~MAYA~
The door slams open just as I've fallen asleep, and it wakes me up instantly. I blink once, then twice, and a figure to the front of me catches my attention. I know without having to look twice that it's Kane.
His body is swaying, and it's only then that I realize he has a cup in his hand and reeks of alcohol.
I raise from the bed and ran to his side before he could fall to the ground.
I wince when the glass drops to the ground, and it makes a complete mess around us.
Kane's hands grip my waist tightly and pull my body closer to his. I gasp as he buries his face in the crook of my neck. I know that I shouldn't be doing this. I know that I shouldn't care at all for him.
Still, I lift my hands to rub his back gently.
"Maya," he says my name in a painful whisper. "Maya," he says again.
I don't say anything; just continue to hold him in silence. I hate how much hearing my name from his lips affects me.
One of his hands goes to my hair, and he gently strokes it. He touches me like he's scared that I'm going to break, and it stirs my heart.
I pushed the feeling away, fighting it as much as I could.
"I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'm so sorry."
My body goes entirely still at his confession.
He's sorry?
I know that he's intoxicated, and this may not be how he really feels, but it still hurts my heart to hear him say this to me.
Fight it, Maya. Don't you dare let him get to you. He doesn't deserve your kindness, do not let him hurt you again.
. . . . . . . . . . .
~The Palace Of The Reid's~
~Alpha Jacks~
"Have you heard of what's been happening with Alpha Kane?" My advisor asks.
The mention of Kane grips my attention almost immediately. I drop what I'm doing and turn to him, waiting for him to tell me more.
"He's done something idiotic; it can cost him everything that he has."
Alpha Kane. My biggest enemy of all. The remaining heir of Alpha Eric. At least I believe he's what's left of that pathetic man. I have no idea how many women he's slept with or forced to sleep with him; I can't see why any woman would ever lay in bed with him, to begin with.
"What could that boy possibly be up to now that his father is dead?" I ask. "He should be in hiding right now. There isn't much left of his father's pack; what can he be left with? He must have nothing now and pose no threat to us."
"Kane has been up to no good. He kidnapped the sister of Alpha prince Austin, Princess Maya. He's been hiding her deep in the woods. Possibly torturing her."
His words sparked my interest, "I suppose he did this as a form of revenge since Austin's family is responsible for the death of his father and sister. I don't know why he's so upset; he should be thanking them. They did us all a huge favor by getting rid of that pest. Not that I'm that fond of Austin or his family either."
He nods, "you are right."
"How have they not found him yet?" I ask. "They are good at these things. How is he outsmarting them? But more importantly, how have you gotten such juicy information? Where did you find this out from, and is it a reliable source?"
He nods, "when have I ever given you wrong information?"
It's true; he has never failed me before; I don't expect him to start now. Still, this is a bit difficult to stomach. Austin is usually smarter than this; he should have found them by now. This is the only thing that makes me doubt the credibility of this information.
"While Kane has done an excellent job at keeping her hidden and sending the prince in the wrong direction searching for his sister, he has made a recent mistake. One that he must have not been thinking clearly about. Something that's surely going to cost him in the long run."
I'm definitely more intrigued. What mistake did he make? And what caused him to do it?
"He kicked out one of the girls that worshipped him from his pack," he tells me. "Her name is Anna. She was in bad shape when I found her; she could barely walk. I asked her what had happened and she told me everything. Maya isn't just Kane's hostage; she is also his mate. This has affected his judgment, and he's been slipping up recently. He's forgetting why he initially kidnapped her, to begin with. Anna tried to harm the girl for his sake, but it backfired on her, and she was severely punished by his men. She's currently recovering, but when she does, I know that she's going straight to Austin. She will also lead them back to Kane and where he has Maya hidden. Everything is about to blow up, and it's going to happen very soon. We don't have a long while to wait before the remaining heir of Alpha Eric drops to the ground and suffers just like his father did."
Interesting. Very interesting. So not only did Kane kidnap Austin's sister, he kidnapped his mate. What did the stupid boy think? That he could easily ignore the mate pull?
I inwardly laugh at the fool. He's drawn out his own death. It would be interesting to see what Austin does to him the moment that he finds out the truth. I didn't want to be the one to spill the secrets. I wanted to sit back and enjoy the show. The girl would surely tell them everything that she knows.
A war would definitely start the moment that she does. But would princess Maya just stand back and watch her brothers kill her mate in front of her? Even if she hated Kane for kidnapping her and mistreating her, she also would not be able to ignore that mate pull. I don't think she has the guts to watch him die in front of her; if he dies, a part of her will also die.
"I was having a dull day, but I must admit that you have brightened my day with this wonderful news Han," I tell him. "You have done well today. I'm sure that no one but us knows about this. We now know who has kidnapped the princess. This is wonderful news. Even Austin, with all of his many supporters and friends, still has not found his sister, but yet look at us; we have everything that he wants to know."
"I think we should be present to see the war take place," he tells me. "Imagine the look on Kane's face when they finally find him. What would be his last words before he breathes his last breath? Do you think he will beg for his life?"
I laugh, "the boy has too much pride, just like his father. Even on his dying breath, he will not beg anyone. He will let them do what they must. Maybe he already knows that his death is near. I won't be surprised if that's exactly what he wants. If I were him, I wouldn't want to live either, knowing who my father was. They are an embarrassment."
"Father," Giselle, my daughter, calls out to me.
I stiffen; I pray that she didn't hear our entire conversation.
"What is this I hear about Kane dying?" She demands. So much for my wish of her not knowing. "You can't be serious. You know what he means to me. You know how much I want to marry him. You can't let that happen. You can't let anyone hurt him."
I inwardly groan.
Oh fuck.
She was not supposed to hear this.
My daughter has been smitten with the boy since a young age. I've tried to cut it out, but she never listens to me; she's crazy about the boy. She has the worst taste in men, and it clearly shows.
"We have been through this already," I warn her. "Kane is our enemy, not a friend. I will not let you marry him. Ever."
She crosses her arms and pokes her nose at me stubbornly, "I want him, and I don't care what you have to say. He will be mine. I swear to you, daddy if anything happens to him. I will never forgive you. I will not marry anyone unless it's him, and you know I'm serious when I say this."
I rise up from the chair and face her with a glare, "what is wrong with you? Have I not given you everything? Why do you want to ruin your life and mine? Do you know what type of man he is? The type that kidnaps innocent girls and tortures them!"
Her lower lip trembles, "that's not true. He's nothing like that. He has every right to treat that woman that way after what she did to his family. She and her family killed the people close to him. She deserves to suffer. He will never do something like that without reason. So you can stop trying to make him look bad in front of me when I already know the type of man that he is."
I rub my temples in frustration, "do you hear yourself, my child? How can you defend such horrible behavior? Even if I agreed to let, you would marry him. Do you think that he will want to marry you? He has never once shown interest in you. What makes you think that he will suddenly marry you?"
She smiles, "if what your advisor says is true, you will have the perfect opportunity to get him to agree to marry me. You won't even have to force him. He will bring himself to you without you asking. Trust me, father, I know Kane. I know how to make him yield, and I know how to make him want to marry me. All you have to do is listen to me."
The perfect opportunity?
What was she speaking about? Why would he ever agree when his mate was alive?