, but somehow, Darian seems to be able to.
The guests who are awaiting his arrival are the alphas and betas of various packs. As we suspected, they’ve come with their daughters, their nieces, and any other young female they can throw into Darian’s arms. When they see me, there is confusion in their eyes. The confusion morphs into shock when they see the little girl asleep in Darian’s arms. It’s common sense that the king would not carry a child who is not his own.
One of them steps forward. “Your Majesty. We heard about Queen Willow’s—”
“She is no longer the queen,” Darian says calmly. He carefully lays the still child on the throne, making sure her face is turned away from the curious visitors.
The man clears his throat. “Yes, of course. We heard about the divorce. I’m sure you had your reasons, but it is not preferable for a king to be without a companion for long. I would like to introduce my youngest daughter—”
Darian holds up his hand, stopping him mid-sentence. “Do you see the woman beside me?”
The man’s face grows red. “Y-Yes, but—”
“You all have saved me the effort of having to summon you here. I can see there are still some pack representatives missing. However, for those of you who are here, let me introduce you to your future queen. Alice Lane is my fated mate and the mother of my child. I have already given her my mating mark.”
Shocked gasps fill the room, and one of the alphas speaks up. “Alice Lane? Your Majesty, isn’t she the same woman who was branded a dark witch? I witnessed the ritual the white witches did—”
I feel a wave of humiliation come over me, well aware of how they saw me on the ground that night, but Darian’s hand wraps around mine.
“Yes,” he responds, his voice angry now. “The same white witches who tried to assassinate me in Phoenix, Arizona, a few days ago. They have turned on us. The white witches have been colluding with the former queen and her father in an attempt to depose me. Her father wishes to take the throne. I’ve been gathering evidence of their wrongdoings for years. Soon, they will be brought to trial.”
Sounds of outrage echo in the room.
“An attempt to assassinate the king?”
“How is this possible?”
Darian continues when the murmurs die down. “If anybody is harboring Thomas Elvin, now is the time to speak up. Whoever allies himself with my former father-in-law and the former queen will be considered an accomplice. And since the white witches have betrayed the Wolf Kingdom, their punishment will not be light. I will leave no stone unturned and leave no traitor alive. You may spread the word. Anyone who colludes with Thomas Elvin, his daughter Willow, or the white witches will have their entire family executed, no matter how old or young or how far-reaching their loyalty to the throne once was.”
I see a few faces turn pale, and when I glance at Darian, I can tell he has also noticed them.
One of the betas speaks up bravely. “But if your mate is a dark witch—”
“My mate is not a dark witch. She has the ability to shift. Would you like her to demonstrate?” Darian says sharply. Uneasy silence, and then the men shake their heads.
“Thomas and his daughter came up with the plan to brand Alice as a dark witch because they wanted Willow to have power within the royal palace. You are now looking at the next queen of the Wolf Kingdom, so I expect you to be respectful.”
Not everyone appears to be happy, but they’re all stunned by these revelations. Some of the men look uncertain and worried as they usher their young female relatives out of the room.
Once we are alone, I ask Darian, “Do you think they bought it?”
“Not entirely,” Darian replies quietly. “The white witches hold powerful positions within the kingdom. Opposing them is dangerous, but the alphas cannot ignore an assassination attempt. They’re going to do their own investigations. Those who are involved with Thomas will pull back from him, though. Thomas’s strength lay in the fact that he was the king’s father-in-law. With Willow dethroned, he doesn’t have the same status anymore.”
I let out a gust of air. “Well, at least they know about me now. Word will spread.”
He turns to face me. “I’m still not fully on board with this plan, Alice. It’s too dangerous. One small slip-up, and all will be lost.”
“I’m not exactly jumping for joy, either, but we have to try something. It’s the only plan that makes sense and keeps Mira safe.”
“Lila?” Darian looks over his shoulder at the little girl. “You can get up. Your mother must be waiting for you.”
Lila sits up. “Can I go home now?”
He nods. “Come on. I’ll take you to Yura.”
Yura, Jimmy’s older sister, is waiting in the garden for us. She peers at me. “So, you’re Darian’s mate. You’re quite the looker. Did Lila give you any trouble?”
“None. She was perfect.” I smile at her.
“Good.” Yura takes the red wig off her child. “When you bring your daughter here, let me know. I’ll send Lila over to play with her. Jimmy told me that they are around the same age.”
“Thank you. I’m sure Mira will like that.”
Lila holds onto her mother’s leg and looks at Darian. “Uncle Jimmy said that if I do this, he’ll get me a dollhouse. The really big one. He promised.”
Darian smiles at her. “I’ll make sure he gets it for you. And if he doesn’t, you come and tell me.”
Lila nods, and when she leaves with her mother, there is a skip in her step.
“What are you going to tell Brian when he notices she’s not here?” I ask, leaning back against Darian.
His arm comes to rest around my shoulders. “I’ll tell him the second floor is off-limits. All of this is only going to take a few days.”
I rub my chest, the spot above my heart. “I’ve never been away from Mira for so long. I know this is my idea, but I have to say that it sucks big time.”
It’s Darian’s turn to reassure me. “She’s going to be fine. The Black Arrows are there to protect her. Even if the white witches figure out what we’re trying to do, they won’t be able to get past the Black Arrows. If anything happens, they’ve been instructed to take Mira and move to another location immediately.”
“I hope this works. I really hope this works,” I whisper as we head back inside.
I hate having my daughter so far away from me.
*****
For now, the plan is to lure the white witches to us. Since they seemed so desperate to capture Mira, I have no doubt that they will come to the palace to take her. Or at least, they will try to take her. And when they don’t find her, they will most certainly try to take me.
I cannot see them confessing their crimes here at the royal palace, which is why Darian is keeping the security limited in the main wing where we are staying. If they attempt to kidnap me, I’m not going to put up that much of a fight and let them take me. I’m wearing a miniature camera on my shirt at all times. It’s a small, ordinary-looking, golden button. Darian has the same one on his shirt. It will begin broadcasting to the channel that we have set up as soon as it is activated. The only thing is that we have to press it to activate it.
When the witches take me, Darian will follow with his soldiers. The way we have planned it out seems foolproof, but nothing ever truly is.
Two days pass uneventfully. There is no word from the witches. There is no sign of Thomas. Nobody has come forward with any news of him. Except for the rumors that are spreading, there is utter silence.
And that silence makes me uneasy.
The witches must know that Mira and I have arrived. Meals for her are delivered to our private sitting room. The plates are sent back empty. Only the butler is allowed on this floor of the wing.
The longer the witches take to come after me, the longer I have to be away from my daughter.
Talking to Mira on the phone once a day doesn’t suffice. I know Mary is looking after her, as are Katherine and Jimmy, but I can’t stop worrying. This was my idea to begin with, so I shouldn’t complain, but I’m getting more and more agitated as the days go by. Mira, on the other hand, is enjoying her slumber party at Katherine’s house. She seems to think this is all a big adventure. I just hope it remains that way.
A couple of days have passed with nothing happening. I’m at my wits’ end.
I’m getting ready for bed when I get a call from Katherine. Darian is meeting with some soldiers in the training grounds. I’m just about to change when I hear the phone ring. When I pick up, I hear Katherine crying on the other end.
I immediately assume the worst.
“Katherine? What happened? Is Mira—”
“She’s fine.” My friend starts to sob. “It’s my parents, Alice. There was a car accident.”
My eyes close in grief as I realize what she’s going to say next.
“They didn’t make it, Alice,” Katherine whispers brokenly into the phone. “They’re gone. My parents are dead. Both of them. Oh, God!”
Her agonized whimper breaks my heart. “I’m so sorry, Katherine. I’m so sorry.”
“I—” She is almost incoherent. “I—I met them for lunch yesterday. Dad was finally going to retire. We celebrated. We—How could this happen, Alice? They weren’t supposed to die like this. Why did this have to happen?”
My eyes burn. “Tell me what to do. Tell me how I can help.”
“I wish you were here,” she whispers hoarsely. “I need someone calm right now. Someone to lean on. I—Mira is with Mary and Jimmy. My house is going to be filled with visitors soon, so they—they’re taking her to another location. I’m going to the morgue as soon as we get off the phone. The police called me from there. I—I can’t help you with Mira right now. Please understand.”
“Of course!” I cover my face with my hand, my heart hurting for my friend. “Of course, Katherine. Don’t worry about it. Look after yourself. As soon as the situation over here is resolved, I’ll come to you.”
I hear her sob again, and I wish I knew what else to do. Despite how fraught her relationship with her parents was recently, my friend loved them. To lose them has to be beyond devastating for her.
When she ends the call, I sit on the edge of the bed, my heart heavy. But there’s nothing I can do right now. Is there?
I quickly dial Mary’s number. She doesn’t pick up. No luck with Jimmy, either.
I stare at the phone. Katherine clearly just got the news; Mary and Jimmy must be busy getting Mira settled elsewhere. They probably don’t have the time to answer their phones. I should wait.
But I also need to tell Darian. He must still be out with his soldiers.
I head out of the room and run into the butler on my way to the training grounds. Brian looks surprised to see me at this hour. “Can I help you with something, Your Majesty?”
“You don’t have to call me that, Brian. Alice is fine.”
He gives me a blank look, as if unable to comprehend what I’m saying. “But you’re the future queen. I would never dare.”
I don’t have the time to argue with him. “Do you know where Darian is? I need to talk to him.”
“His Majesty has just left the royal palace. He said there was news of Thomas Elvin, and he’s gone to investigate.”
“I’ll call him, then.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” the butler says in an apologetic tone. “He left his phone here. I was just coming to give it to you. He must’ve forgotten it.”
I stare down at the phone in his hand. “Well, what about whoever went with him? Do they have a phone?”
“He went alone. He’s driving one of the cars himself.”
I’ve never wanted to smack Darian so hard before. He just took off?! Without so much as a word?!
Trying to curb my temper, I say tightly, “When he comes back, can you tell him I need to see him urgently?”
I hurry back to the suite and try to call Mary again. No response. At least half an hour has passed at this point. Even if they’re in the car or they have gotten to the new place, she should be able to answer the phone by now. I try to call Jimmy next. Nothing. I don’t know how to contact the Black Arrows. Darian is the only one who knows how to get in touch with them.
What is going on? Mary knows that she has to have a phone on her at all times. Why is she not picking up?
Pacing, I curse Darian under my breath. He should have taken his phone with him. I know forgetting it must have been a mistake, but I’m still frustrated. I can’t get in touch with anybody. There’s only one way around it.
Grabbing my coat, I head downstairs.
“Brian!” I call out.
Brian appears out of nowhere. “Your Majesty?”
“Where did Darian go?”
“He went to Alpha Rodriguez’s house. It’s an hour’s drive. Do you wish to go there?”
“Yeah. Is there a car I can borrow?”
“I’ll see if one of the drivers is available.”
“I just need the car and the keys, Brian. I don’t need to be chauffeured around. Just give me the location, and I’ll get there.”
The butler hesitates. “I can arrange for a driver to be here in twenty minutes. You shouldn’t be out there alone in the dark.”
“I’m a shifter. Nobody’s going to bother me. I really need to get going, Brian. Keys, please.” I’m in no mood to negotiate with the stubborn butler.
He sighs and returns in five minutes with a key in his hand. “I’ve had the red Jaguar brought around. If you’d follow me? The address will be keyed into the GPS.”
“Thanks.”
I hand him Darian’s phone. “Take this. I have my phone on me. If I don’t cross paths with Darian, tell him to call me immediately.”
“What about the princess?”
Crap.
“Don’t wake her up. She’s sleeping.”
“Should I station guards around her room?”
“Sure.” I gesture with my hand distractedly. “Do that.”
I rush outside, still trying to get in touch with Mary or Jimmy. By the time I’m on the road, I’ve called them at least ten times each. There’s no response. Something is wrong. I know it in my gut. Something is really wrong.
With no choice left, I call Katherine. She answers, her voice weary. “Alice?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, Katherine, but when did Mary and Jimmy leave with Mira?”
“About two hours ago. Why? What’s wrong?”
Two hours is a long time for them not to be available yet. “I can’t get in touch with either of them. I have a bad feeling, Katherine. I’ve been calling nonstop, but neither of them is answering their phone. Did they say where they were going?”
“I—” Katherine clears her throat. “They said there was a safe house that Darian knew about it. There were some men with them, the ones wearing the dark clothes.”
The Black Arrows.
If Darian’s personal squad was with them, then they should be safe. So, why isn’t anyone answering?
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Katherine tries to reassure me. “But I have some friends in the police department. Do you want me to reach out to them? See if they can—”
“This is a horrible time for me to be asking you for favors, but could you? Please. I’m losing my mind here. I can’t get in touch with them or Darian, and I don’t know what else to do.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got you.”
She ends the call, and I get back to following the directions on the map.
My phone suddenly begins to ping. The notifications keep coming, and I pull the car to the side of the road to check them. Maybe it’s Mary.
There are a series of texts from an unknown number.
I open the messages, and my heart nearly stops.
It’s Mira. Photos of Mira.
She’s sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
It’s not just one image. There are several photographs, taken from different angles, with time stamps on them. Another message pops up with the location, a location that I am all too familiar with. The same location that Mira saw in her dream.
What is going on? How did Mira get to LA? Katherine said she saw her two hours ago. How is that possible? There’s no way Mira could get here in that amount of time.
My hands are trembling as I try to call Darian before remembering that he doesn’t have his phone.
I know one number for the palace. I call it.
Nobody picks up. Pulling back onto the road, I make a violent U-turn and start driving in the opposite direction. Mira is at the lake. I have to get there.
I keep calling the palace. Finally, someone answers the phone.
“It’s Alice. Tell Darian that the witches took Mira. They—”
The line goes dead.
Frustration, fear, and anger are an ugly combination. Why is everything that can go wrong going wrong right now?!
I don’t know who else to call.
I have no choice. Driving like a demon, I break every traffic law in existence as I speed toward the lake. The royal palace is a long way from there, but I manage to arrive in under two hours. Throwing the car into park, I don’t even bother with the key, just leaping out, running into the woods, and shifting in midair. I don’t care if I’m heading into a trap with no backup.
My daughter is at the lake.
I need to get to her.
I don’t care who gets in my way. I’ll kill them all.
I’m coming Mira. I’m coming for you!
My heart is beating like a drum, slamming against my ribcage, when I reach the tree line that overlooks the lake. By the edge of the water, I see a small figure, lying still.
Shifting back, I run toward it. “Mira!”
Before I can reach her, a figure steps in my path. I come to a halt, my blood burning even as shock hits me like a punch in the gut.
Willow.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
She looks much calmer than she did during our last meeting. “I knew you’d come running for that bastard child.”
“Insult my daughter again—”
“And what?” She sneers at me. “What are you going to do, Alice? You’ve already lost. I have your daughter.”
“Get out of my way before I kill you,” I snarl at her.
“You’re going to kill me, too?” Her eyes narrow. “You’ve already wrecked my marriage.”
“I wrecked your marriage?” I spit out. “I was Darian’s fated mate. You blackmailed him into marrying you!”
“It doesn’t matter.” She flips her hair over her shoulder. “I still won. I got him, didn’t I?” She puts her hands on her hips and smiles at me. “You think you’ve won now because you’re going to become queen? Well, I have news for you. You’re never going to be the queen, and that little spawn of yours is never going to be acknowledged as the royal heir.” When she laughs, the sound is filled with madness. “All those years, I made sure you knew your place, but you just had to return to the royal family.”
My eyes dart toward Mira before I look back at Willow. “What do you mean, return?”
Willow considers me for a moment and then rolls her eyes. “Father was supposed to give you to the white witches. He knew who you were the minute you were left at the orphanage. You don’t know anything, do you? My mother was there when you were born.”
A rough sketch is starting to form in my mind, and I take a step forward. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Willow rocks on her heels, looking at me in disgust. “My mother was very close to Queen Freya, you see. She knew how the queen looked, always so fragile. King Edward didn’t let her make many public appearances because he was afraid of something happening to her. But my mother knew her. They grew up together, after all. I spent most of my childhood by the queen’s side. She called me her little princess. And then, she got pregnant with you.”
I’m staring at Willow, trying to wrap my head around what she’s saying. “I am the queen’s—I’m from the royal family?”
Willow looks like she wants to throw up. “The queen was so happy to have you. She always wanted a child, a daughter. Before you came along, she gave me all her attention, all sorts of gifts. And then, when she became pregnant with you, she suddenly began to focus only on you. It was like I didn’t even exist anymore. She even stopped calling me her princess. I hoped you would die in the womb. I never wanted you to be born, but then you were.”
I am too much in shock to react to any of this. Willow continues her story, sounding disgusted.
“My mother was talking to my father, and I overheard. They said you had to be given away. Something about a mark on you. For a while, you disappeared. And then you showed up at the orphanage. My father knew who you were. He recognized your red hair. My mother also recognized you. She wanted to take you back to the queen, but my father said we should turn you over to the white witches. You were a dark witch, after all. But my mother”—Willow makes a face—“she never chose me. She never understood that I had to come first, not you. She wanted to protect you. I told her to let you die. That was the only way Queen Freya would pay attention to me again. I had to be the princess! My mother got so angry. She was going to take you back to the queen, you know. I was six years old by that time. I was always smart. I knew—”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I finally spit out. “You’re clearly delusional.”
Willow snickers. “I wasn’t delusional when I put the oil-soaked rag in my mother’s car engine. I thought you would die with her, but you were like a cockroach. My father blamed you for her death. And I guess he kind of also liked being able to step on one of the royals. I told him to give you to the white witches. But he didn’t want to do it anymore. He wanted you to pay for my mother’s death. He wanted you where he could control you. Let a member of the royal family slip from his grasp? My father couldn’t let that happen. He kept coming up with more and more excuses not to hand you over. He couldn’t punish you for his mate’s death if you were with the white witches.”
I stare at her, stunned. Bile rises in my throat. She has to be lying. She has to be!
“But…you overheard Darian and Jimmy discussing the mark on my ankle…”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Willow scoffs. “I already knew what you were. I went to Darian to try to seduce him, but then I found out he had discovered the mark. Blackmail is so much faster. I was already planning for the white witches to come to the mating gathering during the last event. I was going to be queen. I wasn’t going to let something like you stand in my way. King Edward was already becoming a problem for the white witches. My father had been planning to have me marry into the royal family, but no matter how many times he brought me with him for his meetings with the king, we never seemed to run into Darian. When I reached out to the white witches about your identity, I offered them a deal. If they helped me become queen, I would give them open access to the kingdom. It didn’t quite work out like that since Darian refused to accept me, but with the white witches on my side, he didn’t have a choice. Even now, he doesn’t have a choice.”
She seems amused, and all I can think is how insane she sounds, how utterly repulsive.
“The queen always said I was her little princess. I was going to be the next queen. Then, you ruined my life. When you were born, Queen Freya changed her attitude toward me. Because of you, she completely changed and went away. If I couldn’t have her, then I was going to have Darian. The day I saw him in that restaurant with you, and my father told me who he was, I remembered. I had seen him once before. I was going to be the one to stand by his side. Not you. It was easy to make a deal with Darian. He’s such a sucker. He just fell for it.”
“I don’t understand,” I breathe. “You did all this because you were jealous of me?”
“Jealous of you?” An enraged look enters Willow’s eyes. “I was supposed to be the princess. You took the queen from me! You didn’t deserve to live. You think I’m going to let you take Darian from me, as well? I’m going to kill you and that spawn of his. Better yet, I’ll keep the creature alive, and he’ll have no choice but to take me back. That is, if he wants to see his baby girl live. Of course, once I have a child, I’ll get rid of this one.”
I growl. “You think I’m going to let you do that? You really did take the crazy train back to LA.”
I call out my wolf, but just as the change is about to wash over me, I feel a strange sensation.
My wolf doesn’t come out. I try again, but it doesn’t budge.
Willow laughs as cloaked figures emerge from the trees around us.
“Did you think I was going to let you try the same trick twice? I’m not stupid, Alice. This is it for you.”
As the witches surround me, my frantic gaze moves to Mira.
She’s also surrounded, the hands of the witches outstretched.
Fear fills me.
No!