Darren


    "Who sent these?!" I clenched my fist around the photographs, a chill of shock rippling through my veins before it burned away. For a split second, my stomach turned as I nced at the pictures of my mate and brother. But only for a second. Then, I realized there was no way. Those were the two people I trusted the most, and I wasn''t going to stop now. However, these pictures were a problem. Who had taken them in the castle? And who had ess to the royal hallway?! This was a problem I was notfortable with. I needed to call Ally and let her know. This was a security issue, not a mate issue.


    "It was left outside your tent," Ivan said, as Dayanara plucked one of the pictures out of Darren''s hands.


    "No trace of anything. The photos are real, but the messenger made sure they blocked their scent and any traces of their aura." She studied the picture for a moment before giving it back. "Allissa doesn''t seem like the type to-"


    "She wouldn''t. And neither would my brother. These pictures don''t mean anything to me. What I am concerned about is the one taking the pictures." The very thought of a security breach within the kingdom had my protective instincts roar. "This is a threat to my mate... my child. I need to call her."


    "You can''t right now. We all agreed. Until we find the snitch. We Chapter 91


    have a leak here, and every time we open lines for messages and calls, we end up brutally attacked. My team has been hard at work, but we haven''t been able to find the mimic. But I assure you, there is one here." She paused and her green eyes flickered at mine. “Darren, take my griffin. It''s the fastest way to reach the kingdom."


    The weight of leadership pressed down on me, a mantle as heavy as the iron crown that awaited back at the castle. Leave the battlefield? Abandon my warriors? But my mate might be in danger. "I ... don''t know." I mumbled, though my heart was already telling me I was going.


    "Darren." Finn''s voice sounded unusually stern. "We have this under control. You need to make sure your mate is aware. Allissa could be in danger. That isn''t worth debating whether you should stay or not."


    "Go. Protect your mate. We''ll hold the lines until you return, brother." Ivan''s gruff assurance resonated deep within my chest.


    "We aren''t marching again until tomorrow. That is enough time to warn your mate and hopefully find the culprit." With a sharp whistle that cut through the smoky air, Dayanara summoned her griffin. The magnificent creature descended with powerful grace, creating a cloud of dust below its wings. "Take him to the Lycan Kingdom and wait for him," she said to the griffin, cing her hand on his neck. Flying was not exactly my thing, but I would do whatever I needed to in order to get to Allissa. I swung my leg over the griffin''s broad back, gripping the saddle that was forged by


    enchantments. It swiftly ascended into the sky, the ground disappearing beneath the clouds. The griffin''s powerful wings cut through the sky, and the wind whipped past me.


    I wasn''t thinking about flying and couldn''t appreciate the view. My thoughts were on Ally and the idea that she was being spied upon. Who was behind it? And what was their purpose? Were they trying to send me into a rage? What if their goal was to take me away from the battlefield? I closed my eyes, letting the wind beat against my face. I wouldn''t regret this decision. Leaving the battlefield in order to make sure my mate was safe was right. She came before everything.


    As wended on a walkway on the castle''s outer wall, the intruder bells began to toll, and I instantly sent out a mindlink to stop the rm, that it was just me. I hopped off of the griffin and raced to the door. My feet thundered down the hallway, ignoring the shocked servants and guards. I needed to find Allissa, and now it felt urgent. As if I couldn''t breathe until I saw her.


    I began checking the passages and empty chambers frantically. I


    felt like my senses were dulled and I couldn''t find her. The anger that I had kept bottled up was seeping out, and I could feel the old darkness growing. It was as if my body was holding out for this moment and could not wait any longer.


    I felt like the castle was mocking me. As if it wasughing at me for trying to find my queen. The damnbyrinth of a castle was irritating me. Why were there so many walls and hallwa, s? I should knock all these walls down. Then it would be easy to find people.


    "Your Majesty!" A voice broke through my mental disarray, and I snapped my head to see a royal guard approaching.


    "Where is my queen?" I growled at him, as if he was keeping her


    from me.


    "She has been in the interrogation rooms thest couple of days. She "I didn''t let him finish, and I was racing through the castle again. I was skipping stairs and leaping between the tforms. I couldn''t get to her fast enough. I felt like I was running in slow motion as the swirling darkness inside of me began to grow.


    Why was she in the interrogation room? What had happened to bring her here? Was she okay?! I reached the bottom floor, my heart pounding in my chest like a relentless drum, and I felt a visceral pull toward the cold, sterile confines of the interrogation room. The fluorescent lights buzzed softly overhead, casting at harsh, artificial glow on the polished linoleum floors. I was so close to her, separated only by walls that seemed to stretch on like an insurmountable barrier. It had been far too long since I''d seen her. Each second now felt like an eternity.


    I sprinted toward the dimly lit room, my footsteps echoing urgently in the narrow corridor. Standing sentinel outside were two imposing royal guards, their armor gleaming under the lights. As I drew near, one of the guards swung open the heavy dungeon doors with a resounding crash that matched the frantic pace of my heart. I surged past him with the urgency of someone pursued by a relentless predator. Perhaps I was being chased after all..... not by a physical creature, but by the shadowy turmoil within me, wing at my mind and threatening to


    Chapter 91 engulf me entirely.


    A man was in irons, with Heath beside him holding the chain. In front of him, I saw Lyle looking at me in shock-then my eyes


    met hers.


    "Ally," I breathed, barely audible, and my legs suddenly felt weak. I could see the worry in her eyes as I took a staggering step toward her. The rest of the world vanished as she rushed toward me. A small cry escaped from her throat as she crashed against me. I wrapped my arms around her, careful not to crush her swollen belly. All my longing, my fear, my love... all my emotions infused into one sentence. "Gods, I missed you."