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Tai, Wolf, and I have been speculating about it, but we knew she was taking her suppressants so we thought we were being ultra-protective and extra sensitive about something that might’ve been as simple as nerves. It comes as absolutely no surprise to me that it’s been heat symptoms for real all along, though, but that only makes me more desperate to find her.
Wolf appears at my side again first, his expression aghast as he blinks at me. “Did I hear what I think I just heard?”
“Yep,” I say, furiously looking around for my parents. “Maddie might be going into heat. We need to find the king and queen. Apparently, they had a confrontation with her that might have sent her spiraling.”
Tai is there not a moment later, his eyes bouncing from mine to Wolf’s. “Do you smell that? It’s like Maddie’s all around us but we can’t find her.”
“Yep,” Wolf says worriedly. “She might be going into heat, mate.”
Tai doesn’t look surprised, instead his brows lower and something fierce and protective crosses his features. I can’t say I don’t feel the same.
“We need to find Kaz’s folks. Have you seen them?”
“We need to find Maddie,” Tai argues.
“They might be the ones responsible for her disappearance,” I press.
He nods. “Right. Okay. I just passed them on their way out.”
“What?” I ask, but I’m already moving. “Where were they going?”
“No idea. I just saw your mother whisper something in your father’s ear, and then they left together.”
“Fuck.”
“Double fuck,” Wolf echoes after me. “Should we split up?”
“No,” I say immediately. “We need to track them down and find out what they said to her, and then we need to find Maddie. If she’s going into heat…”
Tai sucks in a sharp breath, his voice pained when he says, “She can’t be alone in the palace or outside it. Too many Alphas. It isn’t safe.”
Thankfully, the crowd parts for us like we’re a hot knife and they’re butter as we rush back out of the ballroom. No one knows for sure what’s going on, but I’m certain it’s very clear something is going on with us.
Thankfully, no one stops us to ask, just giving us strange looks as we rush by, but right now, I don’t care. We’ll do damage control later. Once we’ve found her. When we know she’s okay.
My mother and father are never on the greatest of terms, so for her to have gone to seek him out, something big must’ve happened. And whenever something big happens, she celebrates on their private balcony with a glass of her special brandy.
As we burst into their quarters, the greatest relief sweeps through me when I realize this time is no exception. She and my fatherareon their balcony, but she’s holding the decanter, about to pour the brandy when she straightens.
“What are you doing here?” she snaps at me. “Your father and I would like some privacy. Now.”
“What did you do to Maddie?” I ask, not stopping until I’m standing in the open doors leading from their sitting room to the expansive balcony. “She’s gone, Mother. Until I know where and why, we’re not leaving.”
Mum gives me a cold smile, but she bats her lashes innocently. “I haven’t done anything to her, Kaspian. I’ll admit that I made her an offer, but the stupid girl turned me down. She left of her own accord. She’s gone, and I wish her all the best of luck.”
Horror zaps through me and my jaw unhinges as my father rears away from her. “How could you be so cruel, Catherine? It’s no fucking wonder William left you as well. What did you say to the Omega to scare her off? What offer have you made that sent her packing in the belief that she’ll never be good enough?”
When she doesn’t respond, my father shakes his head. He picks up his empty glass and hurls it against their wall. It shatters in a spray, but before the pieces have started hitting the ground, he storms out, and for once, I understand why.
My mother seems both triumphant and upset, but her face crumbles when first Tai, then Wolf, and then I leave her alone, all of us turning our backs on a queen we’re no longer loyal to. Once again, I’m uncertain about what this means for our future, but I can’t think about that right now.
Besides, it doesn’t matter to me at the moment. She could banish us all on the spot for all I care. Maybe there’s a property on the market close to Yua’s. We could all move to France, and at this point, if there’s a guest room, I may even offer it to my father until he’s back on his feet.
Before any of that, we need to find Maddie. My instincts are screaming at me, roaring that she’s in trouble. We need to get to her before it’s too late. I have no idea where she might’ve gone, but she can’t be too far away just yet.
At least, I pray she isn’t. If something happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself and Wolf and Tai won’t either. We should’ve fucking bonded with her already. And I know why they haven’t. What I don’t know is why it’s taken me this long to realize I should’ve gotten out of all of our ways and let our nature take its course.
THIRTY-TWO
