Page 25 of Claimed By the King's Gamma

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It’s early morning when I wake the next day.I can hear rummaging outside my door, and I hardly slept a wink.Restlessness and anxiety over the upcoming trip consume me.I’m anxious about leaving Abbie, anxious about security.Every time the king leaves the grounds, he becomes a target, and now with Ivy going, the fear of missing something gnaws at all of us.Liam hasn’t slept either—I can feel it.He wants to come along, but the king needs him here to watch over the castle.Knowing Liam isn’t coming with us puts me on edge.He’s one of our best men, but I understand the reasoning.The Royal Guard will be gone, and the castle needs to remain protected.Liam could hold this place down by himself if it came to that.

We can’t fail.I refuse to lose another royal family.Kyson is the only royal bloodline left, and with Ivy by his side, her safety is paramount.Even above the king’s.We swore an oath to protect his mate and now we are sure that’s who she us.

The future of Valkyrie would be destroyed, her and Kyson marrying and producing an heir is the only way to ensure the future of the kingdom.Kyson wouldn’t survive losing her—not after Claire.And he still needs to tell Ivy she is his mate, which now we have confirmed that, I now not only have to protect the king but his mate ,while remembering not to disclose that information to anyone.Only a few select people in the castle know and that is the Royal Guard and of course Clarice.Not even Abbie knows who she is to the king.

I get up and head to see what’s causing the noise outside my door.Pulling on my robe, I tie it securely around my waist.When I open the door, I find Abbie stacking clean linens and toiletries into a basket she dropped.I usually find a fresh basket at my door every morning, though I never knew it was her doing.I thought it was Clarice.I know Abbie cleans the other rooms here, but Liam and I have always taken care of our own.I don’t like anyone in my room.

Abbie jumps, startled, and backs up.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.I was trying to be quiet,” she murmurs chewing her lip nervously like she thinks she will be in trouble for waking me.

I rub a hand down my face, and look to the windows, trying to gauge the time.The windows in the corridor are dark, signaling it’s still early, but the sharp smell of cleaning chemicals tells me she’s been at work for a while.The night guards’ doors are open, and the scent coming from those rooms confirms she’s been cleaning them because they reek heavily of bleach.

“Abbie!”Damian’s voice booms from down the hall.She jumps, startled, then freezes, staring over her shoulder at him.

“I’m nearly done, sir,” she stammers.

“Clarice told you to stay quiet in that section.Just leave it,” he scolds her.That explains why I never hear the supplies being dropped at my door in the mornings anymore.I thought Clarice was still handling it.

Abbie nods, looking deflated.“I asked her to help me,” I blurt without thinking.Damian pauses, folding his arms and tilting his head to the side, he knows I am lying, the man can read me just as well Liam sometimes.

“You asked her to help you?”he presses, skeptical.I know he’s aware of how out of character this is for me.I never let anyone in my room.But the thought of Abbie being scolded for breaking a rule Liam and I set doesn’t sit well with me.If she hadn’t woken me, I would’ve assumed Clarice had been here.

Liam strolls in behind Damian, fresh off his night shift.He claps a hand on Damian’s shoulder as he passes.

“Brother—Abbie, I told you just to let yourself in,” Liam says, winking at me as he moves toward his room, clearly having heard the conversation on his way up the stairs.

Damian gapes at him.“Since when?I’m not even allowed in your damn rooms, but you’re letting a servant—” Damian shakes his head in disbelief.

“That’s because you’re not as pretty.Last thing I want is you rifling through my underwear drawer, Beta,” Liam teases, unlocking his door and tossing his key to Abbie.

“My lady,” Liam adds with a purr.I glare at him.

Abbie fumbles to catch the key, her face a mix of confusion and unease.I can tell Liam overheard Damian scolding her and decided to intervene by backing her up, too.

Damian mutters something under his breath and shakes his head.He’s all about order, and if he believes Abbie is disrupting that, he won’t hesitate to pull her off this floor.I step closer to Abbie as she clutches Liam’s key.

“See, no harm done, Beta,” I tell Damian.

“Pack light, Gannon.We leave tomorrow,” Damian tosses over his shoulder as he stalks toward the king’s quarters.

“You didn’t have to lie for me,” Abbie says softly.

“Well, I didn’t lie for you,” Liam interjects from his doorway, leaning casually against the frame.“I just went along with what Gannon said.If he trusts you in his room, then it’s fine by me.”

Liam’s smirk deepens as he glances between us.“Or should I be worried about having her in my room, Gannon?”he asks, deliberately baiting me.

“No, of course not,” I snap, stepping aside to let Abbie into my room.She hesitates but grabs the basket and rushes past me.Liam chuckles, grabbing his own basket and retreating into his room, his laughter echoing as he closes the door.

Inside, Abbie heads straight to the bathroom to start cleaning.I hurry to tidy up, hiding the weapons scattered around my room.By the time I finish, I find her restocking supplies and picking up my dirty laundry.

“Sorry,” she mumbles.

“It’s fine.What time do you go into town with Clarice?”I ask.

“When I finish this floor,” she replies, scooping up a towel.

“Let me get changed, and I’ll take you,” I offer.

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