chapter ten

　　King Leon kept Nova close. Despite Nova wanting to lock himself away in his room, the king forced him to keep training. If he wasn't training with Jax and another new guard, Nate, he was with the king, in his office, in meetings, anywhere and everywhere. He'd even given up his bed to have him sleep in his room while he slept on one of the sofas. Nova both hated it and didn't mind it. He didn't want to be alone because every time he got a chance to think, the image of Winnie, covered in blood, came to mind, and he'd break down into tears. He'd often cry himself to sleep.

　　 When they found Winnie, they also found the omega and her guard dead in the bedroom. Basil was sent home the next day, as planned, leaving Nova with things to work on, but reminding him to take his time and practice when he's ready. Three days after their murder, Luca was close enough to mind link Leon that he was on his way back. He didn't say much more than that, offering no information on the whereabouts of River's Edge. The king assumed he didn't have any news, good or bad.

　　 Nova wanted to see his mate but worried about what would happen when he found out about Winnie. Just the thought of Luca's reaction brought him to tears. He worried Luca would blame him just like before. He worried it'd be the tipping point for Luca and send him on some kind of revenge mission. Either way, Nova was sure he'd lose Luca. Luca not only lost his father but now his mother, and it was all because of him. Even worse, they already held a ceremony. They tried waiting, but they could only wait so long. She was buried next to Luca's father in a cemetery behind the palace.

　　 "I'm going to tell him as soon as he gets here," Leon said as he adjusted his cuff and looked in the mirror.

　　 Nova sat on the bed, staring at his feet and biting back tears. Would he ever stop crying?

　　 "You don't have to be there." The king stood in front of him now.

　　 Nova didn't want to be there. He didn't want to feel Luca's wrath when he found out, but he had to be there. If he hid, it only told Luca he was guilty. Besides, he was his mate. At the very least, he'd be there for support...if Luca wanted it.

　　 Alpha Leon and Nova stood outside the palace doors as Luca and his warriors returned. They all looked worn and tired from days of travel and little to no rest. Nova stayed close to the king, almost hiding behind him, but refused to hide completely. He'd allow some sense of false confidence to shine through his guilt, shame, and sorrow.

　　 When Luca found Nova's face, he gave a small smile, it made Nova's heart race, but feel even more guilty. He looked away, forcing Luca to frown and look at the king. He knew something was wrong. Very wrong.

　　 "What happened?"

　　 The king shifted and put a hand on Luca's shoulder.

　　 "Luca, it's Winnie. She—"

　　 Luca didn't bother listening. He rushed past the king and into the palace. He ran up to Winnie's room to find it empty, clean, with zero signs that Winnie was ever there.

　　 "Where is she?" Luca demanded when Leon arrived.

　　 "She was murdered, Luca. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't protect her. I'm so sorry. Sh—"

　　 "Murdered? Here? In the palace!" His disbelief showed as he ran his hands through his hair, and his eyes were wide with confusion. "How...how could she?" Luca's eyes landed on Nova, causing him to flinch.

　　 "We already held a ceremony for her. I tried waiting, but we couldn't wait any longer." A cold silence filled the room. "She's next to Hyde."

　　 "What happened?" Luca asked, breaking his eyes from Nova.

　　 "We found her in the hallway outside her room. We still don't know what happened. We're investigating—"

　　 Leon stopped when Luca punched a hole in the wall.

　　 "Luca!" Leon scolded, but Luca simply walked out of the room. This time the king didn't follow. He looked down at Nova when he heard sniffling. "He doesn't blame you."

　　 "You saw the way he looked at me," Nova protested.

　　 Leon shook his head and grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look him in the eye.

　　 "He doesn't blame you, Nova. He looked at you because you're you. You're his mate. He doesn't blame you." He released him. "I think you should go find him. Offer comfort."

　　 "What if he pushes me away? I can't handle it."

　　 "If he does, don't take it personally. He's just...It's hard right now is all."

　　 Nova reluctantly nodded, and after wiping tears and snot away, he followed Luca's scent down the hall, out of the palace, and into the cemetery outside the palace. He found Luca standing over his mother's grave. He didn't cry. He didn't speak. He just stood there in utter shock.

　　 Nova swallowed hard and walked over. With nothing but silence, he slipped his shaky hand into Luca's. The touch surprised Luca but only for a second. Without looking at him, Luca squeezed Nova's hand and dropped to his knees, and let the tears fall. Nova held his hand and sat next to Luca and used his other hand to guide Luca's head into him so he could hold him. Hold him and do his best to comfort him. It didn't take long for Nova to break out into tears either. They were silent, but together they held each other and cried.

　　***

　　 "We found zero traces of the River's Edge pack. No scent. No sign of them anywhere. It's like they don't exist. Yet, somehow, I know they're behind everything that's happening in this castle. So, what the hell is going on?"

　　 Nobody answered. The king, Triston, Leon, Nova, and the head of the warriors, Grey, sat in the king's office listening to Luca's debrief. Nothing added up, as usual.

　　 "Maybe, we can bait them," Nova's small voice shook when he spoke. "They want me. Maybe there's a way to—"

　　 "No."

　　 "Luca, let's listen," the king tried, forcing Luca to be quiet and sit down.

　　 "I just mean, maybe I leave. I leave here and act like I want to go back. We all play along, and whoever is working with them in the palace will know and send them the information. I can lure them out. You all mask your scent and stay far enough back. We might be able to trick them and lure them out."

　　 "It's too risky," Luca quickly said before the king could agree.

　　 "It seems to be our only option," Triston said, eliciting a growl from Luca.

　　 "It's not like I'll be alone. You'll be there," Nova assured as he put a hand on Luca's arm, making him visibly relax some.

　　 "If you really think we should do it that way, we need a solid plan. Absolutely, solid. If I don't think it's good enough, I won't put my mate in harm's way more than necessary."

　　 Nobody argued with that, and Nova smiled, happy to see Luca worry about him. After discussing it further, they came up with a decent plan, but Luca still refused, claiming it wasn't good enough. After the meeting, Nova promised the king he'd try to talk to him about it. But worse comes to worst, Nova had his own tricks, and it was about time he pulled them out.

　　 "Luca, I know it's dangerous, but you have to know these people won't kill me. Maybe they'll hurt me, but you and a bunch of warriors and the king will be close by. So—"

　　 "I have to go," Luca stopped walking and faced Nova.

　　 "What?"

　　 "I have to go see Alice. I haven't seen her since getting back, and with what happened to mom...I need to go see her."

　　 "Okay, but we still need to talk about the plan."

　　 "Will you go with me?"

　　 "Luca!" Nova growled both elated he'd asked him to go but annoyed that he was being ignored. "We need to talk about it."

　　 "Okay! We'll talk about it after I see Alice. After a little time to—" he trailed off.

　　 Nova understood. Even Luca wasn't immune to grief. The wound of his father's death was still fresh. Nova was just grateful it didn't push them further apart.

　　 "I'd like to go," Nova finally said, changing the subject for him. "Please."

　　 Luca smiled and grabbed his hand. He gave it a squeeze before letting go and continuing down the hall. He looked around, making sure Jax was nearby before parting ways with his mate.

　　 "Go get ready then. I'll meet you out front whenever you're done. We'll be running, so pack light."

　　 Nova lit up at the idea of running in his wolf form. Not only was he getting to shift, but he'd get to meet his mate's wolf for the first time. He practically skipped to his room and filled a small bag with his clothes. Just as he was walking out, he remembered something. He handed Jax his bag and asked him to go ahead without him.

　　 "I don't think I should be leaving you alone," he said.

　　 "I'm just going to see the king."

　　 He returned to the King's office, where he was still talking with Triston. Nova let them finish before walking further inside. Once the king dismissed Triston, he left, but Nova didn't miss the glare he got from the beta before he shut the doors.

　　 "Have you talked some sense into that mate of yours?" the king joked.

　　 Nova chuckled.

　　 "Actually, Luca said he's going back to his pack. To take some time to deal with his mother's death. He asked me to go with him. I was about to go but figured I should check in with you first."

　　 The king sighed and set down the paper in his hands. He ran a hand over his face. He didn't want to be away from his seeker, but his seeker needed his mate, especially with how fragile their relationship was.

　　 "Well, perhaps you're safer away from the palace for a while."

　　 Nova almost jumped, but instead, he hugged the king.

　　 "We'll be back soon," Nova promised.

　　 The king shooed him away, but Nova saw the pink tint on his cheeks. With a giggle, Nova left the office and hurried to his mate. He stood outside, like promised, with Jax, and two other warriors who would be accompanying them.

　　 "Ready?"

　　 Nova nodded. They all walked out of the palace walls into the forest just outside the town. There, they undressed and transformed into their wolves. As Nova's paws touched the earth, he shook with excitement and immediately searched for his mate. It wasn't difficult. Aside from his scent, he was the biggest wolf of them all, with beautiful grey fur. It fit well with Nova's white. He pranced over to Luca, feeling more comfortable in his wolf form this having more confidence, and buried his head into his side before licking his ear. Nova was pleased when Luca leaned into his affection but only for a moment because then Luca was ready to go. He led the group in a sprint. Nova, being used to running with River's Edge, and from the massacre, they would ensue, kept up easily.

　　 Nova hadn't felt this carefree for as long as he could remember. He let his tongue hang out and ran circles around his packmates. He did this until Jax whined and played with him. Luca refused to give in. As alpha, he had an image to uphold. He'd be happy to play with his mate, but not while in the presence of other strong wolves. Instead, he enjoyed his mate's untroubled mood, wishing it could be like this all the time.