Alexander
“I’m guessing you have already seen this,” my father said, his tone dry. He pressed play on a remote and the giant screen on the wall sprang to life.
“…allegedly, Alpha Alexander’s leaked military documents prove he has been associating with vampires in the south, meeting with them on their territory and trading secrets. Now, this is an act of treason that, if proven, would carry with it a life sentence in…”
The video paused.
“It’s garbage,” I said. “A baseless accusation.”
The King laughed. “That’s exactly how your mother describes your allegations against her, you know.”
“Step-mother.” It was all I could do to keep my emotions out of my voice as I said it. But there was no way I was letting it go unsaid. I had a mother of my own, and she had been not only a good woman, but also a true queen. Just because Scarlet shared a bed with my father did not make her anything like a mother to me.
The King grinned, pleased he had gotten my attention. I almost groaned, hating myself for taking his bait. Then he turned his attention back to the TV screen and hit fast-forward.
“The rumors allegedly started when a whistleblower inside the palace discovered incriminating documents and leaked them online…”
Pause again.
“Find the mole.” The King looked at me with stern, unyielding eyes. “Whatever it is they got their hands on, it looks real enough to have them talking. That means some part of it is real. And that means you have a leak in your operation. Find it. Deal with it. Immediately.”
He threw the remote down on an ornate, heavy glass table. It bounced off, breaking open and landing in pieces yards away on the floor.
I paced the length of my office slowly, considering the limited options before me.
Someone had been in this room. They had found and taken something from here. Something they altered cleverly enough to use convincingly in their ruse to stir up suspicion about my supposed involvement with vampires.
I felt sick to my stomach, thinking about the details of the rumor.
I had personally fought those vampires, many times over. The ones that infested the deep canyons just south of our territory. They were despicable creatures. Our battles had been cold and bloody, fought in the dark in the dead of night.
To suggest that I was collaborating with those undead vermin was a low blow. Having no foundation of truth, the rumor would blow over eventually. But until it did, people would be mulling it over.
I pulled back the heavy drapery that concealed the entrance to the hidden passageway in the wall. The outline of the door was still visible. I still couldn’t believe that my stepmother had it cut back open while I was gone. Like I wouldn’t catch on to a cheap trick like the one she had tried to pull with the maid and the planted necklace.
But I had set up a few traps after that last episode. And as far as I could tell, no soul had crossed the threshold of that concealed door since I’d set everything in place. It would not be possible to disable the tripwire from inside the passage, and it was still strung taught where I had tied it.
I dragged the drapery back into place, concealing the door from view, and resumed my thoughtful pacing.
The only people with access to the West Wing of the palace at all right now were me, my men, our carefully screened and well-vetted staff of maids, cooks, and butlers, and… Fiona. My fiancée and future Luna.
And, my nagging mind reminded me: the daughter of my enemy.
But I could not rush to a conclusion, especially as I thought back on the way she fought for me this week. Defended my name, even when it meant risking her own safety. Watched bravely and stayed at my side as I took a brutal beating. And doted on me carefully as I convalesced.
In my heart, I knew Fiona to be an honorable woman, but still my mind warned me not to trust her. Not just yet.
Third person
The two soldiers returned to the palace grounds well before evening training.
Dropping down from the tall cabin of their matte black truck, the men were smiling cheerfully, their faces glowing orange with the reflection of the night’s vibrant sunset as they crossed the parking lot swiftly.
They were feeling lucky. Like things were just about to turn around for them. The gods of Fate were smiling on them for once in their short, violence-filled lives.
And so it seemed, hilariously, like another stroke of good luck – the dirty kind, this time – when they stumbled upon a couple having sex outside. They heard the girl’s sweet little moans first and followed the sounds over to the climbing wall and outdoor weight sets at the far end of their training arena.
They recognized the guy at once. It was Alexander’s beta and their fellow soldier, Kayden. He was lying flat on his back on the weight bench, with his feet planted firmly on the ground on either side.
The bar was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a petite, smoking hot girl was bouncing up and down on top of him. She was tattooed, with smooth tan skin, violet hair, and a black choker tied around her neck. A little pink crop-top sweater was the only bit of clothing she had left on. A lacy black thong and a tiny pair of black shorts laid in a heap some twenty feet away.
The shorter man, who was smarter, by far, than his oafish friend, also had very good vision and an instinct for mischief. He was not the fastest runner in the pack, or the most coordinated, or the smartest. But he was very skilled at spotting an opportunity to get himself into trouble.
And there was something interesting bulging out of the pocket of the hot girl’s tiny little shorts. A piece of paper.
He darted forward against the silent protests of his comrade and ran over to the pile of discarded clothes. Neither the girl nor Kayden registered any awareness of their company at all.
Grabbing the little folded square of paper, the soldier turned and fled. His pal followed close behind, and this time they didn’t stop until they reached their bunk, where they slipped into the crowd of soldiers and tried to play it cool, like they’d been there taking a break with the others all afternoon.
The soldier kept the letter hidden in his pocket until he was sure he was alone. Only then did he unfold it and begin to study the words on the page.
Here he had already been thinking that this was a lucky day.
A smile broader than he’d smiled in a long time filled up the entire lower half of his face. Because this was not just a lucky find. It was like striking gold.
He left without a word and made his way across the West Wing, heading to Alexander’s office, where he knew his Alpha was likely to be at this time of night.
