Chapter 2

Damon's POV

"Your Majesty! We found him over here!" I hear my blood and heart pumping through my ears as I run as fast as I can toward the shouts. Torrance came to my study to inform me of an attack right outside of my kingdom's borders.

I shift into my beast's form to get to the scene quicker. I can sense his bloodlust as I smell the overwhelming coppery scent he does. Blood. It's everywhere and I can't escape it.

When I arrive, I see one of my men. It's Nero, barely recognizable, but it's him. His body is shattered and there are bite marks up and down it in no discernible pattern. It's almost like whatever made these bites was in a frenzy, biting wherever it could.

Nero must have put up a good fight. I go to him and kneel down to his level. His breathing is shallow and he looks like he's going in and out of consciousness.

I bring him into my arms in an attempt to bring him a bit of comfort. He's too far gone, so this is the only thing I can do.

I hang my head down to his ear and whisper "Nero, if you can hear me, you did good. You were brave and the kingdom thanks you for your loyalty and dedication. Rest and let the Goddess reward you with paradise."

With a last heavy, but shaky exhale, his body stills and the light is gone from his eyes. He's gone. I hope what I said brought him peace. Nero was a newer guard, not yet mated. He was a junior who had great promise to becoming a general. Now that was gone.

The beast within me bellows in anger as I hold another one of my men dead in my arms. I cannot wait to find out who is responsible for this. As I pant heavily, I see a familiar raven fly towards me.

"Torrance, it's about time you got here. Do you have any new information for me?" The raven shifts into a sleek, pale figure. He looks as emotionless as usual as he dons his favorite black leather suit that goes with his raven black hair that floods straight down his shoulders.

He's a shapeshifter and a damn good one. While his kind has been thought to be extinct, the royal family has been in contract with them, or at least those who remain.

In exchange for their protection and secret existence, they work alongside the royal family for different roles. Torrance just happens to be my personal advisor. He has the perfect advantage to gaining information while going unnoticed.

While the shapeshifters are known for not showing emotion, I notice that Torrance is as he strides closer to me. It looks like pure, unadulterated rage. "Damon, Your Majesty."

He pauses for a fraction of a minute. "I have some most important information. We are dealing with Hybrid attacks, and I now know how they found us. It's the leader of the the Silver Rock pack. He's working with Hybrid leaders. They promised him a despicably large sum for our locations."

My lungs expel all of my breath in one painful moment. The Hybrids are a group of procreations between werewolves and vampires that came to be over a hundred years ago. There is a treaty written between the Werewolves, Vampires, and Hybrids to coexist peacefully. If any of the sides were to break that treaty, well, it would mean war.

I clench my fists and clench my teeth. Lancaster Mills. I have never liked him. I hate him even more now that I know he's a traitor.

There were rumors of him losing his mind completely after his mate died in childbirth making him into the cold hearted dick of an Alpha he is today. Nobody knows what happened to the child as he refuses to speak about it.

Whatever happened no longer matters. This man is a cold blooded traitor that has endangered my kingdom and I will make him pay. "Torrance, get my convoy ready. I need to pay Alpha Mills a little visit, and maybe annihilate his entire pack as a message."

After a entire night's drive, we pull into the Silver Rock territory. There are wolves bowed to the ground at the entrance and along the border. Word must have gotten out that I was headed this way. A smirk makes its place on my face. These wolves have no idea what's really coming to them.

I stop the convoy and exit the vehicle. I can sense their fear as this isn't part of normal routine when royalty makes a visit. "Tell me where I can find your Alpha. I must have a word with him."

A smaller wolf is the only one to move. He's a youngling who has recently received his wolf. Only 17 years old and he's about to die because of his Alpha's actions.

He signals me to the direction of Lancaster's location and enters back into his bow. Without another word I put a quick end to their existence to show them mercy. It isn't their fault that their Alpha chose to doom his pack.

As I drop the heart of the last wolf, I make my way towards the rest of the territory, striking each wolf I come across while my men set fire to their remains.

I hear a commotion towards the far end of the property I walk up on. There's screaming and crying in between what sounds like leather striking down upon skin. The sound makes the hair on my body stand on end. The screams sound sweet and feminine and my beast is in a fury.

I have no idea why he is reacting like this, but he has a way of sensing things that even I as the Lycan king can't. It takes all the control I have to remain in my human form and proceed forward.

As I get closer, the screams get louder and I hear shouting between three persons. "I should have killed you when I had the chance." There's malice in those words. The voice sounds familiar and it doesn't take me long to make the connection to Alpha Mills.

When I enter the house, the wolves remaining scramble. Food bowls and other dishes are knocked violently to the ground in their attempt. It doesn't take me long to take the hearts of them all.

On my way back out, my ears pick up something about an axe. There's panic and urgency rising up from my beast. What is with him? I make my way around the back of the house and the scent of fear and blood hit me like a brick wall.

Before I know it, my beast has taken control and my body is propelled through the wall. Behind me is an enormous hole and around me is a cloud of dirt and rubble. In front of me is three bodies, two of which were thrown from the force of my blast through.

This was it. This was the man responsible for the deaths of my men. Each of their faces play back in my mind. Lucian, Aaron, and Nero. All helpless to what came for them. My rage hits a new high. The time to do this is now. No backing down.