chapter eight

　　The palace went into lockdown once the king discovered there was a mole in the palace. Hael was detained and put into the cells, where he'd be questioned later. Nova was put in his room, not allowed to leave, and guarded heavily. Luca made sure his mother had a few extra guards as well. In the meantime, he helped Triston, and a few of his warriors interrogate everyone in the palace.

　　 Luca stretched his neck after a long day of questioning. Nobody seemed suspicious, which either meant Hael was the only mole or they were really good at lying. They had questioned Hael repeatedly, but he refused to speak, and the next step would be torture. But he was just an omega, and Nova was right. Something wasn't right. Hael wasn't someone who would easily betray the kingdom.

　　 "Hael might talk to Nova," Jax suggested during their debriefing.

　　 Everyone looked at him with narrowed eyes. They had purposely kept the two away from each other just in case they were working together. It was unlikely, but Luca wasn't the only one who wasn't sure about Nova's loyalties. Triston didn't much like or trust the new seeker.

　　 "They've gotten close over the last few weeks."

　　 They looked to the king, waiting for an answer. He eventually nodded.

　　 "It's a good point. Besides, it seems a similar situation Nova has been in. Hael might think Nova has leverage over my decision on what happens to Hael, making him more likely to say something. Fine, let them meet. Or at least offer the idea to Hael."

　　 "Yes, Alpha."

　　 Triston left to put the plan into action, but Luca was quick to follow him out.

　　 "I'll go with you," he said.

　　 Triston gave a half-smile and nudged Luca's arm with his fist.

　　 "Worried about your mate?"

　　 Luca growled. He wouldn't say he was worried, but ever since he felt his emotions that day in the garden, he felt different around him even more so when he helped his mother during labor. Maybe he wasn't all bad, but what really made him see Nova in a different light was the speech he gave at his seeker induction. He felt the emotion and truth behind Nova's words that day. His demeanor towards his little mate started to change that day, but it was still difficult to accept the bond whenever he thought about his father. He wasn't sure what he needed from Nova in order to forgive him, but he did want to try to forgive him. That much he knew.

　　 Without bothering to knock, Triston entered Nova's room. He jumped up from where he sat on his windowsill.

　　 "Beta Triston," he looked at Luca and nodded, deciding that was enough of a greeting.

　　 "We want you to talk to Hael."

　　 Nova frowned.

　　 "You mean interrogate him?"

　　 "You said you're loyal to this kingdom. Prove it by helping us." Triston grumbled.

　　 "I don't need to prove anything. I'll talk to him because he's a part of this kingdom too, which means I believe in Hael."

　　 Triston rolled his eyes and motioned towards the door.

　　 Nova followed them out and down to the cells. They put him in a room with a single table and a little while late brought Hael inside, then left them alone.

　　 "Hael," Nova whispered. "Why?"

　　 That's all it took for Hael to break down in tears.

　　 "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He met Nova's gaze and reached across the table for his hands. "You have to leave." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "They know you're here. They know Nova. And they're going to hurt everyone you care about. Including your mom."

　　 Nova's eyes widened and filled with tears. He pulled his hands away.

　　 "How do you—"

　　 "Leave Nova. Go back to them. You aren't the only one who is hurt by them. Please go back, or they'll take the ones I love too. PLEASE!"

　　 Nova jumped out of his chair and backed away. Hael followed him, walking around the table and grabbing his arms. He shook him as he begged.

　　 "Stop," Nova pleaded. "Please stop."

　　 But Hael was gone. Like he had gone feral, Hael didn't hear Nova. He only had eyes for one thing.

　　 "Stop!"

　　 Luca pulled Hael off of Nova and threw him to the ground. He stood between them while Triston had two warriors take Hael away. Hael fought them, kicking and screaming for Nova to leave. To go back. That his choice to come here was hurting others. It echoed through Nova's head. He sat on the floor, shaking and crying while warm arms wrapped around him, providing a comforting pressure. He leaned into it, the scent, the tingles, all of it reassuring him.

　　 When he stopped shaking but was still crying, Luca lifted him and carried him out of the room. He took him to the king's office, where he sat Nova down and wrapped him in a blanket. Not long after the king walked in, his face scrunched with anger and worry.

　　 "Nova!" The king walked over and put a hand on his knee. "Are you okay?"

　　 Nova shook his head and reached for the king. He gripped his sleeves so hard his knuckles turned white. He shook as tears streamed down his face.

　　 "I can't stay here," he said. "I can't stay. You're all in trouble because of me. They know! They know I've betrayed them! They know! They'll kill everyone!" He started screaming hysterically, which lasted several minutes until he passed out in the king's arms.

　　 "Take him to my room," the king ordered.

　　 Luca's head shot up. It was basic instinct that Luca didn't want his mate in the room of an unmated Alpha. A stronger one at that. But he didn't say anything. He had no right to act as if he cared now. Not after how he treated his own mate. He watched Jax carry his mate away. Once they were gone, the king gripped the edge of his desk and squeezed until it splintered. Letting out a roar, he pushed everything on his desk to the floor and faced Triston.

　　 "You find out who the traitor is! Find out now! Luca! You need to find his mother and bring her here. Show him that we can protect not only him but his family. Our seeker is safe here, and we're strong enough to protect ourselves. We need to show him that, or we'll lose him!"

　　 The desperation was clear. Without a seeker, a kingdom was seen as weak. For so long, Leon had been looked down upon by the other kingdoms, even his allies. Not only does the kingdom grow weaker the longer they're without a seeker, but so does the king. Much like not having a mate makes you weaker, the king is the same with his seeker. Leon doesn't have his mate either. Two strikes, and he's considered the weakest king in all of Meraki.

　　 Triston and Luca left the office immediately, setting out to do as they were told. Luca gathered those he considered to be the best fighters and trackers and told them to meet him outside. Meanwhile, he'd need to get some information out of Nova if he was going to begin his search.

　　 The guards didn't hesitate to move out of his way, and Luca entered Nova's room, greeted with a cool breeze from the open window. He glanced around the room and found no sign of Nova. He ran to the window and looked down, briefly wondering how he managed to climb down before rushing out of the room and mind linking everyone in the palace to find the seeker.

　　***

　　 Nova got his chance to shift. Too bad, it was so he could run away. Rather than enjoying the forest around the palace, and learning the territory, he was running with everything he had away from the place he was hoping to one day call home. He didn't understand everything that was happening. All he knew was Hael was roped into his messy life because he chose to leave River's Edge.

　　 He hoped his mother was alive but knew it wasn't likely. At this point, he needed to do everything he could to keep everyone else that he cared about safe.

　　 Nova slowed as the thought came to mind until his feet stopped moving. He stood, panting and staring at the ground, wondering what he was doing. He had given that speech promising he'd do everything he could for these people, and here he was running. Running for what? To protect who? A mate that didn't want him. A king who was kind but only saw him as some kind of trophy. A friend who was nothing more than a traitor?

　　 Nova shifted back, dropping to his knees and holding his head in his hands. He was confused. So confused. He was in the same situation as Hael. How could he hold it against him when he did the same thing? He understood why his mate wouldn't want him. How could he forgive him for all the people he's helped them kill? Including Luca's father. He dropped his hands and dug them into the dirt. When something touched his bare shoulder, he jumped forward and tried crawling away, but whatever it was grabbed his arm and pulled him into warm arms.

　　 The familiar, comforting scent of his mate. He tried pushing him away, but Luca's strong arms didn't budge. After minutes of fighting, he couldn't fight anymore. His head ached, his body was tired, and his eyes burned. He buried his head into Luca's chest and cried. Luca held him, while the warriors he brought with him kept their distance.

　　 "I can't go back," Nova cried. "I can't go anywhere."

　　 "You can come back with me," Luca replied, his voice showing a kindness Nova didn't know he was capable of.

　　 "You hate me. And I understand. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

　　 Luca shook his head and squeezed him.

　　 "I forgive you, Nova. I know that's not who you are. I know." He pulled away so he could get a better look at him. His thumb wiped away tears from his cheeks. "I want to get to know who you really are. I want you to come back and stay. I'll find your mom, and we will keep you safe. I promise."

　　 "What if more die because of me? I should just go so—"

　　 "No." Luca's voice was stern, his alpha coming out to command him. Nova met his eyes, getting lost in the forest green. "I don't want you to go."

　　 That's all Nova needed to hear to be convinced. His body sunk deeper into Luca's arms. He leaned forward, pushing his head into his chest and wrapping his arms around him. His mate made everything better. Knowing his mate wanted him here made the choice to stay easy. They held each other a while longer before Luca took the lead and decided they should head back to the palace.

　　 Nova knew his troubles with River's Edge weren't over. But his life in the palace was just beginning, and together with his mate, he'd face whatever troubles were to come his way.