Moonfall | Book Two

CHAPTER 5 | PART 1

Michael stormed through the castle with only one thing on his mind: finding his mother. And it was his urgent need to see her that pushed him in the direction of the Throne Room.

He did not care about the pack meeting he had missed, nor the possible repercussions for his actions. His only thought was how to get his mother alone and tell her about his discovery in the Woodlands.

A discovery that threatened her safety the most.

His urgency had not deterred once he arrived at his destination, but the unguarded double doors forced him to halt.

Whenever a member of the Alpha family was inside, a guard or two was always stationed outside of the room. Not seeing a soul in sight meant one of either two things: neither his father nor mother were in the Throne Room, or the guards had been dismissed.

If the first, then they had most likely retired to their individual chambers, which would make it easier for Michael to talk to his mother alone. If the second—which happened only on the rarest of occasions—then nothing good would come from him entering that room.

Michael took a deep breath and placed his hands on both handles, but just as he was about to push the doors open, he heard his name called from behind.

Michael turned to see the guard from the night before walking towards him. When he stopped a few feet in front of him, eyes lowered, Michael questioned him.

"Is my mother still inside?"

"Your mother has retired to her chambers with Lady Emilia."

His Aunt Emilia was here?

He remembered his mother mentioning her older sister would be visiting, but he did not think it would be so soon. If that was why she had been called away earlier, then it was obvious she had not been expecting Emilia's arrival either.

But his aunt's arrival was the least of his concerns.

Michael took a step to head back down the corridor, but the guard stepped in front of him and blocked his path.

It was not a challenge, but Michael could not help but take the guard's actions as such. And just like he had done the night before, he stared down at him. He knew the guard would not meet his eyes, but was silently daring him to break protocol just so he would have a reason to challenge him right back.

The guard, however, stood his ground and kept his gaze lowered. "The Alpha is waiting for you in the Throne Room."

That made Michael refrain and take a step back. It would not have been wise to waste energy on a small fight when a larger one was bound to happen the moment he stepped into the Throne Room.

If his father was waiting for him then he must have known that Michael had not been in the castle. Considering the purpose and importance of the meeting, Michael was certain his father was not going to let his absence go unpunished. Although he had a legitimate reason for missing it, telling his father about his run in with a fairy in the Woodlands was absolutely out of the question.

So how exactly was he going to explain his whereabouts?

"The Alpha knows only that you were granted permission to visit the burial grounds. Your mother forbade anybody from entering to retrieve you."

Relief washed over him, though he did not dare show it.

Yet again, his mother had come to his defense, despite him failing to keep his promise to her. Grateful as he was, it made him seem like a child who needed his mother to constantly bail him out of trouble. It made him realize he needed to deal with the consequences of his actions, face them head on, fix the problems he created with his own hands and stand on his own two feet.