Chapter 30

1 Month Later

Ella re-read the same paragraph in her science textbook for the fifth time as her mind wandered. Ever since Maksim had left, she was homeschooled at the palace as a way to stay out of the public eye. It wasn't a difficult decision for Ella to accept. She didn't have the energy to answer people's questions about where Maksim was or if all the rumors about him being spotted all over the world was true or not. Her heart ached every time anyone spoke about him and seeing his face all over newspapers and magazines wasn't easy for her to digest.

As Ella tried to focus on her work once again, her attention was drawn to the open doors. Owen and Alec rushed past conversing in hush tones. As Owen passed, his eyes briefly connected with Ella. It was too quick to tell anything, but the shades of worry weren't hard to miss. Then a few minutes later, Exton walked past the door in the same rushed manner.

"You're giving me anxiety," Clare said as she looked up from her book.

"Sorry," Ella apologized as she looked back at her book. She knew Clare could still feel the stress ball inside of her but she tried her best to calm down.

A few minutes later, when Ella noticed Clare's eyes bouncing to the door, she knew her anxiety wasn't baseless.

"What is it?" Ella asked as Clare stared at the door.

"Something is going on with Mackey,"

"What's going on?" Ella's heart leaped up. "Is he hurt?"

Clare shook her head, "No.....I can't tell. I just know that mom and dad are upset with him."

Ella suddenly stood up pushing her chair back. She shut her books and grabbed her phone.

"Where are you going?" Clare asked looking up at her in confusion.

"I have to go see what's going on," Ella didn't stop to explain any farther as she rushed out of the room and headed for the Queen's office. Her heart pounded in her chest as she remembered all the headlines she had been reading about the prince. All the partying, the girls, staying out all night.

Maksim had never made it to Juniper. On his way to his family home there, he hopped onto a different flight and disappeared, sending his parents into a frantic search for him. Ella was an emotional wreck when she found out. The fear of the mercenaries and the protesters kept her up for days until news of Maksim in Denmark surfaced. She worried she may have made the wrong decision but Xavier and Rye assured her Maksim needed to learn to grow up and take responsibilities.

But so far, his behavior was anything but responsible. Overnight his public image had gone from Prince Charming to spoiled trust fund frat boy. The public were just as divided. Some people, especially the girls, all went mad over Maksim's new personality while the older generations were concerned. The palace had not announced yet that Maksim was no longer the Mavi's heir. Mainly because it wasn't true.

The day Ella's parents had left and Xavier sat with her in the family room to discuss his plans, Ella wasn't sure what to say.

"I can't reject him," Ella gasped when Xavier told her what she needed to do. "No, I can't do that. I..... I can't......"

"Ella," Xavier said calmly. "Please, I know you are a very logical person and way more mature than Maksim. I need you to listen to my words very carefully."

With a rapid heart that fell apart with every beat, Ella listened to the old king as he explained what would be happening. She held her breath as Xavier assured her Gemma and Caspian's magic would not let a single harm come to her bond with Maksim.

"We just have to scare him," Xavier explained. "Maksim grew up with everything he could possibly need. He's not spoiled by material goods but he is spoiled by status. He knows he can throw his weight around. We just have to give him a very harsh reality check that even his title and his birthright can be taken from him."

"But the bond....." Ella's voice shook.

"Maksim has no idea how painful it is to break the bone. Gemma will block his brain from sensing the usual things and it'll be enough to get him to think we actually broke the bond."

"It won't work," Ella shook her head. "He won't agree."

"He won't have a choice," Xavier sighed. "When he can't catch your scent anymore or feel your sparks he'll think the rejection worked."

Ella was speechless. She couldn't think straight with everything Xavier was explaining to her. No matter how mad she was with Maksim, she couldn't imagine hurting him. She knew deep down he really did love her. He just had an elaborate way of showing it. And most of the time, he let his emotions get the best of him.

"You will still feel everything, Ella," Xavier explained. "Your side of the bond will not be blocked. Everything will be reversed once you kiss him. It's a very light, simple spell."

"But taking his title....." Ella shifted uncomfortably. "He's been preparing to be king his whole life. It'll kill him if you take that away."

"Power shouldn't be given just because you were born into it," Xavier shook his head. "If I wasn't sure Mavi could handle it then I wouldn't have given her the crown. Maksim needs to show he is worthy of it and if he doesn't.......then we will be doing the kingdom a favor of removing a unfit ruler."

As Ella tried to process Xavier's world she felt the man watch her with keen eyes. When she looked up at him, she sighed, feeling hopeless.

"He also needs to show he is worthy of you," Xavier said. "He needs to show you that he will stand by your side no matter the storm."

"I.....I don't think I can do this."

"You can," Xavier said. "This kingdom is just as much yours as it is his. As the future queen you need to make the hard decision right now."

And so Ella did.

She went along with everything Xavier planned for Maksim. She prayed every night she made the right call. She trusted Xavier and his years of experience and she also had faith Maksim would come out of this better and stronger. She just needed to hold on.

As Ella approached the office, she felt her insides shake with worries. With a timid knock on the hardwood door, Ella took a step inside. Everyone looked up as she walked in.

"Is he....is he okay?" Ella asked, looking from Mavi to Owen to Xavier.

"He's an idiot that's what he is," Mavi shook her head as she stared down at the table in her hands. "But yes, he's okay."

"What happened?"

Owen sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "The Queen's guard tried to get him to Juniper and he fought them.....in public."

Ella's heart sank to her toes, "Was anyone hurt? Is he hurt?"

"No," Alec shook his head. "He had the decency to not do any real damage to the guards. Can't say the same for his reputation."

"He needs to be cut off from his accounts," Exton said. "Once he can't throw his money around like confetti, he will have no option but to go to Juniper."

"He is cut off from the accounts," Mavi said in frustration.

"Then where is he getting all this money?"

"His brand endorsements," Owen said. "His popularity with the media made him even more of a target for them now."

"What do we do, dad?" Mavi looked at Xavier. "I have to call him back before he goes over the edge. I can't do this anymore."

"It's only been a month," Xavier said.

"And look at the damage he's done!"

"If you call him back now, you will just show him that he can have whatever he wants if he acts out like a five year old."

"Then what do we do?" Mavi was starting to lose her patience.

Ella felt her desperation as they all waited for Xavier to answer. She felt the hopelessness in her chest grow more and more every single day. She wanted to help. She wished she could help....but she couldn't find a way.

"He's grieving," Xavier said. "He's angry right now. Give it a few and he will come down."

"Yeah when depression sets in," Mavi rose from her chair and ran a hand through her hair. "Dad, he's my son. I can't see him like this. It hurts."

"Your mom was the same way when you were sent to Juniper."

"At least I had Owen," Mavi frowned. "Mackey has no one with him right now."

Xavier took a long deep breath as everyone waited for him to speak. It was his call no matter now wore the crown. Out of everyone in the room he had the most power and experience and if things weren't really bad, he would have never stepped in.

"What are we going to do?" Mavi asked again as she looked to her father for answers.

"We get him to Juniper," Xavier said. "Anyway that we can."

_________________________

Ella laid on Maksim's bed as Cleo flipped through the channels. Clare rested leaned up against the headboard as she flipped through a cooking magazine.

Ever since Maksim had left, Ella had been staying in his room. This lingering scent brought her comfort and reminded her that he was real and she would be with him soon enough. She would walk into his closet at night and put on his shirts to help her sleep better, but when she reached across the king size bed and found the spot next to her empty, sleep would evade her.

The girls tried to keep Ella distracted. When Cleo was in school, Clare and Ella did their school work in the family room or Clare showed Ella how to make certain dishes in the kitchen. Once Cleo came back, Ella usually spent her afternoons helping the girl with her homework and tending to her many many many pets. Ella liked the animals. She admired how Cleo lost herself in taking care of them and studied them night and day to learn all their ticks and habits. She wasn't a fan of letting anyone touch her animals. Ella was the only exception.

"Oh Mackey!" Cleo shouted as she stopped on one of the channels.

Ella sat up with a small white bunny on her lap as she looked at the TV screen. A small video clip of Maksim leaving a restaurant with a tall beautiful girl played on loop as the reporters surrounded them and asked them a million questions. Ella watched as the girl clung to Maksim's arm with a bright smile on her face as she pretended to hide herself from the cameras.

"Should I turn this off?" Cleo looked at Ella with a frown on her face.

"No, it's alright," Ella shook her head. She wanted to see him. She needed to see him. Even if he was walking around Paris with some other girl in his arms.

"Cleo," Clare said slowly. "Turn the TV off and take the bunny back to it's pen."

Cleo didn't argue. She hopped off the bed and did as she was told. Ella gave her a small smile as she handed the bunny over.

The news still played the clip of Maksim as Ella slid off the bed and cleared her throat. She avoided looking at Clare as she busied herself with fixing the bed and the pillows. Clare reached for the remote and switched the TV off. She stayed in her spot on the bed and sighed.

"Ell,"

Ella's heart leaped at the nickname. Only Maksim called her that. She forced herself to put a smile on her face as she looked up at the girl.

"He needs you," Clare said.

"Xavier said he will calm down soon."

"That was two weeks ago!" Clare said in frustration. "The Queen's guard still can't get him to corporate without causing a scene."

"He needs to grow up, Clare," Ella said. "Look at him. Is that any way for the future king to behave?"

"Well how will he learn if there's no one to teach him?"

"That's why he has to go to Juniper and get his head straight."

"Except he won't go!" Clare rushed off the bed. "Look Ella, I love you. But I love my brother more and I can't see him like this. Everyone in this family has lost their mind. They think there's only one outcome to this scenario. They all expect Mackey to figure it out. Is anyone wondering that the alternative is? If anything happens to Maksim I will never forgive anyone of you."

Suddenly, Ella stilled. She slowly sat the pillow down on her bed and peered at the frantic girl in front of her.

"Clare....." she said as she took a step forward. "What do you know....."

The hesitation in Clare's eyes started to freak Ella. she rushed forward and grabbed the girl's hand.

"What are you not telling me?" Ella's heart began to hurt.

Clare became overwhelmed with both her and Ella's emotions as she shut her eyes and pulled her hand back. She ran her hands through her dark hair as her gray eyes grew wide with worry.

"Clare," Ella begged her. "Please don't hide this from me. If Max is in danger I need to know.....I can't....I can't let anything happen to him."

"I don't know, Ell," Clare frowned. "I keep getting these thoughts and I can't put them together."

"What thoughts?"

"Mackey......he.....he's going to hurt himself," Clare's bottom lip trembled. "This is not going to stop. He's going to grow more reckless and it's gonna end badly."

"No," Ella's voice came out in a whisper. "No, no, no. We have to get him back."

"That's not going to help," Clare shook her head. "He won't listen."

"What do we do?"

"You," Clare said slowly as she looked up at the blonde girl. "He'll listen to you, Ell. He loves you. You have to go to him."

"He thinks I rejected him," Ella felt the tears roll down her face. "He's not going to listen to me."

"Yes, he will!" Clare groaned. "Ella, he loves you. Why don't you understand that? For him the bond pull isn't there, but he still loves you."

Ella's heart grew heavy. She knew Maksim loved her and she also knew she was in love with him. All the pictures and the videos of him with different girls didn't penetrate even an inch of the faith she had in him. He wouldn't do that to her. No matter how angry or mad he was.

"You need to help him," Clare said. "Please. I'm begging you."

The desperation in Clare's voice was the same desperation Ella felt in her heart. She wondered if maybe Clare was just voicing the fear Ella was too scared to acknowledge. As the girl waited for her to answer, she felt the need to see Maksim grown inside of her.

Slowly, Ella nodded her head.

"How do i get to him?" Ella asked. "Xavier or Mavi will never let me go."

"We don't need them," Clare said as she grabbed Ella's hand. "Let's go."

The halls of the palace were quiet as a mouse as Clare and Ella sneaked around. The Princess kept her calm and cool composure as Ella followed her looking over her shoulder every few seconds.

"Where are we going?" Ella whispered as they began to take the back stairs.

"To the vault."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

Ella was full of questions as Clare led her through a narrow passage, down a flight of stairs and then down another passage. When they finally arrived at the large metal door, Ella gasped.

"It's literally a..... Vault." she said.

"Well, yeah," Clare chuckled. "Now hurry."

"Where are the guards?"

"Their changing shifts. They put up a shield whenever they leave. Look," Clare explained as she poked the air in front of the copper metal door.

The air suddenly started to glow green as a protective barrier appeared in front of the vault.

"How will we get past that?" Ella frowned.

"Easy," Clare rolled her eyes as she moved her fingers and the shield collapsed instantly. "Take that down was the first spell I learned."

Ella gave a short surprised laugh as she watched the girl step forward and start turning the dials.

"How do you know the combinations?" Ella asked in surprise.

"I just know things, okay?" Clare said over her shoulder as one by one the locks clicked open. "Finally."

The girls took a step back as the door released with a hiss and slid to the side, revealing a massive hall in front of them. Ella's jaw dropped to the floor as she walked in with Clare beside her.

"We're right under the throne room," Clare explained. "We keep all the family valuables here."

"What do we need from here?" Ella asked as she stared at the rows upon rows of jewelry, armor, elixirs, crowns, weapons. It was like being inside a museum. Everything was kept behind glass cases. They were clearly marked and labeled.

Elf blood, Dragon scale, Healing Clary, Bond restoring potion......

"I read about this place," Ella said quietly as she approached the crown. "Never thought I would get to see it."

"Life works in odd ways," Clare said as she searched through the rows.

"What are we looking for?"

"It's not here," Clare groaned.

"What's not here?"

"The rings!" Clare said as she opened drawers and closed them. "Where are they? They should be here. All three of them."

Suddenly a voice from the doorway froze the princess and the queen to be.

"Looking for this?" Mavi asked as she held out her hand with a gold pixie ring on it.

Ella and Clare screamed in surprise as Mavi raised her brow. They looked at one another with worry as Mavi slowly walked towards them.

"Really, Clare, you didn't think of the silent alarm that would go off when you opened the vault?" Mavi asked her daughter. "I am shocked. I expected better."

"It was my fault," Ella rushed to explain. "Clare had nothing to do with it. I told her to bring me here."

"Ella," Mavi sighed. "You don't have to take the fall for my kids, sweetheart. I know how their mind works. They're all reckless."

"Hey!" Clare complained. "I am not reckless."

"You can't even rob your own family properly," Mavi rolled her eyes.

"Maybe because I wasn't trying to rob anyone," Clare said. "I was just......borrowing......without asking."

"Mrs. Radacovick, I am so sorry," Ella wanted to run away screaming for the hills. "We were....we were just....."

"I know why you are here," Mavi said calmly.

"You do?" Clare asked.

"I wasn't born yesterday," the queen shook her head. She turned her attention to Ella and asked for her hand.

Ella instantly followed. She did not want to get in anymore trouble then she was already in.

But as she watched, Mavi gently slipped one of the gold rings onto her right middle finger. At first, the cool metal was loose around her finger. But within seconds it transformed to fit her perfectly.

Ella looked up at Mavi in surprise.

"Get him to Juniper," Mavi said.

______________________________

After a quick tutorial on how to use the ring, Mavi opened a portal for Ella and took a step aside. Ella looked over her shoulder to Mavi and Clare as they both gave her an encouraging nod.

"Ella," Mavi said as the girl prepared to step through. "Do whatever you have to."

Ella took a deep breath before nodding. She closed her eyes and stepped through the portal.

Once on the other side, she felt bright light hit her eyes as she stumbled on the pavement.

"Woah," A man's voice snapped Ella's eyes open. "Where did you come from?"

Ella looked around and found herself standing in an expensive hotel lobby. The man standing behind her stared at her in confusion wondering where she had popped out from.

"Sorry," Ella said quickly. "Which way is the front desk?"

The man pointed to the right.

"Thank you," Ella said quickly as she rushed down the red carpet covered halls. She spotted the receptionist at the front and broke out into a run.

"Maksim Radacovick," Ella said. "What room is he staying in?"

The lady behind the counter looked up, "I'm sorry ma'am we can not give out guest information. It's against our private poli-"

"I'm his mate," Ella stopped her. "I'm Ella Dunbar. You've probably seen my face all over the news. Please, I need to know where he is."

The lady blinked in surprise as she studied Ella. After a few seconds realization hit her as her eyes widened.

"Prince Maksim just stepped out,"

"Stepped out?" Ella frowned. "To where? Where did he go?"

"I am not sure, Ma'am."

Ella groaned as she rushed out of the hotel doors and into the busy streets. She looked in every direction as the cold February air shilled her. The thin blue sweater she wore did nothing to protect her as she ran down the block aimlessly.

The streets of Paris were a lively affair. It was a beautiful city with wondrous sights to see everywhere. But all Ella cared about was finding her mate.

At the end of the block, Ella stopped and looked out into the traffic. Her head began to spin as her body shivered. She had no idea where she was going or where Maksim could be. How would she ever find him?

Frustrated, Ella tugged at her hair as she looked at the people passing by her. They all looked at her strange wondering why she was out standing around in the freezing cold in just a sweater. After a few minutes, as Ella's mind started to work again, she decided to go back into the hotel. The receptionist looked at her with worry as Ella approached the front desk again.

"May I wait in the lobby until the Prince returns?" Ella asked politely.

"Of course," the woman said. "Or would you rather wait for his highness in his room?"

"Oh," Ella blinked in surprise. She had forgotten that option was available to her. The rest of the world still thought Maksim and her were mates.

"Yes, please," Ella nodded.

"Certainly, ma'am," The lady behind the desk smiled as she handed Ella the keycard to the suite. "I'll have tea sent upstairs. Would you like anything else to make your stay more comfortable?"

"No, thank you," Ella sighed gratefully. "Thank you so much."

A hotel staff led Ella upstairs and unlocked the suite door for her. She thanked the man and stepped inside as another woman came in with a tea and sandwiches. Ella couldn't care less what they were doing. All she would process in that moment was Maksim's scent on every inch of the room. She slowly walked to the center and inhaled deeply, filling her lungs.

Ella quickly thanked the staff and closed the door behind her. She didn't want an audience for how she threw herself onto the bed and hugged his pillows. The clock by the nightstand read 10 PM. She was dying for Maksim to come back. Ella couldn't wait to see him in person. She had no idea what she would say or what he would say. She didn't care. They would figure it out. He just had to come back to her.

10 PM slowly turned to 11 and then 12.

Ella waited up restlessly as she counted the minutes. She called the palace and let Clare know she had reached safely. She told her she was waiting for Maksim in his room and heard Clare sigh in relief.

"Don't worry," Clare said. "He'll come back."

"I know," Ella said as she twirled the telephone wire. She sat on the sofa in the living room looking out the window at the Eiffel tower guttering in the night sky. "I'm here.....waiting."

After Ella hung up the phone, she placed her head on the armrest and continued to look at the Eiffel tower. She started to grow impatient with every passing second. Her eyes moved from the window to the clock like a pendulum, counting and waiting.

Finally, around 3 AM, Ella was snapped out of her slumber as the doors to the suit opened.

Her heart leaped up as she jumped up from the sofa. Her ears picked up Maksim's laugh along with another voice. Instantly, Ella's stomach began to turn.

With timid steps she braced herself and appeared in the foyer. Her eyes landed on Maksim as he carelessly leaned against the door with a blonde in his arms. He was smirking down at her as the girl leaned over his arms in a fit of giggles.

Ella wanted to throw up as she watched the sight in front of her. Her first instinct was to scream and tell the girl to get out. Then she would smack Maksim and drag him inside and yell at him some more.

But Ella was frozen in horror. She stared like a fly on the wall as Maksim stumbled into the suite with the girl.

Suddenly, Maksim looked up and froze. The girl in his arms looked at him in confusion before she followed his eyes to Ella.

Ella's eyes were only on her mate. She watched the shock and horror passover Maksim before longing and heartbreak clouded his eyes. She didn't know what to do as the minutes ticked by.

"Hello," the girl said to Ella as she looked from Maksim to her.

Her voice snapped the two mates out of their haze. Maksim looked down at the girl and frowned.

"You can see her?" He asked.

"Ah....yeah?" The blonde said laughing.

Maksim's head snapped back to look at Ella. He released the blonde immediately and took a step towards his mate.

"Wait," the girl stopped him and grabbed his arm giggling, "Where are you going?"

"You need to leave," Maksim said as he pulled his arm back. "Now."

"But..."

"Leave, please." Maksim grew serious.

The girl blinked in surprise before she took a step back. She looked at Maksim and then at Ella one last time before she walked out of the room. Maksim followed her to the door and closed it before turning the lock and looking at Ella.

Once again, they fell into silence as their eyes watched each other. Maksim's mind ran wild as Ella waited for him to speak and when he didn't, she broke the silence.

"She was pretty," she said.

Maksim rolled his eyes, "Yeah, she was."

Ella took a deep breath as he pulled off his coat and tossed it to the sofa in the living room. Her eyes followed him as he took his phone out and set it on top of the table by the door. He moved around the room, picking up a sandwich from the tray of food. Once the sandwich was done, he untied his shoes and took them off before taking off the black sweater he wore. His white shirt underneath was rumpled and rode up his abs as he removed his sweater. Ella's eyes watched his every movement carefully.

He was ignoring her.

"Where were you?" Ella asked when it was clear he wasn't going to speak to her.

"Out."

"With the girl?"

"Yes," Maksim said as he turned around to look at Ella. He took a seat at the edge of the wooden desk in the room and smiled, "And others too. There were two other blondes, and one brunette. Very pretty. She had this sexy French accent that made my name sound so seductive on her red lips."

Ella's hands balled into fists as she glared at the boy in front of her. She knew what he was trying to do. She didn't want to fall for it, but damn it he knew how to get under her skin.

Maksim waited for Ella's reaction. He watched her blue eyes as she blinked slowly and pulled a smile to her lips.

"They sound lovely," she said, surprising him a bit.

Ella was not going to let him mess with her. She knew he would never look at another girl. Even while lying to her his brown eyes were writing her long love letters.

"They were," Maksim said.

"Why did you send her away? I would have loved to spend some time with her. Oh! Maybe she's still in the lobby."

Maksim narrowed his eyes at Ella. He stayed silent as she moved towards the intercom.

"I'll call the front desk and ask them to send her back upstairs," Ella said as she dialed the main floor.

"Hello, front desk speaking," a man picked up the phone.

"Oh hello!" Ella said cheerfully. "A really pretty blonde in a green dress just headed downstairs. Can you please se-"

Before Ella could finish, Maksim disconnected the line. He reached around her and ended the call as her body stilled from his closeness. She felt sparks rise up her spine as his warm breath tickled the back of her neck.

Ella slowly put the receiver back on the intercom and turned to look at Maksim. His brown eyes stared down at her as both of their breath hitched. Ella knew he wasn't feeling the sparks that were dancing over her skin, but the way he was looking at her made her think they didn't need any type of bond to know they belonged together.

"Why are you here?" Maksim asked after a pause.

"I....." Ella looked down at his lips. So close.......

As Maksim waited for her to answer, he watched the tip of her tongue wet her bottom lip. His wolf was silent in his mind, but his body was going crazy. She didn't have her scent of Magnolia but god damn her perfume was driving him insane.

He had missed her so much. Everything about her. Her eyes, her laugh, her sass, her hair, her lips, her angry glares. No one in the world would ever compare to her. No one.

In the past month, Maksim had brought many girls upstairs. But the night always ended the same way. He couldn't bring himself to touch them or let them touch him. They were always missing something. They weren't Ella.

No one could be Ella.

"I came to take you to Juniper," Ella said quietly as she moved her eyes back up to his gaze.

Maksim felt his wolf growl. He was mad at her, so mad. He was mad at all of them. Did they really think they could take his mate away from him and he would still follow whatever they said. And how dare they now dangle Ella in front of him when all their other options were failing.

"I'm not going," Maksim took a step back. "I guess you came here for nothing."

"Max,"

"You can show yourself out, Ella. I'm sure they taught you how to use the ring around your finger."

What will happen now? What part did you like?