The Prince's Gift

Chapter 70.

Zane's POV

I can't believe I'd been so stupid. I let my walls down just enough, for only a brief moment. Ana had a way of making someone forget their barriers without even knowing it, no matter how strong you thought you were. It was as if her very presence called to you to open up, even if she wasn't looking for it. And with our blood bond connecting us to one another, it had become nearly impossible to hide anything. I lost myself for just long enough to let her see what I'd been planning from the moment we knew where Lilith was. She'd only seen a portion of it, but it was enough. She knew.

I had read in one of our ancient texts where some priestesses had been able to perform a ritual that would reverse a fully completed mate bond. Based on what I knew of Delphine's history and practices, I suspected she could do such a ritual, but I hadn't confirmed it yet. My plan was to have her reverse the bond the second Lilith was able to be separated from our child.

While I knew she'd always be my child's mother, that didn't mean I had to honor a bond that was forced upon both of us for the sake of a now shattered treaty. With Lilith being considered a traitor, I had grounds legally to separate myself from her as the rightful monarch of my kingdom. Her sentencing would likely require it anyway, one way or another. This process was painful, and even fatal for some.

That fact was what slipped through and caught Ana's attention.

The alternative would be if her sentence was death, although I suspected she'd never be sentenced to such since she wasn't truly the sole responsible party. While she was a pawn in Maddox's game, she wasn't the true villain our council would want to destroy. She'd simply be removed from her title and imprisoned for her part in it all, however the bond would likely still technically stay in tact to save us from any potential unnecessary risk to the monarchy and my life.

I shook thoughts of what was to come once we returned from my mind as our group made our way slowly through the woods, moving deeper into the darkness and allowing it to cover us as best it could. It took hours, nearly all night, but we finally made it to the stone cabin with the help of Ehren's direction and Ana's confirmations of their location.

We slowly surrounded the outlying area and began to close in before separating off into our assigned groups. Myself, Ehren, and Fallon lead a handful to intercept the first guards' replacements, while Thaddeus and the remaining men were setting up to wait for the change to occur off the path returning to the soldiers' camp.

"Ana, the men and I are in place." I said, pushing my thoughts out to her.

I could feel her presence, like a gentle hum connected to the very deepest part of my consciousness. It felt as if an invisible string had been awakened from within me and was being held onto with the most gentle of touches. Had I not known to expect it, I might have even missed it.

"The men will hear you. Be alert and get to them first." She responded.

Hearing her voice was enough to settle any nerves that were slowly working their way to the surface, her presence draping around all of us as she watched over us. We could all feel her here with us. Of that there was no doubt.

I gave a quick nod to Ehren and Fallon, each of them shifting further away to be able to cast a wider net over the incoming soldiers. Just as Ana had seen, one of the men behind Fallon snapped a small twig, and the soldiers immediately reacted, but not quick enough. Knowing this would happen, my section was already nearly upon them before they could call out.

We rushed them, knocking them unconscious before quickly pulling them off of the path. Wasting no time, we quickly stripped their clothes and replaced our own, putting every detail into place before continuing down the path towards the cabin.