Page 43 of Mane Attraction
For a fleeting second, Xelene felt a pang of something sharp and unfamiliar—not jealousy, but a yearning for that simple, uncomplicated comfort. She shoved it down, locking it away with all the other dangerous emotions Lev stirred in her.
“Hate to interrupt the moment,” Xelene announced, her professional cadence slicing through the cozy quiet. “But we have an emergency on our hands.”
Two heads snapped toward her. The easy warmth vanished from Benjamin’s face, replaced by alert concern. Janice untangled herself, her sharp hazel eyes already scanning Xelene for tells.
“What’s happened?” Benjamin was on his feet in one fluid motion.
“Christoph.” Xelene spat the name like a curse. “He’s banned me from the Trial. He’s also halted all my reputation management activities for Lev.”
Janice blinked. “He can do that?”
“He’s head of the council. He’s doing it.” Xelene crossed her arms, the cool silk of her dress a stark contrast to the heat of her anger. “His official accusation is that Lev and I completed the mate bond on purpose. For optics. And that he’s using thebond’s power to cheat his way through the Trial and accelerate his ‘transformation’.”
A stunned silence filled the room.
“That’s insane,” Janice finally breathed. “The bond completion was a backseat-of-a-royal vehicle accident. A glorious, mind-blowing, catastrophic accident!”
Benjamin ran a hand through his dark gold hair, his expression grim. “Christoph doesn’t care about the truth. He cares about the narrative. And this narrative paints Lev as a manipulator and you as a… tool.” He winced apologetically at Xelene.
“So what does this mean?” Janice asked, her pragmatic side surfacing. “Are we packing? Is the ‘fix the prince’ gig officially over?”
“No.” Xelene’s answer was immediate and absolute. “We’re not leaving. My assignment might be over, but my job here isn’t. Christoph didn’t just make a power play. He tipped his hand. There’s something shadier going on here than just trying to smear Lev’s character.”
Benjamin began to pace, his instincts mirroring her own strategic ones. “He’s been positioning Crispin for decades. Everyone knows it. The rumors of a formal challenge have been circulating for years. He was just biding his time, waiting for the right moment.” He stopped, locking eyes with Xelene. “With the king dead and Lev on the cusp of the throne if he passes the Trial… this is Christoph’s best chance to get his bloodline on the throne. He despises Lev. Truly believes he’s a worthless, spoiled prince who’d be a disaster for the pride. So, this doesn’t surprise me. He’ll pull every dirty trick he has.”
Xelene’s mind was racing, connecting dots. “Okay. So let’s say Lev passes the Trial anyway. He proves his worth without me. He becomes king. What’s Christoph’s contingency plan? He’s too calculated to not have one.”
The color drained slightly from Benjamin’s sun-kissed face. “I don’t know. But whatever it is, we need to find out before it unfolds. If Christoph is this bold publicly, his backup plan won’t be gentle.”
A dangerous, thrilling energy crackled in Xelene’s veins. This was chaos. But it was a chaos she could direct.
“Tomorrow afternoon,” she said, her voice dropping. “While the entire pride, Christoph, and Crispin are all conveniently gathered at the arena for the wisdom test… we pay a visit to the council building.”
Benjamin’s eyebrows shot up. “Xelene, that’s… incredibly risky.”
“It’s the perfect window. We find his contingency plan. We prove he’s not just a disapproving elder, but an active threat to the rightful succession.”
Janice stood, a slow, wicked smile spreading across her face. “Breaking and entering on an alien planet. You really know how to show a girl a good time.”
Benjamin looked from Janice’s excited grin to Xelene’s determined expression. He let out a short, resigned laugh. “I’m in. Lev’s my Alpha. If Christoph is truly planning something, we need to be ready.”
The rest of the night dissolved into a blur of hushed voices and strategic debate. Anxiety was a live wire in Xelene’s stomach, but it was fused with a potent excitement. This was the edge she’d always thrived on, the high-stakes game where control and precision were everything.
But now, it wasn’t her perfect record on the line. It was her mate. And she’d be damned if some silver-haired snake in ceremonial robes was going to threaten him.
The following afternoon, the twin suns cast long shadows across the castle courtyard as Xelene approached the waiting royal car. Her body felt alive, every nerve ending crackling withexhaustion and adrenaline. She’d managed perhaps two hours of sleep, her mind spinning through endless scenarios while Lev’s emotions bled through their bond—waves of fury at Christoph, terror at the thought of her leaving, and a fierce determination that made her chest ache with pride.
Benjamin was already behind the wheel, his dark golden hair catching the light as he turned to watch her approach. Janice occupied the passenger seat, her auburn waves pulled back in a ponytail and her hazel eyes bright with the kind of excitement that meant trouble.
“You look like hell,” Janice observed as Xelene slid into the back seat.
“Thank you for that stunning assessment.” Xelene pulled the door shut with perhaps more force than necessary. “However, I feel fantastic.”
This should be eating her alive—the first job she’d never completed, the perfect track record she’d spent a decade building now obliterated. But instead of the spiral into professional devastation she’d expected, something else burned brighter. Absolute fury at Christoph’s manipulation and a bone-deep certainty that she wasn’t walking away from Lev.
Not now. Not ever.
The realization should’ve terrified her. A week ago, she would have been running back to Earth, running from anything that threatened her carefully constructed life. Now, the thought of leaving felt like tearing away a vital organ.
