CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 88: SURPRISE FOR YOU

MAEVE’S POV

"Maeve, stop! What are you doing? This is good. I understand you want them away from each other, but let him spend some time with the boy. It buys us a place in his heart. Everything is working in our favor."

I whirled on her. "It isn’t good. None of this is good! You know damn well why Asha can’t form an attachment with Ivan. This is getting out of control!"

"But it serves the plan. None of this would matter when Devon takes over," she insisted, her grip pressing down like iron.

"No!" I ripped free, chest heaving. "This plan—you call it a plan, but I call it chains! I’m done, Nina. Once I get Asha, we’re leaving Ash Creek. Do you hear me? I don’t care about Devon’s plan, I don’t care about the crown. It isn’t worth it. None of this is."

Her face darkened, lips twisting. "Not worth it? After everything Devon has built? After everything Devon has put in place? After everything I’ve risked to get us here?"

Tears burned my throat again. "I-I know, but Nina—I don’t like what this makes me. I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror anymore."

For the first time, Nina raised her voice.

"It’s a small price to pay, Maeve! Think of the bigger picture. You think you can walk away now? You’ve already walked too far. Do you think Ivan would just let you leave? Or do you believe Devon would be pleased to learn that you failed in the one way he trusted you? For Goddess’ sake! He has woven every thread so intentionally, so perfectly. You cut one, and the whole web falls. You’ve sacrificed too much to throw it all away now."

I dragged in a deep breath, heart pounding. My nails dug into my palms.

"Then tell me—why did you lie to the Council? That was a risk that could have damned us! Why didn’t you keep to the script?"

Her smile slanted, sly and in many ways unsettling. "Because the script wasn’t enough. We needed more than just a flimsy growl and a minor injury on the priest. We needed the Council to see a ticking time bomb. We needed the seed of doubt planted deep in their hearts. Ivan may have passed their little trial, but the rot has begun. His undoing has already started. He will lose everything, Maeve. Just like you want."

A chill slithered through me. "I’m not sure that’s what I want anymore."

"You’re doubting because of the bond," Nina said quickly, eyes glinting with calculation. "That’s why I’m here. More than just an assistant, but as a friend too. To steady you. To keep you from slipping. Because deep down, you know this is for the best. For Asha."

Her words hit exactly where they were supposed to, and my chest squeezed tighter when she added softly:

"You wouldn’t want to see your son’s future crumble because you lost your nerve. Darkwind might seem steady now, but our resources as a rogue pack are forever dwindling. Many Alphas will hunt us down like dogs one day. Many more would fight to enslave our people simply because we are not born on pack grounds like they are. They don’t see us as people worth alliances, or treaties, or trades. And yes, Devon protects us, but what happens when he is gone? What happens to Asha? You’d have to leave him with Ivan if you want better for him—but even then, you know Ash Creek better than anyone. You know they’d kill him long before he touches their throne. Your only option is this, Maeve. Devon is our saviour—yours and mine. We only need to make this work for all of our good."

I closed my eyes, swallowing the ache. Her words sank too deep into me—and they were perfect. The perfect logic. The perfect truth. It was inescapable.

And yet... and still...

"How did you go undetected by the Moonstone?" I asked quietly.

Nina’s lips curved into a smirk. "Do you not realize? I’ve learned a few tricks from my mistress."

My eyes narrowed.

"I used venom leaves," she said smoothly, holding her palm up. "Rub them on your skin, and they numb your hand completely. No sensation, no pulse, no tell. When I touched the Moonstone, it was like placing rock on rock. Nothing for it to read. Nothing for it to betray."

My eyes widened despite myself. A twisted kind of admiration curled in my chest, mixed with caution.

"You really thought it through."

"I have you to thank for that." Nina shrugged, smug. Then her tone softened again, coaxing, careful. "Now, come. You’re exhausted. Sit with me. I’ll brew you some tea."

"I can’t—Asha—"

Nina smiled, pressing a hand to my shoulder.

"Asha is fine. I checked already. He’s having the time of his life with Ivan. So for now, let mummy rest. Let mummy breathe."

Her voice was sweet as honey. Her grip, tight, as she swayed me in the opposite direction. And I—fool that I was—let her guide me toward the couch.

She smiled at me as she mixed the tea a moment later, watching me stare numbly into thin air.

The faint clink of the spoon against porcelain felt too loud for the deathly silence in my head—it was like I was too scared to think beyond the white wall I stared at.

One more thought and I’d break again, so I avoided it, numbed my mind until I felt a true emptiness.

Nina kept watching me, glancing between stirring the tea and chirping lightly about her day—I barely heard anything.

"Here," she murmured, carrying the cup over and pressing it into my hands. Her fingers lingered a little too long on mine, her eyes soft but cautious, as though she wasn’t sure what to expect from my silence, though her smile remained sweeter than it had any right to be. "I’m sure this will soothe those nerves."

The steam wafted upward, brushing my face, grounding me despite myself.

My palms trembled faintly around the cup, but I steeled myself and took a reluctant sip. It did nothing to soothe me.

Nina didn’t sit yet. Instead, she moved toward the fireplace, crouching down as her eyes swept corner to corner.

Her hand slipped into a crevice beneath the grate, and when she straightened, she held something small, black, and familiar.

The burner phone.

She crossed back, her expression unchanging, her smile curved like she had finally found a trick that might work to pull me out of my misery.

Without a word, she slipped it into my other hand, closing my fingers firmly around it.

"Tea in one hand," she whispered, her eyes glinting, "the love of your life in the other. It’s your lucky day." Nina leaned back, satisfied, watching me like a proud mother. "There is a surprise for you—Marlo says Devon wants you to call tonight."