Alpha Nocurne's Contracted Mate

Alpha Nocturne’s Contracted Mate by A E Randell

Chapter 98 Return to the Palace

As soon as the Royal Court of Elders had released them into the hands of their specially trained guards, they were escorted back to the palace in an unmarked car with blacked-out windows and no trace of the usual pomp and ceremony that followed them everywhere.

They sat in silence as they headed towards the palace, the guards watching them like hawks with impassive expressions on their faces.

The trial had been a disaster for all of them, especially Leopold.

This latest installment in the saga of events that revolved around Ada’s obsession with trying to destroy Ann had exposed the long-standing defects and flaws that Narcissa had spent so long cultivating in Leopold’s character.

The time and energy it had taken to chip away at his sense of righteousness, the seduction and whispered persuasion that it had taken to twist his mind with her poisonous words, and the sacrifices of flesh that she had been f0rced to make over the years to bind his heart to hers, ensnaring his wolf in a bottomless void so that she could take control of his every move…

She had been so damn close…

Narcissa raised her eyes carefully to sneak a look at her husband and her heart sank as the cold stare that met her was devoid of all emotion.

All of her hard work had been completely undone now that Ada’s lies had been revealed. The trust was gone and with that, the paranoia that her whispered words filled with poison and the darkness she had instilled in him would now turn him against her.

Magick was nothing if not volatile and required careful handling,

her eyes to look at Ada’s sullen countenance as soon as Leopold

up uncertainly and visibly paled as she met the cold calculating gaze of

her and Ada knew she was in big trouble, but there was nothing that

wouldn’t be able to move against the guards and their plans would have to be put on

that her mother’s love was entirely conditional on her usefulness, and

arms around her stomach subconsciously and patted her tiny bump soothingly as her eyes pricked with the hot feeling

this, for her unborn child’s sake. Ada’s stomach

what her mother said or felt, this baby was the most important thing in her life and

a stop abruptly, shaking Ada out of her thoughts as the guards moved them fluidly out of the car and into the palace,

above even the king. If anyone dared to move against them in the line of their duties, then there would be swift, and brutal consequences

in through the ornate front doors

skeleton crew now thanks to sanctions imposed during the investigation. Not that Ada minded, it was fewer people to have to keep an eye on. She wouldn’t be accepting food or drink from anyone anytime soon anyway. She had seen how easily her mother employed her poisons and she refused to be on the receiving end

as he strode forward wordlessly and continued toward

bed?” Ada asked in

her mother, especially

turned his head slightly over his shoulder. He seemed to have aged tremendously in