The Hidden Luna Queen 2

I nodded shyly. "Not many people do, though," I whispered. "I'm not... I'm not ready to share it with everybody yet." "Don't you worry," she said with a bright smile, throwing open the doors to her massive walk-in closet. "Nobody will even notice once I'm done with you." Xaden POV

"Twelve minutes and eight seconds late..." Father remarked impatiently as he glared at his diamond-encrusted watch for the umpteenth time, thrumming his fingers against the desk. “I told her to arrive before the hour was up.” Lucas glanced awkwardly between everybody at the table. "Maybe she got lost...?" he suggested. "The palace can be daunting for newcomers."

"I'm fairly certain she does not intend to come," Henry muttered, leaning back into his chair without a care in the world. "Surely she must have heard the rumors circulating and thought it best to scram."

I suddenly got an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. From what I knew of her, Maeve did not seem like the type to show up late to events like this, deliberately or by accident, despite whatever aversions she might have to harsh authority figures. Something must have happened to her on her way to the palace.

"Well," I burst out, abruptly standing up at the table, pushing my chair back with a loud screech, "if you all would please excuse me, I am going to look for her."

"You are not going anywhere," Father uttered.

"I can't just sit here-"

"You are staying here," he enunciated with authority, making me freeze out of instinct, as he glared at me. Meanwhile, Henry's wife entered the room and took a seat next to her husband. "She either comes or she does not. That is up to her."

Stomach twisting, I glanced worriedly at the door, silently willing her to burst through those doors and prove everyone wrong.

"I would be careful with that girl, Xaden dear," Isabelle suddenly spoke up, unprompted. “She's only going to embarrass you in the end."

I clenched my jaw. "And what would you know about Maeve, Isabelle?"

Unwavering, she met my stare. "You seem to forget that before I became a Luna Princess, I was the daughter of an Alpha," she said. “Our fathers happen to be long-time acquaintances, so I would occasionally join him in his visits to her pack before I married Henry." "And that makes you so knowledgeable about her capabilities as a Luna?"

'Of course," she said as a matter of factly with a knowing look that irritated me. "I knew her long before you ever did. I have witnessed firsthand how she handles public events and how she carries herself."

I scoffed. After seeing the way Maeve's family treated her, I can only imagine how those events must have been for her.

Isabelle's assessment of her was not going to be fair.

Father, however, seemed keen for her opinion as an outside party. "Tell us about this girl, Isabelle," he beseeched. “You won't hide behind bias."

"Of course not, Your Majesty," she said with a smile, thriving under the Alpha King's praise. "Maeve has always been a skinny, sickly thing. She hardly ever shows up to public events because of how often she is unwell." "Is that so?" Father asked with a glare pointed at me.

"Indeed! Someone with such a prolonged absence from the public eye has no clue how to behave in proper social settings. And whenever she did show up, she would keep to herself like a recluse, hardly interacting with any of her guests and refusing even the kindest offers to chat or dance."

“A recluse?!" Father repeated, outraged. “No Luna worth respecting would ever dare to behave as such!"

Isabelle stared directly at me. "Xaden, is that really someone you would be proud to have at your side? Someone so weak and delicate she thinks herself better than others?"

I opened my mouth to retort-

But all of a sudden, the door opened, effectively hushing everyone in the room. In walked Charlotte, who smiled politely and curtseyed to greet

Father, before beckoning someone behind her to follow.

And... there she was.

Maeve had arrived, looking terribly frightened but wearing one of the

most beautiful dresses I had ever seen on her. The pale peach color of the knee-length dress warmed up her soft, light skin and brightened her blue eyes. And with its lace long sleeves and heart-shaped neckline, it was perfectly modest and a lovely display of skin, all at once.

I could feel all my worries wash away as I gazed upon her.

She was breathtaking... and she was here!