Page 98 of Lycan’s Hunt

Her brow furrows, but she obeys, slowly stepping back. Max looks between us, his small hands clutching a toy soldier as his confusion turns to fear. “Daddy?” he asks softly, his voice trembling. “What’s wrong?”

I don’t have time to explain, not now. I point to the door. “Max, leave the room. Go find Uncle Damian.”

“But—”

“Now, Max!” I command, harsher than I intend, but I need him gone. His safety comes first, and I can’t deal with this while he’s here.

Max jumps at the sharpness in my tone, his little face crumpling in confusion and hurt at the command. Tears well in his eyes, but he doesn’t argue. He scrambles to his feet, clutching the toy soldier tightly as he rushes out the door.

The room feels too quiet now, the tension thick enough to choke on. Mavis sighs and I drop my aura watching her as she moves about the room and stands by the window, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, her posture tense. She doesn’t look at me, her gaze instead fixed on the open window behind her. She peers out at the forest.

“You figured it out,” she says as she peers out the window, she has a vacant expression on her face.

“How could you?” I ask, my voice low but trembling with barely contained rage. I take a step closer, and her head snaps up to meet my eyes. “How could you betray Jacinta? Betray me? Betray Max? She was your sire!”

Mavis flinches at the last word. Her eyes turn glassy. “I didn’t know,” she says, her voice trembling, but her words ignite something dangerous inside me.

“Don’t you dare lie to me, Mavis!” I snap, my voice echoing off the stone walls. Her eyes widen in horror, but before she can respond, the door bursts open, and my mother storms in.

“What’s going on?” she demands, her sharp gaze flicking between Mavis and me.

I don’t answer immediately, my jaw clenched so tightly it aches. Mavis shifts nervously, her gaze darting toward the door, but before I can speak, a small voice breaks through the tension.

“Why are you yelling at her, Daddy?”

I turn to see Max standing in the doorway, tears streaming down his face. He clutches the toy soldier tightly to his chest, his little hands trembling.

“Max,” I start, but he shakes his head, his sobs coming in short, frantic gasps.

“Don’t hurt her!” he cries.

“It’s okay, Max, go find Aubrey. You don’t need to see this. I did the wrong thing, sweetie,” Mavis tells him.

“What? I don’t understand?” Max cries.

“She let Rhett and King Alaric in on the day Jacinta was killed,” I tell my mother and the look of shock on her face is evident.

“It wasn’t her! It wasn’t Mavis! It was the bloodsucker! The one from the news! I remember his face; I saw him before Mavis took me away,” Max says.

I freeze, his words slamming into me like a physical blow. My heart stutters in my chest. The bloodsucker. He said something similar when I was searching for Aubrey; we just thought he was talking about seeing Alaric on the news. I didn’t realize he actually saw Alaric that day.

Mavis’s face pales, her hands trembling as she presses them to her mouth. “I didn’t mean to,” she whispers, her voice barely audible. “I swear to you, I didn’t know!”

Max looks at her confused.

Before I can respond, Aubrey rushes into the room, her hair disheveled and her eyes wide with concern. She takes one look at Max’s tear-streaked face before scooping him up into her arms.

“What is going on?” she demands, her gaze snapping to me.

“I found the traitor,” I say, my voice flat and cold.

Her eyes widen, darting to Mavis, who stands frozen by the window.

“Mavis?”

“I didn’t know!” Mavis cries, her voice breaking. “I didn’t know! Please, Your Majesty, you have to believe me!”

Max lets out another sob, burying his face in Aubrey’s neck. “Dad, please don’t hurt her,” he begs, his small voice muffled against her shoulder.