The Hidden Luna Queen (Maeve and Xaden) novel Chapter 3

Xaden POV

“Take me home, please,” I sighed. “And don’t stop for anything.”

My driver nodded. “Yes, Prince Xaden, sir.”

It had been a long, long day… and I wanted nothing more than to go home and rest.

I’d met with yet another Alpha’s daughter tonight. Hypothetically speaking, the girl was perfect—dressed to the nines in nothing but the finest clothes, well-educated on both pack duties and the rules of high society, and all backed up by an impressive Alpha lineage nearly worthy of the crown.

By all accounts, she was an ideal candidate for the Luna of the Alpha Prince.

But… I felt nothing for her. Every word she spoke, every move she made seemed rehearsed.

I lowered my window. As we drove through the capital, past building after building, the cool evening air helped calm me down. It wasn’t long, however, before I found myself in an area of the city that I wasn’t particularly fond of.

The Diamond Cage. The capital’s famous brothel.

It was full of nothing but drunks, perverts, and bad news… a place I wanted to avoid at all costs. I prepared to roll up my window when, all of a sudden, I caught a whiff of something. The sweetest, most delicious scent I’d ever smelled enveloped me… like something out of a dream.

“Driver, stop,” I ordered. “Now.”

As instructed, the car came to an abrupt halt. The partition slowly rolled down, revealing my slightly concerned driver. “Is… everything alright, Your Highness?”

I paid him no mind.

No matter what, I had to find the source of that wonderful scent. Exiting the car, I followed the trail to a dark, dank alley that led behind the brothel. And as I peered down the alleyway, I found it: a terrified young woman, dressed modestly in plain clothes, surrounded by a group of belligerent drunks.

A prostitute? Impossible.

How could she smell so good?

I watched those lowlives reach their filthy hands toward her—and I just saw red. Before I knew it, I yelled at the top of my lungs with all the force my royal Alpha blood could muster: “LEAVE HER ALONE!”

Vaguely, I heard one of the men scoff. “Back off, hero, and go find your own whor—”

“Wait. I recognize that face…” another stammered.

“...Shit… y-you’re…”

I approached them and the girl they’d cornered, glaring murderously, feeling a twisted sense of pleasure at seeing them cower in my presence. “If you know what’s good for you,” I growled, “get lost.”

And with that, they fled the alley like the vermin they were. I turned my attention to the girl.

“Leave...I don't...want...” she whispered.

“What happened?” I prodded. “Were they… clients of yours?”

The second those words left my mouth, a wave of awkward tension and embarrassment washed over me. I wasn’t sure if that was an appropriate question to ask the poor girl, but the more information I had, the better I could help resolve the situation.

She shook her head lazily, in complete discordance with the fear that lingered in her face. “Not… here… I-I’m not from here…” she slurred, and I realized the problem was more severe than I could’ve guessed. “Th-That drink… it—it tasted wrong…”

My jaw clenched.

This girl had been drugged.

“Don’t… don’t like it h-here…” she mumbled. Tears began to well in her clouded eyes, and I was quick to wrap an arm around her quivering body, unsure if it was to comfort her or keep her securely upright. “I w-wanna… leave… please…”

I didn’t need to hear anymore.

I swept her up into my arms and carried her to my car. “Don’t worry,” I said reassuringly, placing her onto the leather car seat, ignoring the startled remarks made by my driver. “You’ll be alright. Where is your home?”

“It's far... away from here...” she whispered.

“Drive to the nearest hotel.”

My driver appeared momentarily stunned but composed himself. “Y-Yes, sir.”

To say that the drive to the hotel was the longest drive of my life was the understatement of the century.

Being stuck in such a confined space during a powerful, drug-induced heat seemed to worsen the girl’s condition. She squirmed uncontrollably, whimpering and panting and moaning the whole time, and her lustful scent only intensified. Something began to stir deep within me seeing her like that… smelling her like that…

Calm down, Xaden. You’re probably just worried about her.

I took a breath. I needed to focus.