Chris

I wake after a long dreamless sleep with Jess pressed safely into my side. She's curled up like a kitten sleeping so soundly I hate to wake her, hell, I don't want to leave but there's too much to do. Exhaustion is etched into her features and eyes deeply shadowed.

Last night's events replay in my mind, fixating on the moment when Jess came for me in my nightmare, even after I hurt her. They've been plaguing my sleep for weeks, but I thought it was just the stress getting to me until Jess stripped away the layers and exposed the real culprit.

I wouldn't wish that torture on my worst enemy, to watch your mate be killed in front of you, time and time again and not be able to stop it... I felt like I was losing my mind.

"Go back to sleep," I whisper when she starts to wake up as I untangle myself from her.

"It's too early," she grumbles, burying her face in my pillow.

"I know," I say with a chuckle. "But I have a busy day. Sleep as long as you need to." With a final kiss on her temple, I slip away to get ready for the day.

Downstairs, the commons are already in full swing though the private dining room is still dark. Everywhere I go, people give me an extra wide berth and I can't help but notice their stares.

After filling a plate, I scan the room for someone familiar to sit with and, finding none, I take a seat at an empty table. Before long those nearest to me shovel their food down then leave.

Mid-meal, a boisterous group walks in signalling shift change. Immediately, I pick up on Grayson's voice and Nat's flaming hair out of the group. Seeing them blending in so well is nice, surrounded by a few royal warriors and Still Waters warriors and looking fresh from patrol.

I can't hold back my smile as Grayson thes a seat directly across from me while Nat takes my right and Liam, who I hadn't seen in the group, sits on my left. The royal pack warriors look sick as they stand there frozen, clearly unsure of how to proceed.

"Honestly, just take a seat," Grayson barks. "It's breakfast for Pete's sake." Slowly, one by one, the remaining people take a seat.

"How's it looking this morning?" I ask, trying to break the tension.

"Cold," Nat complains, nursing her cup of coffee. "But quiet."

"I'll take quiet," I say with a sigh.

"After yesterday? Fuck I heard, that shit's messed up. Kids?" she asks with a shudder.

"Is it true? That the witch was involved?" One of the royal pack warriors asks. My jaw automatically ticks ready to defend Mira but I realise he could be asking about the dark witch.

"You'll have to be more specific," I mumble, struggling to keep my voice even.

"They say the Still Waters witch was involved, did she summon them?" The man asks with more stupidity than I thought possible. Even a couple of his pack mates drop their heads in their hands, embarrassed for him.

"What else do they say about the Still Waters witch?" I grit out, pinning the man in place with a glare.

His eyes go wide, catching onto his mistake far too late. "Nothing," he mumbles, suddenly engrossed with his breakfast.

"Tell me," I say, trying to avoid a direct order. The man simply shrugs, being sure to keep his mouth full at all times.

"Fucking Nick," another man grumbles. "They're nothing but rumors Sire, unfortunately some in the palace have nothing better to do then talk nonstop with little or no actual information."

"I'd still like to know what is being said," I press, trying not to shut the man down.

"It's not favourable," he says, pursing his lips but continues when I don't say anything. "Ignorance brings fear and very few have had any dealings with witches. They just know the bogeymen from stories and the darkest parts of history."

"Unfortunately, I'm well aware of that," I say, turning my undivided attention to them.

"They say she made those things yesterday, that she cried when she saw they were all dead," another man offers, the look in his eyes shows he's on the fence but at least open minded.

"Fucking small-minded pricks," I growl. "No, Mira didn't make them." Pinching the bridge of my nose, I remind myself that others are listening and this is as good of time as any to set the record straight.

"Darklings... They are made with dark magic using children." The table takes a collective gasp, having assumed like the rest of us that it was a disguise. "Exactly, she wept for the unfortunate children that went through that."

"Those poor kids," Nat whimpers.

"I'm not going to pretend to know how magic works, but I was right with her as she undid whatever was done to them. I saw the toll it took on her when she did the first one, yet she didn't stop 'till they were all free."

"Why now?" The second man asks, his brows furrowed. "Nothing has gone on for years here, not even so much as rogue sightings, and suddenly rogues and witches attack the queen then those darklings? This doesn't make sense!"

"You didn't have a target worth attacking," Nat replies plainly adding, "with all due respect. Think about it, after the last Royal family was done, there was no one to fill the role until now."

"So we should expect more?" he replies with a frown.

"I can vouch that there's never a dull moment with my Alpha and Luna," Nat says with a laugh. "As for Mira, you're barking up the wrong tree. She's one of us."

"But she's a witch?" Nick questions.

"She's actually a hybrid, but I've seen her do more good in a short period of time than many people do in a lifetime. People always fear what they don't understand."

"For good reason," he mumbles under his breath, earning a glare from Nat. "What? Have you forgotten history?"

"No," she deadpans. "But the same could be said for us if you're talking history, look at the Onyx-"

"That's not the same thing," Nick objects, cutting her off. "Not all wolves followed..." he trails off as the light of recognition shines in his eyes.

"Exactly," I say, driving the point home.

The table becomes quiet once more as the sounds of forks on plates is all that can be heard. Eventually, Nat breaks the silence once more.

"So I hear congratulations are in order?" she asks, looking for confirmation.

"Yeah, Still Waters will have two heirs," I reply. I can't hold back my grin, feeling Cyrus puff up in pride.

"Two?! How the hell did you convince her to have one with ya, let alone two," Nat chokes out between fits of laughter.

"What can I say, when the time is right, it's right," I chirp back, unfazed.

'How's Jess feel about it?' she links, knowing Jess better than others and not wanting to feed the gossip mill.

'She's warming up fast. It was unexpected but she's going to be a great mother,' I reply honestly.

"I hate to eat and run but I have to get to a meeting, stay safe." I get up and take my empty plate, dropping it off on the dish cart on my way out. Just outside of the dining hall, I bump into Kane.

"This place is a fucking maze," he grumbles, running his hand through his russet locks. "Seriously, do I get a map or something?"

"Right after I do," I laugh. "Did you get something to eat?"

"Yeah, room service was great. Willow is so happy to see Jess again, she was up at the crack of dawn," he complains.

"Jess was never a morning person," I scoff. "Now she's really not, this place just drains her and the pups."

"Don't worry, I kept her busy," he replies with a crooked grin. "I don't see what she does, but Willow says there's something off here."

"Yeah... let's call it a work in progress."

"Is that why you called me in early?" he asks, locking his amber gaze on mine.

"You're going to wish that's why," I say with a chuckle, reaching for Barron's office door knob.

He's already seated with Jace and Aiden, the captain of the palace guard. All three men look up from their papers as we enter, Jace stands up grinning, and shakes Kane's outstretched hand.

"There's our regent," Jace announces and I cringe.

"So much for subtlety," I groan, glaring at my beta.

"Your what?!" Kane asks with a murderous glare.

"Told you you'd rather be dealing with the darklings," I reply with a smirk.

"Why me? There has to be a dozen others more qualified." Kane scoffs.

"See, even he thinks this is a bad idea," Barron chides.

"And who are you?" Kane glares, sizing up the aging Beta.

"Barron, the former king's Beta," he announces, holding out his hand to shake. Kane narrows his gaze at Barron's outstretched hand like it's covered in shit.

'Be nice,' I link him, all too familiar with his gruff nature.

Kane finally shakes his hand but his frown never leaves his face. "Kane." He turns his attention back to me. "Seriously man, I'm not regent material, you know me."

"You still have time to reconsider," Barron adds, earning a glare from Kane.

"You got a problem with me?" Kane asks point blank. I can't hold back my laugh at my friend's frankness and Barron's look at being called out.

"Not a problem, no," Barron replies diplomatically. "But surely you can see the risk involved in naming a powerful alpha such as yourself regent to the king... What's to stop you from expediting his demise and taking the throne."

"Oh, fuck that!" Kane snarls. "You're going to live for fucking ever!"

Jace breaks down laughing and I can't help but join him. Kane's blatant disgust and horror at being king is clear as day, just chipping away at Barron's claim.

"It's not funny," Kane sulks, sinking down into the chair beside me. "Why can't Eric do it?"

"Eric has enough on his plate," I counter. As one of the youngest and inexperienced Alphas that was in the war, he put Alphas twice his size to shame.

Between the New Moon treachery, conference and war, Eric's pack has grown exponentially. The last report from Helena, the new head of the council, says he's in consideration for one of the principal Alpha spots.

"Besides, you have a large enough pack to be able to back yourself," I reason. "Let the man catch his bearings."

"Life was easier before you came along," he gripes.

"You were bored and your mate scared of you," I deadpan.

"Asshole," Kane replies with a grin.

"So it's settled, what else?" Jace asks.

"Just going over security, guests should start arriving in two days," Aiden offers.

"Mitch will be here with reinforcements tomorrow," I add. Aiden assured me that his men were more than capable but after the Darkling attack, is more than happy to have more eyes.

After hours of going over the guest list, lodging, seating, protocols, and security, we're all over this tedious work. Thankfully, dinner time signals our freedom and we call it a day and break off to the private dining room.

Barron is the last to leave, lingering in his office and looking deep in thought. After telling the guys I'll meet them there, I close the door and turn my attention to the old beta.

"I think part of me is actually going to miss this..." he trails off, looking around his office. "This, not so much," he chuckles, gesturing to the paperwork on the table.

"So you've made a decision?" I ask, eyeing the veteran.

"Mmhmm," he replies with a nod. "This is a young man's game... I did my part with keeping this place running. Maybe I should have done things differently, but I did try."

The man seems to age before my eyes as he reflects over his years of service. In hindsight, looking at what the royal pack did or didn't do is easy, but I know all too well the stress of trying to do the best with what resources and knowledge you have at the time.

"What does Rebecca think?" I ask, curious about his mate's reaction.

"I haven't told her yet... She wasn't always like this, you know? This-" he gestures around, indicating the palace "-can change a person..."

"What aren't you telling me?" I ask with a sense of dread.

"Nothing I can prove."

What he leaves unsaid speaks volumes.

He may not know what's wrong here, but he knows there's something... and it's older and closer than we thought.