“I am so grateful to Queen Raina, King Anton, King Malik, King Raj, and King Vasili for inviting me to perform tonight. It is so special to be able to celebrate Princess Natalya’s sixteenth birthday with you all.” Destiny beamed at the royal family, her smile warm and inviting. It made Hunter want to be closer to her. “I was sixteen when I got my big break, and I remember all the joy and growing pains I experienced at that age. It can be hard, figuring out who you are while the world is watching you. Everyone has an opinion, and a lot of them aren’t very nice. I’m sure it’s even harder for a princess than a popstar. But it’s wonderful to see what supportive friends and family you have, Princess. It’s a rare and precious thing to have people who know and love the real you.”
Hunter realized he had unconsciously moved nearer to the stage, just barely remaining in the shadows. He’d been completely engrossed in Destiny’s speech, trying to catch the meaning behind every word. It couldn’t have been easy growing up under constant media scrutiny. He knew how hard it’d beenfor Xander. When they’d met at the academy, Hunter had seen how people used the young prince, trying to get close to him for clout or to get viral content for social media. Despite their obvious dislike for one another, his pack leader and the popstar had a lot in common.
Hunter scanned the room, confirming all was well. Everyone seemed captivated by Destiny, including the prince. Xander sat beside his parents, positioned purposely at the end of the first row, where he could exit discreetly whenever he’d had enough of the music he claimed to despise. But it didn’t look like he would be going anywhere anytime soon. He was leaning forward, watching Destiny with a strange expression on his face. Hunter didn’t know what that was about, but he did know his pack leader had done everything possible to make a terrible impression on their future omega. Hopefully, he was regretting that now and figuring out how to make it up to her.
“Anyway, I wrote a song for that sixteen-year-old girl and all the other girls trying to take up space despite the world trying to make us feel small. Your mother said it’s your favorite.” Destiny smiled at Princess Natalya, who squealed and bounced in her seat. “This one is for you, Princess. Never forget, you’re the master of your destiny.”
Destiny strummed a faster, heavier tune, her expression fierce and confident. Hunter remembered when “Master of My Destiny” released and you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing the girl power anthem. It became the soundtrack of every movie scene where a woman did something badass. Nat had driven the entire household nuts, playing it repeatedly every chance she got.
It sounded different on acoustic with only Destiny’s voice and the guitar, but no less powerful. The fire in her eyes made Hunter imagine her leading the country, ruling alongside her kings with conviction and grace. He couldn’t help but alsoimagine letting her take charge in the bedroom. He’d love to see her make Xander kneel and beg, just the way he liked. It was a kink they shared—Xander liked to be dominated and Hunter liked to direct and watch. Among other things.
Hunter took a deep breath, bringing his attention back to the room. This was no place for his dark fantasies. He’d return to them tonight, when he jacked it to thoughts of all the interesting positions the four of them could get into.
Hunter resisted the urge to adjust himself, eyes scanning the room. Grey and Genesis were sitting together, whispering while watching the performance. His packmate was glowing with happiness. It made Hunter’s heart feel lighter. Apparently, Grey wasn’t wasting his Christmas miracle.
When Hunter turned back to Xander, he found the prince’s eyes still fixed on Destiny. Maybe, just maybe, Xander wouldn’t waste Pack Stepanov’s miracle either.
For the next two hours, Destiny serenaded them, sharing stories between songs, and taking questions from the audience and the press. She handled the questions expertly, even when they bordered on rude. A few reporters seemed fixated on Destiny’s single status, and the packs she’d rejected in the past. Hunter bristled, but stayed quiet, even though he wanted to tell the nosey journalists that Destiny had been waiting to find her true mates.
Hunter had often been called “intense”, so he knew how a move like that would go over. He knew better than to be so blunt at this stage. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t help things along.
After the show ended, Destiny lingered to pose for photos and greet anyone who wanted to meet her. Hunter saw how people relaxed under her attention, how she seemed to make each person feel special and interesting. It was incredible. Meanwhile, Xander stood with his parents and their guests,doing a fairly good job of feigning interest in their conversation, while constantly sneaking glances at Destiny.
Hunter joined Grey and his sister, who were talking near the door. It looked as though Genesis was the only reporter who’d stuck around after the show. She seemed reluctant to leave, obviously enjoying her time with her brother.
“I’ve got to go!” Genesis’s huge eyes widened as she looked at her phone. “One of the other reporters just texted me and said there’s a snowstorm coming, and it’s supposed to be a big one. They’ll be grounding planes soon.”
Hunter heard Greyson hugging his sister goodbye and offering to walk her out, which she refused, but he was only half listening. He was thinking that there might be more to this whole Christmas miracle thing than he’d thought. This had to be some kind of divine intervention.
“I wonder if I can get close enough to say goodbye to Destiny,” Genesis said, looking worriedly between the door and the crowd surrounding the singer.
“Go, Gen, or you’ll miss the White House gig,” Greyson said, pushing her toward the exit. “I’ll tell her you were in a hurry.”
Genesis let him lead her away, then paused again, twisting back toward Destiny. “Oh, but she delayed her flight until tomorrow. I should tell her about the storm, or she’ll end up stuck here for God knows how long!”
“We’ll tell her. We won’t have as much trouble getting close to her,” Hunter said, stepping quickly into the reporter’s path. “Go before you miss your flight.”
Genesis nodded, but there was something penetrating in her gaze. She was like Hunter—good at reading people, which probably made her as good at her job as he was. Hunter could tell she saw right through him. They watched each other for a long moment. Then Genesis grinned, thumped him affectionately on the shoulder and hurried from the room.
Grey gave Hunter a sidelong glance. “What was that about?”
Hunter shrugged. “Your sister is smart.”
“That she is,” Grey replied, his voice full of pride. “Well, we’d better hurry and tell Destiny about the storm, so that she can try to get out of here tonight. I get the feeling she wouldn’t be happy about being stuck with us for a few extra days.”
Despite his words, Greyson made no move to approach the popstar. They stood silently for a few moments, watching Destiny Duvalle smile and sign autographs. She wasmagnificent.
“Perhaps we shouldn’t interrupt,” Grey said quietly. “It would be incredibly impolite.”
Hunter felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. “You’re probably right. Let’s wait awhile.”
Chapter seven
Alexander
Xander felt like an asshole. Granted, hewasan asshole, but he didn’t usually feel this bad about it. Okay, he did usually feel bad about his asshole behavior, but only when it hurt people he cared about. Which it usually did.
So, maybe Xander did spend a lot of time feeling guilty—too much time. The problem was it didn’t stop him from fucking up again. He watched his sister talking excitedly to Destiny Duvalle and wondered, not for the first time, if he should just step aside and let Natalya inherit the throne. The little brat would make a terrible queen, but she couldn’t be that much worse than him.
