Dimitri’s POV
“I am telling you, Dimitri,” Will said. “It has to be Lincoln. He has nothing to lose.”
I fixed my tie and glanced at him.
“His pack is falling apart,” Will said, looking at the file in his hand. “He is financially ruined. It makes sense that he would want to go after your throne, Dimitri. He is the one who would gain the most out of it.”
I sighed and shook my head.
“It’s not Lincoln,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s someone else.”
My money was on that fucker Lucius. I didn’t give a fuck what Alistair had said about him. I didn’t trust him.
“You don’t want it to be Lincoln because he was your father’s friend,” Will sighed, placing the file on my desk.
“That’s not the only reason, Will,” I said as I started fixing the cufflinks on my sleeves. “Lincoln is harmless. He doesn’t have the resources to do something like this.”
Will sighed and shook his head at me.
“Who is it then?” he asked. “We went through everything we have about these Alphas and their packs. Nothing stands out. Lincoln is the only one with a motive.”
“A financial one, yes,” I said. “That doesn’t make him the traitor, Will.”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly.
“Besides, I don’t really think that the motive behind this is money,” I said. “I believe it is about something else.”
“Power?” Will asked and I nodded.
“And Madeline,” I said quietly, feeling the anger burning a hole in my stomach.
Will’s eyes widened.
“You really think that this is about her?” he asked quietly. “Why? She could only be a means to an end, though. They could only try to hurt her to get you to give up your throne.”
I gulped and gave him a small nod.
“Yes,” I said, trying to stop my voice from trembling. “But I am scared that it’s not only about that. I think that they know who she is.”
Will’s eyes widened even more.
“No!” he exclaimed, shaking his head. “They don’t know, Dimitri! No one knows!”
I took a deep, slow breath through my nose. I needed to remain calm, but all I really wanted to do was scream and kill every single one of them.
“I am not so sure,” I said, breathing out slowly. “Why do you think I don’t want her using her powers? Why do you think I don’t want her to practice? Why do you think I am even considering letting Oliver give her that fucking concoction that would just stop her powers?”
I tightened my jaw and shook my head.
“I am terrified that they already know,” I said quietly. “And I don’t want to give them proof.”
I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath.
“I know it would be easier to just let Maddie read their minds and tell me which one of those fuckers is after my throne,” I said angrily. “But I would be putting her in so much danger if I did that. I would give them proof. I would show them who she is and what she can do. Every single one of them would be after her if I did that. Every single one of those fuckers would want my mate if I did that.”
Will nodded. “I know, Dimitri. I agree with you. We can’t use her for that. She isn’t even aware of everything that she can do. Even if we tried, it could go horribly wrong.”
I nodded and Will furrowed his brows.
“But you didn’t answer my question,” he said. “Why do you think that they know?”
I took another deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair.
“I am not sure,” I said, tightening my jaw. “Maybe it’s my fear talking, but I have this terrible feeling that…”
I stopped talking and closed my eyes.
“Nothing will happen to her, Dimitri,” Will said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “She is safe. We won’t let them hurt her.”
I opened my eyes and nodded.
“They…,” Will spoke, but he was interrupted when the door opened.
My beautiful princess walked inside and my heart skipped a beat. She was wearing a beautiful dark green dress that enhanced the color of her eyes perfectly. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and I could see my mark on her neck. It made me shiver. It was a clear sign that this perfect woman was mine.
“Princess,” I mumbled as I reached out for her.
“Are you ready?” she asked as she approached me.
She looked me up and down and smiled a little. I pulled her to me and breathed in her scent. It calmed me down immediately.
“You are really handsome,” she said softly as she ran her hand down my back. “I like this suit.”
I smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead. I missed her terribly. She spent the morning at breakfast with the Lunas. I was in meetings all day. I just wanted to be alone with her and keep her body close to mine.
“How did the meeting go?” she asked, looking from me to Will. “Did you find something new? Did the rogues attack again?”
“Thankfully no,” Will said. “The meetings went well. We managed to come up with a new plan for border security. The Alphas agreed to most of it.”
Maddie nodded and looked at me.
“What about the traitor?” she asked. “Any new information?”
I tightened my jaw and shook my head. “No, princess. We couldn’t bring it up at the meeting. If Alistair is right and it is one of the Alphas, I don’t want him to know that we know.”
“The alphas suggested the possibility of rogues having their own leader,” Will said, shaking his head. “Some sort of an Alpha of the rogues.”
Maddie furrowed her brows and looked at Will.
“Do you think it’s possible?” she asked.
Will shrugged. “It could be, but it’s not likely. We would know if a rogue became that powerful. We would know if he managed to gather a large number of followers. Something like that couldn’t be kept a secret for long.”
Maddie nodded and took a deep breath.
“At least we can make an educated guess about who their inside man is,” Will added, rolling his eyes.
“Kendrick,” Maddie mumbled.
“Do we have eyes and ears on him?” I asked, tightening my hold on Maddie.
Will nodded and smirked a little.
“Since the day Maddie read his mind,” he said. “I can tell you how many times he went to the bathroom last night.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Maddie chuckled a little.
“That doesn’t seem like relevant information,” I said.
“Just letting you know it’s information we do have,” Will said, grinning at me.
“What about other information?” Maddie asked, smiling a little. “Anything relevant?”
Will shook his head. “No. He stays in his office most days. He did try to visit Janet a couple of times, but he was never let inside.”
I growled quietly, making Maddie rub my back gently.
Will glanced at the watch on his wrist and muttered a curse under his breath.
“We are going to be late,” he said as he started walking toward the door. “I am going to go get Ali. We have to leave.”
He rushed out of my office and I immediately pulled Maddie to me. I pressed my lips against hers and cupped her cheeks.
“Stay beside me the entire time,” I said softly. “Am I clear?”
“Yes,” she mumbled and kissed me.
I melted into her embrace, wishing we could just stay here where she was safe. I couldn’t wait for the night to be over. I couldn’t wait until I was asleep next to her. I couldn’t wait until she was safely wrapped in my arms.
