Unforeseen Circumstances

“Daniela…” Steven whispered urgently as he pulled her into a secluded tent. “…I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but you won’t believe what I just overheard.”

“What is it?” Daniela asked, her curiosity piqued.

Steven glanced outside, ensuring no one was within earshot. “Amani is pregnant.”

“What?!” Daniela gasped, her voice rising in shock.

“Shhh… keep it down,” Steven urged, his tone tense. “No one is supposed to know… not even us.”

Daniela began to pace the confined space, her hands trembling as she ran them through her hair. “And she’s still planning to go through with this war, knowing she’s with child?” 

“I overheard her tell Maggie and the Betas that she’d inform Prince Malakai,” Steven said, his voice filled with concern. “He’ll surely do everything in his power to stop it before it escalates.”

“But what if that’s not enough for Amani?” Daniela said, her mind racing. “She’s determined to kill the King, Steven. What if she doesn’t tell the Prince? Being pregnant makes her vulnerable, and every time she shifts, it’ll deplete her strength.”

“We need to trust our Alpha, Daniela,” Steven insisted.

“I do trust her, but anger and grief can drive even the strongest person to the brink,” Daniela replied, her voice trembling with emotion.

“She has every right to act on it,” Steven said, his tone resolute. “The King deserves whatever fate she’s planned for him.”

“I’m not saying I disagree,” Daniela responded, her eyes filled with worry. “I just don’t want her to get hurt.”

“The Prince won’t let anything happen to her… or their child,” Steven assured her.

Daniela nodded, feigning relief, but the tight knot in her stomach refused to loosen. As they parted ways, she slipped into the tent where the messenger birds were kept. With shaking hands, she scrawled a hasty note, tied it to the leg of a raven, and when she was sure nobody was watching, released it toward the palace, praying she was doing the right thing.

———

Malakai rode straight into Amani’s camp, his presence commanding enough that no one dared to stand in his way. When word of his arrival reached Amani, she stepped out to meet him, already steeled for the storm she knew was coming. The look on his face—one of betrayal and anguish—hit her harder than she anticipated, but she kept her resolve.

“I didn’t want to believe it,” he said, shaking his head as if to dispel the thought. “Tell me you weren’t just using me, Amani.”

Amani’s eyes flashed with anger at the accusation. “Is that really what you think of me?”

“Then why, Amani?! What the hell is all this?” Malakai demanded, his voice rising in desperation.

“This is me taking a stand, Kai!” Amani shot back.

“A stand?!” Malakai repeated, incredulous.

“Damn right, a stand!” She affirmed. “So your father knows he fucked with the wrong Alpha!”

“So this is about revenge?” Malakai’s voice was laced with disbelief.

Amani’s eyes burned with intensity as she stepped closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Oh, it’s far more than that. This is about justice.”

Malakai stared at her, confusion etching lines into his brow, not fully grasping the depth of her intentions.

“That food shipment,” Amani began, her voice cracking with the weight of her words, “the one that just showed up on my doorstep… it was poisoned.”

The anger drained from Malakai’s face, replaced by a cold, dawning horror. “What?”

Amani nodded, tears shimmering in her eyes as she fought to keep her voice steady. “I thought it came from you… for the rogues. I sent it… I sent it to the village where Penelope lived.”

Malakai’s breath caught as he saw the raw pain in Amani’s eyes, a pain that caused his own heart to tighten inside his chest.

“They’re all dead, Kai,” she choked out, her tears finally spilling over. “Penelope… she’s gone. I held her lifeless body in my arms.”

The weight of her words hung in the air, suffocating, as the enormity of what had happened began to sink in.

“That shipment was meant for Bloodmoon, Kai,” Amani declared, her voice edged with bitterness. “Someone wanted me dead… and that someone is your twisted father.”

Malakai’s eyes narrowed, disbelief clouding his features. “What makes you think my father had anything to do with it?”

Amani stepped closer, her gaze piercing into his. “Why don’t you go and talk to the man who poisoned the food? He claims your father convinced him that I was planning an invasion on Blackclaw. He manipulated him, Kai.”

“My father is a lot of things, Amani,” Malakai countered, his voice tight with defensiveness, “but I refuse to believe he would do something so malicious.”

Amani’s eyes blazed with fury. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“No, of course not,” Malakai said, his tone softening as he tried to deescalate the tension. “But maybe that man isn’t being honest about his motives.”

Amani huffed in frustration, her patience wearing thin. “Then go and speak to him yourself. Look into that man’s eyes and tell me he had his own sick agenda. You’ll see the truth—and it’s a truth you don’t want to face.”

“I’ll take him back to the palace, where he can present his claims before the council,” Malakai stated with resolve. “I’ll ensure that man stands trial for his crimes.”

Amani started to speak but hesitated as she caught sight of Darius and Archer standing behind Malakai, their gazes filled with expectation. The promise she had made to them weighed heavily on her mind. She needed to tell Malakai about the pregnancy, but the words refused to form on her lips. How could she share such life-altering news in a moment so heavy with dread? This was supposed to be a time of joy, yet nothing about this moment felt joyful.

“Make this right, Malakai,” she said, her voice trembling with barely suppressed emotion. “Your father is guilty, and he will confess his crimes before the council, or else... I want to see him stripped of his crown, shamed, humiliated, and left to rot in a cell for the rest of his miserable life.”

“I’ll get to the bottom of this,” Malakai vowed. “Whoever is responsible will be dealt with accordingly.”

Amani gave a subtle nod to her Betas, who immediately darted toward the tent where Terrence was held captive.

“How did you secure such a prodigious army?” Malakai murmured, pulling her close, his lips brushing against her mate mark—a tender yet fierce connection between them.

“It was simple,” she replied, melting into his embrace. “They all hate your father.” She shot him a playful look, but Malakai’s expression remained serious.

“Alpha!” Darius’s urgent voice cut through the moment, causing both Amani and Malakai to snap their attention toward him.

His face was ashen, words caught in his throat. Amani’s heart raced as she sprinted toward the tent, Malakai close on her heels. The scene that greeted her made her blood run cold. Terrence, shackled to the post, had somehow strangled himself with the very chains that bound him. Archer knelt beside him, two fingers pressed to the man’s neck, checking for any sign of life. With a heavy heart, he looked up at the two Alphas.

“He’s dead.”