The Hidden Luna Queen 2

"I'd rather not talk about that," Victoria said stiffly, making the two women exchange a surprised glance. "Not when she " "Why, hello, ladies!"

The sudden voice of her mate exclaimed from beyond the far archway, forcing her two guests to whirl around to face him as he rushed forward to exchange greetings. She, on the other hand, stayed perfectly still.

Upon Burton's request for a private conversation with Victoria, and considering the banquet had all but died down by that point, the two women kindly escorted themselves out of the house to return to their own packs. Burton maintained a friendly smile as he bade them farewell, but once he shut the door behind them...

The atmosphere in the house drastically shifted.

"Need I remind you..." Burton said with a forced chuckle, exhausted and devoid of all humor as he slowly turned to face his luna, "of the immensely delicate situation we find ourselves in? Or did you forget about the prince's little=" "Oh, calm down," she spat, crossing her arms. "I wasn't going to say anything incriminating."

"You were just about to accuse Maeve of ruining everything! If I hadn't come in at just the right moment, you would've exposed us all!"

"I have a right to worry about my daughter."

"You have more than one daughter," he said lowly, pointing in the direction of the front door and the banquet hall. "At least, as far as everyone out there is concerned. This book has many missing chapters and scenes if you're not reading it on [J] o bnlb.c[o] m. And if they even begin to suspect that something is awry with us, then our pack is finished. Is that what you want?"

Her glare intensified as she let out a disbelieving huff. "I can't do this right now."

And with that, she stormed off towards the back of the house, disappearing around the hallway corner.

Burton heaved a sigh, dragging a hand over his tired face.

What a f*****g night...

He was in no mood to soak in whatever resentment his wife was feeling towards him, when all he was doing was trying to protect their sacred pack name. When that was all he ever tried to do since Maeve entered their lives.

It seemed he was likely going to spend the night in his office tonight. Whether he would actually get some sleep, however, would be an entirely different story.

And then, with immaculate timing, there were three knocks at the door. Polite, calm, and quiet.

Burton glanced towards the door, but made no attempt to open it. Tonight might have been the Hunter's Moon, but the time had long passed that he was willing to accept guests.

He was going to lock himself in his office, and distract himself with whatever he could.

He had just spun on his heel, aiming for the direction of his office for a moment's peace, when again, someone knocked on the door.

Brisk. Loud. Commanding.

Urgent.

A puzzled frown settled on Burton's face as he turned once more to face the door, which now seemed more ominous than anything, even in the warm light of the golden full moon bathing the world below. Mere moments had passed since the last few knocks. Meaning... whoever it was, was more than likely the same person who'd knocked earlier in a desperate bid to get his attention. And they evidently had no consideration or compassion for Burton's poor, turmoiled state of mind.

He rolled his shoulders, cracking some of the tension out of his system, and plastered a smile as he approached the door. He was not in the mood for unwanted guests, but he'd be damned if he let his exasperation impact his carefully-guarded reputation as alpha. The person on the other side of the door was going to receive the greatest damn welcome of a lifetime, whether they liked it or not.

He swung open the door, his mouth opening to greet the sudden guest on this sacred night of celebration.

And Burton's smile dropped.

Standing there, on the other side of the now-open door, was the last person he wanted to see.

"Hello, Burton," Kenneth, the reigning alpha of Dawnguard Pride, said with a calm smile. "It's been a while."

"K-Kenneth!" Burton exclaimed, wide-eyed as he took in the alpha before him.

Tonight was a big night for the kingdom-with lunar banquets being held in practically every single pack across the land- and it was one that Kenneth had always made a point to spend at the royal palace. Not to mention, barely one week had passed since he'd last spoken on the phone with the alpha regarding their special investment.

Why was he here?

His silver hair, which he always made a point of sleeking back neatly, hung loosely around his stoic face, and the smile he wore was welcoming, beaming, but it did not reach his sharp, icy blue eyes.

To Burton's knowledge, this had never been a familiar sight in the two decades he'd known him.

Something was not right. The thought gnawed at him like maggots on a corpse, even if it was disguised behind Kenneth's white smile.

"You'll have to excuse my unsightly appearance," Kenneth said, casually shoving his way through the open door of Burton's residence, past his silently quaking comrade. "I was in a bit of a hurry to get here, you see." There was an air of nonchalance about him, but Burton could sense something underlying there. Yes... something's definitely wrong...

"What-ah..." Burton stuttered, quick to hide his less-than-savory tone with a short cough when the other alpha peered back at him, careful and calm. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this... unexpected visit? I thought you'd be at King Arlan's lunar banquet this evening." To his surprise, one of the corners of Kenneth's lips quirked deeper into something that could hardly be called a smile anymore.

"Ah, yes," he murmured, clicking his tongue. "The lunar banquet."

He looked like he had a lot to say about this.

And, as he beckoned Burton to follow him down the hall with a casual toss of his head, he knew he was in for something dreadful.

When they finally arrived at Burton's private office-the room where they normally held their meetings-Kenneth was the first to enter, as casual as ever and as familiar as if it were his own space.

Burton hesitated to enter, but after taking one... two... three long, deep breaths, he mustered what strength he could.

Into the room with doom, himself.

"You know, Burton..." Kenneth sighed, his hands shoved in his blazer pockets as he strolled lazily around the office. "Today was supposed to be just another day. I woke up this morning and spent my entire day, foolishly... stupidly thinking that if I could just make it through yet another one of those banquets, because I have attended every single one... every single month... for the thirty years that I have been Dawnguard Pride's alpha... then I would be alright."

Burton watched warily as Kenneth slowly circled the room.

"It was supposed to be another-boring-banquet, but-oh... how mistaken I was."

With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Burton knew where he was going with this, and he did not want to hear more.

And then the alpha's gaze snapped back to Burton. "Do you have the faintest idea of who I met tonight?" Burton's mouth opened as if to say something, but he quickly decided against it. "Wh-Who did you?"

"Your daughter," Kenneth supplied with a jovial boast, although his words cut deep like a bitter winter chill into Burton, who could not hide his flinch. "Maeve. The reclusive, lonely girl who grew up in the shadows of your quaint, little packhouse."

The dark-haired alpha's lips pressed into a tense, thin line. "D-Did you, now?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Indeed. I also had the pleasure of conversing with her tonight. Charming girl, she is. Much has changed about her since the last time I'd seen her. And then I learned from my daughter, Isabelle, about something that took me by surprise."