The entire drive through the castle gates causes me to feel uneasy, the gates opening to reveal the white stones of the palace, stories high as ivy runs along the structure, the architecture beautiful since the last time I can recall being here. Guards line the palace walls which enclose the palace it surrounds, eyes trained on the car as we approach, Fiona gathering her things as we drive to the foot of the long stairs ahead of us. King Laraxuis stands in the doorway at the top of the steps, the palace doors open wide behind him as a scowl is placed upon the King's face, eyes focused on the car as we come to a stop. Pulling to a stop, I turn off the car, sliding out as I shut the door slowly behind me, eyes locked with those of the King as Fiona follows in suit. A woman stands just to the side of the King, hair braided and wearing a simplistic white dress, bare feet across the floor of the palace. A priestess of the Temple, to serve the Moon Goddess in times when religion is fading away. Climbing up the stairs, the priestess steps forward, balancing on the tips of her toes as she whispers to the King. I can tell from one little movement exactly who they are to one another - a forbidden romance - and everything is in their way. Mates, a King and a priestess. A king, the man to marry a woman able to be his queen and take on a world of rumors and politics, and a priestess, the very definition of purity as their life is to die in a temple having prayed to the Moon Goddess for all of her days.

"Alpha Maxwell," King Laraxis greets, extending a hand to shake as I make it up the stairs. My hand in his, the handshake is firm as he glances back to Fiona. "And who do we have here? A witch?"

"Fiona, head of my coven," Fiona greets, walking right past the King and priestess. "We have a meeting to get down to, let us not waste our time with formalities, we all there is nothing respectful of the circumstances presented before us."

Glancing over to the priestess, she seems submissive, looking away from my gaze. My husband was not an Alpha her temple was in favor of, for the murder of Lillian Rice, the cheating of Zion and Lillian, the terror Crimson Lock which it placed into other packs, and the way we proclaimed that we were a rogue pack - not to mention ties were cut with the temple before Nixon became Alpha, everything points to tension between the priestess and myself here. "Welcome to some high tensions, priestess," I greet, following Fiona into the palace. "Bring your mate if you wish," I comment to the King, knowing what boundaries I can push here. Elijah and I got this man the crown, we gave him power, we told him of what to agree on within the Senate chambers, and we made him who he is. "Just know she could snitch away to her Head Priestess."

"I am the Head Priestess," she informs, her voice weak. She reminds me of myself before I met Nixon and he turned my world around. Sure, if I had never met Nixon I would have had my daughter, become an Alpha, a Luna, and became a stronger woman as I am no longer afraid to speak my mind.

"Not for long." Right away the priestess turns pale at my comment, watching as a disappear off into the hallway. "Come along Laraxis, we have work to do and our plan moves fast."

Entering into the throne room, I find Fiona snooping around the throne, around the balcony, and looking up to the ceiling as she waiting for the two of us. Laraxis follows in pursuit, his priestess left at the front of the entrance as Fiona leads us onto the balcony, swinging up her briefcase containing the documents we were deliver. "Brenna is her name," he speaks up, watching as Fiona unwraps the ribbon keeping the thick document together. "She is the head priestess and has been offering me guidance."

Pausing my movements, I look back to the Alpha King, crown placed neatly upon his curly locks. Zion wore that crown once, the day of his wedding was the last I saw it, a matching one for Sybil as they seemed perfectly happy with the lives they were to live. Sybil lived in the shadow of Zion, only there to provide the rogues with someone to cheer for, for she had no idea the sins her husband committed in the night. If she had known her husband came to me one day, his men placing bullets in the walls of my house, and Zion leaving me to bleed out with my life and my child's to perish for my husband to see, she would have left him. Would Laraxis do the same to his mate, to let her believe he is a saint while he murders those loved by others having done nothing wrong but perhaps pissed him off long ago? "Elijah and I give you guidance here, not a young girl."

"She is the same age as you," Laraxis debates, a scowl placed upon his face as I peer over his shoulder to look at the priestess.

"And she has much growing up to do." Nixon submerged me into a world where I had to grow up. While my classmates were getting ready for college parties and wondering what they would do with their lives after college, I was married to the Alpha of a feared pack, pregnant with my daughter, and uncovering secrets of the darkest parts of strong leaders. I made Crimson Lock a rogue pack, I became the Alpha of Crimson Lock, and I am now here with plans to take down the man who murdered my husband and has deceived his kingdom for years. "She is naive to the world outside those temple walls. We both know that the temple barely influences anyone anymore, she is just a symbol of purity. Invite her to a party and you are praised as a man of tradition for show. Invite her to see the darkest corners of your life and she will mature."

The King remains quiet as Fiona hands him the pages filled with documentation. "We have a deal to make regarding Zion, let us not fall off the path here." Laraxis looks over the documents, eyes scanning over every sentence with care as I watch the priestess from afar, just wandering around the entrance hallway of the palace. "Zion brought Sybil back from the dead, Laraxis," I inform, knowing it is time to summarize the information for him as well. "Those who hold tradition close will see him as an unworthy royal who should be placed on trial for using such dark magic. He used a coven for his mission without giving them what he promised. He used Fiona's coven to his advantage to bring her back and did not honor the promise to lift the curse upon her coven's eternal suffering. The Priestess will agree that Zion abused his power over a coven and she must have to call him in for a trial."

"Zion will never come willingly."

"He comes willingly and will be on trial here, or he will flee which will make him an enemy of the kingdom."

"You wish to put one of the most beloved Alpha Kings on trial and see if he comes or becomes an enemy of this Kingdom?" Laraxis asks, trying to get assurance that this is my plan here.

"He is not as loved as you believe, especially with all of the information I have on him. Elijah could easily send a copy of a book containing many of his sins against the innocent and let those notes be readable to every werewolf kingdom."

"Sybil will be left alone if he comes to trail," Fiona adds, "but we need not fear her trying to seek justice for her husband's trial. She is a fragile shell of who she once was. Bringing a person back from the dead does not bring their soul back too. She cannot even recall the palace. She walks among the living when she misses her eternal slumber among the dead. Down in the afterlife was peace for her unlike up here." Fiona keeps the information about Sybil once again falling pregnant secret, for we both know this is the only amount of information which Laraxis will need for now. "Zion must face trial."

Walking from the balcony, I lead the other two towards the hallway where the young priestess stands with her body hidden in the shadows. "Brenna," I greet, knowing that I have shown her no form of respect. "If someone were to use a witch coven to bring someone back to life by holding the idea of lifting a curse over the head but never fulfilling that promise, would that be able to be called in for trial? They used dark magic to bring back someone from the dead which violates so many ethical codes of the temple."

Brennaraises an eyebrow, thinking to herself as she bites her lip. Her shy personality reminds me of myself years ago, afraid to bend the rules or try and stand up for myself. Nixon may have brought demons out in my life, but he taught me how to stand strong and fight for what I am passionate about. "Give me a name and I will call a trial."

A smile spreads across my face as I know Elijah will be more than happy to hear the news. "Alpha King Zion."

She is taken back by the news, shocked to hear his name come from my lips. But she knows this is what must happen, she is a woman of tradition and following what she says she will. Nodding, Brenna agrees to call Zion to trial by the end of the day, excusing herself as she heads off to make the call to place in the order. Laraxis comments how he must make a royal decree to the calling of the trial, to make it official on both the religious and political sides of the kingdom. "What of the journal containing Zion's misdeeds?"

"We will wait to send it out," I inform, my heart beating fast in my chest as I am happy to see that actions are being taken to take down Zion. Zion will not come for his trial, I know this to be true. He will not come to the trial, thus he will be an enemy of the kingdom."

"And where does your plan go from there?" I know Laraxis is not permitted to know this information.

"Place your faith in Elijah and me, Alpha King, we got you this crown and we will continue to see that this kingdom is great."

Our conversation comes to an end as a man calls for the King to answer a call from a nearby royal. Fiona and I are left in the throne room to ourselves, keeping our mouths shut as we know how fast whispers spread in the palace and can turn against us. I message Elijah the news and look back to Fiona to see her twirling around a black mist on her fingers, using her magic as her eyes darker. "Zion will be given a trial date and he will either move Sybil further away from civilization in fear of hunters or he will try and seek shelter with another kingdom," Fiona comments, giving me a brief glance. "Hunters will be after her with this news. If she gets away from Zion, she will return to my coven, it is the only shelter she knows of and I am the only one she truly trusts - minus the fact I threatened to kill her months prior - but she will return to seek shelter from me. I am the woman who brought her back to life and I am the only one who can send her back pain-free and without fear. When she gives birth and if Zion is not there, she will ask for me to use my last bit of magic to send her back to her slumber, she cannot raise a child when her soul is missing. Her soul cannot bond to her child's the way a mother usually bonds with their child. She will not even smile when she gives birth, she will feel no pain, and she will spare one glance to the child."

"If everything goes as planned, what will happen to her child?" I ask, curious as I think for myself as well what will happen to my own child if I perish in this mess as well.

"Zion's ancestors came from the oldest werewolf pack before they became kings and queens. I am sure someone will care for a orphan child."

"And what will become of your own child, Alpha Maxwell?" Fiona asks as we watch the Alpha King sign away on a royal decree to declare Zion the center of a trail.

Looking outside to see the sunset over the lake, I take in a deep breath. "You know, after all this time of people asking me this, people telling me I must make arrangements, and people telling me to plan for the worst, I am still stuck in purgatory on the matter. My answer will determine the future of my child, the woman she will grow up to be, and if she will ever become Alpha of Crimson Lock."