“No. You don’t have proof because there is no proof. Guards, take her and throw her out!” Demarco demanded, snapping to his guards again.
They closed in on . Sherry and Greg appeared at my sides, joining my guards to protect . I had a feeling they were still close by even after Theo had left, but they’d stayed hidden until now.
Thinking fast, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the stone that Maggie had gone on and on about. I threw the stone at Demarco’s feet.
“There’s your proof! Maggie carved a prayer to the Moon Goddess into that stone. She wished for her matebond to you to fail,” I said. “Maggie is still alive and working with Luther to recruit and expand the influence of the Shadow.”
Demarco’s body was trembling and he stared at the rock for a while. Eventually, he bent down and picked up the stone, rolling it around in his hands.
Then his eyes widened and he shook his head like he still didn’t want to believe it, even though the proof was staring him right in the face.
“If you still don’t believe , why not join and search for Maggie? That’s what we’re heading off to do,” I said, motioning to my companions.
“You’re insane. You are just trying to confuse ,” Demarco said, shaking his head.
“You could also check her tomb. That should be enough to convince you she’s still alive... if she isn’t there anymore. What more proof would you need?” I countered.
Demarco stared at , jaw dropped. Then his eyes turned bloodshot again and his nostrils flared.
“You dare co into my pack and ask to desecrate my wife’s grave!? You brought tragedy on my mate and now you want to insult her mory!? What right do you have to disrupt my grieving process? Maggie is gone!” he shouted. The blue veins on his forehead bulged as he scread at .
“Demarco, I didn’t cause any of this, I only brought the information. You don’t have to believe . If you choose to cover your eyes from the truth, it’s up to you.” I shrugged like it didn’t matter to what he thought.
Demarco scoffed and tossed the rock on the ground.
“However,” I looked him in the eye, “if you’re wrong, and you keep supporting Luther, you’ll not only suffer the loss of your mate, but also your pack!”.
“You never knew anything about Maggie,” Demarco argued. His voice was softer now, like he was running out of reasons to defend Maggie.
“If she was truly the kind soul like you said, do you think she’d want you to lose yourself to get revenge for her, risking the entire pack? Even if she did lie to you, would you lead your entire pack to destruction for soone that deceived you?” I asked, challenging Demarco even more.
“Stop... stop saying that! Maggie wasn’t lying. And I would exact revenge again and again on Theo for what he did to her,” Demarco declared.
Beside , Sherry and Greg growled. I held an arm out to keep them ta. This wasn’t the ti to be flying off the handles.
“You don’t have to stand with Theo, but if I were you, I wouldn’t stand with Luther either. I would stay neutral and protect your own pack.”
This ti Demarco didn’t fight back. He just stared at the ground.
“Well, I think my work here is done. If you ever change your mind, you can get in touch with ,” I said, concluding my visit and turning around.
He scoffed but didn’t argue as I motioned to my guards and Greg and Sherry to leave.
“Ciana, are we really done here? I thought you wanted to persuade Demarco but he clearly doesn’t believe us,” Sherry whispered to as we departed.
I sighed and shook my head. “It’s up to Demarco to figure out the truth for himself. If he really cares about Maggie, he’ll go investigate. We just planted the seed, the rest is up to him. There are other packs we have to go to.”
Sherry nodded.
For almost three months, Greg, Sherry, and my small guard traveled around the kingdom visiting the smaller packs. We visited twenty different packs and with all our eye witness testimonies, I was able to convince all twenty of them to support Theo instead of Luther.
My last stop was Brook’s pack, Elmorn pack. Theo had released all the won from his consort to return ho so they could be ambassadors. She was waiting for us when we got there.
“Ciana, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!” Brook jumped on to give a hug when we showed up on her doorstep.
“I missed you.” I embraced her back tightly.
Sherry, Greg, and the guards all got settled in and Brook and I had a few monts to catch up alone.
“I know why you’re here. Don’t worry, though, I’ve already convinced my father to support Theo. He sees the wisdom in it. Plus, I’m his little girl and he would never deny anything.” She smiled brightly at .
“That’s good to hear. I’m a little burnt out on giving the sa speeches over and over again,” I admitted with a light giggle. “Thank you for sticking by the crown.”
“Yeah... uh-huh.” Brook nodded, looking down the hallway.
“Brook, what’s wrong?” I asked, seeing how distracted she was.
“Oh... well... you know that Jake and I discovered we’re fated mates, right?”
I nodded. I received a ssage from Brook a couple of months ago, and I was ecstatic for her! “Yeah, I know. It is great news.”
Brook laughed nervously and shook her head. Her smile faded quickly and her face fell. “My father isn’t happy about it, not one bit.”
“Why?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.
“I... I’m too embarrassed to say,” she said, her lower lip quivered and I thought she might cry. “Why don’t I just introduce you to my father, and you’ll understand.”
I followed Brook through the pack house to the study, where her father was sitting. He was reading a book but as soon as he saw us, he tossed the book aside and stood up, holding his arms out to Brook.
“Hello, my beautiful, beautiful daughter.” He gave her a bear hug and kissed the side of her head.
Brook gave a bashful look and rolled her eyes.
“Daddy, this is Ciana. She’s the friend I told you about, from the palace,” Brook introduced.
“It is nice to et you, Alpha Ellsworth,” I greeted, holding my hand out.
Alpha Ellsworth eyed my hand suspiciously. “Yes, you did tell all about Ciana.”
His friendly nature seed reserved for his daughter. Slowly, I pulled my hand away and rubbed it on my thigh.
“I understand you’re willing to stand with King Theo and I appreciate that. I’ve been working to lessen Luther’s popularity,” I explained.
“Yes, King Theo. Now, he is a great Alpha and leader. Why not look for a guy like that, my dear?” Ellsworth asked, chucking his daughter under the chin.
Brook glanced at apologetically. “Daddy, Theo has his sights set on soone else. Besides, I told you, Jake is my fated mate.”
“Well, my daughter deserves the best of the best! Her mate must be an alpha! There are plenty of Alphas that choose to marry soone that isn’t their fated mate because they understand a good match when they see one,” Ellsworth said, squeezing Brook again.
“That’s because they never found their mates!” Brook protested. She looked at like she could just die of embarrassnt at any mont. “If you just gave him a chance, I think you’d really like Jake.”
Brook eyed , like I could help out.
I wasn’t sure what to say or do in the situation. It seed a lot more like a family matter than sothing I could help out with. I wanted Brook to be happy and follow her heart, but it wasn’t my place to interfere with what her father wanted for her. He was a loving father, I could tell, but he just had so... strong opinions.
My own heart ached for my parents. They’d always loved and cared for but they spent a lot of ti traveling in the most recent years without . Seeing Brook and her father made a little jealous.
What would my dad say about my love life? Would he like Theo...?
I’d never thought of that before. I knew my parents would never care about status or wealth, they would want to be with a man who would treat right... So... they would have to love Theo, right?
“Jake’s just a Beta. You deserve sothing far more than that. Like an Alpha of a strong pack, one that can bring you all the joy, freedom, and love that you deserve,” Ellsworth said, kissing the top of Brook’s head.
He still held her against him in a one-ard hug. Clearly, Alpha Ellsworth was very protective of his daughter and only thought she deserved the best of everything. He was a doting father, but I now understood why she was embarrassed by him.
“Besides, Jake serves the palace. That is so far from ho and from . You need an Alpha that is closer to ho, one that won’t take you far away,” Ellsworth added.
“Daddy...” Brook sighed, rolling her eyes.
Ellsworth turned to now. “See, nothing but the best for my girl. I spoil her but she never listens to . You’re her best friend, maybe you could help persuade her to see reason?”
I glanced at Brook and she gave an exasperated sigh. She shrugged and pulled away from him.
I could tell Alpha Ellsworth ant well though.
“I promise, Alpha, I will do what I can,” I smiled at him and gave him an assuring nod.
“Thank you, thank you,” he said. “Now, I’ve got to get back to my book. You two girls have fun.”
He waved us out of his study and grabbed his book again. Brook and I linked arms and walked down the hall together.
We went to Brook’s bedroom. I wasn’t at all surprised to see that it was decorated with pink and purple, like a princess’s bedroom. She sat on her pink, sparkly comforter and patted the bed beside her.
“It looks like a little girl lives here,” I teased, “but the colors seed to fit you well.”
“I know. My dad still thinks I’m his little girl and he never wants to grow up, fall in love, or move away,” she said with another exasperated sigh.
“Brook, you’re really lucky to have a loving, caring, devoted father like that,” I said, covering her hand with mine.
Brook laughed, then her eyes filled with tears and she blinked them away. “I don’t know if I should be happy or miserable. I love him and I know he wants what is best for , but I love Jake, too. I don’t want to hurt either of them.”
Brook sighed and dropped her head into her hands. She gently rubbed her temples like she had a headache.
“Are you okay, Brook?”
“I have a headache. My dad thinks I will choose my mate over him. He wants to be with soone that isn’t my mate so that I’ll always put my family first. He thinks being with my mate ans I can’t be his little girl anymore...”
She sighed again and shook her head.
It was a bit of a ssy situation. Whatever Brook decided, she’d end up hurting one of them. Her father or her mate, the two most important males in her life. I wanted to help her.
We just had to get her father to see that she could love both without hurting either of them.
“Brook, I think I’ve got an idea.” I bead at her.
Brook looked at with big, hopeful eyes.
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