"It could be nothing," Maeve grunted sleepily as Ann paced the floor of her home office while Adam watched her with increasing concern.
"It could be, or it might not," Ann replied, "The Enclave has always had its own motives for doing things, and who's to say that Barty was always on our side?"
"You can't be serious! How do you even know that it was actually old Barty boy who was even involved in the first place? It's just as likely that someone could have impersonated him," Maeve answered haughtily as Ann clicked her tongue impatiently.
"Will you just sit down for a moment Ann? I'm worried you're going to make yourself dizzy, or fall or…you know, pass out." Adam murmured.
"I'm not a child," Ann bit back, stretching her back out, "Besides, even if I sit down my legs still throb. At least this way I don't have the restless anxiety gnawing at me while we wait for him to arrive. What time is it now?"
Adam frowned and begrudgingly checked his watch.
"Five minutes since you last asked." he sighed as a knock at the door brought a look of relief cascading over Adam's fraught features as he rushed to open it.
"Elder Bartholomew!" He greeted warmly as Coral ushered the tired looking man into the room, "Thank you for coming at such short notice!"
"It was nothing, really," Bartholomew chuckled, "After I heard that our beloved Alpha Queen needed to speak to me urgently in person, I could hardly resist the summons now, could I?"
Ann forced a smile on her face as she leaned over and gave him a quick hug, earning a blush from Bartholomew as he blustered in embarrassment.
"Please, sit." Ann said, directing him to the chair, "I'm sure Coral wouldn't mind fetching something to eat or drink for you."
"Oh! A nice strong coffee would be much appreciated," Bartholomew sighed as he sank down in a plush sofa and Coral nodded excitedly, hurrying off to see to his request.
"How was the journey down?" Adam asked, taking a seat next to him.
"I must say I'm not really a fan of travelling by car any more," Bartholomew grimaced, "It used to be a semi comfortable experience but now every jolt in the road seems to rattle through these old bones of mine."
Ann laughed politely as she leaned against the edge of the desk and smiled.
"Im sure that you're wondering why the subject of Greyson's parentage came up," she began, keeping her tone light, "In the event of things taking longer than either of us anticipate, I took the liberty of having the staff ensure that you had a room ready with an adjoining office, just in case you decide that you need to stay here a little while."
Bartholomew raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.
"That's very thoughtful of you, my Queen, I am at your disposal of course," He said carefully before his face brightened, "Oh, and Coral mentioned that your library could do with a little bit of TLC, so I took the liberty of bringing a few of my cataloguing apprentices."
He held a hand up towards Adam as they both felt his wolf tense, his aura almost swallowing the room whole.
"Don't worry Alpha, they aren't even past the threshold yet. I believe that they are sat in the guards quarters, waiting for your approval. I assumed that you would be exceedingly careful of who you allow near your pregnant mate."
Adam nodded gratefully as his shoulders relaxed.
"I'm going to pretend that the both of you didn't just go completely over my head in assigning new staff into rooms of a palace that technically belong to me." Ann bristled, narrowing her eyes at the both of them as they shrank back slightly under her ire.
"Awww don't scare little barty boy, he might disappear under a stack of his own wrinkles and then who are we going to ask about Greyson?" Maeve pouted.
Ann rolled her eyes internally as Bartholomew hurriedly apologized.
"I meant no offence your highness…just...Alpha's and their pregnant mates…" he trailed off clearing his throat awkwardly, "Anyway! Greyson's parentage, what exactly did you wish to know?"
"Well there's a few things actually," Ann replied carefully, "But we may as well start with why his bloodline was hidden from me."
Bartholomew sighed as he sank back in the sofa, "It's a long story, your highness, and one that is full of pain and loss. That poor boy went through such a lot at such an impressionable age yet still chose the right path, despite the influences around him."
"Mm, so you say, but as neither I, nor Adam have the liberty of being privy to what that story is, I think we both would very much appreciate an explanation."
Bartholomew nodded quietly as Coral re-entered the room and placed refreshments on the table in between them before quickly leaving and shutting the door firmly behind her.
"Well," Bartholomew said as he drew a long breath, "Considering you have seen that my name is associated with a particular innocuous looking project in the human suburbs, I assume that you would like an explanation for that as well."
Ann blinked at him in surprise, "How did...how did you know I had seen that file?"
"The names were redacted to protect the identity of someone…vulnerable," Bartholomew explained steadily, "Anytime that the file is accessed, it sends a security alert to the team that guard the parties involved, and they in turn, notify me. A serious breach could be catastrophic for all those involved."
"Even as the ruling monarch?" Ann asked incredulously and Bartholomew nodded seriously.
"I don't have to remind you of how your father was compromised," he said darkly as understanding settled over Ann.
"So am I to understand that the person in question still requires protection?" Ann asked with a frown, "Even after all this time?"
Bartholomew laughed bitterly as he met her gaze and held it steadily.
"Yes. The person that hunts them would stop at nothing to see them reach a painful end. You'll find that both that person's story and Greysons are closely intertwined, so perhaps I should start at the beginning, with the story of how Greyson's mother and I came to be acquainted."