Page 34 of Her Fated Alpha Prince
He looked up. “Where is your brother now?”
Liora’s face fell. “They took him. Said he stole classified documents. But I saw him slip that note into his boot. He told me to wait. If he didn’t come back by the second bell…” Her voice shook. “He knew they’d kill him.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. The Crown was moving faster than he’d thought. If Varos was right—and Kael had no reason to doubt him—they weren’t just afraid of Ariana.
They were preparing to erase her.
“Can you get me the key to the armory?” he asked.
Liora blinked. “You’re going to run?”
“No.” Kael’s eyes burned in the low light. “I’m going to start a war.”
Liora paled. “You can’t fight them all. Not alone.”
Kael gave a humorless smile as he stood, shaking out his aching limbs. “I won’t be.”
She looked unconvinced, but she nodded anyway. “I’ll try. The kitchens change out guards near dawn. If I time it right, I can get into the stores.”
“Be careful,” Kael said. “Don’t get caught. And don’t come back here.”
She hesitated at the door. “Is she really… different? Ariana?”
He paused, then said softly, “She’s what the realm has been waiting for. Even if it doesn’t know it yet.”
Liora left, and the door shut behind her. Kael was alone again—but not helpless anymore. His hands flexed. He paced the cell, thoughts racing faster than his feet. Every instinct screamed for action, but he couldn’t move blindly.
He needed allies. Ones that hadn’t already turned.
The Blackthorn Guard.
A decade ago, they’d been purged—accused of treason, scattered across the kingdoms. Kael had grown up on those stories, too young to understand what it meant when loyalty to the realm meant questioning the crown. But now he knew better. They hadn’t betrayed the realm.
They’d tried to protect it.
And Kael knew where the last of them had vanished. If he could get free—if he could reach them—there was a chance. A slim one. But Ariana didn’t need protection. She needed belief. She needed someone willing to gamble the kingdom for her.
He could be that fool.
The door opened again, too soon to be Liora.
Kael stilled, muscles coiled.
It wasn’t a guard.
It was Varos.
The elder moved quickly, robes tucked up for speed, silver hair loose around his shoulders.
“You idiot,” Varos hissed. “Do you know how hard it was to keep them from dragging you into the Cells?”
Kael didn’t waste time. “How much do they know?”
“Enough to be afraid,” Varos said. “Which is worse. They don’t understand her. So they want to control her. Or eliminate her.”
Kael’s heart thudded. “Then we move tonight.”
“No.” Varos raised a hand. “She’s not ready.”
