chapter six.

　　Nova squirmed as Hael adjusted his wardrobe. Hael eventually threw his hands in the air and placed them on his hips.

　　 "Would you stop moving?"

　　 "Sorry, I'm just so nervous. What if I'm not a good seeker? Plus, there's the whole mate thing."

　　 Thinking about it got him down. It had been almost a week since Luca returned to the palace with his mom, and he had only seen him in passing a couple of times. When Winnie asked Nova to visit her regularly, he hoped he'd see more of Luca, but no. Even when he did get to see him, Luca would ignore him or be gone too fast or be too far before Nova could start a conversation.

　　 "What are you going to do about Alpha Luca?" Hael asked as he sat next to Nova on his bed.

　　 "I don't know what to do. I know he's mad at me, I get it. I just wish what I had done didn't define me."

　　 "I'm sorry, Nova."

　　 "At least he hasn't rejected me. That means there is still hope, right?"

　　 Hael gave him a small smile just as there was a knock on the door. Another servant came in to tell them they should be ready soon. Hael jumped to his feet and pulled Nova up to finish his outfit.

　　 Hael was Nova's only friend, other than the king, since coming to the palace. He was kind and easy to talk to for the most part. He was the first person Nova talked to about Luca and even told him about the conversation he had with Winnie. At first, Hael was nervous around Nova. Being an omega and his help, it was awkward for him whenever Nova acted too friendly. But he was starting to warm up to the idea of Nova being a friend and not just Winter Moon's seeker.

　　 "Will he be there?" Nova asked, referring to the ceremony.

　　 "Everyone in Winter Moon who can make it will be there. For us to have a seeker after over a century is a big deal. But Luca is practically the king's beta so—" Hael's hand shot to his mouth. "Please don't tell the King or Beta Triston. I just said that."

　　 Nova chuckled.

　　 "Your secret is safe with me. But I get what you mean. It's kind of weird that Luca won't lead his own pack but instead stays with the Alpha King. He's an alpha after all."

　　 Hael shrugged and walked towards the door. With a deep breath, Nova followed him through and down the long hallway, lined with warriors. At the end of the hall were two double doors, the king was dressed in his finest attire, and next to him stood Triston and Luca dressed in green and gold tunics. Nova couldn't tear his eyes from Luca. The tunic showed his body shape nicely. His pants hugged his strong legs. Nova swallowed, and when he reached them, stared up at Luca until the king cleared his throat. He tore his eyes away from Luca and looked at the king.

　　 "Are you ready?" Leon asked as he rested his hand on Nova's back.

　　 Nova looked up at him and nodded.

　　 "Great. Let's go."

　　 They faced the two double doors behind them. Two servants opened the doors revealing a wide balcony and hundreds if not thousands of people below. Nova felt his stomach turn at the sight and had a strong urge to hurl his breakfast over the rail. His hand found the king's sleeve and gripped it. The king patted his hand for comfort, then faced the crowd of people. They all fell silent and lowered their heads to the king.

　　 "Citizens of Winter Moon! Thank you for joining us on this momentous occasion. After over a century of not having a seeker in our kingdom, we've found one that was born in Winter Moon and is ready to serve our kingdom. Let us remember the importance of a seeker. Much like the Luna of a pack, a seeker is also a healer. A symbol of love, peace, and safety. They help protect and heal us. So, today I present to you Nova, the seeker of Winter Moon!"

　　 Cheers broke out among the crowd. The king motioned for him to come forward, maybe say a few words, but his nerves had him frozen. He glanced at Luca, for what? He's not sure. Maybe support or encouragement. All he got was a glare. He swallowed hard and took a shaky step forward, once again grabbing the king's sleeve.

　　 "Hi, umm, I'm Nova. I was born in Winter Moon among the Red Hill pack, but um...due to some certain circumstances I haven't been able to uh, fully enjoy all that Winter Moon has to offer." He took a breath and looked at the king. The king nodded. "I...I've wanted to be a proper seeker for as long as I remember. I've always wanted to help people and be someone people could come to when they needed help. For a long time...other people have prevented me from being that person. They've stopped me from being who I want to be. Thanks to our king, I've found the courage to take my place as a seeker. I hope you can all find it in your hearts to accept me and forgive me for not coming sooner. I vow, from this point onward, to protect Winter Moon and all of her people!"

　　 The longer he spoke, the greater his confidence, and the people believed him. The cheers and howls from the crowd made him smile. The king patted his shoulder and clapped alongside the people. Once the king wrapped up the ceremony, they went inside to have a feast with a few of the higher-ranking officials in the palace and three kings from neighboring kingdoms, including Golden Falls.

　　 Basil was the first to greet Nova, rather friendly despite their brief meeting the first time he'd come for Winnie. He introduced his king, Keegan, next. There was also the king of Grave Crown and Iron Maw, and their seekers. Grave Crown and Iron Maw had female seekers, one may be Nova's age, and the other seemed to be in her 50's. She was a part of Iron Maw. Nova wondered why they hadn't asked a seeker with so much experience to teach him the ways of being a seeker, but the reason became apparent as the evening went on.

　　 All throughout dinner, Leon and the king of Iron Maw, Regan, shared dirty looks, and passive-aggressive comments. It wasn't limited to just them either. Their betas partook in a few arguments as well. Despite the awkward atmosphere, King Leon maintained his hospitality and invited everyone to stay the night before returning home. They all took him up on the offer.

　　 When the dinner and all of the congratulations to Nova and Leon were finished, Hael and a guard escorted Nova back to his room. He collapsed on his bed immediately.

　　 "Today was so exhausting!"

　　 Hael started taking off Nova's shoes.

　　 "Your speech was great," he said.

　　 Nova sat up and finished undressing himself.

　　 "You really think so? I wasn't sure what to say at first but then I—"

　　 A knock on his door interrupted him. He took a sniff to see if he could figure out who it was, but unless it was Luca or a wolf who lived in the palace regularly, he wouldn't know.

　　 Hael walked over and opened it. Basil bounced through the door.

　　 "Nova!" He ran over and jumped on Nova, tackling him back onto the bed.

　　 Nova froze and looked at Hael for help. He simply shrugged with wide eyes.

　　 "Keegan said I could sleep in here with you. This castle is too big to be alone." He sat up and looked down at Nova. "Sorry, I caught you with your pants down."

　　 Nova realized he was only in his underwear and blushed. He pushed Basil away and quickly put on some clothes.

　　 "Servant boy, could you bring us some drinks and snacks?"

　　 "Yes, Seeker Basil."

　　 "His name is Hael," Nova corrected before Hael was out the door.

　　 "You call him by his first name? Hmm, interesting."

　　 "I'm not hungry either; I actually just want to sleep."

　　 "Yeah, a day like today is sure to wear you out."

　　 Despite his understanding, Basil didn't move to leave.

　　 "So, I heard you' re Luca's mate."

　　 Nova flinched.

　　 "Where did you hear that?"

　　 "Just a little birdie. I'm jealous." He stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. "Every time I come here, I try to put the moves on Luca. He's like a rock, though. Nothing phases him."

　　 Nova tried not to show his jealousy. He wasn't one to act out on his feelings often. He sort of hated himself for it.

　　 Not long after, Hael returned with a tray of food and set it on the table before dismissing himself. Basil immediately started eating, and Nova sat on the edge of his bed.

　　 "Basil," Nova started. "What's something I should know about being a seeker?" If he was going to overstay his welcome, might as well make it useful.

　　 "Hmm, using your abilities to their fullest. Many seekers don't bother learning how to use their offensive ability and focus on their healing abilities—and just being there for people. For anyone. You're there for everyone, you know? So, it's important to treat everyone fairly. We're naturally healing. Just by being next to someone can help them feel better and lift their spirits."

　　 "Really? Just by being next to them?" Nova wondered why he didn't have that effect on his mate. Were mates immune to the presence of a seeker? Nova crawled under his covers. Having Basil here was uncomfortable, but how could he throw him out? He was a seeker of a neighboring kingdom that they were apparently on good terms with. Instead, he kept his mouth shut and listened to Basil tell him about his inauguration as seeker.

　　 He became seeker about fifteen years ago. He learned from the Iron Maw seeker, Sava. She's the best of the best and extremely loyal to her kingdom. All of her people love her, but supposedly she also knows magic. It's a rumor spreading around the kingdom. No one has seen it for themselves. If it is true, it must be her offensive ability, which was always kept secret from other kingdoms. Eventually, Basil's voice sounded distant as Nova drifted to sleep.

　　***

　　 Lucky for Nova, and everyone else in the palace, their guests left early the next morning. As the omegas cleaned up the palace, Leon, Luca, and Triston held a meeting with a few of the head warriors.

　　 Meanwhile, Nova explored the palace with Hael. Now that he was officially a seeker, he could travel freely through the palace, of course, with a guard at all times. His usual guard was a warrior named Jax. He didn't say much, which Nova didn't mind, and he kept his distance, only made sure Nova was in his sight. Nova appreciated the distance.

　　 "This here is the art gallery. This is probably the king's favorite room in the whole palace. He loves art if you haven't noticed, and he can't seem to figure out what style he wants exactly." Hael chuckled. "I think it's endearing. He seems to like sculptures and paintings the most, though." Hael faced Nova. "You want to see the library? That's my favorite place and—"

　　 "Actually, Hael, can I ask you for a favor?"

　　 "Anything!"

　　 "I'd like to go see Winnie if that's okay."

　　 "Oh." He looked around and let his eyes land on Jax. "Warrior Jax, do you know if Winnie is in her room right now?"

　　 He thought a moment, Nova assumed he was mind linking someone who knew her whereabouts.

　　 "She's in the library."

　　 Hael clapped his hands together, causing Nova to jump.

　　 "Perfect! To the library!" He grabbed Nova's hand and pulled him out of the gallery and on to the library.

　　 Winnie sat in a reading nook by a window. She had an open book in hand, but her attention was out the window. Hael and Jax waited outside while Nova walked in. He took small steps toward her and cleared his throat when he was close, and she still hadn't noticed him. She looked at her with dull green eyes and smiled.

　　 "Nova, congratulations."

　　 "Thank you, Winnie."

　　 "What brings you here? Did you need something?"

　　 He shook his head and pointed to a couch nearby.

　　 "Can I just sit here? Maybe read a book?"

　　 She nodded.

　　 "Is there something you wanted to say?" she asked.

　　 "Umm, no...Basil, the seeker for Golden Falls, said a seeker naturally makes people feel better. I know you've been feeling pretty bad recently, so," he shrugged. "I thought it might help."

　　 She smiled.

　　 "This wouldn't have anything to do with you trying to suck up to your mate, would it?" she teased.

　　 Nova shrugged and grinned.

　　 "Maybe just a little."

　　 They sat together in silence. Nova searched through a few books. After a few hours Winnie fell asleep, Nova covered her with a blanket and browsed through the large library while she slept. As the sun set, Winnie woke with a groan. Nova rushed to her side, dropping the book he had in his hand.

　　 "Are you okay?" he asked, hesitating to touch her.

　　 Her face twisted in pain as she pressed her hand against her abdomen.

　　 "I think...I think I'm. Argh!" She cried out and doubled over, falling to the floor. Nova knelt next to her. When he touched her, the pain she felt shot into him. He bit his lip till it bled but suppressed the scream at the back of his throat. He called through his new link with the pack for help. Jax, a few omega's, and other warriors rushed into the room, not long after Luca and King Leon were there. Luca looked at his mother with worry and glared at Nova as they carried her out.

　　 "What did you do?" he snarled as he grabbed Nova by the arm.

　　 "I-I-I didn't do anything! I swear. She was sleeping and just—"

　　 "Stop lying! What's wrong with her?"

　　 "Luca!" The king's voice froze Luca in his place.

　　 Luca released his grip around Nova's arm and turned to go after his mother but stopped when Nova grabbed his wrist.

　　 "She's in labor." Nova had tears in his eyes. "And I don't think she's going to make it."