The Hidden Luna Queen 2

I... I didn't know what to do anymore.

"W-What brings you here, Father?" I asked quietly, trying to divert the conversation.

His eyes widened innocently. "Is there something wrong with me wanting to see my daughter?"

"Cut the small talk, Burton," Xaden spat impatiently. The warm, comforting touch of his hand on my knee, however, was in stark contrast to his harsh tone. "You came here to say something, so out with it."

I still couldn't wrap my mind around this sight. Father, who used to always seem so impervious and threatening, cowering and yielding to my fiancé, who always treated me like the most precious thing. He was right. How different things seem to be after a month.

Once he realized there was no getting past Xaden, Father let out a tense sigh. "... Very well." His mouth pressed together in a firm, pensive line before turning his attention back to me. "Maeve, I spoke with Kenneth. It seems you left quite an impression on him last night."

I should've expected as much. They were acquaintances, after all.

"He surprised me," I admitted, as if I owed some explanation for speaking with him. "I didn't think I'd run into him at the banquet. He didn't seem to recognize me at first, but he was... kind."

"You were lucky," he said, giving me a particular look. "Kenneth is not known for being kind or patient."

I heard Xaden scoff beside me. "Do you have so little faith in Maeve's abilities?"

"That's not what I-"

"Kindly get on with it," Xaden cut him off again, clearly reaching his limit. "What does Kenneth have to do with you coming here?"

Father swallowed. "There's to be a dinner at his pack. Tonight at seven." He looked at me for the next words that came out of his mouth. "I'd appreciate it if you could make the time for it." ...What?

Dinner at Dawnguard Pride? I'd hardly spoken longer than... what, ten minutes with the man, and now I was being asked to dine at his home? And to be invited by Father, nonetheless. I wasn't sure how to feel.

"And before you ask-" Father interjected, seeming to sense my conflict, "it was all his idea. I'm merely passing the message along."

"And why couldn't he pass it along, himself?" Xaden questioned, and Father's demeanor visibly shifted. "Why come all this way for such a measly matter?"

"He had prior commitments," he answered. "And since Maeve is my daughter, he asked me to help him." I caught the subtle motion of him spinning his watch around his wrist-was Xaden the reason he seemed so nervous? "I couldn't refuse a request from a friend." There was something off about this. I just couldn't place it.

And yet, while Xaden was in the middle of another back-and-forth with my father, I came to a decision.

"Alright. I'll go."

Xaden whirled around, wide-eyed. "What?"

"You will?" Father asked, uncharacteristically bright with hope.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Xaden, however, was quick to block him from my view, concern marring his handsome features as he squeezed my knee. "You don't have to agree to this. Not if it's something you don't want to do."

I shook my head. "No... I want to," I said, even though it wasn't exactly true.

This was not something I was looking forward to. This was something I needed to do. I knew very little about Kenneth and his intentions, but rather than keep him at arm's length and worry about what awaited me, I had to face him head-on. Because there was still an alpha on the loose.

An alpha that I needed to be wary of... who wanted me and my baby, according to the voice from my dreams.

I was fairly confident about the alphas I encountered in my everyday life, such as Xaden and his family. My father wanted nothing to do with the baby, so I figured I could clear him... but now that Kenneth was added to the mix, I needed to learn more about him. If he was someone I could trust, then tonight would be his chance to prove himself to me.