*Maddox*
“Sir, I think it would be best if you went to the pack lands of each of the Alphas whose daughters were involved in the incident with Isla and discussed your decision with them personally,” Seth is saying, not for the first time. “I believe it’s the only way that they are going to understand the reason behind your decision to punish them so severely.”
“So let me get this straight.” I steeple my fingers together on the desk between me and him. “You don’t think it’s a good idea for me to announce that Isla is pregnant with my child, the heir to the throne, but you do think it’s a good idea for me to travel to six different packs to have discussions with those leaders in order to explain to them why their daughters were beaten and locked in the dungeon. All of that without telling them that they threatened to kill the woman carrying the heir to the throne?”
I give him a scrutinizing look. Why would he want me to tell them the circumstances surrounding one issue but not the other when they are so connected?
“Yes, essentially,” he says with a shrug. “But… while you are in those pack lands, I don’t see a reason why you couldn’t go ahead and disclose the nature of Miss Isla’s pregnancy to them.”
“So you think it’s okay to tell my enemies about the heir but not my allies?” Nothing that Seth was saying made any sense to me. Try as I might to understand his angle, I simply couldn’t.
“Your Majesty,” he began, “perhaps you should go speak to these Alphas and then make the announcement about the baby upon your return to the castle. While you’re away, we could plan some sort of a festival, a celebration. Perhaps it could correspond with the Blood Moon. We could tell everyone the happy news then?”
I stare at him for a long moment, trying to determine whether or not he has lost his mind or if I should actually listen to him. In the past, I’ve had no problem trusting anything that Seth advised me to do. But now, I’m starting to think he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, which is troublesome. In all of the years that he’s been my Beta, he’s never steered me wrong. But this just sounds… ridiculous.
I am glad that he’s starting to realize that we need to make an announcement about the baby, though.
“Seth, I don’t know if traveling to all of these packs is a good idea or not. Isla won’t like me leaving again so soon after the war.”
“You should speak to her about it. Isla’s an intelligent, reasonable person. I’m sure she’ll be able to tell you whether or not she thinks it’s a good idea that you leave the castle right now to go speak to these Alphas in person.” Seth shrugs, and I consider what he is saying.
It won’t hurt me to talk to Isla about it. I already know that she’s going to say she doesn’t want me to leave again. She never wants me to leave. But she’s also mentioned that she wishes I would keep her better apprised of the situation. She seems to think that I tell Trinity more about what’s going on than I tell her.
She may be right about that. It just seems like Trinity has a better mind for that sort of thing, more experience, but if I could include Isla in these sorts of discussions, maybe she’d be more comfortable.
Besides, in this case, she will probably side with me and prove my point that it isn’t a good idea for me to leave the castle right now. In fact, she’ll probably be furious if I even bring it up.
“Fine,” I tell Seth. “I will speak to Isla about it.”
He nods. “I think that will give you some clarity.”
With a sigh, I pick up my pen and get back to work. I have a lot of reports to review. I assume Seth will just leave on his own, but he’s not going anywhere. He clears his throat so I look up at him.
“When were you planning on speaking to her, sir?” he asks me.
I arch an eyebrow. “I don’t know. This evening maybe. What difference does it make?” Did he expect me to just drop everything and run off to her right now?
“Well, if you want to plan the celebration and announcement of the heir for the night of the Blood Moon, then there’s a good chance that you need to get started on all of that right away. Delaying it will make it more difficult to get all of the planning done.”
Sighing, I rub my forehead. He’s really beginning to weigh on my nerves.
“Fine. I’ll go speak to her now so that the ladies who plan the parties will have an extra couple of hours to get things together.”
It sounds absolutely ridiculous to me. For all I know, Isla is taking a nap or busy with some of her friends. She’s been spending a lot of time with Trinity and the duchess lately.
The whole matter is a bit silly, if you ask me. She’s going to wonder why I’m even consulting her on the matter since I have never asked her opinion on such things before, and when I tell her that I just want her opinion, she will become suspicious.
As she should. I have no idea why I should be asking her since I don’t want to follow Seth’s advice and go anyway. But as soon as she gets upset that I’m planning on leaving home again so soon after I just arrived back from the war, I’ll be justified in telling Seth his plan won’t work.
Isla is in her room when I arrive, sitting by the chair, looking out the window. It is strange to me that she doesn’t have a book in her hand, but I guess I don’t know how she spends all of her days while I’m in my office. She looks a little flustered.
“Are you all right?” I ask her, arching an eyebrow.
“Yes. I just… saw a couple of birds chasing one another out the window, and it was a little traumatic, that’s all,” she explains.
I’m not sure what to say to that. Birds chasing one another has her looking out of sorts? I can’t imagine how she’s handled herself on a battlefield then. Not that she’ll be doing that anytime soon—or at all.
“Well, I wanted to speak to you about something.” I sink into the chair across from her, and Isla turns to give me her attention. “I’m considering going out to the different packs of the girls who threatened to attack you to speak to their fathers. I want the Alphas to know how serious this matter was, firsthand, from me. Right now, they don’t seem to understand why I am so angry at their daughters for acting this way, and if I go and speak to them in person, I can better explain the seriousness of the situation and why I reacted the way that I did.” I hope that I have said this in a way that she can understand.
Isla nods. “Are you planning to tell them about the baby?”
“No, I don’t think so. I was planning on holding a festival around the Blood Moon to tell everyone about the baby.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “The Blood Moon? Would that be a good idea? That could be considered bad luck, couldn’t it? Perhaps you should make it a bit later than that.”
She may have a point. The Blood Moon is often associated with bad omens of the past. “Well, Seth suggested the Blood Moon, but maybe we should wait.”
“Oh, Seth suggested it?” Suddenly, her countenance changes. “If Seth suggested it, then it’s probably a good idea. He usually knows what he’s talking about.”
“And I don’t?” I ask, not sure if I should be offended.
“You usually do, too, but I didn’t take you for someone who is used to planning festivals and celebrations. Seth seems to have more experience with such things, or so I would assume.”
I’m not sure what to say to that. She does have a point, I suppose.
“At any rate, I’m thinking of going to speak to the Alphas, either one-on-one or possibly ask them all to meet me at a particular Alphas pack lands.”
“That seems dangerous,” she says. “I mean, asking them to meet you all at the home of an Alpha who may be angry at you. What if they gang up on you?”
I shake my head. “I’ll have my forces with me.”
“All right. But it might make more sense to just spend a few hours at each Alpha’s home, at least to me. But then, what do I know?”
“I’m asking you because I care about your opinion,” I tell her. That’s not necessarily true. I am surprised that she’s not just telling me to stay here. “So you think I should go, though? If I decide to go, I’ll probably leave relatively soon. They’re already so mad, they’re ready to fight. I need to explain to them that they should be angry at their own daughters, not at the crown.”
“I do think you should go,” she says with a sharp nod. I am shocked. “It’s the only way to get them to understand what has transpired. You may have to tell them the truth of the matter, though, that I am carrying your child, or that I could be, if you don’t want to make such an announcement ahead of whatever festival Seth is planning.”
I sigh and run a hand through my hair. I would like to avoid telling them about the baby at all costs, but both Seth and Isla have mentioned they think I should. “We shall see how it goes. But you’re really okay with me leaving again so soon?”
“Of course, I’d prefer it if you stayed,” Isla says with a shrug. “But since that doesn’t seem to be an option, I understand that you have to go. This is different than you running off into battle. At least, it should be. I hope that it is.”
“It is,” I assured her. I don’t want to tell her that this is actually more dangerous. On a battlefield, I know to expect a fight. Here, I have no idea where the attacks may come from or when.
Isla leans over and puts her hand on top of mine. “Go, Maddox. If this is what you need to do, I understand. Sometimes, you will have to do things that I might not like, and I might have to do things that you don’t like, though I’m not sure what those might be, and we’ll just have to trust one another that it’s the right thing to do. Right?”
I place my hand on top of hers. She seems to have already learned a bit more about how important and stressful my job is. “Thank you, Isla. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she says. I lean in and kiss her, glad I have such an understanding partner in all of this.