Andre had thought he knew pain, had thought realizing the betrayal of a mate was painful. But he'd been wrong. Pain was being a breath away from saving the love of his life. It was watching as darkness swallowed up his love. Howling his helpless rage to an empty universe that was indifferent to him. It was tearing at the essence of that darkness and having it laugh at his attempts.

The world had closed in on him, dying and yet becoming more focused. Now that focus was trailed on finding her, on having her back in his arms. He was going to kill anyone who stood in his way. Starting with her sister.

He'd been shadowing his mate and her cousin, keeping his distance with the rest of her family while Dani acted as her spotter. A were was a bit dangerous on their first shift, to themselves as much as others. A close relative of the same sex had to run with them in human form to ensure nothing happened to them, and to help them shift back later.

He should've insisted on being closer, should've considered she might be in danger. He couldn't understand why Claire would think getting rid of Cari would have him choosing to be with her. Was she delusional?

"How can you treat me like this? I'm your true mate!"

Andre looked at the girl he should've ended up with and thanked all the powers that be that he was free of her. If he had his way, he'd never have been in the same room with her. From the first time he'd felt her with her chosen mate he'd wanted to wrap his hands around her treacherous neck and watch the life drain out of her eyes.

Had it not been for the fact that Cari still loved her he might have given in to that desire long back. Because of his restraint, she'd taken his mate from him and now all bets were off.

"Are you really that idiotic?" He asked with scorn. Large blue eyes blinked up at him with confused hurt, an artistic appeal that did nothing for him. It revolted him that she'd even try. "You mean nothing to me. The only thing I want from you is answers. What did you do with my mate?"

"I had nothing to do with her getting kidnapped!" She insisted.

"You are selfish, self centered, without any moral compass. You're also greedy which makes it so easy to believe you'd want to get rid of Cari. Do you really think I'll have anything to do with you without her?"

That seemed to get through her thick head so that she looked at him with fear. "I... I didn't have anything to do with her disappearance." Her eyes turned to her brother. "Vin, you have to believe me."

Vin looked back at her with a bland unemotional face. "I never thought you'd take Cari's mate and watch her suffer for years. Not only that, you took every chance to rub your relationship in her face."

Tears ran down her cheeks at that. "You always favored Cari over me." She cried out and this time Andre could sense her pain.

"Family isn't a competition Claire, you just never got the memo. Cari loves you, even with all you've done to her she still does. But all you do is betray her."

"But I didn't do anything." She emphasized.

As much as he didn't want to believe her, there was truth in her voice he couldn't deny. "Reapers were able to come onto this land." Andre grit out. "They had to be allowed onto it. Who else but you would want to do that?"

Her eyes widened, turning from one grim face to another as if searching for some support. She even tried hus friends Gabe and Richard but they looked at her with stony features, she trembled. As if it finally dawned on her that she couldn't sway them. Once again Andre wondered why she'd think she could.

"If you want to know how reapers got onto this land you'll have to ask Annie."

"Is there anyone you wouldn't throw under the bus cuz?" Lan asked with a bit of disgust in his tone.

Andre frowned, that name sounded familiar. He remembered his mate talking about an Annie, someone she remembered with pain. There were only a few people his mate had ever cared about enough to allow to hurt her. since Annie wasn't part of her family that left...the gamma blood.

The female who'd been her friend until the moment Xander had chosen Claire over her. Just one more person who should've stood by his mate and yet had chosen to betray her.

Her chin firmed as she held it up with dignity and looked down her nose at her cousin. "Reapers are messengers of death, I'd never deal with them."

Lan met his gaze with a frustrated sigh. "This is getting us nowhere."

"It'd save us so much trouble if she's never seen again." Andre stared with his cold gaze meeting her tearful one.

"It wouldn't look good if the prince killed a pregnant luna now would it." Andre's gaze became flinty. So much for the distraught act she'd been putting on. "We all know that magic is cyclical, which means even though we retain ours because of your blood your blood has that magic because of our faith in you."

Five angry makes glared at her, hands balled. Vin and Lan looked at her like she'd grown a second head, like they didn't know her. Andre though was reminded of the conversation he'd had with his grandmother before hunting this female down. And what had happened after.

I shouldn't have listened to you." He'd accused as he paced past the queen. "Cari would be safe right now if I'd just followed my instincts instead of your plan."

"Andreas..."

"No! We would've still been in the mating cottage if I'd ripped the throat out of that imbecile the fates thought was perfect for me."

"Had you killed a pregnant second luna we wouldn't have the support of our people right now. You know very well our power isn't autonomous. It exists as long as we have the trust of our people. Claire is only guilty of adhering to her Alpha's command. The fact that she might have wanted to be with Xander is besides the point. If you kill her for choosing another then you become a tyrant in the eyes of our people, of the other races."

"Power isn't everything." He countered.

"Would you have our world crumble?"

"To save my mate? Yes." He'd turned and stormed out of the suite.

"Andreas!" His grandmother called to him but he kept on going.

Why was the queen acting so out of character? Andre was sure there was something his grandmother wasn't telling him. She was beloved by their people. To the point where she could commit murder and they'd still love her. So why was she letting Claire have her way? Why was she holding him and Cari back?

Did she have something against his mate?

She wouldn't even tell him where she had Claire. Three hours after his mate was taken and his own grandmother wouldn't allow him to question the only obvious suspect. It didn't make sense. Lucky he had a sure proof way of finding out things. If his grandmother was going to keep him in the dark on this, then he was justified in spying on her.

With a low growl he turned back, drawing his power around him like a cloak. It was something he'd learned when he was a child and never talked about. Sometimes it was necessary to be invisible and this ability allowed him to be. It was as if his existence became null, as if what he did failed to register until he was gone.

Since their kind had such good hearing all doors and walls were soundproofed so he couldn't hear anything. The moment he opened the door, he froze. His grandmother wasn't alone. Cari's grandmother was with her, the last person he'd have expected. And had she been there all along? There weren't any other doors into his grandparents' suite. Which meant she had to have been in another of the rooms.

"How do you stand watching them hurting and not do anything?" His grandmother asked the other.

"I remind myself that interfering would cause more pain."

"Does it make it bearable?" She questioned as she took a sip of her tea.

The Beta sighed then took a sip of her own tea. "No, but necessity is a hard mistress."

"You'd know more about that wouldn't you old friend."

Old friend? Andre frowned at that. How did they know each other? They looked so comfortable, like they periodically sat together at tea. Why would they pretend otherwise? He'd never seen the Beta before coming here.

"It does take a toll, but it'll save my granddaughters. All of them."

The queen placed her teacup onto its saucer with great care. "Even Claire?"

"Yes."

"She did willfully hurt her own sister. That cannot go unpunished."

"It's better than having her ending up dead. Which is what would've been her fate."

His grandmother's face became sympathetic. "So you stood by and watched Cari's pain for ten years."

Pain washed over the smooth beautiful face of the Beta and she closed her eyes as if to still it. "It broke me in ways it's hard to imagine."

"And yet you believe this is the best way?"

"Or the world will fall. The other two weren't ready to meet their fate."

What in the world? Why would Claire have died if this mess hadn't happened? Not that he'd have preferred her to Cari but it didn't make sense. What were these two up to? Who were the other two? He shifted closer which seemed to draw the gaze of Cari's grandmother.

"Is someone else here?" She asked.

His grandmother sat up straighter. "No. My guards would not have let anyone past without my knowledge and Andreas left."

He took a step back as the two ladies reached out with their senses, both borrowing from the air to see and hear better than their natural inclination. Even though no one had ever pierced his shielding, there was always a first time.

He had no idea what Cari's grandmother was capable of but he was well aware of his grandmother's power. There had to be another way to find where that blonde haired witch was. He might not have found out from the queen but they'd given him a lot to think about. Like why Cari's grandmother wasn't worried about her granddaughters. She seems to have an agenda different from finding them.

Which meant she knew where they were but for some reason she didn't want him to know, begging the question why. He closed the door behind him then let go of his null shield so the guards could see him leave.

The others though, had found where Claire was hiding and they now had her in one of the cells in the dungeons. Andre had no qualms about that and he could keep her tgere indefinitely without anyone finding out.

"Did you know your fate was to die?" He asked ignoring her statement.

That seemed to get through her smugness. "What?"

"Your grandmother said that the only reason she didn't do anything was to save your life. I can't imagine why she'd sacrifice Cari's happiness for you since you're hardly worth it. In fact, you're not worth my time. I'll send someone to get as much out of you as they can." He promised before turning his back to her and walking out. He loved the look of terror on her face.

***

"Right on time." The female Beta complimented as he entered her office.

He froze, his hand still on the handle. "You were expecting me?" He questioned.

"What kind of a gifted knower would I be if things like this escaped me?"

He closed the door and walked closer to her. She sat behind a dark oaken desk with all her authority about her. Though she managed to convey his greater position without even standing up. "Then you know what I need to know from you."

She smiled. "Please take a seat your highness." Andre took the indicated seat. "You surprised me young prince. No one has ever managed to do something outside of my knowledge. Yet you managed to spy on me."

He wasn't going to deny it. "And heard that you chose to sacrifice ten years of Cari's life for the sake of her sister." He accused.

"Yes."

His jaw hardened, ached as his wolf rose in anger. Andre was sure his eyes glowed as they changed to those of his wolf. Unlike most others, he and his wolf had the same amber eyes. "How could you?" He ground out in an effort to hold his wolf back.

She remained relaxed, her disturbing gaze that seemed to see right to his core trained on him. "You're a prince," she rebuked. "You should know better than to jump into conclusion. You should also think about people's motivations before confronting them."

The hairs on his body stood up. He felt fur ripple under his skin as his wolf tried to take over. The air crackled as his power tried to escape his control and lash out. Andre had little control of his power, it was more than he should've had and no one could help him with it. All he knew was to suppress it.

"Tell me prince, how long does a twin outlive the other?"

It was like a bucket of water was drenched over him. He blanched. Why hadn't he thought of that? "No more than four years." He replied in a pained voice.

"Yes. If Claire had died so would Cari. As you know, twins are born from what should've been a single soul. Even in humans they don't long outlive each other."

"Why didn't you sent her to the castle?"

She sighed. "There is more at stake than a prince finding his mate." Andre didn't like that. Mating was supposed to be easy. "I also needed your bond to be stronger than it normally should."

He raised a brow at that. "Really?"

"Yes. Cari survived where most females would've died. Your anger should've unleashed your power and destroyed you. Aside from your anger with the situation both of you held on to the thought of a second chance. To the point where your bond is strong enough to withstand anything."

"And you took a chance on both our lives."

She smiled, something that seemed too ancient. "Do you know what my gift does Andreas."

He frowned at her. "It gives you the ability to know people's lives."

"It shows me all the possible paths a person can take from the point they are at. I saw my granddaughter die in so many ways. I saw you die, the future that results isn't one that can be allowed."

He was the future of their race, yes, but his parents were young enough to have another child. It didn't make sense that their deaths would affect the future that much. "What is so important about us that we'd have such an impact on the future?"

"Our packs are linked mentally."

He settled back into his chair in an effort to hide his impatience. He had to find his mate and her grandmother wasn't helping with that. He was sure she knew where Cari was. "Of course." He agreed.

"And those packs, through their Alphas are linked to the royal line."

"Your point is?"

"That our race has something in common with a hive mind. The Alphas get their strength from the pack and they in turn give that power to the royals. As a royal you can harness the power of our entire race and give it back in turn. In the history of our kind, no royal has ever been as powerful as you are.

Once your mating with Cari is complete, you will have twice as much power. You can imagine how that will change our race."

He frowned, his heart beating hard in his chest. "Who has Cari?"

"Can you imagine the other races sitting back and allowing you to be that powerful?"

"Who has Cari?" He asked again.

"The prince of dragons." She stated calmly.

Andre swore, his blood boiling as a wave of helplessness gripped him. Dragons! They were the most powerful of the paranormal races, near impossible to kill. Going against them was suicidal. Though they could no longer shift into thirty plus long brutes they still had their strength.

When they shifted, their skin became scaled and they sprouted wings and had a vestigial tail. No weapon could pierce their scales and their claws could cut through anything. Worse, they had strong magic, ancient magic.

He stood up and started pacing. "What does he want with her?" He demanded.

"What do dragons want above all else, above even treasure?"

"Power. Enough to restore what they lost."

"You mean what the other races took from them."

"Yes." He agreed.

"Dragons are solitary creatures," she explained. "That's the one advantage we have over them as a race but that only works if they don't answer the call of their king. If the prince manages to bond with Cari, he will be twice as strong as he is and he might gain the same mental bond you have over his race."

Andre froze in his tracks. "I sent your grandsons to ask you where Cari was and yet you said nothing." He ground out. "I could've been on my way to get my mate back."

"How? You're powerful Andre, in ways no one yet knows but does that mean you're a match for a dragon? He'll have more dragons with him so how will you get her back from them. Will you live through the fight?"

He stopped in his tracks, his eyes narrowing onto her face. "You knew they'd be taken." He stated.

"That goes without saying."

Flames erupted his hands as his rage called up his connection with fire against his will. The Beta looked at the balled fists before lifting her eyes to meet his furious gaze. "Why?"

"Its imperative that the dragon prince gets what he needs."

"Excuse me?"

"For our race to survive for any of the races to survive, the dragon prince needs to get what he needs."

"Over my dead body." He growled.

"We can't have that prince Andreas."

The room was now saturated with power, it crackled the air. Needing only a spark to ignite it. How could she sit there and suggest that he let the dragon get his mate? "You love manipulating lives don't you?" He accused.

Deep sadness wrote itself onto her face, pain he hoped he'd never understand. "No. My gift is more a curse than anything. But it's a curse I have to bear."

"Hasn't Cari suffered enough?" He asked in a quiet voice, her pain getting to him more than he wanted.

"She won't suffer, I promise you." He shook his head at that then turned to leave. "Have your grandfather give you the sword." She called put after him. "You're going to need it."