Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ahearn
Three days.
That was how long I spent flying from place to place, becoming more surly with each person who had shaken their heads and told me they had no knowledge of my Omega’s whereabouts. By the time I’d run out of places to search and returned home, I was not just angry. I was frightened. The memory of the Dragon Prince stating that Bari had been prepared to take his own life crept in around the edges of my mind at inopportune times, distracting me and causing an anxious fluttering in my gut.
There’d been no report of a dragon committing suicide in the days since Bari had been missing. Petroh had checked religiously, updating me as each search came up fruitless. Of course, all that really meant was that nobodyhad been found and with Bari no longer pregnant, there would have been no reason for him to leave word of his plans this time, to anchor his body for easy retrieval. The very thought was sickening.
The pile of unopened mail that greeted me on my return offered both a flare of anger and a glimmer of hope when I found a legal motion sent by Bari’s attorney.
Before the Council comes Haldrian Christoff, Council for the Omega Bari Mikel Herschel alsoknown as Bari Herschel Walsh. Omega Walsh informs the Council that his pregnancy reached a successful conclusion and requests that the stay placed on the divorce proceedings initiated by his estranged Alpha be vacated and a dissolution hearing scheduled post haste.
Anger and relief warred within me. If Bari was pushing the divorce forward, he was alive, but the same fact meant that he was ready to be free of me, that I had failed him, failedusafter all.
Scowling to myself, I took note of the date on the form. I had seven days to file a response or the Council would automatically honor his request. I considered calling the court and demanding that they tell me what address his motion had carried but decided against it. Instead, I headed for my bathroom to shower off the grime that had accumulated during my search while I weighed the options before me.
As the moon rose in the sky, I was still sitting in the same spot where I’d sat the night that Bari went into labor. Staring at the empty chair where Bari had snuggled in his warm clothes, a cup of tea in his hand as I’d tried to coax him into telling me about our past. If there was only one thing that I was sure of, it was that no matter the mistakes I’d made after waking up in the hospital, I was no longer willing to walk away from my Omega.
Which meant I was going to have to find a way to win him back, and that was going to require some research into the laws of our homeland.
~*~
The sun hadn’t yet begun to peek over the horizon when my phone rang, jerking me out of the fitful sleep I’d fallen into a few short hours before.
“Hello?” I tried to stifle my yawn but failed.
“Alpha Walsh?” The tinny voice coming through the speaker was unfamiliar and it sent a shiver through my body. Maybe my plea for help had fallen on the right ears.
“Yes, this is him,” I said, pleased that I’d been able to smooth my voice out.
“I am calling on behalf of His Highness, Prince Harrold of Teren de Dragoni.”
“Wonderful,” I breathed out. “I assume he’s received my message, then?”
“He has,” the female voice confirmed. “He will attend to your concerns in person,” she continued.
I frowned. Why was he going to provide the legal information I needed by visiting? Before I could ask, the woman spoke again.
“He will arrive at your home this evening,” she droned on. “The guard will arrive to secure the property at five o’clock, local time if that meets your approval.”
Obviously, it was a command and not a request, but I was far too desperate to go off tilting at windmills over the wording.
“They will be well met,” I said sincerely. “Thank you for your call.”
The line disconnected without another word, leaving me sitting up in my bed in the still dark room, my heart thudding at such a rate that there was no hope of returning to sleep. With a groan, I threw my covers aside and rose, pulling on a pair of cotton pants I’d removed to sleep. As long as I was up, I might as well set about preparing the house for my guests.
~*~
Hours later, after the cleaners that I’d hired from the village had scrubbed the house until it shone and the meal I’d ordered in had been served to my royal guests and their entourage, the time had come to make my case. Leading the Prince and his consort, Spencer, -who to my surprise ended up being a wolf shifter- to the lounge where we could relax in front of the crackling fireplace, I drew in a deep breath and met Harry Blackwell’s eyes without flinching.
“Your Highness, I understand that my recent behavior was vile and I appreciate the opportunity that you allowed me to restore my name.” I drew in another breath. “Bari successfully delivered the babes he carried several days ago.”
Prince Harry raised a brow, his jaw still set and his voice harsh. “That does not explain why my assistant would have told me that this matter required my attention.”
Next to the Prince on the settee, Spencer reached for his hand. “Relax, Alpha,” Spencer’s words were barely audible to me, but the Prince nodded and took a controlled breath as Spencer turned to speak to me. “Bari is quite dear to us,” he said gently, “although I doubt he realizes it. What is the help that you told Harry’s staff you needed from him?”
I swallowed hard. “I wish to have the divorce dismissed.”
