*Isla*
Something is wrong, and by the afternoon, I know it. I just don’t know what to do about it.
I know in my heart that Maddox should’ve been back by now. He would’ve told me if he was going to be later, and if something came up, he would’ve sent a message to Beta Seth for me.
But when I go to the Beta’s office, he is super busy, and he barely has time to look up at me with the phone resting on his shoulder as he tries to find something with one hand and write something with a pen with the other.
Feeling out of place and stupid for standing there, I start to back away, but he motions for me to stop. In a moment, he gets off the phone. “Hi, Isla,” he says. “Sorry. I’m really busy now that Alpha Maddox is out of the office for the day.”
“I understand,” I tell him. “I just… wasn’t Ma—uh, Alpha King Maddox supposed to be back by now?”
Beta Seth grins at me a bit for my slip up. I’m getting too familiar with the king, obviously.
“He said he’d be back a few hours ago, but you just never know with the king,” he says with a shrug. “I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”
I nod, thinking I should let him get back to work. But I feel like he doesn’t have all of the information that I have, that he doesn’t understand how important this is.
Beta Seth looks away from me, his hands back on the papers in front of him, when I say, “It’s only—”
He rolls his eyes a little and sighs and refocuses on me. “Listen, Isla, I know that King Maddox is important to you, but honestly, something probably just came up, some sort of business he has to take care of, and it probably didn’t even cross his mind to let you know he’d be later than expected.”
I feel my insides fall at his words. I don’t know if he’s meant to be so blatantly rude or if he even realizes what he’s saying, but it hurts.
He must notice my face because he tries to fix it. “I mean… it’s not that…. I’m just trying to say… he’s the king. And you’re… just his breeder. Not just his breeder. But you are… a breeder. So—”
“I understand,” I say, swallowing hard. “Thank you for your help.” I turn to walk away and get a few steps away from the door when I hear Beta Seth yelling after me.
“Isla, wait!” But then, the phone rings, and he answers that instead.
It doesn’t matter. I can’t expect the Beta to know why I feel the way I do. To him, I am just another woman that Maddox is fucking. I am not anything special.
And maybe that’s the reality of the situation, and I’m nothing special to the king either. But I can’t help but think that he really does care about me. Only he and I know what has transpired behind closed doors, and while I suppose it’s true he might be able to make anyone feel the way he makes me feel, like I am the most important person in the world, but I don’t think that’s the case.
Maybe I am crazy for thinking that way.
As I am going back to my room, I see Zabrina walking toward me, and I remember the way that she first introduced herself to me, saying that she was the next Luna, and my stomach feels unsettled.
What if she is right, and she can somehow worm her way into Maddox’s life through her father’s influence? Or the threat of war? It makes my stomach twist into a thousand knots. I can’t imagine him having to marry her. He could never love a selfish woman like her. She tried to poison him, didn’t she? That’s my understanding.
Alpha Jordan’s daughter is dressed oddly for her. She’s wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes. I’ve never seen her wear anything less elegant than a gown. Perhaps she’s going for a run or a workout or something.
She sneers at me as she passes, but this time, she doesn’t say anything like she did this morning when Private Wylie yelled at her. He really is a nice guy. Maybe the two of us can be friends….
He is standing outside of my room, but Private Parker isn’t there, which is odd. “Hello,” I say to him.
“Hello, Miss Isla,” he says with a smile and a nod.
“Where’s Private Parker?” I ask, looking at his empty spot.
“Just off to the restroom. He had too much coffee at the café earlier.” Private Wylie snickers, and I smile at him. That’s kind of odd, though. I don’t remember him having more than one cup. Maybe whatever blend he had doesn’t sit well with him. I bid Private Wylie goodbye and walk into my room.
As I enter the bed-chamber, I also think about something else I’ve heard is true about Maddox—that he never intends to take another Luna. He needs a breeder because he won’t marry again. Not after what happened to his wife.
“Rebecca.” I whisper her name into the stillness of my room. What happened to the former Luna? How did she die? People say that Maddox killed her, but I don’t believe it. He’s not capable of that.
He is capable of killing, I’m certain of that. He is a warrior, after all, and I have no doubt, given the chance, he would rip the heads off any opponents on the battlefield.
But killing a helpless woman, someone he loves—or did love at one point—I don’t think that’s possible. I don’t presume to know how he felt about her in the days leading up to her death because, just like I can’t expect Beta Seth to know the truth about my relationship with Maddox, I don’t think anyone can know the truth of the king’s relationship with his wife.
Still, he couldn’t have killed her. Not on purpose anyway.
Poppy comes into the room, sighing under her breath. “Well, I have to go help Mrs. Dixon with a problem she’s having now. Payback for her help earlier. I’ll be gone for a couple of hours. Amanda just came to fetch me.” She rolls her eyes. I’m seeing a lot of that today.
“Who is Amanda?” I ask.
“One of the other maids. At least I don’t have her assigned duty. Since that other maid killed herself, she’s been stuck taking care of that bitch, Zabrina. Gross!” She sticks her tongue out. I feel bad for Amanda, too.
“Okay. I don’t need anything,” I tell her, not that she’s asked.
“Cool. I’ll see you later.” She rolls her eyes and takes off, and I sink down to sit on the bed. What really happened to Zabrina’s maid? Why would she kill herself?
I am about to get up to go take a shower when there’s a hard knock on my door.
“Yes?” I call, startled, I turn toward the urgent noise and stand.
“Miss Isla? It’s Private Wylie. Are you decent? Can I come in?”
My nervous stomach twists into yet another knot as I say, “I am. You can.” What is this about? Has he heard something about Maddox?
When he steps into the room, my own fear is written all over his face. “There’s been an accident,” he says in a tone that makes my blood run cold. “I’m to bring you to the king at once.”
My eyes widen. “An accident? Has King Maddox been in an accident?”
He nods. “It’s bad, Miss Isla, and he’s asking to see you at once. He used the mind-link to contact me. He says… to hurry. We should go.”
I look around the room, wondering if I should grab anything, but I’m terrified. All I can think about is getting to Maddox’s side immediately. “Did you let Beta Seth know?” I ask. “Perhaps he should come with us.”
“He knows,” Private Wylie says with a nod.
I can’t contact anyone in this pack with the mind-link because I am not a member. Though I should be able to reach the king. He is a member of all packs. Still, if he is too far away, I can’t reach him. But Private Wylie has just said that he reached him. So I have to try. “Maddox? Are you all right?” I think, sending the message to him.
There’s no response. What if he’s injured so badly he’s lost consciousness?
“This way!” he says, ushering me out of the room and down the hallway in a direction I’ve never gone before.
“Why do you think he didn’t contact me himself?” I ask the private as we hurry along.
“He probably didn’t want to upset you. He sounded bad, Miss Isla. Very bad.”
My heart is breaking in two as I think about it. Tears cloud my vision as Private Wylie hurries me down halls I’ve never been to before.
“Where are we going?” I ask him as he tugs on my arm.
“There’s a car waiting for you. I already sent for one,” he explains.
It seems he’s thought of everything. I should be grateful, but I’m too distraught.
We exit the palace to see a black sedan pulled up to the door. The windows are blacked out, but the engine is running.
Private Wylie rushes me to the back seat and opens the door for me, pushing me inside a little roughly. I bite back a scream as my shin connects with the metal frame of the door.
He doesn’t apologize, just pushes me over and gets in behind me, shouting, “Go!”
I look up then, and all of the blood rushes out of my face.
“Zabrina?” I ask as I see her sitting on the other side of me.
“Hello, little bitch,” she says, and we are off at breakneck speed, heading for the open gates in front of us.
“Where are we going?” I ask, but my only answer is a maniacal laugh from Zabrina and Private Wylie.
The driver, whose face I can’t see, crushes the gas pedal, and we shoot through the gates. Fear mingles with my already nervous stomach, and I think I just might throw up all over the bitch next to me.
What the hell is happening? Where are they taking me? And where is Maddox?