Princess Araceli West flew down the hallway without glancing back over her shoulder. If she looked back she would slow down and if she slowed down there was no way that her brother wouldn't catch her. Noe and Dante were identical twins who were a year and a half older than she was. They were faster and stronger, but she had a head start. She'd snuck into their room before they were awake and had stolen a book on werewolf history that they had told her she was too much of baby to read.

That was ridiculous. She was less than two years younger than they were. If she could just get to her secret hiding place, a hidden nook under the stairs, she could stash it there and then, no matter how they tried to get the location out of her she was determined not to crack. But she could hear them behind her now, racing down the hallways of the palace somewhere behind her.

Stashing the book in the small hidden cabinet she closed the door silently and rushed up the stairs, trying to lose them. She hadn't planned on them waking up while she was making her getaway, but they must have taken a wrong turn in one of the palace's long corridors, or they would have already caught her.

So much for those tracking lessons they'd been spending hours at, she smirked as she made it to the top of the staircase and sprinted in the direction of safety. She knew exactly where she was heading now.

It was ridiculously unfair. Her brother's got to take all the best classes this year. They had tracking. And while her history classes were still entirely about humans, or at least they mostly were, her brothers were learning about werewolf wars and were taking tracking and weren't just taking self defense classes with her and Aurelio anymore. They actually trained two days a week with the warriors in addition to their own private training classes with the weapons master, tracking classes, and a number of classes that sounded far more interesting than anything that Aracelli, who was called Aria by those inside the palace was allowed to learn. And she was determined to have a word privately, with her mother, about the unfairness of the entire situation.

Glaring at the two guards who stood on either side of her parents' bedroom door, she didn't say a word, instead she darted between them, pushing down on the handle silently, flinging herself through the small opening while each guard looked uncertain of whether or not they should interfere. They were, she supposed, meant to announce guests. But she wasn't a guest. This was her parents' bedroom. She didn't need an invitation. And it was six o'clock in the morning. They should already be up.

Sprinting across the room as if Dante and Noe were still on her heels she jumped into the enormous bed next to her mother, giggling as the dark haired beauty, who many people said she looked exactly like, yawned and opened her eyes.

"Aria, what time is it, Princess? And what has brought you in her so early and so out of breath? You look like you're up to no good." Dani smiled at her only daughter as she held the covers up so that Aria could easily slide in beside her.

"The boys will probably tell you that I'm up to no good mother, but don't believe them. Anything they tell you is a lie. Did you hear that father?" She raised her voice so that she was practically shouting now. "Anything Dante and Noe say is obviously a lie. I haven't done anything wrong this morning. You can't believe them. They're lying liars who just want to get me in trouble."

"Also I think I need to point out to both of you that having them learn tracking is a waste of our time and resources. They couldn't even track me from their room this morning to your room. Isn't that pathetic? Honestly, I don't think they could track their way out of a paper bag if you put them in it and asked them to find their way out."

Dani turned her head to look at her husband, trying to suppress the laughter that threatened to escape. As the only girl in a palace with three Princes, Aria did more than just keep up with her brothers. And just like the two older boys she gave her parents a run for their money.

"Mmm." Dani murmured, turning onto her side to face the small, dark haired girl, with dark eyes that mirrored her mother's. "So you didn't do anything that made the twins have a reason to track you out of their room this morning, Princess?"

A look of guilt flashed across Aria's face for a moment as she wrinkled her nose before changing the subject. "Do you know how unfair it is, mother, that I am not allowed to take the same history classes as Dante and Noe. My history book is for babies. The pictures in it are for babies. It might as well be written for Aurelio for all I learn from it. And is it really important that I learn human history when someday I'll be leading the werewolf world?"

"Human history is every bit as important as werewolf history, young lady. Both of your brother's had to learn everything that you're learning last year. And next year you'll be learning what they're learning now."

"But I have to learn ballroom dancing."

"And they've taken years of ballroom dancing as well. And they'll have more lessons in the future. That's just been put to the side at the moment while we focus on some of their other skills."

A cell phone rang on the table on Luca's side of the bed and he immediately sat up and answered it, swinging his legs out of the bed the moment he heard the voice. He paced across the room to the large window that looked out on the Bavarian Alps as Aria began to complain loudly to her mother about when their next visit to their home in Alaska would be. He gave Dani a look and she hushed the girl, giving her husband a worried look. She had a feeling she knew what the call was about.

"Any news, Vos?" The King kept his voice low, but Dani could still make out his words clearly as her daughter snuggled close to her, pulling the covers up to her chin. Dani hoped that now wouldn't be the time that the boys would burst into the room, finally tracking down where their sister was hiding. She wanted to hear exactly what her husband said and if she was lucky she'd be able to pick up bits of her brother's side of the conversation too.

"She's still missing." Dani heard the words and her eyes widened. If the "she" in question was who she thought it was, Luca had a lot of explaining to do. Her entire body tensed as she stared at the back of Luca's head but he seemed determined not to look at her. She could tell by his tense posture that he could feel her eyes on him though.

Luca swore and asked several questions, none of which Dani could hear the answers to.

"Hey Sweetie," Dani whispered in Aria's ear, "why don't you tell Stephen that I asked him to take you down to the kitchen and have Justine make you a stack of waffles with berries and whipped cream. He can make sure your brothers don't tackle you on the way down. I have to talk to Daddy, but I'll see you really soon, okay?"

"Perfect!" Aria shot out from under the covers, headed to the door without looking back, as Dani reached for her phone, a sigh escaping from between her lips.

Luca had stepped out onto the balcony and closed the door so she couldn't hear anything he was saying now. With a sigh she scrolled through her text messages. There were two from her mother, and one from her mother-in-law asking about her next trip back home. Fern, now the Luna in Dawson City, way up in the Yukon had texted her three times in the last week. And her sister in law Stella, who was a Luna in New York had texted her thirty-two times, because she had a ton of questions about her baby daughter Agatha Marie. But ever since the text that she had received three days ago from Emery, which she had replied to, telling one of her three best friends and her sister-in-law to keep her updated on the Council situation somewhere in the northern Midwest, it had been radio silence.

Clicking the call button she listened as the phone rang and rang, not caring that it was the middle of the night in Michigan, which was where Dani was fairly sure that Emery would be if she was still working on that case away from home. After calling a second time, and more ringing and ringing Emery's voice came on telling her to leave a message and Dani couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach as she hit the red button.

When Luca walked back through the door she half knew what he was going to say before he said it.

"I'm going to be going out of town for a few days. Maybe a week or two. I need you to stay here to stay out of-"

"I'm coming with you." She was already standing up and heading for her closet, leaving her phone on the nightstand beside her bed.

"This is dangerous, Dani. There's at least one Alpha who's out of control. I can't have you distracting me and I won't have you putting yourself in harm's way. You're the queen."

Dani turned towards him, her eyes flashing in the early morning light.

"Do you remember who killed Harding, Luca? Because I do. I can handle myself. Queen or not you know I'm still out there training with the warriors every single day. And she's my best friend too. I have just as much right to go after her as you do. Maybe more."

"But the kids-"

"Will be safe. You can call your mom, and my mom even, to fly over here and watch them while we're gone. They'll love that. They've been complaining about waiting three months until our next trip back to Alaska to see them. Send a jet. But I'm coming." She'd already pulled on a tight pair of jeans and a knee high pair of black boots as he stared at her.

"Just as stubborn as the day that I met you, I see."

"Just as loyal, Alpha." He smiled as his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her against his chest as he pressed a kiss to the mark he'd put on her neck almost a decade ago.

"Fine. Pack a bag. We're leaving in the jet in an hour. Call our moms and be ready." 

A/N- I hope you are enjoying this story! If you are I'd love it if you'd comment and click that little star button to vote for it.

This is Chapter Thirty-Five and I will continue posting weekly updates here until the entire novel is finished. You can now read the entire novel, all sixty chapters, on Patreon! And for those of you who want more stories, long and short, right this second and who want to read Patreon exclusive short stories, you may also want to check out the link below:

www.patreon.com/OpheliaShaw

All the links can be found (clickable) in my profile!