WARHAVEN

Seventy-Seven

"It sounds to me like she's working for whoever committed those killings. The gnomes were front and center and the most brutal. Without the gnomes, the courts fell to ruin. They failed when the vampire court did not fall. They expected to be able to move in and conquer these lands, making themselves look like heroes, all well reveling in a massive new territory." Augustus suggested.

"We're looking for someone who hates us. She must be working alongside whoever this is. It clearly serves both of their motives, she wants you to die and they want to fully eradicate the gnomes. Wasn't there whispers of a war, brother?" Marcel asked.

"Ah, yes. A while ago we had some friends visit, they said the wolves and the Alpha in particular, are still pretty upset about what happened during the Unity celebration. But that doesn't seem like grounds for war. No one was very worried, we ended up dismissing the concern."

"The Alpha always had quite the ego and I could see him wanting to expand his territory." Nargue pointed out.

"Yeah but if they are working together to get rid of the gnomes, why wouldn't Morana ask for Davina's life? Why the King's?" Seb asked.

"Maybe their priorities shifted, taking out the highest power in our land would leave us exceptionally vulnerable." Marcel said.

Augustus and I shared a long glance. I knew he was giving me the opportunity to choose whether or not I wanted to reveal that Morana was Roman's mother. I ultimately decided it was vital information.

"Well...I actually met Morana earlier this evening," I cleared my throat and wrapped my arms around myself, "I was talking to Roman...and she interrupted...to defend her...son."

"Wait what?" Sebastian straightened where he stood, leaning forward in shock.

"I'm sorry, what are you saying?" Nargue looked at me with an intensity.

"Morana is Roman's mother. I believe she probably came here to ask for my life in exchange for Tobias' but when she found out we were mated, she was genuinely shocked. From what I witnessed, I think she truly cares for him, in some sick and twisted way."

"Well, that makes sense. She would never damn her son to an eternity of mateless misery." I ignored the twinge of guilt at Sebastian's words.

"Yes, if so, she would be risking her bloodline being cut short. Roman has no heir yet and unless this mysterious daughter she mentioned sires an heir, things will end with her. That is probably a pretty big deal to her given her sudden need to procreate." Marcel guessed, "But I could be wrong."

"So, what is Morana's title of Roman is...what is he anyway?" I asked.

"Roman is the King of Aerington. A fairy kingdom across the seas." Marcel answered.

"So, that would make Morana..."

"Nothing." Nargue said, stepping forward. "I have not heard much about Roman's mother, but I do know that his royal heritage is from his father's side. She has no status."

I had no idea Roman was a King. I assumed he was someone of power, but he never wore a crown so I never guessed he would be of high royal lineage. I was quite surprised.

"Overall, it seems Morana wants revenge and this mysterious enemy wants to take down my kingdom, to claim it as their own. Killing you benefits both parties, but I think you are right. I think Morana was shaken by the fact that you are Roman's mate and changed her mind about the conditions on the fly." August said, moving towards me and wrapping an arm around my waist.

"But why would she offer to bring back Tobias? He would be part gnome, that would defeat the purpose of killing me off. Exchanging one for another would be pointless." I said.

"They may want an easier target." Nargue whispered.

My heart dropped at the thought of someone hurting my son, whether I remembered him or not. I swallowed harshly.

"Morana choosing August over you is her safety net. Technically if things went perfectly, the King would be dead and you would be left with an infant and a mate. She probably assumes you would run to Roman. That way whoever she is in this with still gets what they want. A kingdom ready for taking." Marcel assumed.

"And her son gets his mate." August said, looking me in my eyes, pain in his. I kissed him softly and laid my head on his shoulder.

"Yes. She probably thinks she could kill Tobias before her partner found out about her change in plans." I shuddered at the thought.

"This is different than any kind of attack she has thrown our way." August said.

"Morana has been hunting Davina for so long, she probably got tired of chasing her own tail with no results." Nargue stated, turning to me, "She probably wanted to see what you would say if she were direct. She may even believe that the love you have for your son outweighs the love you have for August. She may even be testing your loyalty."

I took a deep breath, studying myself before asking, "So, what do we do now?"

I looked around, meeting everyone's eyes and they all looked at my husband. Their King.

He looked at me and said, "I say we find Una and give her an offer she can't refuse in exchange for information and see if we can complete her demands. Hopefully that will be enough to bump us up the list. And see if we can get to whomever is orchestrating this, before they get to us."