#Chapter 24: Xaden’s Predicament

Maeve POV The drive back to the mansion was… eerily quiet. Whenever I snuck a peek at Xaden, I could tell that he was lost in his mind, mulling over again and again about what had happened yesterday. His eyes, normally strong and alert, were glazed over with restrained emotion. He looked like he had just woken up from a nightmare. The vengeful and unforgiving Alpha Prince from that morning was long gone… replaced by a scared, exhausted young man who looked like he needed a hug. Guilt weighed down on my shoulders. This was all my fault. I should have been more insistent about going alone. For as long as I could remember, I had endured their abuse all on my own—no one was ever there to comfort me, to hold me, to protect me. Going without Xaden would have been… more nerve-wracking, admittedly, but I’d rather have gone through the torment myself than put him through even a second of it. He did not have to experience any of what happened. But he did because of me. I leaned into him,