Chapter 56

Chapter 56

XADEN POV

Maeve’s eyes widened. “What does that mean?” she asked, leaning closer and squeezing my hand. I could feel tremors shake her body. “You’ll be going off to war..?

Truthfully, that was a question I was not able to answer at that time.

I wanted more than anything to reassure her, to dissuade her worries with confidence and say that would never happen, but I found myself unable to. Especially after that sudden meeting I had just left with my father and brothers. The things we were learning the harsh chaos of the battle…

It all seemed too real to deny.

A few hours earlier..

I was running

Twasn’t Sure what exactly was happening or why I had been summoned to Father’s office so suddenly, but

t still. I

I was running

The urgency Royal Beta Samson’s voice was impossible for me to just ignore. Having served alongside my father for as long as I could remember, he was normally a very stoic man, speaking only when addressed and always lurking in the very prominent shadow of his superior. He never broke his composure unless something was wrong

The moment I burst into Father’s office, I immediately noticed he was already flanked on either side by Henry and Lucas, all wearing varying looks of worry and anger as they hovered impatiently over his buzzing radia

They did not pay attention to my entry, enthralled by the chaotic sounds of a heated battle that emerged from the other side of the line, The loud howls of our troops as they clashed against the deep roars of their opposing bear forces. Within seconds, I found myself listening in, as well, planting myself opposite them as we lost ourselves for what felt like hours, just listening to our men fight and defend our land.

It was some time before we heard a long howl. A howd of triumph.

-We did it, Your Majesty, the exhausted voice of the commanding alpha bellowed, a slight tinge of pain detected within. “We–We pushed the enemy back.. all despite their unending stamina, I’ll have to summon for a healer. we need the help”

And with that, the line cut dead. The battle was over for now.

“It’s getting worse, Lucas muttered, glancing worriedly between everyone. “Far faster than we’re ready for

I met his gaze. “They’re going to lead us into an outright war”

“Then we should call their bluff,” Henry suddenly said, taking on a dangerously eager tone, forcing all of us to look at him. “If those pathetic cubs are that antsy to fight, then let’s take the fight to them. Show them what happens to intruders who dare to try to play around in the wolves‘ lair.”

“Are you insane!” 1 snapped. “We have no clue about what rests beyond their borders. For all we know, they might be expecting us to push in retaliation, and we could lead our men into a trap”

“We cannot just allow them to attack us like this, either!” Lucas pushed with fervor, a fire burning bright within his normally kind hazel eyes. “That’s our men on the line–their lives at stake, while we’re all nice and cozy in the safety of our palace walls! We owe it to them to

take a stand!”

It was always a surprise to see the effect that battle had on my younger brother. He was practically known for being one of the more gentle of us alpha princes, and for good reason. While we had all fought in battle at some point during our tenures as alpha princes, he was the only one to readily help with volunteer or charity work around the kingdom at any chance he could find, always insisting on doing whatever he could to better the lives of our subjects.

Lucas took his privilege very seriously, more so than the rest of us. One might never expect him to be so impulsive when it came to war and justice.

“Don’t underestimate our forces,” Henry insisted, joining forces with Lucas against me. “Not only do we have the strength in numbers, but we also outweigh them in nearly everything else. Speed, dexterity, courage, and most importantly, spirit. We can take them on–we just have to stand strong!”

They both made excellent points

Chapter 36

In any other case, I would have agreed with them

However, this was the closest we had gotten to all–out war with our neighbor in our many years of tension. If we didn’t play our cards carefully, then we would lose before it even fully started. And I was not willing to accept more losses than was necessary

“Spirit won’t keep our men safe!” I rebuked. “We shouldn’t put all those lives on the line if we don’t have a plan.”

Both of my brothers looked ready to protest some more until Father cut them off. “Xaden is right,” he admitted. “We need to be careful with how we approach this. We cannot risk making even the slightest error

Lucas looked frustrated. “But why?” he pressed. “Why are we being so careful all of a sudden?”

Father’s face marred with wariness, forcing us into silence. “There’s something strange about what’s been happening,” he noted slowly, as if lost in thought. “The Bear Shifters they seem to have become more bold with their attacks as of late.

a new commander.”

Henry’s brow furrowed. “Perhaps that king of theirs hired a new

“No, this has nothing to do with leadership.” Father dismissed him. “Their tactics have changed. They’re becoming more and more unpredictable. Not only that, but they were somehow able to find the exact location of our patrol camp within days of us setting up there.” Judging by the resolute tone of his voice, he seemed to already have a good theory lined up

“What do you think is happening, Father?” I prodded.

“I think we need to look into the possibility that we might have a mole somewhere in our ranks.”

That revelation seemed to freeze the room. I felt a cold chill run up my spine. A spy it unfortunately made sense. But if it was true, then several questions remained that needed to be answered.

Who would do such a thing? And why?

“A mole!” Lucas balked after a long moment. “You think one of our men is helping

helping the enemy?”

Father gazed at each of us solemnly. “We need to be prepared for anything,” he muttered. “Enemies can be found anywhere, not just beyond our borders.”

“Xaden 1”

Maeve’s frightened voice brought me back to the present. She was still waiting for my answer.

Clenching my jaw, swallowing any reservations that lingered with in me, I faced her once more. “We won’t let it get that far,” I ultimately said with as much steeled resolve as I could muster, forcing myself to believe my own words. “My father, brothers, and I will at every turn.”

stop them

Her bottom lip quivered, tugging at my heartstrings. “I don’t want you to fight.” she whispered, weakly trying to hide the emotion that saturated her voice. “Please if it comes to the precipice of war- please, don’t fight, and stay with me,” she begged, pulling my hand to her lips, her soft skin brushing against my knuckles.

I couldn’t even begin to describe how tempting the idea was

But I had so much more to lose now.

If war broke out and put M

Maeve and our son in danger because I refused to intervene, I would never be able to forgive myself.

“I will do what’s necessary to protect you,” I vowed, trying my best to ignore her feeble protests. “No matter what.”

That was not what she wanted to hear. Instantly, her face crumpled and her head fell, an attempt to hide her emotions from me.

up

“But that’s neither here nor there right now,” I said, trying to comfort her, pulling her back up so I could look her in those beautiful eyes of hers. “All we have to worry about now is holding that banquet for our soldiers. As an alpha prince, my attendance tomorrow afternoon is required. but I would love it if you’d join me. I entreated her, hoping for another chance to have her at my side.

The hesitancy on her face was clear as day, I knew she had concerns following that last banquet, but I was admittedly feeling a little

selfish.

Having her around would erode any anxiety I had.

It took a few moments before she ultimately sighed with a nod. “Okay, I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

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