The Hidden Luna Queen

In any other case, I would have agreed with them.

However, this was the closest we had gotten to all-out war with our neighbor in our many years of tension. If we didn't play our cards carefully, then we would lose before it even fully started. And I was not willing to accept more losses than was necessary. "Spirit won't keep our men safe!" I rebuked. "We shouldn't put all those lives on the line if we don't have a plan."

Both of my brothers looked ready to protest some more until Father cut them off. "Xaden is right," he admitted. "We need to be careful with how we approach this. We cannot risk making even the slightest error."

Lucas looked frustrated. "But why?" he pressed. "Why are we being so careful all of a sudden?"

Father's face marred with wariness, forcing us into silence. "There's something strange about what's been happening," he noted slowly, as if lost in thought. "The Bear Shifters... they seem to have become more bold with their attacks as of late."

Henry's brow furrowed. "Perhaps that king of theirs hired a new commander."

"No, this has nothing to do with leadership," Father dismissed him. "Their tactics have changed. They're becoming more and more unpredictable. Not only that, but they were somehow able to find the exact location of our patrol camp within days of us setting up there." Judging by the resolute tone of his voice, he seemed to already have a good theory lined up.

"What do you think is happening, Father?" I prodded.

"I... think we need to look into the possibility that we might have a mole somewhere in our ranks."

That revelation seemed to freeze the room. I felt a cold chill run up my spine. A spy... it unfortunately made sense. But if it was true, then several questions remained that needed to be answered.

Who would do such a thing? And why?

"A mole?" Lucas balked after a long moment. "You think one of our men is helping the enemy?"

Father gazed at each of us solemnly. "We need to be prepared for anything," he muttered. "Enemies can be found anywhere, not just beyond our borders."

"Xaden...?"

Maeve's frightened voice brought me back to the present. She was still waiting for my answer.

Clenching my jaw, swallowing any reservations that lingered within me, I faced her once more. "We won't let it get that far," I ultimately said with as much steeled resolve as I could muster, forcing myself to believe my own words. "My father, brothers, and I will stop them at every turn."

Her bottom lip quivered, tugging at my heartstrings. "I don't want you to fight..." she whispered, weakly trying to hide the emotion that saturated her voice. "Please... if it comes to the precipice of war... please, don't fight... and stay with me," she begged, pulling my hand up to her lips, her soft skin brushing against my knuckles.

I couldn't even begin to describe how tempting the idea was.

But I had so much more to lose now.

If war broke out and put Maeve and our son in danger because I refused to intervene, I would never be able to forgive myself. "I will do what's necessary to protect you," I vowed, trying my best to ignore her feeble protests. "No matter what." That was not what she wanted to hear. Instantly, her face crumpled and her head fell, an attempt to hide her emotions from me. "But that's neither here nor there right now," I said, trying to comfort her, pulling her back up so I could look her in those beautiful eyes of hers. "All we have to worry about now is holding that banquet for our soldiers. As an alpha prince, my attendance tomorrow afternoon is required... but I would love it if you'd join me," I entreated her, hoping for another chance to have her at my side.

The hesitancy on her face was clear as day. I knew she had concerns following that last banquet, but I was admittedly feeling a little selfish.

Having her around would erode any anxiety I had.

It took a few moments before she ultimately sighed with a nod. "Okay... I'll go with you tomorrow."