The Hidden Luna Queen (Maeve and Xaden)

THIRD PERSON POV

Sitting in the rose garden of the royal palace, Princess Charlotte was currently trapped in the middle of her own game for survival. In high society, nothing mattered more than one's own reputation, which could only be developed by interacting with other esteemed members of said society.

The catch, as Luna Queen Leonora was particularly careful to explain to Maeve a few days ago, was that one always had to be wary of the company they kept.

That idea had been ingrained in Charlotte's mind for as long as she could remember.

Which was probably why she had trouble making friends.

As it turned out, however, all of her mother's teachings proved to be true. Being the only daughter of the Alpha King, she was a keen target for all bright and eager young women to latch onto, in the hopes of either gaining information or using her as a bridge to access her apparently very desirable brothers.

And so, she found herself in the middle of one of her tea sessions-as was customary for every young lady of high standing.

A true battle of wits and composure amongst the most ambitious ladies in the kingdom.

"And that was how my sister met her husband!" A girl, dressed in a fancy pink and cream dress, giggled out loud. "Let this be a lesson to us all, ladies: if we want to find our dream alphas, try to get lost during a nature hike!"

Her stirring story prompted a chorus of delicate giggles around the table, adorned with Charlotte's finest china and the most delicious finger sandwiches and cookies. The princess let out a small laugh, hiding behind her teacup and doing her utmost to blend in with the circle. However tame it all seemed, she knew better than to lower her guard around these pampered darlings of society.

They were vultures. Every last one of them.

"Speaking of alphas..." another girl drawled, swinging her hawklike gaze to the princess, "there is something I must ask Your Highness that has been burning on everyone's mind for a while."

And there it was. "Do share," Charlotte insisted, pretending to bubble with enthusiasm.

"The rumors that have been circulating the capital like wildfire! Surely, you've caught whispers of them at least once?"

Charlotte raised a delicate eyebrow. "Rumors? I daresay this is the first time I've heard of such a thing. Care to elaborate?" Excitement suddenly turned into anxiety. "Oh... perhaps I shouldn't say, then."

"Don't say that now that you've gotten me all curious, Paige," Charlotte scolded with a teasing smile. "It's hardly fair that everyone knows what's happening except for me. So, tell me what could possibly be going on that has gotten everyone so excited?"

The girl named Paige hesitated for a brief moment before lowering her cup. "Well..." she began to say, as a coy smile slowly began to spread across her powdered face. "It's about your older brother, actually." "They say Prince Xaden is enamored with a mystery girl!" the girl next to Paige blurted out in excitement.

Charlotte blinked, scanning the faces surrounding her. "Xaden-dating a woman?" she repeated, feigning shock.

The other girls surrounding the table all nodded their heads emphatically, leaning forward wide-eyed and eager for more information. They all thrived on such delicious gossip, especially if it involved any members of the royal family.

But, as it was made very clear, Xaden was quite special.

All of the young women in the kingdom hungered for the chance to catch his very worthy attention and become his Luna. If it proved to be true that such a prize was already claimed by some unknown girl- -well... it simply would not do!

Charlotte had known just how

popular her brother was among the

ladies, so she couldn't say she wast surprised by the inquiry.

Unbeknownst to the girls, the princess was not only well aware of said mystery girl, but she was also becoming quite close with her.

By all accounts, she was the best person they could have gone to for answers.

But Charlotte's loyalty was not something that could easily be broken. She loved her brother and respected Maeve's privacy too much for that.

"Honestly, my poor brother has had

to meet with so many women in his search for a Luna, I've lost track of all of them," she ultimately said, tilting he head in false

contemplation. Judging by the net

disappointment that weighed on the other girls' faces, most of them seemed to buy her little act, to her subtle relief. "What sort of things have people been saying about him and this alleged woman?"

The question released a flurry of answers containing both truths and flat-out nonsense.

"I hear they visited the Omniscient Orenda Gorre together!"

"Well, I happened to hear they were walking around Mona Road a while back."

"Huh, I've heard she's an actress hired for publicity."

And then...

"I've heard that this woman lives with him in his mansion."

Startled, Charlotte directed her attention to the girl who spoke up. Directly across from her, sat a young woman with chestnut brown hair tied back in a lovely ponytail,

vel.net

wearing a muted burgundy knee-length dress. This was a girl who

would attend her tea sèssions only on occasion, but her name was easy to remember.

It had a similar ring to another name she heard almost daily.

The girl straightened up in her seat, settling her eyes on the princess. "Could you tell us if that rumor is true, Your Highness?"