Chapter 49
"How did she manage to slip through without anyone noticing?" Owen's loud voice flew through the closed doors of his office as Mavi sat inside. He was outside talking to the king's guards and the witches Gemma had brought to the palace for extra protection.
"Is someone letting her through?" Owen demanded to know. Mavi knew instantly that his mind was traveling back to Arion in the dungeon.
"I need answers," Owen growled.
Mavi couldn't take it anymore. She knew he was stressed and he had every right to be, but she had just gotten out of a meeting with her father and Exton and now Owen was shouting up a storm.
Babe, Mavi opened her link to him. Please come inside.
When she felt Owen close off his link and shut her out, Mavi's eyes narrowed at nobody in particular inside the empty office. With great irritation, she stood from the chair she had been perched in and opened the door.
The large hall swam with dead silence as Owen and Basil stood in front of the king's guards glaring at them. As Mavi exited the office, only the sounds of her shoes hitting the marble floor echoed from the walls.
Owen sensed his mate before his eyes found her. He maintained his angry expression as his eyes followed Mavi.
"I would like to speak with you Beta Owen," Mavi announced, her voice loud and clear, making sure everyone in the hall heard her.
Mavi, not now. I have to- Owen started through the link, but Mavi shut him out.
"Now." She demanded. "In your office."
As Mavi watched the corner of Owen's mouth twitch with amusement, she turned on her heels and marched back into the office. After a minute, she felt the heat on the back of her neck rise as he entered and closed the door behind him.
"Did you shut off your link to me?" Mavi demanded as she whirled around to face him.
"Did you order me to follow you in front of the whole king's guard?" Owen titled his head to one side, the amused smile still playing in his lips.
Mavi folded her arms across her chest and frowned, "Do not shut off your link to me. Ever again."
"Or what?" Owen asked. His brown eyes searched Mavi's grumpy face as he took a step forward. His gaze made Mavi's heart flutter as she glared at him.
"Are you pouting, princess?" Owen lowered his head to get a better look at Mavi's face. "What did I say about you pouting?"
Mavi's breath quickened from the way Owen was looking at her. He was in a playful mood, making sure to take his time to tease Mavi. She pulled in her bottom lip in between her teeth and bit down upon it, trying to not let him derail her irritation.
The corner of Owen's lips twitched once again as he reached out and pulled Mavi's lip out with his thumb.
"Bad habit, Bambi," he whispered into her ear. Mavi nodded breathlessly as he pushed her hair back and began to kiss her ear and jaw. Her mind blanked as she felt his warm lips upon her. She wanted him again and the thought of him bending her over his desk sounded very pleasing. But when Owen pulled back too quickly, Mavi almost let out a little whimper of annoyance as she tried to grab onto his jacket to keep him from moving away.
Owen shook his head laughing as he took a seat on the edge of his desk.
"I'm sorry, princess, "Owen said as he pulled her in between his legs. "The whole King's guard is out there and you, my love, are very loud."
Mavi frowned. She tried to pretend she was upset and move away, but Owen grabbed her waist and held her in front of him.
"Behave," He warned her.
"Or what?" Mavi threw his words back at him.
Owen's eyes lit up as he shook his head laughing, "Should I remind you who won the last time you decided to play games, Ms. Dorin?"
"I'm Mrs. Soon to be Radacovick now," Mavi looped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer.
"Hmm," Owen hummed. "I can't wait."
Mavi leaned her head against his shoulder and relaxed as he rubbed his thumbs over the waistband of her jeans. She took a deep breath as she began to feel safe and secure for the first time since she walked out the meeting with her father and brother.
"I have a question," Owen asked after a while.
"Yes?"
"Why did you have a silver dagger under your pillow?"
Mavi picked up her head and laughed at Owen's bewildered expression.
"It's Ellanore," She confessed. "It's an old tradition for the king or heir to sleep with a dagger under our pillow.....she makes sure there is one with us every night."
"Why?"
"Kings used to get assassinated in their sleep," Mavi picked at the lint on Own's sweater. When she felt his hands grip her hips tightly, her eyes moved up to his.
Gone was the teasing and playful Owen. Owen in front of her now looked as if he was preparing for war. His brows were furrowed, eyes narrowed, lips set in a deep frown.
"How did the meeting with Tobias go?" His voice had changed too. Instead of the seductive velvety smooth tone, Owen's voice was now hard and stern.
Mavi blew out a breath and hung her head. Owen pulled her closer and placed her head on his shoulder.
"He said our Azazel is still in the box with her lover," Mavi began. "The new demon apparently made a surprise visit to the underworld last night."
"What?" Owen moved back to look at Mavi. "Why?"
"She was looking for something,"
"He didn't stop her? Didn't capture her?"
"And do what with her?" Mavi gave a half shrug. "We can't put two of them into the same box.....that's like adding fire to the fuel."
"So we're supposed to just let her roam around?" Owen huffed.
"We're trying to figure that out....." Mavi turned her head away and looked out the window.
"What is it?" Owen turned her face back to his.
Mavi took a deep breath and ran a careless hand through her hair.
"There....there is something the vikings suggested." Mavi mumbled.
"What?"
"It's a spell," Mavi frowned. "To block off our timeline from all the other timelines."
"Will it work?" Owen rose from the table.
"Yes," Mavi moved away and sank into a chair.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
"Babe," Mavi looked up at him through her lashes. "It will seal off our timeline permanently."
"Yeah," Owen nodded.
"Exton and Gemma!" Mavi said frustrated. "I don't know if you remember but my brother isn't from this timeline."
Owen's face fell. He felt terrible for not considering Exton and Gemma's position. His mind was only on keeping Mavi safe.
"If Gemma does the spell," Mavi's voice shook. "All the travelers will be pushed out.....including Exton. Gemma won't be able to go with him in her condition. She could lose the babies......Owen, I won't do that to my family."
"No, never," Owen shook his head as he pulled Mavi back to her feet and into his arms. "We will find another way. Don't worry."
Mavi took long deep breaths of his scent and closed her eyes. She counted to ten in her head as she let him hold her and kiss her cheeks. This is what she had wanted all along. She could deal with any war that came their way if Owen was next to her to keep her feet grounded.
"Dad wanted to see you," Mavi said, picking up her head slowly. She placed her chin on Owen's chest and battled her lashes.
"Now?"
"Yes," Mavi nodded.
"About what?"
Mavi smiled mischievously, "He saw my mark during the meeting."
"Oh boy," Owen blew out a breath. "Here we go again."
Mavi laughed as she unwrapped herself from around him and headed for the door, "Let's go."
"Give me a second," Owen walked around his desk. "I need to grab a file."
"I'll meet you in the halls," Mavi said over her shoulder as she walked out of the office. She heard Owen say something to her, but she didn't hear. The hall, which was packed with the king's guards earlier, was now deserted. Mavi walked towards the stairs, looking over her shoulder to see Owen still in his office.
But as she turned her eyes back around, she came to a skittering halt.
There, in front of her, in the empty halls was a little toddler walking around aimlessly. Mavi blinked in surprise wondering if maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. The baby did not disappear. He waddled around in his little tiny shoes barely able to accurately put one feet in front of the other without tripping over himself.
"Okay, let's go," Owen's voice startled Mavi as he walked up behind her, his eyes on the paperwork in his hands.
"Shhhhhh," Mavi stopped him.
"What?" Owen looked up in concern.
"Look," Mavi pointed to the toddler.
Owen too did a double take of the baby walking around. He then looked around to see who the child belonged to.
"Who brought their kid down here?" He wondered aloud. "This place is filthy, there are sharp objects everywhere."
Mavi took a step forward and Owen stopped her immediately.
"It's a baby," Mavi rolled her eyes.
"Stranger things have happened," Owen looked around.
Just then, the little boy, dressed in denim overalls and a blue shirt turned around and spotted Mavi and Owen. His face broke out into a smile as he waddled towards them with his finger in his drooling mouth.
"Mama!" The little boy jumped in excitement as he stared at Mavi.
Mavi stilled. Her stomach dropped to her feet as she heard the little voice. Her heart began to rise up in her throat as Owen pulled her back and shielded her behind him.
"Mama," The baby said again, taking small unsteady steps towards Mavi.
Owen narrowed his eyes and backed Mavi against the wall. Every time the child took a step forward, they took a step backward. Over his shoulders, Mavi's eyes watched the child.
He stared up at Owen and Mavi, growing cranky every time they took a step backward. He chewed on his index finger as he reached out towards Owen with his free hand.
Mavi's heart almost stopped when she noticed his big brown eyes as he stared at Owen and frowned.
"You're being ridiculous," Mavi side stepped Owen and ran towards the little boy.
"Mavi!" Owen jumped forward but she already had the baby in her arms.
Owen kept his senses on alert as he moved closer to Mavi. He scanned the empty hall as Mavi gawked at the child in her arms.
After two complete sweeps of the room, Owen found himself smiling as his eyes landed on Mavi. She was gently pulling out the boy's hand from his mouth, making him giggle. His bright eyes were glued on Mavi's face as she smiled down at him.
When Owen neared her, the baby's eyes bounced to him. He leaned forward in Mavi's arms and held both of his little stubby arms out towards Owen. Mavi moved closer so that the baby could touch Owen.
"Where did he come from?" Owen asked as he watched the baby pull at his jacket.
Mavi looked up at him with nervous eyes. A strange look swam in the murky gray of her eyes and it made Owen's heart do weird things.
"Owen....." Mavi's head began to spin as she pulled the baby closer and inhaled his scent. "I think.....I think he's ours."
Owen's brown eyes shot up to Mavi like a rocket, "Mavi....I don't thi-"
"Listen to me," Mavi took a step back, taking the baby with her. Owen's eyes grew wide with concern as she held the little being against her chest protectively.
"Mavi," Owen reached out for her. His mind began to swim with worry as he watched his mate.
He knew she was hurt about losing their baby......and now this baby just got dropped onto her lap......was she projecting her feelings to some stranger's child?
"Princess," Owen tried again. "This is not our baby.....he probably belongs to a palace worker. Most likely, he wandered off. I'm sure his parents are lo-"
"No!" Mavi shrieked. "This is our baby!"
"That's impossible!" Owen said desperately. "Mavi, come here. We need to take him back to his parents."
"Call to your wolf," Mavi said, taking a step away from Owen.
"You're being ridiculous, I am not call to my wo-"
"Call to your wolf, Owen," Mavi demanded. "He will know by the baby's scent."
"Mavi!" Owen said sternly. "Stop this right now. That is not our child."
"Call to your wolf," Mavi demanded again. "Make him smell our baby."
"Oh for god's sake, that is not our ch-"
"Owen!" Mavi began to cry. "Please!"
"Okay, okay!" Owen held up his hands in the air. He needed to put an end to his and show Mavi she was being ridiculous.
Mavi held the child close to her heart as she shielded him with half her body, hiding him from Owen until he agreed to call to his wolf. As she watched him, she saw his eyes darken and his hair rise on his body. With a careful step, Mavi brought the baby closer to Owen and let him take a long breath of his scent.
The shift in Owen was almost immediate. His eyes changed back and his body relaxed. He stared at the baby as Mavi began to tear up.
"How..." Owen could hardly get the words out. "How is this possible?"
"It's our baby!" Mavi ran into Owen's arms with the child. Her eyes swam with tears as she began to kiss the baby all over.
Owen was still stunned. He feared it was all a dream. But there was no mistaking the way his wolf had identified the scent of the baby and howled in his mind.
This was his son.
His son.
His and Mavi's son.
Shocked and stunned, Owen pulled Mavi closer and took the baby into his arms. Mavi watched them as she sobbed in happiness, not caring about anything in the world.
Just then, across the hall from the new family, a figure appeared out of thin air.
Mavi and Owen both threw their arms around the child protective as Azazel materialized. Her lips pulled into a sly smile as her eyes landed on the child.
"I thought he might make you happy," she said as her gold eyes moved to Mavi.
Owen drew his dagger from his belt and took a step forward.
"Think of him as a gift, my dear," Azazel said smiling as she disappeared into thin air again, leaving the princess and beta in shock as the baby boy in Mavi's arms began to cry.
I was in a strange weird mood today, maybe I should have waited to write this chapter :/
I hope you like it :(