Chapter Sixty-Nine

KEYARA

“Most of the guards are not loyal to Pershing any longer.” Jenna began explaining. “There have even been quiet talks of removing him from power, but no one wanted Jonas to take over either.”

“Now that he’s missing,” Jenna continued, “the current plan is to wait for Jack to come of age since he’s Pershing’s only possible heir.

“He trains with the younger guards, and they’re working to teach him as much as they can about ruling without raising suspicion. At the very least, he’ll be a kinder man than his father and brother.”

Keyara furrowed her brow. “What about Captain Garth? He wouldn’t put up with that.”

The captain of the guard was fiercely loyal to Pershing and would have immediately and savagely stopped any talk of sedition.

Jenna let out a wry laugh. “Pershing sacked him and banished him from Levia. He was blamed for Jonas’s disappearance and the fact that no one has been able to locate him since.”

Keyara shook her head in disbelief. That man had been Pershing’s biggest supporter as well as the enforcer of punishment when anyone failed to live up to what was expected of them.

“Aye, he’s a fool,” Jenna responded in a harsh tone. “That lost him any support he still had among the guards. Truth be told, Key, it is likely the guards will hand the castle over to you without a second thought.”

“But what of my claim?” she asked Jenna. “What if they don’t believe I am who I say?”

“They’ll believe it because they want to believe it, Keyara,” Jenna told her in a serious tone. “And even if they don’t, now that you’re married to King Ash, they’ll go along with it anyway.

“They want Pershing out that badly, and it’s a simple and convenient solution, and one they would welcome gladly. Everyone knows of King Ash’s ability to run a kingdom successfully.”

Keyara scoffed in indignation. Her whole life, she had been the rightful heir, forced to hide, and in the end, all it took was an agreeable marriage and the right timing to gain the support she had needed years ago.

“I’m sorry, Key, I know it’s your claim, but that’s the way of the world, is it not?” Jenna said sadly. She stood before Key could respond, smoothing the skirts of her drab maid’s uniform.

“I have to get back, or I’ll be late for my shift. I’ll return at the noon break for your answer, and I’ll get you a meeting with Robb if you want one.”

Keyara could only nod as her sister opened the bedroom door and rushed out to return to the castle. As the front door snapped closed, she met Ash’s eyes at the far end of the cabin, knowing he had heard every word.

His scowl was not what she had expected to see.

ASH

It was too easy.

As he listened in on the two women in the bedroom, he could not help but distrust the whole story, and how the perfect solution was seemingly falling into their laps like a gift from the gods.

~“Do you trust her?”~ came Mateo’s inquiry through the link as the conversation was ending.

His new beta’s thoughts obviously mirrored his own.

~“I sense no obvious sounds of deceit in her words,”~ Ash replied carefully. “~But I do not know her~.~”~

The bedroom door opened, and Jenna rushed out, her eyes glued to the floor as she hurried to the front door. Ash heard Mateo beside him scent the air as she passed him before giving Ash a pointed look.

Lies have a scent. You could smell it on the sweat of someone who was trying to deceive—a sour, unpleasant smell.

Unfortunately, anxiety caused the same reaction, and the girl was clearly uncomfortable around the imposing presence of his men.

~“She’s understandably nervous, involving herself in something as big as this,”~ Ash linked to Mateo in her defense.

~“Or lying,”~ came the blunt reply.

Ash could not help the scowl that formed on his face as the door shut behind her, and in that moment, he locked eyes with his mate, still sitting on the bed across the cabin.

She frowned in response, irritation flicking over her expression.

She stood abruptly and stalked toward him, the men moving quickly out of the way to let her pass.

Mateo spoke before she could.

“I find it hard to believe it will be that easy,” he told Key, never one to beat around the bush. “I’m not sure we should trust her.”

Keyara’s mouth opened in shock at Mateo’s words before snapping shut angrily. Her eyes darted back and forth between Mateo’s face and his own, a murderous expression on her face.

Finally, she stopped on his face, studying him carefully before speaking. “And you?” she asked him shortly, seemingly daring him to express similar negative sentiments about her sister.

He held up both hands in a surrendering gesture, her anger formidable. “I am open to hearing your thoughts on the matter,” he said quickly, seeking to calm her.

“Of course we can trust her!” she said angrily, turning her ire back on his beta. She stepped closer to him, her head barely coming to Mateo’s chest as she continued to berate him.

“You’ve spent a grand total of five minutes around my sister,” she said, poking him in the chest to emphasize her words.

“I don’t think you’ve ever even spoken to her! But you pass judgment on her story that quickly? Just like that?” She let out a frustrated huff and spun away from them to compose herself.

Mateo glanced sideways at him with an amused and knowing smirk. Not that either man would dare say it to her face, but the pregnancy was likely the culprit for her outburst.

The scent of the pup growing inside her was growing more prominent by the day, and the fetus was more wolf than human.

Mother and pup feed off each other’s moods, and as the pup of an alpha, the effect was sure to be overwhelming, magnifying any strong feelings to epic proportions.

After a moment, she turned back toward them, her breathing more even.

“I’m sorry,” she told Mateo. “I’m not sure where that came from. Your concerns are valid ones. Can we discuss how we plan to go forward?”

Without waiting for a reply, she stepped past them to take a seat at the table. Mateo grinned at Ash before joining her.