Chapter 219
Outside the packhouse courtyard, Connor stood before a cluster of Crystal Moon gammas, dressed in a dark hoodie pulled low to hide his face, glaring down at them.
“The queen is not here,” one of the gammas said, holding his ground.
Connor kept his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie. “I want to see your Alpha, then, go fetch him,” he said flatly.
“Our Alpha is occupied at the moment,” the gamma replied. “He won’t be receiving any visitors. Especially not uninvited ones p>
Connor tilted his head slightly. “Then let’s try this a different way, shall we? If you’re certain the queen isn’t here, I’ll go straight to the King. And he will order a compulsory search of the entire Crystal Moon packhouse. Top to bottom p>
He paused. “Shall I try? Would you like to explain to your Alpha why Dravengard’s forces are turning his home inside out p>
The gammas exchanged nervous glances, shifting on their feet, suddenly far less certain of themselves.
But before any of them could respond, the front door of the house opened, and Alpha Braxton strode out, his Beta Oliver close on his heels.
His face was pulled into a deep scowl, clearly unhappy about the shouting match happening in his front yard. He waved a hand at the gammas, dismissing them.
The men bowed and withdrew, though each one shot Connor a final, wary glance over his shoulder as they went.
“Now then,” Braxton said, his voice cool and even. “Would you care to explain exactly what this loud disturbance to my pack is about p>
Connor slowly pulled his hood back, revealing his rugged face and inclined his head respectfully.
“Alpha Braxton. I mean no disrespect to your pack. I’m here because I need to see the Queen p>
Meanwhile, up at the window, Kira watched the whole exchange unfold.
Her racing heart had settled the instant she’d seen it was just Connor, standing before the gammas, no army at his back, no King beside him.
Now she stood there, torn, contemplating. Should she go out to meet him? Or simply pretend she wasn’t here at all, let Braxton turn him away, and keep herself hidden?
Her brother had told her never to come out of the house.
But then again… it was Connor. The man who had thrown himself into a wall of shadow so she could escape. The man who had nearly died holding the line for her. She owed him a thank you, at the very least. She owed him far more than that.
Down below, Braxton was pressing on, his tone hardening.
“And what, precisely, makes you so certain the queen is in my packhouse? And where, exactly, did you find the nerve to march into my home and make demands of my men p>
The front door opened.
“It’s fine,” Kira said, stepping out and walking toward them. “I’ll see him p>
Connor’s eyes shifted from the Alpha to Kira, and a wide, genuine smile broke across his weathered face.
Braxton, however, was thrown. He turned to his sister, bewildered. Then, swiftly, he caught her by the wrist and drew her aside, into a quiet corner, out of Connor’s earshot.
“What are you doing?” he asked, low and urgent.
Kira exhaled calmly. “Don’t worry about Connor. He isn’t dangerous, Braxton. He’s never been dangerous to me. Just the opposite p>
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Braxton said, his jaw tight.
“That King hurt you. Badly. And I am not going to stand by and watch one of his men come and drag you back to that place, before you’ve even had a chance to heal, before you’ve learned to cultivate your powers and defend yourself properly p>
Kira gave him a small, sad smile. “I’m no longer married to that King, Braxton. He tore up our contract himself. And now he’s marrying the daughter of his enemy. There’s nothing for him to drag me back to p>
Her voice softened. “It’s fine. Truly. Connor has my back p>
“You know it is very risky for you to be meeting up with the King’s most trusted men, right?” Braxton said. “He could easily go back and report everything p>
“He won’t tell,” Kira said.
They went back and forth a few more times, Braxton reluctant, protective, unwilling. But in the end, he relented, with a heavy sigh.
“Fine,” Braxton grumbled, throwing his hands up in the air. “You can speak to him. But I am not leaving you alone with a Dravengard warrior p>
He turned around and pointed sharply at two gammas standing nearby. “You two, stay right here. Keep your eyes glued to them. If he even breathes on her wrongly, tackle him p>
Kira rolled her eyes at her brother’s extreme overprotectiveness, but she didn’t argue. She walked back over to Connor, giving him a warm, welcoming look.
“Follow me,” she whispered, leading him away from the front steps and into the quiet pack gardens, two of Braxton’s gammas trailing at a respectful distance.
Once they were surrounded by the tall rosebushes, Kira turned around, her eyes shining with pure joy.
“Connor,” she said with relief. “Goddess, I’m so happy to see you. So happy you’re alive. When I left you in that hotel, I thought… I was so afraid I’d never know what became of you p>
“And I’m glad to see you in one piece, Your Highness,” Connor replied, his own relief plain. “We feared the worst. All of us p>
“How did you even know I was here?” Kira asked, her brow creasing. “Did your King send you p>
Connor shook his head firmly. “No. He has no idea I’m here p>
He paused. “I figured it out myself. It was that werewolf woman from the restaurant with you on the night of the attack. I saw Braxton’s sigil in her purse and thought to look here first p>
Kira nodded slowly. “I see p>
Connor leaned in. “But tell me, Your Highness. Why are you in this pack? Did Braxton kidnap you? Is he keeping you under duress p>
“Braxton is my brother, Connor,” she said quietly. “My twin. And my mother is alive. She’s inside that house, right now p>
Connor’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Forgive me for asking, Your Highness, but how do you know? How can you be certain these people are truly your family p>
Kira smiled, and there was a peace in it he had never seen on her before.
“There’s no denying it,” she said. “Not when I feel the way I feel here.” She drew a slow breath, looking out over the gardens. “For the first time in my entire life, Connor, I’m at peace. I’m getting all the love I ever wanted and never had. And I don’t want to give it up. Not for anything p>
Connor studied her, then nodded in quiet understanding. “I’m glad,” he said. “Truly, I am.” He hesitated. “But you should know that Derek is searching for you, everywhere p>
Kira shook her head, frowning. “I don’t understand why he’d bother doing that p>
Connor said nothing for a moment. He didn’t tell her how Derek had been since she left. The sleepless nights. The grief masked under suppressants. She looked happy, and he didn’t want to burden her with any of it.
Instead he offered only, “For what it’s worth, Your Highness… His Grace isn’t going ahead with the plans to marry your sister p>
“She’s not my sister,” Kira said flatly. “And I couldn’t care less what he does or doesn’t do p>
Connor nodded and said nothing more.
“And Connor?” Kira called, looking at him.
Connor turned to face her. “Your Highness p>
“I know you won’t say a word of this meeting to anyone in Dravengard. But I still need you to do something for me p>