Sky’s POV
“Do you think we are acting weird?” I asked Riff, who stood in my office with his arms crossed.
“Is that why you rushed me to your office?” he asked lazily.
“Are you still upset with me?” I asked back seriously from behind my desk.
He shook his head and then dropped his hands.
“I came running because of the tone of your voice. I thought something bad had happened to you. I was so worried about you, not upset,” he answered simply.
“Well, Harley has been looking at me and Glen coldly these past few days. We… I mean Glen and I decided to keep the news of her parents coming to our pack a secret, just in case they come looking for blood or end up not being her real parents,” I said seriously.
“Well, what do you expect me to say, Alpha? She is a sharp lady who can easily tell if something is going on. Perhaps you should come clean and tell her the truth. After all, you look uncomfortable not telling her, so it might do you good to come clean,” he advised.
I stood up and brushed my hand through my hair with a lowered gaze.
“I will first need to talk to Glen about this,” I answered, then frowned deeply and looked at Riff seriously when I felt it.
“What is it?” he asked seriously.
“Someone has crossed the pack’s border,” I answered, then quickly rushed out of the pack house with Riff right behind me.
We were both shocked and very alert when we saw an elderly woman walking toward us.
What was shocking about the whole situation was how fast she reached the pack house and how she was all alone. Despite having a different hair color from Harley and height, her eyes deeply resembled hers.
“I would advise you to stay right there and not move a muscle,” I said loudly as many of my warriors surrounded her, coming from all directions. It was obvious Riff had mind-linked them all and informed them of her invasion.
She was a dragon, as we could all tell, so she was powerful. What we didn’t know was whether she was here for peace or for war.
She stopped moving for a second, smirked, and took a step forward with a raised brow.
It was a clear challenge or a need to piss me off so I would react. For all we knew, she could have come with many of her kind, and they could be hiding outside our territory or, much worse, flying towards my territory because they had freaking wings!
When she took another step forward, I took a few steps forward of my own, claws extended.
“I won’t ask again, lady,” I growled as Shadow pulled through.
She glanced to each side as if counting how many warriors had surrounded her, then chuckled softly.
In a quick movement, she removed two daggers from under her belt and charged at me. I swiftly raised my hand to strike her but was surprised when she vanished in front of me, appearing behind me.
She was about to turn when I shifted in a split second, kicking her forward before she could face me.
She stumbled but balanced herself and stood upright.
“You are fast and strong; it’s amusing,” she said in what sounded like a compliment.
“And you can vanish from here to there for some damn weird reason,” I pointed out as I breathed heavily.
“Perhaps I am a ghost, Alpha Sky,” she answered while putting the daggers back in her belt.
“So you know me?” I asked seriously.
“Of course, I do,” she replied as she looked at my warriors, who all appeared ready to jump her.
“You all should stand down. I just wanted to see how quick-witted and strong he is. It was a peaceful test, you know. If I wanted him dead, I alone would have burned this place to the ground without any of you doing a damn thing,” she said firmly.
She was right; we had no idea what kind of dragon she was, and she was masking her pheromones and aura, so we couldn’t tell how much stronger she was.
But one thing was clear despite that: she was a dragon who could rain fire and terror alone into my territory if she wanted to, and stopping her would be nearly impossible, if not with the help of an ancient witch or warlock.
I raised my hand and nodded as all my warriors relaxed.
“So, where is she?” she asked with a smile when she turned to face me.
If it was Harley she was asking about, she was definitely in her bedroom with Glen and Sophie beside her.
I knew Riff had informed Sophie and asked her to be with our mate, together with Glen.
If we were to fall, at least Glen and Sophie would do their best to protect her; that’s what I had in mind before stepping out of the pack house, and Riff understood that without me telling him.
“Where is my niece?” she asked loudly this time.
“Niece?” I asked in a surprised tone.
“Yes, my niece, who is said to be in this pack,” she answered.
I stood there, dumbfounded. I had thought she was Harley’s mother, but I had my doubts, only their eyes looked the same.
“Corinne Demos at your service, but you may also refer to me as Her Highness. I am second in command of all dragon territories,” she said. I looked at Riff with widened eyes, then back at her.
“Her Highness?” I whispered, more as a question than a statement.
“Oh, you wouldn’t have had any idea, but telling you isn’t such a bad thing. If you truly have my niece as your mate, then you, Alpha, are mated to royalty of the first bloodline,” she said, leaving me speechless.
When she moved her hand toward her coat, I braced myself for an attack. But instead, she pulled out a golden crest with a dragon crafted in blue diamond which looked like an heirloom or a symbol of power.
“I have been sent by Her Majesty, the Queen, to confirm whether your mate is truly her long-lost daughter,” she continued. I raised a hand to my forehead, rubbing it in shock.
Everything was so hard to take in so impossible to believe.
If Harley was truly royalty, there was no way she would stay here. Corinne would drag her back to their territory.
The only way to stop that from happening was to lie to deny that she was her niece.
“Riff,” I called through the pack’s mind-link.
“I’m all ears, Alpha,” he responded.
I was about to ask him to tell Sophie to pretend to be my mate, while Harley remained hidden with Glen when I suddenly picked up her scent and then heard her voice.
“I won’t stay hidden while one of my mates is out there in danger!” she yelled, storming out of the pack house with Glen and Sophie trying to stop her.
“Oh my… is that her?” Corinne asked, stepping toward her.
Instantly, my knees weakened as I watched, helplessly.