77. NATE

Two hundred and ten lives were lost.

More from the other kingdom than from ours. I was proud of our men. The days training them didn’t go to waste. I thought it might have been due to all the complaining they did whenever we trained.

I turned away from the dead bodies and focused on the men whose wounds were being treated.

Some looked like they were ready to pass out.

A hand slammed down on my shoulder, making me tense. The grip on my sword tightened, but the man stepped into view. I relaxed slightly until my eyes locked with his.

I swallowed, fear filling me. “What happened?”

“Where’s Lucas?”

I nodded in the direction.

“We have a situation.” Mason started making his way towards him, and after a few seconds of hesitation, I followed.

Gripping Lucas’s arm, he said something close to his ear and then nodded to a spot away from everyone.

I could feel the nervous energy radiating off him as I got closer. There was also anger and the lingering traces of fear.

“Sutton tried to grab Angel,” he said.

“Is she okay?”

“Was she hurt?” I questioned.

Mason held up a hand and swallowed as he shook his head. “She’s not here.”

Shock left me speechless.

“He took her?” Lucas growled, eyes darkening with anger. “We need to gather men to go get her immediately.”

Mason gripped Lucas’s arm to stop him before he could walk away.

“He doesn’t have her,” Mason said softly. “Apparently Father knew what was being planned. He grabbed Angel last night while we were occupied outside. Xavier said that it’s to protect Angel from Sutton.”

“Where did he take her?”

He hesitated. “He didn’t say. But that’s not the only problem we have.”

“It definitely can’t be worse than Father kidnapping our mate,” I snarled.

“It is. Mother is gone. They helped her.”

“Sutton?”

Mason nodded.

Lucas muttered a curse as he started pacing.

How could she work with the enemy? What was she hoping to achieve? She wanted a war, but what would that get her? It was all about power for her and she didn’t even care how many people were hurt in the process.

Gripping Lucas’s arms, I reached for Mason and tugged him closer until we stood in a circle.

“Don’t make any hasty decisions,” I told Lucas. “We need to be calm and think about this carefully before we act.”

Lucas snarled. My hold on his arm tightened.

“Xavier said he took Angel to protect her,” Mason said softly.

“Or it’s a ploy to win our trust,” Lucas growled. “We trust him, and he hands our mate over to Mother to prove his loyalty to her.”

“You think he would help her?” My eyes locked with his. “He’s not like that.”

His lips curled into a sneer, but he remained silent. “Mother is his mate. He loves her and he would do anything for her. Father had never once stepped in to stop her. He’s been supporting her.”

“I’d do anything for Angel,” I told him. “But I’ll draw a line when it comes to certain things. He’s never been a father, but he tried when he stepped down.”

“I don’t trust him,” he growled.

“You need to deal with this,” I growled. “Our men are injured, they need a leader right now.”

Lucas pursed his lips, but he didn’t utter another word.

I took a step away from them and glanced around. “I’ll see if I can locate Father and Angel. Handle things here.” My eyes locked with his and narrowed. “Don’t do anything stupid, Lucas. I mean it.”

I hesitated a few more seconds before I spun around and walked away.

Father wouldn’t dare kidnap Angel and hide in the castle. Hiding in plain sight would be the best option, but if he was protecting her, he would take her to a place away from the danger, especially if he knew about the war.

My eyes darted around as I moved to the back of the castle. I waited to make sure that nobody was within sight before I started undressing. Pain shot through me as my bones snapped and started rearranging itself. My skin stretched tight and a few minutes later, my paws hit the ground.

I uncurled my wings took two steps forward and then jumped.

It had been years since I stepped foot in my father’s den, and it took a while for me to remember the exact location. I circled over the castle first to make sure there was no more danger.

Lucas glanced up for a few seconds and then focused back on his men.

Certain that there was no impending danger, I headed back towards the mountain towards the highest point and searched until I found the opening.

It wasn’t easily spotted.

I landed on the ledge and listened carefully. I could hear the crackle of the fire inside along with some movement.

So, I hadn’t been wrong when I suspected it was the place where he would take her.

Giving my wings one last stretch, I folded them against my body and slowly entered my father’s den, being careful not to make a lot of noise. It was a narrow fit, the stone wall rubbing against my scales.

I turned into the tunnel that would lead me deeper into his den.

My steps slowed when I caught sight of the firelight dancing around the walls. A few more steps forward and my eyes locked on a sleeping Angel.

Movement made me turn my head.

Father slowly straightened and turned towards me. He had no weapons, none within sight anyway. I didn’t know if he had any hidden, but I doubt it. If anything, our father was honourable.

I couldn’t say the same about our mother.

“You’re the only one who knows where my den is,” he said softly as he turned away from me. “I knew it was only a matter of time before you came for your mate.”

Hesitating a moment, I backed up and moved back to the ledge in front of the entrance. The moment my shift was complete, I hurried back inside to find him waiting with a pair of pants.

“Mother doesn’t know about your den?” I questioned as I got dressed.

“I never showed her.”

“Why?”

He didn’t answer immediately. “I didn’t trust her.”

My eyes narrowed, questions flashing through my mind, but I didn’t voice any of them.

I walked over to Angel and crouched next to her. She didn’t even stir when I reached out to tuck the blanket higher up.

“She fell asleep a few minutes ago,” he said softly. “Your mate has a strong will. She wouldn’t go to sleep until she knew the fight was over.”

“You’ve been keeping watch?”

He nodded. “Like I said, I’ve been waiting for you. Sutton came for her, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” I straightened and moved closer to him. “Why are you helping us?”

Father swallowed and hesitated a moment before he took a seat. He reached for a glass bottle and poured dark liquid into a cup, but he didn’t offer me any.

After downing the cup, he poured more and then sighed.

“I loved your mother,” he said softly. “I worshiped the earth she walked on, but I realized now that she never felt that way about me. I was just a means to get what she wanted, just like you.”

“I’m trying to understand father.”

“She wanted you to be king because she thought that you would be easily manipulated. You made it clear that you weren’t willing to marry anyone unless it was your true mate. If you were King, she would have kept her title.”

“We already figured out that everything is about the power.”

He nodded. “She wants to rule the realm. Power hungry and ruthless.”

“Why didn’t you step in before?” I took a seat next to him. “Why did you allow her to do all the things she did?”

“It wasn’t bad.” He paused. “She did small things I thought were harmless. I never knew about her bigger plans, especially her plans to harm your mate after you bonded.”

“Would you have stepped in if you knew what she was planning?”

“You know I would.” His eyes locked with mine. “Your mate is special. I see how you look at her, how happy she is with you. Keeping your mate safe is my way of making up for how I messed up in the past.”

I turned my head to look at Angel.

“She’s going to make a great queen,” he said softly.

My lips curled into a smile. “I know.”

Silence settled between us.

“Can you help us fix the realm?” I asked him.

Father didn’t answer immediately. My hope deflated. I was thankful for his help in protecting our mate.

“I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t make any problems. I don’t know how many of the original witches are still alive.”

“Maybe Maurice can help you with it?” I suggested.

“You want me to work with a warlock,” he growled.

“He’s one of the good ones,” I told him.

“Is he?” Father scoffed. “They can’t be trusted, son.”