Chapter 132
Chapter 132
Kathy picked up the cellphone from her drawer with a sigh, answered it, and put it on speaker so everyone could hear.
“My lady, there’s something you need to know,”
“What is it?”
“Your stepsister Skye has been asking questions and paying people to find out where you are.”
“Do you see her children with her?”
“No, miss. I asked around, and it seems she gave them up for adoption after both their grandmother and father rejected them,”
Another thought crossed Kathy’s mind. Since her spy was a vampire, she wanted to ask whether he had ever been involved with Maria. Kathy knew Maria had been with vampires before, and as she looked down at Melody sleeping in her mother's arms, she wondered what might happen if Skye traced her last location to the Silverstone pack—or came to Canada and spread rumors that Kathy had ruined her life.
“Keep an eye on her. Just make sure she doesn’t see you.”
“Yes, miss,”
“Wait…before you hang up. I have one question for you,”
“Yes?”
“Did you, by any chance, sleep with Maria? Don’t lie to me.”
The caller went quiet, as if he were choosing his words carefully so he would not lie to Kathy. She waited for his answer before the call ended.
“Yes. It happened a couple of times, but it didn’t mean anything. Once I found out who she was, I cut her off and never saw her again.”
“Thank you. I’ll speak with you soon.”
“Yes, miss,”
Kathy hung up, returned the phone to the drawer, and closed it before looking around the room and rubbing the back of her neck.
“I’ll explain everything once we’re in the living room, where there’s enough space for everyone to sit.”
“Yes, young lady, you have a lot of explaining to do. What other secrets are you keeping?” Grace said.
Kathy rolled her eyes and got off the bed while Seth helped Sebastian stand, draping Sebastian’s arm around his neck for support. As everyone headed toward the living room, Kathy grabbed a blanket from the closet and followed. Anthony settled into the armchair just as one of the nannies brought in tea and other drinks. Then Theo opened the door, and Lady Vanessa and King Frances entered to find Anthony seated with Kathy curled on his lap beneath the blanket.
“Please come in and sit down. I have a lot to explain.”
“Yes, you do,” said Vanessa
“Well, you better sit down and listen up,”
Grace placed Melody in the playpen beside her sleeping brother. Kathy was grateful the babies slept soundly through almost anything, waking only for bottles and diaper changes. Anthony wrapped his arms around Kathy’s waist and pulled her closer beneath the blanket while she explained everything to the room, leaving nothing out. Vanessa and Frances were stunned to hear that the Moon Goddess had tested Kathy and Anthony before blessing their bond.
“Vanessa and Frances, your son has been injected with vampire venom. By Maria vampire lover,”
“How can we revise this?” asked Vanessa
“The venom has been in his system too long. If we try to remove it now, we could kill him. Queen Vanessa, don’t worry—the venom is still moving through his veins, but we won’t know until morning whether he will fully transform.”
“Will he have to drink blood for the rest of his life?” King Frances asked.
“No. He can still eat food, but he’ll need blood too. Without it, he’ll suffer hunger pains.”
“At first, we thought he’d been poisoned. The pack doctor gave him the strongest painkiller we had, but his body burned right through it, so I told the doctor to sedate him and let him sleep through the pain.”
Anthony looked at his parents with glowing red eyes and smiled, revealing his fangs. Vanessa saw that her son had become a vampire, but one question remained: did Anthony still have his lycan?
“Kathy, does Anthony has his lycan side?” asked Vanessa
“Of course, Max is still recovering with Anthony. It’s going to take a while for them getting used of things,”
Kathy glanced at her father Seth as he drank ginger tea with one arm wrapped around her mother, who giggled while Seth tickled her. They were an odd couple indeed. Her grandfather still looked bewildered, while Vanessa and Frances worried about the kingdom’s future now that Anthony was next in line for the throne.
Taking a deep breath, Kathy drew everyone’s attention and revealed even more of her secrets. Anthony breathed in her scent, his ears brushing against her neck, and Kathy knew he was going to be a clingy, oversized baby. Zack entered in his jaguar form and lay down at Kathy’s feet, but Max took control and growled at him for getting too close.
“Max, no. Leave Zack alone. He isn’t bothering anyone.”
“I don’t like another male being near you.”
“Max, he’s my bodyguard. Besides, you’re not the only one who doesn’t like him. My father doesn’t like the idea of him staying here either. Zack comes and goes as he pleases.”
“Kathy, what on your mind?” asked Seth
“I want Melody, Kai, and Leon to attend the same school. I don’t want them growing up thinking they’re being treated differently. They should all start at the bottom, train hard, and earn their way up—Melody included. No special treatment, even with royal parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. I don’t want them using their status against others. They need to work for what they have, and if they get into trouble, they’ll be punished. They’ll each have their own path to follow, and when it comes to their mates, I don’t want anyone using my children’s status to climb higher, only to reject them for someone else,” Kathy explained.
“You’ve really thought this through,” Seth said.
“Yes, I have. I’ve seen things like that happen before, and I want our children to grow up understanding that.”
“Well, if seem that we will have our hands full. You want us to take the babies for a couple of nights?” asked Grace
“You don’t mind, I know everyone is busy with their own worked,”
“We don’t mind; we can move things around. Kathy someone is outside,”
Kathy turns around to see a man wearing all black as she was about to get out of Anthony lap but he got his arm warp around her so tight.
“Max let go of me, I will leave you here by yourself. I am coming back,”
Max released her. Kathy climbed off his lap, laid the blanket back over him, then went to the back door, stepped outside, and used her power to raise a soundproof barrier.
The night air wrapped around Kathy as the barrier settled into place, dulling every sound from inside the house. The man in black stood a few steps from the porch, his hands visible at his sides and his head slightly bowed, as if he knew better than to come any closer without permission.
“You have ten seconds to tell me why you’re here before I decide you’re a threat,” Kathy said, keeping her voice low and steady.
The man lifted his gaze. His eyes were sharp beneath the shadow of his hood, but there was no challenge in them—only urgency. “My lady, I came because I could not risk calling. Skye is no longer only asking questions. She has hired hunters.”
Kathy’s fingers curled at her sides, but she did not let her expression change. “Hunters for me, or hunters for the children?”
“Both.” His answer came too quickly, and that made it worse. “She does not know exactly where you are yet, but she has narrowed it down. She believes you are protected by your husband and his family, and she is willing to expose every secret she can if it forces you out.”
“She doesn’t know that supernatural exists. She is angry that she wants mine life I have.
For a moment, Kathy saw the danger unfold in her mind: rumors spreading through the kingdom, strangers watching the house, Melody and the boys dragged into a fight they were too young to understand. The thought chilled her more than the wind.
“Who are the hunters answering to?” she asked.
“A vampire named Dorian Vale. He sells information, blood, and loyalty to whoever pays the most. If Skye has reached him, then she has already stepped into a world she does not understand.”
Kathy glanced back toward the house. Through the glass, she could see shapes moving in the living room, and she knew Anthony would already be fighting Max for control. “If Dorian comes near this house, he dies.”
The man bowed his head again. “That is why I came. There is more. Dorian is not only interested in Skye’s payment. He has heard about Prince Anthony’s change.”
Kathy’s power stirred beneath her skin, pressing against the barrier like a living thing. “Who told him?”
“I do not know yet, but I will find out.” He reached slowly into his coat and withdrew a folded envelope sealed with black wax. “This was delivered to one of my men an hour ago. It bears Dorian’s mark.”
Kathy did not take the envelope right away. Instead, she let her power brush over it, searching for traps, spells, or the faintest trace of venom. Only when she found nothing did she pluck it from his hand.
“Stay hidden. Watch Skye. Watch Dorian. If either of them takes one step toward my family, I want to know before their shadow touches our land.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Before you leave, go to my father’s lab for a DNA test. Tell him I sent you. Since you slept with Maria, I need to make sure you aren’t Melody’s father.”
“Yes, my lady,”
Kathy broke the barrier and turned back toward the door with the envelope clutched in her hand. Before she could step inside, Anthony appeared on the other side of the glass, his red eyes locked on the man in black.
Kathy sighed, already knowing the argument that waited for her. “Anthony, behave,” she warned before opening the door.
Kathy closed and locked the door behind her, then guided Anthony back to the armchair. Once he sat down, she settled on his lap with the envelope in her hand, studying it carefully.
While Grace packed the babies’ bags and tucked their filled bottles inside, Kathy quietly slipped the envelope between the chair cushions before anyone could notice. She had never met Dorian Vale, but his reputation told her enough: Skye had crossed a ruthless man, and failing to pay him could cost her life.