MAEVE'S POV
[ONE MONTH AGO]
"You want my help." I repeated the words blankly, stunned by his revelation. "I don't know, Devon. As much as I want to support you, this is all so sudden."
"Hardly." His grip on my cheeks tightened slightly. "I've been laying the groundwork for years. With the old Alpha King dead, and with Ivan still without an heir, it's finally time to act."
My breath hitched.
"Ivan has no heirs?" I echoed, my eyes widening in disbelief.
How was that possible?
Five years ago, he had taken a breeder—my best friend. He had been so sure that she would give him an heir in no time.
I couldn't believe that Serena had failed at the very thing she had betrayed me for.
The sheer shock of it sent me reeling.
"I thought you knew," Devon said, giving me a pointed look. I wondered what thoughts were running through his mind at that moment.
I shook my head. "There's no way I could have known. Ever since I left Ash Creek, I haven't heard anything about him. Or Serena, for that matter."
"Well," he said, his tone filled with something dark and knowing. "If you're curious, they're getting married in a month."
A strange sensation rushed through me.
Ivan and Serena. Getting married.
It was expected, wasn't it?
Yet, I still felt something deep and visceral clawing at my insides.
Devon continued,. "Once they forge a mating bond, there's a high chance she'll birth his heirs. Oppositions to the Alpha throne. To stop that, I need you to crash the wedding."
I jerked back.
"You want me to what?" I stared at him, stunned beyond belief.
This conversation had veered so far off course that I was struggling to keep up.
When I had returned home tonight, I thought we'd be discussing my trip to Crimson Bridge Pack—not planning a political sabotage.
I didn't even realize I had moved away from Devon until the cold of the storm seeped through my clothes. My first instinct was to go back into his warmth. But I couldn't. Not yet.
Devon didn't move to touch me.
He knew me too well.
"Think carefully before you oppose it, love," he said. His tone was calm. Persuasive. Dangerous. "If you go to Ash Creek, object to the wedding, and declare Asha as Ivan's heir, the marriage will be nullified."
My chest constricted.
"You want to drag Asha into this?" I growled, my hands curling into fists.
"I know you have your reservations about this," he admitted. "But Asha is the key to everything. Declaring him as Ivan's heir means he won't see the need to keep trying for more heirs with Serena."
I shook my head, taking another step back.
"Going back to Ash Creek would jeopardize Asha's safety. My safety. None of this is worth it if it puts us in danger."
Devon's expression darkened.
"Do you really think I would ever risk you or Asha?" His voice was a low, wounded scoff. "He's my son too, Maeve. As much as yours."
My feet itched to close the distance between us. But I stayed rooted.
"I'm doing this for him. And for you. Do you have any idea what it's like to be the Alpha of a castaway pack? A legacy built from shame, exile, and desperation?" His eyes burned with a truth I wasn't ready for. "I don't want the same for Asha. He deserves more than a broken legacy. He deserves a real throne. A name that carries power."
"All Asha needs is a family that loves him," I countered fiercely. "And he has that already. He doesn't need Ash Creek."
Devon exhaled sharply.
"He's going to need its influence when he's older." His voice was calculated. "Maeve, I know these things don't seem important now. But a day will come when Asha will need the backing of a strong, established pack."
I stared at him long and hard.
I understood Devon's hatred for the Cross family. They had abandoned him. Betrayed him. Tried to erase him.
I couldn't fault him for wanting revenge. For wanting to seize the throne that should have been his birthright.
But was it worth the risk?
I was a mother now. A wife. A Luna. A healer.
Asha had everything he needed.
Devon adored him. He had a father. A stable home. A future.
So why did Devon still want Ash Creek? Why wasn't this enough?
Then, as I gazed into the caramel depths of his eyes, I saw the answer.
Vengeance.
Asha's future.
Just like the Moon Goddess, Devon could sense something powerful in Asha. That was why he wanted him on a throne. A true legacy.
A name that no one could ever strip away from him. Not a castaway throne, as Devon had put it.
I was once again reminded of Selene's words to me five years ago, when I had been suspended in her presence.
If Asha was truly meant to fulfill the destiny she had spoken of, then he needed all the support he could get.
Perhaps this was my way of making it happen—agreeing to help Devon in his quest.
I exhaled sharply. "What would you have me do?"
Devon's eyes flared with purpose, a glint that spoke volumes of his grand plan.
Without a word, he pulled a fancy scroll from his desk and held it out to me. Urging me to take it.
I hesitated before accepting it tentatively. "What's this?"
"A formal invitation from Ash Creek."
My breath caught.
"What?" My grip on the scroll tightened. "Why would they send an invitation here?"
Devon's expression darkened.
"I've actually been working to get my hands on it for a while." His voice was smooth, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. "It's the perfect way for you to get in."
I scanned the scroll's contents, my confusion deepening with every word.
"It's a royal summons… addressed to the Moon Healer." I looked up at him in shock. "That's me."
Devon's lips twitched slightly, a hint of a conspiratorial smile playing at the edges.
"Seeing as they sent an invitation here, it's clear that Ash Creek doesn't have a clue about the Moon Healer's identity."
I sucked in a breath. "That's beside the point. Why do they want me there?"
"Apparently, the Alpha Queen is gravely ill."
My stomach turned.
The Alpha Queen.
Lydia fucking Cross.
Dread curled around my insides.
The universe sure had a twisted sense of humor.
Lydia Cross—the woman who had taken so much from me—was sick.
And she had unknowingly sent an official summons right to my doorstep, requesting my healing skills.
The irony was almost laughable—if it didn't feel so utterly bizarre.
Devon continued, his tone calculated. "They've sent letters all across the kingdom trying to locate the Moon Healer."
He watched me carefully. "You're incredibly famous, Maeve. Your reputation has spread like wildfire… and now, it has provided us with the perfect opportunity to secure your entrance into Ash Creek."
My fingers curled around the scroll.
"So you want me to pose as Lydia's healer. And then what?"
His gaze hardened. "Then, I want you to spy on Ivan."
My pulse spiked.