NOT WORTHY TO BE KING: FEARLESS WARRIOR

24. I'M BEING RIDICULOUS

When Logan woke up the next morning, he was exhausted. The flight from yesterday had drained him and it wasn't just the flight, the shift itself took hours.

He didn't know how many hours it took to fly but by the time he came back home, it was already late and he was exhausted.

He had wanted to go to Kaden yesterday but then his mother reminded him that he needed sleep more than anything at that time and after trying to persuade him for maybe half an hour, he listened to her and slept.

He made his way to the bathroom and took a shower. Once he was done with that, he brushed his teeth and went to his wardrobe to find something to wear. After everything, he went to the kitchen and found his mother making breakfast. It suddenly occurred to him that he was very hungry.

"Good morning, Mom."

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"I'm tired."

"I figured. Your flight was long, especially for someone who had just shifted. Usually, first-timers get tired within an hour. I was even surprised you went that long." She put plates on the table and Logan helped her.

"My dragon is a very stubborn fellow. He wouldn't let me. And besides, I couldn't shift back without his approval because I didn't know how."

"You'll get used to it and I promise, when you do, you won't need your dragon's approval to do anything, including shifting back."

Soon, Axel joined them, followed by Clayton and Arianna.

"Are we expecting guests?" Clayton asked when he saw the amount of food Gail was preparing.

She laughed, saying, "No, Logan is no longer human and that means his appetite has increased."

Logan looked at his mother, confused.

"I forgot to tell you, the bigger your dragon is, the more food you'll need and you just had your first shift, that alone has drained your energy."

Logan looked at Axel and he nodded his head, obviously agreeing with his aunt.

"I don't understand, you eat normally."

"That's because my dragon is small and I had my first shift before you were even born. I'm used to it, and you will be too. But it's going to take years."

Logan decided that he didn't need to ask any more questions because he was already overwhelmed by what he knew already.

He ate his breakfast as soon as his mother plated the food for him and just like she said, he ate more than he was used to.

The problem was, he couldn't enjoy his food because he thought of Tiara. He was wondering if she had eaten today, yesterday, or ever since she was abducted at all.

He got up from his seat and went to the sink to wash his hands.

"What is it?" His mother asked him. When he didn't say anything, she took his hands in hers. "You know, as much as I want you to go to him right now to confront him, you can't. You are banned from entering the palace. We have to wait for Malia to get here and I'm sure she'll find a way to get Kaden out and then you can ask him whatever you want to ask him."

"I don't give a f**k about any of that right now. No one will stop me from entering that palace and Kaden's father or mother would never do anything to me; I'm not scared of them or anyone in that palace."

"This is the first time I've heard you cursing." She didn't say anything more but Logan knew she wasn't happy about it.

It wasn't like he'd never cursed in his life; he just didn't do it in front of his mother.

"I'm sorry, Mother. This whole thing has messed up my head." He gave her a smile.

"I know." She smiled at him too.

When she went back to the table to join the others, he left. He heard his mother calling his name but he never looked back.

When he got to the palace, the guards told him that the king had told them not to ever open the gate for him unless he told them otherwise.

"I don't care what he said to you; I'm not here for him. I want to speak to Kaden."

"Your Highness, please don't make things hard for us. We're just doing our job." Logan was about to push his way in when Neo appeared next to the gate.

"You can't go in. The king and the queen made it clear that you are not allowed to enter this palace."

"Are you sure you want to stop a prince from entering the palace? Who the hell are you?"

Logan hadn't heard his brother coming. He looked at Clayton and shook his head, he was going to handle this.

"Your Highness, Logan is no prince. He is just a bastard." Logan didn't know how it happened but in less than a second, he was holding Neo by his neck, pinning him to the wall next to the gate.

"I warned you before Neo, I'm not your friend and I'm older than you. You are just a palace guard and being a chief guard doesn't give you the right to talk to me anyhow.

"I may be a bastard as you like to call me but you and I will never be of the same status or strength. I absolutely have no problem with beating the hell out of you right now, if not for anything, just to teach you some manners." He released him when he started turning blue.

"Get out of my sight."

"Yes, Your Highness." He said, trying to catch his breath.

Logan turned to the other 3 guys and they opened the gate for him.

He passed so many confused faces as he made his way to Kaden's room and on his way to Kaden's room, his heart was pounding with anxiety and anticipation. When he finally arrived at Kaden's room, he took a deep breath before knocking on the door. He admired his patience when he did.

"Come in," Kaden's voice said from the other side.

Logan opened the door and stepped into the room. Kaden was sitting on his bed, reading a book. When he looked up and saw Logan, he closed the book and stood up.

"Logan, what are you doing here?" Kaden asked, his voice laced with concern that Logan didn't if it was genuine or fake.

"We need to talk," Logan said, his voice low and serious.

"About what?"

"Tiara," Logan said, his voice trembling with emotion.

Kaden's expression turned to one of confusion. "What about her? Did you find her"

"No, she's still missing. And I know that you know something about it."

Kaden's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you talking about? I don't know anything about Tiara's disappearance."

Logan couldn't keep his voice calm anymore.

"You son of a b***h, you took her, didn't you?"

Kaden's face was a mask of confusion and surprise. "What are you talking about, Logan?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Logan growled. "You took Tiara and don't even think about denying it."

"Why would you think that? Logan, I've been with you all this while, trying to find her like you. We spoke about this."

"Do you take me for a fool? Do you think I have no idea you were the last person to talk to her?"

He didn't say anything and Logan spoke again. "Deny it. Tell me that I'm being ridiculous, that you never saw my wife before her disappearance."

"I don't know where she is." Kaden insisted.

"Don't test my patience, Kade."

Kaden hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I saw her the day she disappeared," he said slowly. "We had a conversation, and she seemed troubled, but she didn't say anything specific. She just said that she was worried about something."

Logan knew instantly that he was lying but he played along.

"Then why didn't you tell me?“

"I didn't want you to feel bad for not having an idea that your wife was not okay."

Logan couldn't help but laugh. Kaden looked at him, confused.

"I had almost forgotten that you're not a good liar until this moment. You seem to have forgotten that my wife hates your guts.

"Let's put that aside and talk about me and her. We share the same bed, have been since she came into this kingdom. There is absolutely no way I wouldn't know that she was unhappy. And even if she were, she would tell me so that I could fix it."

When Kaden didn't say anything, Logan spoke. "Stop lying to me, Kaden. You must be connected to this in some way, I'm absolutely sure of it. I think the best thing to do right now is to tell me where my wife is and I'll forget this ever happens.

"You don't want to know what I'll do to you if you keep taking me for a fool. My wife is pregnant and that too for the first time. Do you think I'll be at peace knowing she might be suffering wherever she is? I took vows to love that woman for the rest of my life, to protect her and it seems like you have a problem with all of that.

"I've always indulged you, but not anymore. I am begging you to do us both a favour and tell me where to find her."

Logan's heart was racing as he stared down Kaden, waiting for his response. Kaden looked away, his eyes shifting back and forth as if trying to come up with a plausible explanation. Finally, he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Logan, I swear to you, I had nothing to do with Tiara's disappearance. I know how much she means to you, and I would never do anything to hurt her or you. You have to believe me."

Logan didn't respond, his eyes locked onto Kaden's. He was searching for any sign of deception, any indication that Kaden was lying to him. But he couldn't find anything. If he hadn't seen the evidence that Axel provided, he would've believed him, just like he always did.

He stepped closer to Kaden, his fists clenched. "You're lying," he said through gritted teeth.

Logan grabbed Kaden by the collar of his shirt, pulling him close. "And I told you, if you keep lying to me, I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your miserable life."

Kaden looked into Logan's eyes, and for a moment, Logan saw something there that made him pause. Was it guilt? Fear? He couldn't tell.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Logan let go of Kaden, turning to see who it was. Logan was shocked to see the queen and king standing in the doorway of Kaden's room. He knew that they hated him and would do anything to make his life difficult. His heart sank as he realized that they might have overheard his conversation with Kaden.

The queen's smile was icy as she looked at Logan. "What are you doing here, Logan?" she asked, her voice dripping with disdain.

"Why the hell are you here? Didn't I tell you that you are no longer welcome in this palace? Which part in that didn't you understand? Tell me, I want to know so that I can repeat it to you."

The queen just smiled as the king spoke to Logan.

"Do you think I give a f**k what you say and don't say? I have tolerated your attitude for the rest of my life. A little scolding from you isn't going to stop me from doing what I want.

"Besides, I didn't want to come here in the first place. Your precious son forced me!"

The king was surprised to hear Logan speak like that because he has always been respectful. He wanted to ask him what happened but the queen spoke first.

"What do you mean my son forced you?"

"I'm looking for Tiara. You know that she's been missing for three months." Logan said, trying to keep his voice steady.

The king stepped forward, his face twisted with rage. "And what makes you think she's here?" he asked.

Logan clenched his jaw, feeling his anger rising. "I don't know where she is," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. "But I know that Kaden knows something about her disappearance."

The queen raised an eyebrow. "Kaden? What would he know?" She then looked at Kaden, who was now avoiding her gaze. "Kaden, is there something you're not telling us?"

Kaden looked up, his eyes darting between the queen and Logan. "I don't know anything, I swear it," he said.

The queen looked at Logan. "You're wasting your time here," she said. "If Tiara is missing, it's not because of Kaden. Now leave before I have you thrown out."

Logan clenched his fists, feeling his anger boiling over. "I won't leave until I find out what happened to my wife," he said.

The king stepped forward, his expression cold. "You forget your place, Logan," he said. "You are nothing but a mistake that I made. Kaden is the crown prince of this kingdom, you have no right to suspect him. If I hear you saying something about this ever again, I will make sure your mother regrets the day she met me."

"Do I look like I give a f**k? If you thought I did, you must have been dreaming. I don't care about this kingdom, I don't care about you and I do not care about the crown you seem to love so much.

"I don't need you, I've never needed you in my life and it will always be that way. You are not my father and you will never be my father!"