The Prince's Gift

Chapter 36.

Zane's POV

I couldn't believe her. How could I not have known? Not seen it. I knew Lilith was responsible, but I had no proof. No way to put a halt to what I knew was going to be our undoing.

Just after my public punishment, dozens of yearlings began to pop up inside of the castle. We could never find the source, or trace them back to a specific region, but we knew. We knew it had to be Maddox. He was using this ceremony as his in. It would be his cover. I could feel it. But there was no way to stop it without earning the war he was threatening anyway. And what if we were wrong. The chance was slim, but still possible.

The night of the attack, Lilith had been in her room, but I suspected she'd actually been helping Maddox. He only brought a handful of guards this time and there's no way they could transition so many in such a short time in one night. They were made within a matter of a few hours.

When I'd questioned Lilith on it, she became irate. She swore she'd never do such a thing, but I also knew she adored her father and would do anything for him, whether she agreed or not. Just look at this upcoming ceremony. She didn't love me. She knew I didn't love or even want her, and yet she still came to me every day, fighting for time as the ceremony was only a day away. Thankfully, Fallon came to my call and removed her before I did something I'd regret. I was seeing red and I nearly snapped multiple times.

All I saw when I looked at her was that she wasn't Ana. She wasn't who I wanted. She never would be. But I had no choice. If I was wrong, and I rejected her, I'd ensure another war that my kingdom couldn't afford to lose. We wouldn't survive another loss like the Yearling War.

I felt that familiar twisting stab in my chest at the thought of Ana. Even though our time together had been short, she was all I could focus on. She was the only constant that kept me sane in my mind. As long as I knew she was safe, I'd be able to move forward. But I needed to know for sure. I needed her to know I kept my promises to her. I'd let her go.

Tonight was the last night before our ceremony and I needed to calm down before I saw Lilith again. I had no proof, and until I did, I couldn't let my anger derail me, or bring forward more issues than we already had.

My door swung open and Fallon and Ehren both walked in, their eyes narrowed with intent. "What's wrong?" I asked, jumping to my feet.

"Your ceremony's been moved to tonight because of the security breach. They're worried someone will try and stop it before it can happen. Namely the King. It's in three hours." Fallon said hurriedly.

Ehren nodded in agreement as his eyes cut from Fallon to me. "He's right. I've been sworn to secrecy, but I have to tell you, he plans to go after her." His voice was tight and his expression serious as he spoke.

My jaw clenched and I spoke through gritted teeth. "How does he know where she is?"

"He's brought in an Oracle. She apparently has ties to where Adriana's hidden and has been able to confirm she's there. He's sending a party out tonight, which is why he wanted your ceremony to be held tonight. He wants to guarantee Lilith will be in line here, and keep you occupied so that you can't stop him from taking back what he feels belongs to him." Ehren's eyes were narrowed and his lips formed a thin tight line as he finished.

A loud growl erupted from me as I flipped the table in front of me, pacing in front of the fireplace as I thought it over. "He's right. I can't leave. If I do, they'll call for war due to breach of treaty...Fuck!" I said, another low growl of frustration escaping as my mind raced for another option. We needed some way to warn her. Suddenly, my mind clicked seemingly at the same time as Ehren's.

"I could go. If I got caught, it'd just appear that I was trying to work ahead to ensure the mission was a success. If I do indeed beat them, she'd trust me enough to convince them to let me protect her." Ehren's said tightly, his jaw clicking as he thought through the steps ahead of him. "Not to mention, I know where they're going."

I sighed and threw my hands up in frustration. I didn't like being forced to give up the right to help her, but he was right. The second I left, everyone would know and it would create a wave of issues for everyone involved. But if Ehren went, he'd appear to be part of the team already working to retrieve her.

I nodded shortly after a long pause, my eyes hard as I peered into his. "Tell her I'm sorry. I distracted them as long as I could. My time is up." I dropped my eyes, the ache in my chest tightening at the thought of tonight's ceremony.

My future was finally being set in stone, and there was nothing more I could do about it. If I rejected her, there'd be war. If I accept her, I'm chancing being mated with a female that could potentially be betraying my kingdom. It was a no win situation, and I was stuck playing an impossible game.

Ehren nodded and turned to walk out of the room, pausing at the door and turning over his shoulder to face me. "I'll get to her Zane. Rest assured. I'll text you as soon as she's safe." He stopped for a moment, giving me a sympathetic look. "Good luck tonight." With that he turned and walked out of the door, flashing down the hall until his footsteps were out of earshot.

"She'll be ok man. He'll get to her first. Maddox has no idea he's helping us." Fallon said quietly in an attempt to calm me.

It wasn't working. I snarled in response, pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace before tossing my chair across her room. "That's not the fucking point!" I screamed.

"I get it Zane. This whole situation sucks. But it's what has to happen and you know it." He walked over to stand beside me as I scoffed, placing a hand timidly on my shoulder and squeezing gently. "I'm sorry man. Part of me hoped this would all fall through too. For both of you."

I let out a tight breath and shrugged his hand away, walking over to lean against the windowsill. My chest was tight and my stomach was tying into hard knots deep inside of me. I'd lost her. Forever. And Ehren would be swooping in to save her while I was busy in a mating ceremony with my new mate. Nothing about this felt right. How could this be how we ended?

I wrenched the bottle of whiskey from my desk and snapped the top off, drinking straight from the opening as I downed half the bottle in one gulp. If I was going to do this, I couldn't do it sober. I had to at least distract myself from my misery, even just for a few hours. It was time to finish it, whether I liked it or not. It was time to complete my promise.