The Mad Alpha's Substitute Bride-Chapter 68: He Is Mine

For the next two weeks, I’m forced to keep a low profile. The murder of the deputy commissioner of the police is no small matter. Fortunately or unfortunately, there were no cameras at the carnival.

And with all the people coming and going, nobody noticed him. There is an active investigation, but I’m confident no one is going to link his death to me. No matter what Locke says, though, I still feel guilty.

But there’s nothing I can do.

Not two days after George’s death, two police precincts receive a bomb threat. The buildings are cleared, but before the bomb squad can enter, the buildings are blown up. The attacks happen at night, and there are no casualties. According to the information that George gave me, both precincts contained evidence that I needed access to.

When I watch the footage on the news, my heart sinks. There’s nothing left of the buildings. Somebody is covering their tracks. And I have a feeling they’re going to try to come for the flash drive that George gave me next.

It is a fount of information. Between the flash drive and what we already knew about the kidnappings, the conclusion I come to is the same as George’s. The individuals who were taken were not chosen at random. They were carefully selected.

Aside from Harold, they all worked at human establishments and had little to no family, or if they did have family, they were not in touch with them. These were very socially isolated individuals.

It’s not uncommon for some shifters to prefer to stay away from their packs. In the human world, I’ve seen it happen a lot. Unfortunately, it makes them easy pickings for these kidnappers. The only people who would raise any alarm would be their colleagues or bosses from their human- owned workplaces. Now we know that one day after each kidnapping, a letter of resignation was diligently sent to the employer, and there was no further contact.

Harold’s autopsy has been completed, and his blood is being tested, but Maya is still working on her report.

I’m at the palace today since I have to get some information from Cassian. I frown at my laptop as he enters the office.

"These people had enough information about the individuals they were going after to know who they worked for and what their routines were," I murmur. "Harold had no close relatives, either, only extended family. But he worked for the royal family. His kidnapping doesn’t make sense to me."

Cassian comes to stand behind me. "Are these the case files you got from that human?"

I nod.

"Maybe Harold was a victim of opportunity," he suggests.

"No." I pull myself away from the screen and walk over to the board I’ve been setting up. "These people are too methodical. But the kidnapping of the two teenagers also doesn’t make sense. They’ve never grabbed two people at the same time before. Plus, one of those kids had a family."

"One was an orphan?" Cassian checks the file before nodding. "Yup. No parents. He lived by himself in an apartment complex. He was going to a trade school and a human high school."

"That’s odd. Isn’t there a welfare program for orphaned shifters?" I ask. "He should’ve been going to a shifter-run school. Why was he going to human high school? Why was there no adult looking after him? I thought there were establishments in place that are run by shifters who raise and teach these kids to make sure they land on their feet."

"There are." Cassian goes over the victim’s file. He looks bewildered, adjusting his glasses. "This boy should have been in our welfare system. Who let him attend a human school?"

"I know that human children sometimes slip through the cracks when it comes to the foster system. I didn’t realize it was the same with our kind."

"It’s not. Each orphaned child is usually accounted for." Cassian rubs his temples. "I’ll have to find out what happened in this case."

I glance at my watch. "I should go check on Finn. Why is the palace so busy these days?"

"It’s the ball," Cassian replies. "The annual royal ball is in a month. Surely, you must be attending."

I blink. "Ah. That. No, I never go to it."

"Oh." Cassian looks awkward. "I thought that now, with King Locke here, you would..."

Cassian is among the few people who is aware of my true identity since we have to work together.

My hand goes to touch the mating mark on the side of my neck, and I hesitate. This is something I should probably discuss with Locke.

During the previous annual balls, Erik always instructed me not to leave my home for the entire week. I had enough working knowledge of royal events to know why. He wanted me to avoid running into anyone from the North. I always thought that Locke and Ravenna came together.

I ignore Cassian’s comment and direct my attention back to the laptop. I wish I could print out all these documents, but the flash drive is encrypted, and I can’t seem to print anything. Yawning, I take a few photographs of some of the documents on my computer screen without really looking at them. It’s not like I can carry my laptop around constantly. And I can’t even copy the documents from this flash drive to my laptop. I have to insert it every time I want to access what’s on it.

What kind of security is on this thing?

Checking the time once again, I decide to go grab some lunch with my son.

It’s odd not having Finn around at home. He’s been having a blast here at the palace with Sigrid keeping an eye on him. According to Erik, the palace staff is thrilled. They enjoy having a child running around and filling the otherwise silent halls with his laughter. The royal chef is constantly coming up with new recipes to please him. The kitchen has never been busier, according to the butler. There is never a dull moment in the palace with Finn around.

I’m glad that my son is happy here, but it doesn’t change the fact that I miss him. On the other hand, with Locke and me in the house alone, we have been quite busy. Apparently, after a couple shares a mating mark, they retire to their bedchamber for weeks on end. I don’t really know much about this matter, and I’m a little suspicious of Locke’s insistence that this is customary.

His stamina has not faded in the last eight years. My body is much healthier now, and I can handle him, but there has to be a limit. I rarely order in, but these past two weeks, I’ve constantly been having meals delivered since I don’t have the strength to cook, much less walk. If I didn’t know about only being able to conceive on the full moon, I would think he’s trying to knock me up again.

As I head out of the office to search for Finn and Locke, I think back to the conversation I had with my mate a few nights ago. Neither of us understands how I managed to conceive a child on a night other than that of the full moon. A part of me believes that the poison Ravenna had been feeding me constantly over the course of my youth probably had something to do with it. It messed up my insides profoundly.

Finn is with Erik and Locke, and when I enter the dining room, all three of them look up.

"Mom!" Finn is out of his seat like a bullet, throwing his arms around my waist as if he didn’t just see me this morning when I arrived at the palace. "Are you free now? Can you play?"

I kiss him on top of his head. "Play? Haven’t you been playing a lot these days? I heard you’re running everybody ragged here."

"No, I’m not!" He clings to my arm as I walk over to the table. "When can I come home?"

Erik immediately intervenes. "Why? You’re not having fun with me here?"

"Well, I am," Finn says thoughtfully. "But what if Mom misses me? I don’t want her to be sad."

Erik smirks, looking between me and Locke. "Don’t worry. I think your mother is too busy with other activities to miss you too much."

My face instantly heats up. "Erik!"

Locke just looks proud, as if his prowess has been praised. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Sit down, Finn." I pull out a chair for myself next to his as the staff begins to serve the meal. "Locke, I wanted to ask you about the ball that’s coming up."

"What about it?"

"Is Ravenna going to be attending?"

His eyes tighten on the corners. "Yes."

That word is like a punch to my gut, and my blood goes cold. "Oh." He rises half out of his chair. "That’s not what I meant."

"What Locke means to say is that it is necessary for Princess Ravenna to attend this time," Erik cuts in smoothly. "Locke has not attended a single ball in the last eight years. However, this year, you two will be announced together, and Finn will be introduced as the heir. To force the noble families of the North into a difficult position, it is necessary that at least one of the other kingdoms recognizes your legitimacy as the queen, Corrine. The Human Kingdom will do that. The Eastern Kingdom is going to cause problems, anyway."

"And what if Ravenna and the elders go after Finn?" I demand, furious that their little plan was not communicated to me before now.

"Finn will be protected," Erik says calmly. "Since he has spent eight years in this kingdom, and it is well known that you and he visit the palace often, a lot of rumors have surfaced. Not only will they be put to rest, but it will be implied that the king of the Human Wolf Kingdom is fond of the young heir of the Northern Kingdom. That means your son will be under the protection of two kingdoms."

They’ve clearly thought this through. Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at them. "And when were the two of you going to clue me in? On the day of the ball?"

My mate has a wonderful heart, but he is dense as a rock sometimes. Instead of sensing my anger, he says, "I was going to tell you once Sigrid had the dresses ready."

"Dresses?" I stare at him. "What dresses?" "The ones you will wear to the ball."

"Don’t you think you should have let me know so that I could mentally prepare myself in advance?" I growl.

"Prepare for what?" Locke asks, confused.

I let out a sigh. Dense as a rock when it comes to some things. Erik is trying his best not to smile.

"Okay, so, who will be at the ball aside from Ravenna?"

"The heads of the noble houses, the elders," Locke tells me. His expression grows serious. "You will be announced as queen, and there will be backlash."

"But I will be there to deal with it," Erik interjects. "And so will I," Locke adds.

I look between the two men, raising my eyebrows. "I’m not some fragile little bird that has to be protected. If Ravenna says anything to me, I will reply in kind."

From the look on Locke’s face, it’s obvious that he’s worried.

I smile at him. "Trust me, I’ll be fine. You’re my mate, and I’m your queen. I can take care of myself."

"But your history with Ravenna—"

My heart warms as I realize what he’s worried about. "It’ll be fine. I’m not the same little girl Ravenna picked up on the street. I have a mate who loves me, a son I have to protect, and friends who care for me. I’ll be fine." Locke looks tense, but I reach out and touch his hand. "Trust me, Locke. I’ve got this."

I’m not going to let that woman get her way. Locke is mine.