The sound of heavy knocks on the door interrupted the muffled moans that had been filling the room.
"Who is it?" Lyall asked sitting up but Connor's finger flew to his lips.
He had no idea who would be at his door at such a late hour. A heavy knock persisted and this time Connor cursed and put on his trousers before heading across the large room for the door.
"Who is it?" He demanded.
"It is I, Garius, My Prince."
A visit from his spy at such a late hour meant something serious was happening.
Connor cast a glance at Lyall before opening the door and walking out.
"Leave." He ordered to the guards who were positioned in the hallway and they obeyed with a bow.
The moment the hallway was empty, Connor turned to the teenage werewolf who was standing before him.
"You better have a good reason for this." The prince said.
"It's the Queen, your mother. She returned from the King's castle on a stretcher. The healers are working on her." Garius said.
Connor's lack of interest vanished immediately and he was filled with anxiety and a burning curiosity.
He dipped his hands in his pocket and tossed a small pouch of gold coins to Garius before hurrying back into his room.
"Is something wrong? Are you leaving?" Lyall asked noticing that Connor was shrugging into his proper clothes.
"Yes," Connor replied shortly.
"Are you fucking kidding me? You know how hard it is to get to spend time together!" Lyall complained.
"I don't want to deal with complaints now! My mother has come back from seeing my father and it's about the disappearance of Selene." Connor said with impatience.
The message was passed very easily to Lyall who knew that Connor wanted to be informed of all the developments.
It was needed to ensure that they stayed clean in all that was happening.
"I'll be back soon. Just bolt the door behind me." Connor said and he went over and dropped a wet, deep kiss on his lover's lips before walking out of the room.
As he walked past the halls heading to his mother's chambers, he fought to control the anxiety that was going in him.
The past five days had not been easy for him. Usually, Selene's presence was never felt but knowing what he and Lyall had done to her, her absence was a huge obstacle to his peace of mind.
When Connor walked into his mother's private chambers, he was hit with a flash of fear at the possibility that his father was aware of what he had done to Selene.
The Queen's veins now dark strokes, were showing on her face and she was obviously in pain as the healers worked.
"Mother!" Connor said as he approached her.
Her eyes opened and she held her son's hand as she sat up.
"Leave us." She said in a deep raspy voice that showed she was restraining pain.
"But Your Grace." A healer started to say.
"Leave us now!!" She ordered in a roar and everyone scampered out of the room quickly.
Ulva turned to her son and hugged him. Her heart was racing in her chest.
"What's wrong mother? Is this about Selene?" Connor asked taking a seat beside his mother.
"That cursed thing! Of course, it's about her! He killed her omega and then he did this to me!" Ulva growled in anger as tears streamed down her face.
Connor raised his hand to brush his mother's face affectionately but she stopped him.
"You can get infected. He slapped me very hard." She explained.
Connor didn't need to ask further, he knew his father well enough and so he understood.
"I'm scared," Ulva confessed to her son.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because if he doesn't find her, he will still turn on me. He said so himself." She said in low whispers as she suppressed the pain that was surging in her.
"So what is he going to do now? Is he summoning some kind of magic to find her? Is he making announcements? Or sending out a search party?" Connor asked desperately.
Ulva gave a bitter laugh.
"Monrel, that useless bat can't find her with his dark magic! Your father has sent Ragna." She revealed.
Connor sank deeply into thoughts. Ragna was a very good hunter, the best in fact, but he was also discreet.
Very discreet.
"Why is Father not sending out a proclamation? Perhaps to the other Alphas." Connor thought aloud.
"I don't know. I don't care. She's a secret remember. His sacred secret." Ulva said and then she groaned in pain.
"I'll call the healers back in mother," Connor said and he helped her lay back.
As Connor walked back to his chambers, one question was consistent in his mind,
Why was Selene such a big secret? He had thought his father was hiding her to protect her but now that she was missing, it would have made sense for the King to go all out to search for his favourite child.
When Lyall opened the door, his heart sank in fear at his lover's face.
"Do they know? Does he know?" Lyall asked with his voice shaking and his eyes widened.
"No," Connor said simply as he walked to the bed. "I think Father thinks she has been kidnapped."
Lyall breathed a sigh of relief but then he still looked worried at Connor's expression.
"Then, what's the matter?" He asked.
"My father is sending out a stealth bounty hunter to find Selene. He does not want anyone to know about it." Connor thought out out loud.
"But that is no news!" Lyall said with a snort. "Selene has always been a secret. Very few of us knew of her existence."
Connor heard him but he was still thinking deeply. He felt like there was a great deal that his father was not saying.
"Perhaps if someone starts to spread the rumours of the King's secret daughter who is now missing then the reason for her secrecy might surface." He said tapping his chin thoughtfully.
Lyall was shocked.
"What? We have done enough, Connor. There's no need to do this. She's dead!" Lyall said.
"But no one knows that."
Lyall sighed knowing that at this point, Connor would do what he wanted to do.
"So now you want to spread rumours through your errand boy? You want to get him killed?" Lyall interrogated.
"No, he won't be killed, because the person who started the rumour is dead already," Connor said and when Lyall looked clueless, Connor added.
"Selene's omega. My father murdered her. So how can he punish her again when she's dead?" He said.
"But your father's sorcerer! What if he-?"
"Monreal has a limit to his dark magic. He won't find out anything." Connor said confidently.
His voice was low and calm, his usual demeanour but his mind was working fast already.
As well as spreading the rumours, he would send out anonymous messages to the other Alphas.
Everyone feared the dark king but maybe something could come out of this.
Connor knew in his mind that his action would bring chaos and open secrets. Selene could be useful, even if she was dead... At least that is what he thinks.