*Maddox*
I need to get up and get back to work, but I can’t. Lying here with Isla cradled against my chest, the smell of our lovemaking still heavy in the air, is soothing, and the rest of the world is cold and angry.
Going back out there seems senseless. Why would I do that when I can simply stay here with her?
“What is it, Maddox?” she asks, her voice heavy with sleep. “I know something is troubling you. More so than usual.”
I can’t help the chuckle that escapes my lips. She knows me so well. “I was going to say, since when is there a time when something isn’t bothering me?”
She turns her blue eyes on me, and I smile at her, brushing my thumb across her cheek. “Have you had any progress whatsoever?”
A sigh slips out of my mouth, and I tell her, “Yes and no. It’s a slow process, baby. We have to go pack by pack, person by person, and convince them all that turning against me as the rightful king is a huge mistake.”
“But there are so many packs that have been infiltrated in one way or another by Luna Elaine and her crazy daughter. How can you be sure that you’ve convinced them all that Zabrina was sneaking around behind each one of their backs, going to the next, and telling them the same thing they wanted to hear, that she was their mate?” Isla wants to know.
“I can’t,” I admit. “She had fooled at least seven Alphas or Alphas’ sons. Austin was only the first of many men whom she’d used her back of poisons and tricks against. She’d managed to convince him that they were going to be together and rule the kingdom.” The thought of all of the webs and lies the woman had woven made me sick, but the fact that it hadn’t been her idea or her choice also made me sick. I almost felt sorry for Zabrina, crazy as she was. Her mother had manipulated her in ways she never even realized before she died.
“And what about Alpha Geofrey? Is he still trying to convince the packs by Beach Front to join him?” I nodded that he was. “How many packs have pledged to fight against you with him now?”
“Four,” I tell her. “All of them are coastal packs. My father did a lot of damage in their pack lands when he took a major port away from them and gave it to a pack that had been at great odds with all of them for generations, that didn’t set well with any of them.”
“Why would your father do that?” she asks me, resting her cheek back against my chest. I smooth back her blonde ringlets, distracted by how smooth and silky her hair is as it slides through my fingers.
“He was trying to punish the packs because he felt that they were out of line by keeping a majority of the profits coming in from the port for their own packs. My father wanted them to pay more taxes and spread the money they brought into other packs. They said that wasn’t fair, that the other packs didn’t share their resources with them. It was a constant debate.”
She takes a deep breath, holds it in, and lets it out slowly. “It’s too bad that your father caused such a big problem for all of those packs, and now they’re taking it out on you.”
“I agree.” Leaning down, I press my lips to the top of her head. I don’t want to mention to her that this is just one of the many problems that my father had created in the packs that I am still trying to fix. “We will sort it out, though. I’ve been trying to fix it since I became king, but now, obviously, it’s more imperative that I get it solved peacefully before it’s too late.”
Once again, she lifts her head to look at me. “Do you think it will be too late? Do you think we’ll go into a full-blown war?”
Shrugging my shoulders, I tell her, “I can’t say for sure, but I do know that I trust my people. My commanders and the other people that are working so hard to make sure that we are prepared should it unfold. I don’t want that to be the case, and I am hopeful that announcing that you are pregnant will be the catalyst we need to bring the kingdom back together, but I can’t make that announcement just yet.”
Her mouth opens and closes, and I know what she wants to say, but she doesn’t say it because she doesn’t want me to have to articulate what she knows I’m thinking.
I’m not ready for it yet because I’m still not completely certain that the baby is all right. The child went through a lot shortly after conception. Until Mystica can verify for certain that the child will live, I can’t afford to announce the baby’s existence.
If people believe that I’m just making it up to convince them that there’s no need to get worked up and everything will be fine, but then there’s not a baby, that could make the situation far worse.
“When are you leaving again?” she asks me, and though I’m glad she’s changed the subject from the uncomfortable topic of the baby, I don’t want to answer that question either, but I find myself doing so.
“The day after tomorrow,” I reply. “I’ll be gone for quite some time, unfortunately, perhaps a month or so.”
“What?” she asks, her eyes bulging. “Maddox, I’m not sure that I can handle that.”
Once again, I stroke her cheek lovingly. I know exactly what she means as it is breaking my heart to think of her back here at the castle without me. But I have to focus on the war efforts right now, and I’ve learned only moments ago via the mind-link that this is the best course of action.
My generals in the field, primarily Commander Vember and Commander Givens, have determined I need to go to Beach Front myself. It’s the only way to convince our allies there that I am willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that our kingdom stays strong.
Isla rolls onto her back and places a hand against her forehead, staring up at the ceiling. I want to pull her back to my chest, so that she’s in my arms, nestled against me, safe and warm.
“When you’re gone, will Seth still be here?” she asks me. “Or will he be going with you?”
“This time, he’ll be with me,” I explain to her. Sometimes recently, when I’ve gone off to take care of these affairs having to do with the potential uprising, my Beta would stay behind in the castle. But this time, I needed him at my side.
“Who will be left in charge?” she asks me, turning her head to look at me.
It’s a good question. I’ve left a variety of different leaders in charge while I’ve been away. It seems like as one of them proved their value here at the castle, he’d be called into service elsewhere, so that it became a bit of a revolving door.
It is time for me to give another leader a try, and I have recently met someone that I think would do a good job.
“His name is Commander Pepelos,” I tell her. “I think you’ll like him. I’ll introduce him to you tomorrow.”
“Pepelos?” she repeats. “That’s an odd last name. Do you know much about him?”
“I have worked with him a bit. Until recently, he was under Commander Vember. He did such a good job negotiating with Rough Bark pack, Commander Vember promoted him and introduced him to me.”
“And… now he’s a commander as well?” she asks me.
“That’s right.” She rolls back to me, and I kiss her forehead. “He’s not that old. I think the two of you will get along well. He’s very straightforward and to the point, and he’s also quite loyal.”
“If you say so,” she mutters. I know that she hasn’t liked any of the commanders I’ve left in charge while I was away. That is one of the reasons why I kept switching them. Usually, she felt they were too cold and distant, or she felt they didn’t do a good job of maintaining the status quo in the castle. I can understand that. I want her to be happy with whoever is in charge here because this is her home, and while she will need to leave the day-to-day running of the defense and other military aspects of the castle to the commander I leave behind, she is now in charge of everything else.
She isn’t the Luna Queen, but she has taken on the same role that Rebecca had served in when she was alive. Whether she knows it or not. I hadn’t been so explicit when I’d asked Isla to do these things, but ultimately, that’s who she’s become.
“All right,” she said in a sleepy voice. “I would like to meet him tomorrow, though.”
“Of course.” I kiss the top of her head again and hold her against me. Within a few moments, she is sound asleep.
The next day, after we’d showered and eaten breakfast together, I kissed Isla goodbye and went on about my day, keeping in mind that she wants to meet Commander Pepelos as soon as he is available.
It isn’t until early afternoon that Commander Vember brings the young man into my office. “Alpha King Maddox, you remember Commander Pepelos?” he asks.
“Yes, of course.” I stand and shake his hand, and the younger man bows his head to me in respect. “I would love for you to meet the lady of the castle since the two of you will be working so closely together while I am gone.” He is a handsome fellow, and if I wasn’t so secure in the relationship I have with Isla, I might be a bit nervous. But I have nothing to worry about. Isla has eyes only for me.
“Yes, of course, Your Highness,” he says, and the three of us leave to go to Isla’s room.
I knock on the door and Poppy answers it. “Good afternoon, my King,” she says, bowing slightly and moving aside.
Isla is standing just inside the door by her bed. “Hello, darling.” I go to her and kiss her cheek. “You remember Commander Vember?”
“Yes, of course,” she says as he bowed in respect. “It’s lovely to see you again, sir.”
“You as well, my Lady,” he says, cordially.
“And this is Commander Pepelos,” I say, gesturing to the other man.
Isla’s eyes move to his face, and she gasps slightly before she recovers and says, “Nice to meet you, sir.”
“Likewise, my Lady,” he replies, bowing to her. He doesn’t offer her his hand, which is fine, because I’m still trying to figure out what the problem is. Isla looks troubled.
The two of them stay for a moment, and Isla and Commander Pepelos talk about how things will be run while I am gone. They seem to come to an agreement, and then the two of them leave.
Immediately, I turn to Isla, nervous. Did she think that Commander Pepelos was so very handsome, she could hardly contain herself?
“Is everything all right?” I ask her.
“Yes,” she says quickly. “It’s fine. It was only… his eyes.”
My forehead scrunches up in confusion. “His eyes? What about them?”
“Haven’t you noticed?” she asks me.
Shaking my head, I say, “No. I suppose I was more concerned with what he had to say to be thinking about what color his eyes are. Why?”
“I’ve just never seen anyone with that color of eyes before, not in their human form, anyway,” she says. “It doesn’t matter. It was just taken aback.”
“But… what color are they?” I ask. If they were that strange, why hadn’t I noticed?
She’s trying to be nonchalant, but I’m not buying it. With a simple shrug, she says, “Amber.”