129: Darius's POV

She screamed and then disappeared.

The only reason I wasn’t running down the halls and breaking down doors to find her was that Nik had immediately let Phoenix and me know she was okay, just startled in the passageway. He was keeping something from us, but I believed him that she was fine, and that was enough for me for now.

At least, I told myself it was.

Cade had joined me shortly after he’d left Ada and Nik, and he had been courteous about the spectacle my mate had been putting on. She wasn’t a wolf in heat, but this mate bond certainly had her libido in a frenzy. I smirked as I grabbed one end of a wooden plank and started toward the dock. If I were reaping the benefits of her increased libido, I didn’t mind. I don’t think any of us did.

I laid down the plank. The only thing that bothered me about the way she’d shut us out was how completely she did it. She’d struggled with keeping any of us out since we completed the mate bond, and I’d grown to enjoy her constant presence. It was comforting. Now, anytime I tried to reach out— which was pretty much constantly, out of habit— I was meeting a brick wall.

If Phoenix hadn’t confirmed he was in the same boat, I would have gotten in my head about all the progress I’d thought we’d been making. We were talking again— like we had when we first found out she was the destined royal surrogate. The hoax my father had shoved onto us still pissed me off, but there were far more important things.

I really wanted to know what her meeting with Elizabeth had been like. Nik had seemed equally pleased and pissed off, but Blade and Dagger had shown up so quickly afterward that none of us had a chance to touch base.

Cade grunted as we lifted another plank, “Not that I’m complaining, your majesty, but don’t we have omegas that could be doing this?”

My grin was fast, “We do.”

“Then why are we doing it?” he hoisted the plank onto his shoulder in tandem with me, “Besides, isn’t this more King Phoenix’s liking?”

“It is,” I agreed, walking back to the dock, “Phoenix is dealing with a personal matter that Nik asked him to attend to.”

“Which means it’s something to do with Elizabeth Jane,” Cade grumbled with a shake of his head, “You really muddled that up.”

“I sure did,” I nodded, pulling the plank off my shoulder and bending over to set it down, “They’re being very tight-lipped about it, so I’m sure Ada did something for Elizabeth they think I won’t agree with.”

“Which you wouldn’t,” Cade sighed.

“Which I wouldn’t,” I echoed.

We made our way back to the pile of planks. We passed two omegas on the way, both of which were carting fresh pails of nails and hammers to pass out. Cade stooped down and picked up his end of the plank. I grabbed mine, carefully walking toward the dock.

This definitely was more up the alley of Phoenix. It inherently fell into all of our strengths, given what had occurred here. One of our ships had blown up while it was docked. This presented several issues— Nik was in charge of security. It was his duty to figure out how this happened and to determine how we deal with the traitor. Phoenix normally helped the people. He had a better rapport with them and made it look so easy. I normally would have been working to figure out how trade was impacted by this, what goods were lost, and how to determine the reimbursement for it all.

Since we were down Phoenix right now, and technically Nik, who was with Ada, I was prioritizing our people first. They needed to see us as leaders who cared about our people, which meant putting in the hard work. Nik had his own spies and shadows working for him, so he was handling his portion from a distance currently. He’d dealt with what he needed to early on, seeing as he was the first to learn of the attack.

The part I normally dealt with would wait until the morning.

Cade stumbled as we set the plank down and slid it into place. “I think she is letting Elizabeth have time outside.”

“What makes you think that?” I asked quickly. Cade pointed toward the castle. I followed his finger. Even with my enhanced vision, the only detail I could make out of the figure standing at the edge of the gardens was bright golden hair. “That’s an interesting choice,” I grumbled.

I could feel Elizabeth’s eyes on mine. It was fair of her to be staring me down. I hadn’t gone to see her once since sentencing her to what was basically exile. Even the fact that she could be pregnant with my pup wasn’t enough to make me see her. Actually, if anything, the shame from that possibility was too much to bear.

“Am I able to speak freely with you, your majesty?” Cade’s voice was soft.

My eyes darted over to him. I’d always viewed Cade with an inherent distrust because of his loyalty to my father. He’d carried out a great many executions in the name of my father and had helped him to terrorize parts of our people for years. However, I’d never seen the inherent lust for blood in his eyes.

Was it possible he was actually a good person who had just been trying to keep his own head over the years? Nik didn’t seem to think so.

Still, I nodded, “Feel free.”

“I think Ada is going to make a fantastic Luna Queen,” he started toward the stack of planks, leaning down to pick one up, “I am grateful that you’ve allowed me to stay on as the Royal beta, but—” he cut himself off and shook his head, “Never mind.”

My shoulder ached as the new plank rested on it, “I told you to speak freely. What is it?”

“I don’t want this,” he rushed out, keeping his gaze locked on the plank in front of him, “I know King Nikolai thinks that if you demote me or remove me as Beta, I’ll join the rebellion.” When I didn’t argue, he nodded slowly, “Thank you for not trying to deny that. I’m telling you I won’t do that.”

“If you don’t want to be our Beta, what is it that you do want?”

“To leave,” Cade whispered, looking around us, “I want to take my mate and go away from me. I want to get on a ship and never have to come back.”

I paused, looking at him. His shoulders were rolled back, and his expression was flat. He met my gaze without flinching. Cade was serious. I moved to drop the plank down, “I can speak with my brothers and Ada.”

He seemed surprised— and grateful— that I didn’t press him for more info. The truth was, I didn’t need it. Much like him, I felt the urge to flee.