The Hidden Luna Queen

Chapter 90

MAEVE POV

My mind ran awhirl the entire drive home. That day was turning out to be far more eventful than I'd ever expected. Even as I left the car and strolled up the stairs to reach the front door, I couldn't help but wonder about my baby, mull over today's lesson, worry about Eric...

It was exhausting, and to be honest, all I wanted to do was go to bed.

I turned the handle and opened the grand door, fully expecting to just wander inside, but, to my surprise, I bumped into what felt like a solid wall.

"Oh-!" I gasped, thrown off-balance by the sudden motion until strong, sturdy arms wrapped around my back, steadying me.

And then, again catching me by surprise, the wall-as well as my savior-turned out to be none other than my handsome and regal fiancé, who looked somewhat equally stunned by what just happened.

This time, my breath was stolen for an entirely different reason.

Oh, how I could look at him all day...

"Well, what are the odds of that?" Xaden quipped, rubbing his thumbs along my waist. "Here I was, wondering where you've been all morning, only to have you fall into my arms the second I walk out the door."

I felt a little warm with embarrassment. "Sounds like just a coincidence to me."

"So it seems," he murmured, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead. "And if it weren't for another coincidence, we wouldn't have found each other in the first place. Would you call that a coincidence, too?"

I scrunched my fingers into his jacket, trying my best to ignore Burke awkwardly shuffling his way around us. Frankly, I had trouble focusing on a single word he was saying after the day I'd had.

"Uh... what?" I asked dumbly.

A low sound rumbled in his chest, vibrating throughout my body. "It's nothing," he said. "I wish I could talk more, but I actually have an errand to run. I'll be back before long."

And just like that, he was gone, leaving me all alone in the doorway of our home. I had no idea what was going on and, frankly, didn't have the energy to think about anything anymore. I really should go take a nap.

XADEN POV

It was silent in the car until I cleared my throat. "She didn't seem at all suspicious, did she?"

Burke was unfazed by the question. “Not at all, Prince Xaden," he answered without a shred of doubt, while typing something into his phone.

"This has to be special." I began to fidget with the hem of my coat. I focused on everything-the dust particles floating in the air, the trees whooshing past as the car drove through the capital, the sunrays gently beaming through the closed windows-and nothing all at once. "I want to be able to surprise her."

"I assure you, she'll be very surprised by the gesture. Any lady would be. Even if she somehow thought you were up to something, I would bet every single cent I have that she'd never expect you to return with an engagement ring."

It was long overdue but something I couldn't put off a second longer.

Maeve needed a ring.

And she would be wearing one before the day ended.

When I stayed silent, Burke looked at me very carefully before a knowing grin spread across his face. "Could it be that you're nervous?"

"Nervous?" I scoffed. "What could I possibly have to be nervous about? We're already a few steps ahead of the curve. We live together," I said, counting off my fingers, "we're expecting a baby, and we have a date for our mating ceremony."

Even with all of my sound logic, however, Burke remained unconvinced, staring at me with a rather deadpan expression.

"I'm serious. A ring is..." I muttered, "nothing."

His grin only deepened. "You can't fool me. I know you like the back of my hand, Xaden."

That knowing look he wore irritated me, and what pissed me off even further was the fact that he was completely correct.

Nearly every step, every decision in our relationship after the fact was practically laid out for us, but the ring was something I could choose for myself. Something that properly showed my devotion to her, and the depth of my feelings for her. Something that clearly marked her as off-limits until the day we could finally announce our engagement.

I felt like the weight of our future together hinged on this decision-

That was, until Burke patted me on the shoulder with the kindness and intimacy of a lifelong friend.

Of a brother.

"Come on, Xaden," he said, more gently this time, "I only kid. You said it yourself—you already have everything set in stone... all you need is the ring. Now, be serious: is there any part of you that honestly believes she'll hate it?"

I took a breath, remembering myself. Of course she wouldn't.

Maeve was simple and so easy to please... and she adored everything I'd given her thus far. If anything, she would think herself undeserving of such a gift.

But, oh, how far from the truth that was. She deserved everything.

And I was determined to give it to her.

Before long, we reached our destination. Lunar Luxe-a high-end jewelry store deep within the heart of the capital.

The clerk-a slender man with side-swept silver hair and sleek, all-black attire-practically threw himself at our feet the instant we entered.

"Prince Xaden!" he exclaimed with a deep bow. "It's an honor to welcome you to Lunar Luxe, home to only the best jewelry the kingdom has to offer, as Your Highness already knows!" "How could I not?" I offered the clerk a charismatic smile. “The ring my brother commissioned for his mating ceremony last year was superb."

It wasn't a lie. The one Isabelle wore was truly something to behold. A lovely ring embellished with tiny rubies along the thick, gold band, all tied together with a shining diamond half the size of an eyeball. It was because of this, actually, that made coming here a no-brainer.

If they were able to compose something that befitted my sister-in-law's extravagant taste, surely they could fashion something that suited Maeve with no problem.

"Ah, you are too kind, Your Highness! That ring is our pride and joy." He then approached me with a particular sparkle in his eyes. "And what style of ring are you looking for?"

I opened my mouth, ready to answer out of pure instinct, but forced myself to stop. No one could know yet that I was ring-shopping for my intended Luna, who was waiting at home for me. If the press got their hands on the truth, they would have a field day.

I had no choice but to pretend I wasn't the client.

"Excuse me?" I asked, feigning confusion.

The clerk, however, completely disregarded me. "We have in stock a lovely assortment of rings for you to choose from," he boasted, waving my attention toward the array of designs on display within the glass cases. "Anything and everything a girl could dream to receive from an impressive alpha like yourself."

I pressed my lips together. I was right, it seemed.

No doubt, he knew about the rumors surrounding Maeve and myself, and he wanted to win my favor in exchange for a snippet of delicious truth. He just reeked of desperation. "Ah," I said, smiling ruefully. "There seems to be some sort of misunderstanding."

His eager face fell. "Misunderstanding? But... aren't you-?"

"You'd do well not to believe everything you hear. I'm not the client. I only came to support my best friend." I gestured towards the beta beside me, fully expecting him to play along, but was met with baffled silence.

Damn it, Burke—I wanted to sigh. Don't tell me you've forgotten the ruse already.

"Don't

worry, old friend," I said, pretending to be sympathetic as I clapped him on the shoulder, and made sure to say this next part clearly and concisely: "I'll help you find the perfect ring for your fiancee."

Burke blinked, his mind appearing to lag for a moment before he returned to his senses.

"Yes," he finally chimed in, addressing the visibly disappointed clerk. "I'm afraid I'm useless when it comes to fashion or jewelry, so I thought I'd enlist the help of His Highness and his... remarkable intuition."

He... could have been more convincing, but his performance would have to suffice for now.

The clerk exchanged a look with one of his colleagues out of the corner of my eye. It was more than apparent he was still very skeptical, but to his credit, he didn't press the matter with us any further.

"Forgive me, sir," he said with a smile before turning to Burke. "What style of ring are you looking for?" Burke looked pitifully lost."... Where does one begin?"

"How about we start with the band of the ring? We have gold, stainless steel, rose-gold..."

Burke peered at me. "What do you think, Xaden?"

"Well," I hummed, pretending to appear disinterested, "you can never go wrong with silver."

He nodded, following my lead.

"Are you... sure?" the clerk questioned with some worry. "You would fare much better with stainless steel or even titanium."

Silver was, unfortunately, a rare metal in our lands and, even so, one that was scarcely used. Most werewolves had some minor aversion to such a pure substance-a flaw even the Moon Goddess herself couldn't reverse. But it mattered not.

If silver was what Maeve wanted, she would get it.

"No, he's right," Burke interjected. "My intended happens to love silver."

After a moment, the clerk slowly nodded. "Silver, it is."

He then led us to a corner of the store with a small selection of silver rings. He offered to pull out every single one for us to inspect, but, while they were all beautiful in their own way, they weren't what I envisioned giving to Maeve.

That was, until one ring, in particular, caught my eye.

It was small... a mere fragment compared to that which Isabelle wore, but it wasn't the size that stood out to me. It was the iridescent gemstone attached to the simple silver band. The same shade of blue that swirled deep in Maeve's eyes shone from one angel, interwoven with the same violet that glowed in her mother's one-of-a-kind crystal at another angel. I saw Maeve in this ring, and I was... mystified.

"That," the clerk said, noticing my intense focus, "is cut from one of the most rare gems in our stock." He pulled out the ring from the glass case with careful, steady hands and held it up for us to take a closer look. "Behold, the Amethyst of Artemis."

"It's beautiful," Burke commented from somewhere beside me. "And you say it's rare?"

The clerk nodded emphatically, leaning in close as if to tell a forbidden secret. "They say it was mined in a country of ages past, whose people haven't been seen in generations,” he murmured, gazing intently between the two of us and the gem. "What you see here is likely one of the last remaining remnants of a long-missing civilization."

That sounded a lot like a bullshit story for naive customers. The things a desperate clerk would come up with to sell precious, lovely merchandise such as this were limitless. But, still, for some reason...

I couldn't take my eyes off this ring.

There was a prolonged moment of silence before the clerk broke it by clearing his throat. "Shall I take the silence to mean you like it?"

It was astonishing, but I was actually at a loss for words. What could one possibly say when they found the perfect ring for their mate?

"You know what?" Burke suddenly said. "I think this is the one. I'll take it."

"And I'll pay for it," I interjected, startling the clerk. "It's a gift to my friend and his betrothed." I smiled, mostly to myself. "May they always be happy together."