No One to Trust

*Rowan*

I stared at the mark on my sister’s shoulder for a long time.
James brought me to her room, where she’s still sedated and also strapped to the bed a few hours ago, after I visited my mother’s body. We know for certain it’s a mate’s mark. We just don’t know who her mate is.
After that, I got busy and distracted, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It took my mind off the horror of the situation as I worked to problem solve. Wilma had questions about the announcement for the other kingdoms, and other staff members had questions about the service. I ran around for a bit, trying to be helpful. Now, I’m back in my room, and the house is eerily silent.
I should try to go back to sleep for a bit. I’ve got a lot on my plate. In the coming days, weeks, maybe months, I’ll be busy with a war, something I’ve been attempting to avoid, but now I have no choice.
Why Darksky is so hell bent on hurting us, I don’t know. We’ve done nothing to them. That’s about to change.
My cell phone rings, and I answer it. I wish it was Hezzlie, but that’s stupid. She doesn’t even have my number. “Hello?”
“Alpha, we have another problem,” one of my warriors, Kevin, says. “More of Darksky’s men are hanging around Ann’s house.”
“Fuck,” I murmur. This doesn’t surprise me. I actually expected them to try to take Hezzlie’s mother a while back. “All right. We can’t take any chances of them getting their hands on her, especially if she really does have magic. Bring her in.”
“How do you want me to proceed?” he asks. “She knows Hezzlie isn’t in Moonstryker Mansion any more.”
He’s not wrong. I’m sure she’ll have questions about why she should come and why I sent her daughter away, although it should be easy to explain that Hezzlie is with her father, assuming she didn’t tell her mother it wasn’t her choice. I have no idea what she’s said to her mom because I haven't spoken to her in a long time–too long.
“Just ask her if she’ll come,” I begin. “She might want to see Dean, James, and some of the others. Once she’s here, it’ll be easier to tell her what’s going on.”
“I’ll try that,” Kevin replies. “And if it doesn’t work?”
“Do what you need to do. Just be careful. If they think we’re taking her, they might move in on you. You’ll need to be cautious.” I only have five guys with Kevin right now, so it could get dangerous.
“Yes, Alpha,” he tells me. “I’ll keep you posted.” With that, he hangs up, and I contemplate making another phone call.
To Hezzlie.
I have her number, she just doesn’t have mine. I could use the mind-link. That would be less dangerous, but I don’t even know what to say. Should I ask her if she knows who my sister’s mate is? Should I ask her what the spirit is like over there? Or should I just ask her if she’s okay?
I don’t know what to do or say, so I just lie back in my bed and do nothing. A king has to be decisive, to make decisions quickly. But right now, whether it’s from grief, shock, or exhaustion, I can’t seem to do anything.
Thankfully, I don’t have to.
‘Rowan? Can you hear me?’
Hezzlie’s voice in my head soothes my soul. My aching heart seems to burn a bit less in my swollen chest. I take a moment to relish the sound of her voice in my head and remember what she felt like when I was inside of her. Goddess, I miss her with every fiber of my being.
‘I can hear you,’ I reply. ‘Are you okay? Are you safe?’
‘I’m fine,’ she says. The mind-link is strained because we are so far apart. I wouldn’t normally be able to reach anyone at this distance, but this is working because she’s my mate, I suppose. ‘I heard about your mother. I’m so sorry.’
I feel myself tearing up at the thought of her. ‘Thank you,’ I manage.
‘Listen, I know you’re probably busy, and you don’t want to talk to me anyway, but I’ve found out a few things you should know.’
It hurts me even worse to hear her say she thinks I don’t want to talk to her, but I’ve never given her any reason to think otherwise. When I think back to the way I treated her, in an effort to keep my distance and get my sister back, I feel like a complete asshole.
I don’t say any of that to her now, though, even though I should. ‘What is it?’
‘If you don’t know, my father used his wizard to brainwash Mara somehow into doing that. He’s been meeting with me every day, but I don’t think he’s attempting to brainwash me. I think he’s just trying to see if I have any magic.’
‘Do you?’ I ask, sounding a little ruder than I intend to.
‘No.’ Her answer comes quickly, and a flicker in the back of my mind, maybe my wolf, says she’s lying. ‘You should also know that my brother is extremely angry at the king for all of this. He’s very fond of Mara. So if you decide to do something, please be mindful that Aiden could be a potential ally. He’s not like Solomon.’
I notice that she’s called Aiden her brother but not called Solomon her father. Interesting.
I can’t promise her anything. If we attack, the only person I’ll tell them to be careful not to harm is her.
‘We haven’t made any plans yet, but when we do attack, if Aiden is a sympathizer, he’ll have to prove it,’ I reply.
‘There’s a girl here named Abby. She’s been very nice and sweet. Anyway, she seems to think that your house is sitting on something that the king wants.’
‘What?’ I’m confused. Under my house? What is she talking about?
‘That’s all I know. I can’t say much else.’
I blink a few times, deciding to put that on the back burner for now. ‘Okay. Listen, I have another question for you. My sister found her mate. Do you happen to know who it is?’ It’s a direct question, but it has to be. I can’t beat around the bush with something so important.
Hezzlie is quiet for a long moment before she says, ‘I might.’
She does know, but she’s being cautious. Who would she want to protect?
My stomach tightens as bile rises up in the back of my throat, and I know exactly who it is. “Fuck,” I whisper. Anyone else in the world would’ve been better.
I decide to play dumb. ‘Who do you think it might be?’
‘Let me do some checking, and I’ll get back to you.’
Hezzlie doesn’t completely trust me, and I can’t blame her. She’s stuck right now between her father’s kingdom and her mate’s.
Same as my sister.
‘Okay,’ I tell her. ‘Be careful, Hezzlie.’
‘You, too,’ she replies, and I have to wonder–does she know a reason why I might not be safe?