*Isla*
Seth’s golden eyes linger on Isaac, his face void of expression. He gave us the expected spirited congratulations, of course, going on and on about the prince born during battle.
But his eyes had given away his true feelings, even if I was the only one who noticed it.
Trinity, on the other hand, lingers in the corner of Maddox’s office, pretending to be invested in the books on the shelves lining the far wall.
What is going on with these two, and most importantly, why?
“Seth,” Maddox says, looking up from the map he has sprawled out on his desk. “I need to speak to you privately.”
Seth nods, his hands clasped behind his back as Maddox motions towards the door. I watch them walk out of the office from my perch in a leather armchair near the dormant fireplace, wondering what exactly Maddox is going to say to him.
I know Maddox will tell me whatever excuses Seth gives him for his odd behavior. What’s worse is that I know Maddox will believe him.
Seth is Maddox’s Beta, but Maddox considers him a friend.
That’s what hurts me the most.
The door clicks shut, and Trinity continues her inspection of the books, but I see her shoulders tighten as she realizes she is now alone in the room with me.
“He’s beautiful, Isla,” she whispers, her fingers grazing the spines of the books as she slowly turns around. “And I’m so thankful you’re all right.” Her cheeks color, her beauty somehow even more enchanting and distracting as she lowers her eyes to the ground in a show of submission.
I run my knuckle gently over Isaac’s cheek as he sleeps in the crook of my arm.
“Why did you tell Maddox where I was going?” I ask, unable to hide the hurt lacing each word.
She bites her lip, rolling it between her teeth as she rounds the armchair opposite mine and sits down, a sigh leaving her lips.
“It was wrong of me. I… I am sorry, Isla–”
“I’m not asking for an apology,” I say, meeting her gaze. “I’m asking for the reason why you thought it so imperative to tell Maddox I was gone and where I went… why you took the book–”
“It’s not what you think,” she says quickly, cutting me off. Her eyes are locked on mine, sudden panic fluttering over her features as she scoots to the edge of the chair, our knees nearly touching. “I know what you must have thought about me all those months ago. How I look like my cousin. How Maddox… how he sometimes seemed to favor my company, even over yours.”
I straighten my shoulders, my spine going rigid at the insult… even if she didn’t mean it that way, and judging by the desperation clouding her eyes, I can tell she didn’t.
“Rebecca was his fated mate. I know that. Everyone does. Rebecca was my cousin and I–I felt like… maybe you weren’t his second chance–” Trinity stumbles over her words, shaking her head. “Rebecca wasn’t like you. Not at all. She was cold, and calculating. She knew she had power in just her words and the way she held herself. When it came to Maddox she was… the same as she was with everyone else. They loved one another fiercely, but she wasn’t like you. I thought it was just who they were, I guess. I thought Maddox was just as cold and serious as my cousin. But then you came along.”
She swallows so hard the column of her throat bobs with effort as she drops her gaze back down to the floor.
“You were just a ray of sunshine. You warmed every room you walked into, and when I saw Maddox look at you… when I noticed how he looked at you? Isla, everything I thought I knew about him and my cousin shifted. At first, I was hurt. I really was. The idea that Maddox was falling in love and the possibility that he was pushing Rebecca aside after he always said he’d never marry again, it was too much. But that was before I really knew you. That was before I saw what your presence was doing to Maddox, and to the people of this house, of this territory….”
She places her hands on her knees, her eyes meeting mine again.
“I would have never admitted any of this to you, ever, had you not left. Then, I realized what I’d done. I thought taking the book from you and showing Maddox… proving that you left and that he needed to find you because you were his second chance mate. He needs you, and so does the rest of the kingdom. I didn’t know what would happen, if you’d eve come back safely. I thought about the baby, the heir. The kingdom needed him, too. Your absence, Isla, was deafening. Any doubts I had about you being his second chance mate became painfully clear in those days after you left and I had to make a decision. So, instead of showing him the book and letting him think that you left him for good, I gave him the book and told him to go after you.”
“You what?” I ask, my mouth dropping open. I’m not expecting this, not Trinity being the one who had been the final voice of reason when Maddox decided to come for me.
“I told him he was going to lose his second chance mate if he didn’t go after you. I couldn’t bear the idea that he might give in to those greedy Alphas. He might have even relented to my father’s wishes and married me if I hadn’t told him he couldn’t just give up. It was me, Isla. I was the reason he went to Maatua. I was the only person in your corner.”
She stills, swallowing hard again.
“I was a coward. I was mean, and bitter about you overshadowing my cousin’s memory, but I was wrong. I was so, so wrong, and I pray that someday you might forgive me.”
“Trinity–”
“Seth tried to talk me out of it,” she breathes, knitting her fingers together. “I brought the book to him first, telling him that you left and I took this from you because I needed Maddox to know where you went so he could find you. Seth told me I was ruining my chances of being the Luna, but I didn’t want to be the Luna. I didn’t want to be stuck in loveless, unmated union like my cousin–”
“Wait,” I say hastily, transferring Isaac to my shoulder and patting his back to soothe his sudden whimpers. “Seth?”
She nods, her eyes glistening with sudden emotion.
“He tried to take the book from me. I hit him with it and went straight to Maddox.”
I exhale deeply, my mind reeling.
But just as I open my mouth to reply, the door swings open to reveal Maddox, slightly red in the face and eyes flaming. Seth isn’t with him.
“Maddox,” I say hastily, trying to keep my voice level. “Can you leave us for a moment?”
“I have to ready everyone to leave for the temple, Isla.” His voice is cold, and sends a sudden shiver up my spine.
I turn to Trinity, locking my eyes on hers.
“I want you to go to the temple with the group,” I say. I notice Maddox’s head lift from whatever he’s looking at on his desk. “Can you do that for me?”
“Why?” Trinity asks, her face lined with suspicion as she glances between me and Maddox.
“I can’t go,” I say, even though the words catch in my throat. I keep my eyes locked on Maddox as he sets down the piece of paper he was holding, watching me closely now as I continue, “I need someone I can trust there, Trinity, someone who has Maddox’s best interests in mind.”
Light flares behind Trinity’s eyes, a sign that she understands my meaning.
That I trust her. That I believe her. That I need her.
“Do you understand why?” I say, praying she understands. She chews the corner of her lip, but nods, her face expressionless as she feels Maddox’s gaze on both of us. “We will talk further, but do this for me, and I will forgive you for… your indiscretion.”
She nods, standing up abruptly. I stay seated, Isaac now asleep against my shoulder.
Trinity doesn’t look at Maddox as she slips from the room, shutting the door behind her.
“So, was I right about Trinity?” he asks, sitting down behind his desk. I shift in my seat to face him, wondering whether I should tell him what Trinity just admitted to me, but I decide against it.
“Yes, I believe so.”
In reality, this is a major test for Trinity. The journey to secure the diamond to its rightful home will show the true colors of practically everyone involved.
“Is Trinity unaware that I was dead?” I ask.
“Everyone outside of our circle was left in the dark about your death and… resurrection,” Maddox replies, pushing pins into the map on his desk. “Trinity and Seth were both told you had a very hard time and were resting. The healers, including Mystica, have sworn their discretion about the situation.”
“Good,” I reply, settling back into my seat. Isaac’s warm weight is a comfort as I take a deep breath. “Are you going to tell me what happened with Seth?
“He says he went to secure the diamond because he was worried Antony or Ben may have been conspiring against me. He knows Antony lied to us once so distrusts him in particular and was only doing his duty as my Beta–”
“And you believe him?”
“Yes.”
“What of his behavior during the battle? He was just… gone, for ages–”
“He was out in battle for hours, holding the enemies off until I arrived, and then returned to the castle and made rounds that conflicted with mine. That’s why I didn’t see him for so long.”
“And you believe that, too?”
“He is my Beta. He swore an oath of loyalty to me, and so far, he has done nothing but his best to remain loyal to his duties during this conflict.”
“Maddox–”
“You were so quick to believe Trinity, but not Seth?”
I suck in my breath, watching the stress play over Maddox’s face. There’s a hint of doubt behind those green eyes, and maybe that’s enough to keep his guard up around Seth, regardless of his desire to believe him.
“I’m testing Trinity,” I say. “I’m testing her because I want to believe her, and I hope you will use this opportunity to test Seth, as well.” I stand, carefully and steadily to make sure Isaac doesn’t wake. “I want to go with you, Maddox, but I understand that I can’t. I’m needed here. I should be able to trust your Beta to see to your best interests.”
“I am the Alpha, Isla,” he says with calm quiet, pushing another pin into the map. “Everything I do, and every decision I make, is for the good of my people, and for you and our son. Don’t forget that, and do not forget who I am.”
“I could never,” I say with equal quiet.
“It’s imperative we return the diamond to the temple now that we know… now that we know what it can do, in a sense,” he says, his eyes locked on mine. “That it can bring someone back from death. I don’t know what else it can do, and it should stay that way. That kind of power…”
“It goes beyond our scope of the world,” I say in agreement, nodding. Had Isaac not been in the mix, I would have rallied to have the diamond stay here, with us. With me.
But a diamond capable of bringing life back into the dead, among other things?
We already have targets on our backs after this war, which I knew was far from over. And the diamond needs to be returned to the temple in order to restore peace to the kingdom.
“I hate the thought of being separated from you again,” Maddox admits, sighing as he sets down the pins and looks toward me. “Part of me wants you to come, for Isaac to come.”
“He’s far too young to travel into the unknown,” I reply, and Maddox nods his agreement.
“The past day doesn’t feel real, Isla.”
“I know,” I agree, my throat tightening around the words. Maddox looks exhausted, his face still lined with grief from not only war, but from my death. I go to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and leaning my cheek against the top of his head. My chest trembles with a silent sob as he lays his hand over Isaac’s back, the most beautiful gift either of us have ever been given and the most important thing either of us has ever made. “We’ll be here when you return.”
“I know,” he repeats, leaning into my touch. “I love you.”
“I love you,” I whisper, closing my eyes for a moment. “But you really, really need to bathe, Maddox. Please. You smell like everything bad in the world.” I ruffle his hair, which is matted with filth I’d rather not name. “And sleep, for the love of the Goddess.”
“Quite the maternal streak already, and you’ve been a mother for less than eight hours,” he teases lightly, looking up at me so I can press a quick kiss to his lips. “I want you to rest, too. Even if the diamond healed you completely. You just had a baby.”
“I will. We can rest together.”
Isaac coos, then begins to fuss. I pull away from Maddox, sighing deeply.