AZALEA’S POVThe gang was surprised to learn that the activities of the night were carrying on as we prepped to head out. Unlike with the rescue mission with Clayton’s mother, I was also heading out this time – much to my mate and fathers’ disapproval.“Pixie doesn’t mind staying with the twins,” I argued.“The point is that she shouldn’t have to,” Clayton countered.“We’re not going to fight Princess. We’re just rescuing our people,” my father pointed out.“And doesn’t that mean it’s safe for me to go?” I argued.They looked stumped while Claude chuckled. “You guys may as well just accept that she’s going.”“I thought you were going to be careful from now on,” Clayton pointed out.I crossed my arms. “If so, then how come you get to go? If you’re all worried about me leaving the twins without a mom, then how come no one is arguing about them being left without a dad?”My fathers groaned while my friends laughed a little. “Why must you be so stubborn?”“Those people are my people too.
AZALEA'S POVAfter kissing me goodbye, I watched my mate head out, before Bentley suggested that she and I head to his office. When we got there, she brought me up to speed with everything she’d been doing, and everything that still needed to be done.It was a lot.I knew she’d already mentioned that much, but sitting there, listening to her, I felt the guilt consume me. She’d covered for me way more than I could’ve ever thought. I really and truly needed to step up.“I know the look on your face and we’ve already established that we’re moving forward, so don’t dwell on it. What you do going forward is what counts,” she scolded.I knew it would be pointless to fight her, so I nodded. “What about supplies? How are we looking there?”“We’re expecting a shipment within the coming week, which means we can use the supplies we have now,” she responded.I grabbed the folder and we stood up. “I need to get my own office.”She smiled. “I’m sure Clay would love to hear those words.”We headed o
CLAYTON’S POVWe arrived at the borders of the royal pack to find them still fighting to put out the fire. I wasn’t quite sure why it was taking them so long to begin with, and it was enough to have me suspicious.“Brantley, can you ask Simiyan if Simoa is around the castle or not?” I linked him.“Ok, give me a minute,” he responded.“What are you thinking?” King Aragon linked me.“It’s dragon fire, and I get that they’ve never dealt with it before, but if Simoa was around, surely the fire would be out by now,” I told him.“You think she’s not here?” he asked.Before I could respond, Brantley linked me. “Simiyan says she can’t feel Simoa in the kingdom, so she’s probably not there.”I relayed his findings to King Aragon. “That’s why they’re taking so long to put the fire out.”“Do you think it may then be a trap?” he checked.“There’s only one way to find out,” I pointed out.He nodded before signalling our group to move. There was chaos everywhere with everyone trying to put out the
AZALEA’S POV“Who the hell could be attacking us?” Evan asked.“We don’t know as yet, but the who doesn’t matter. We need a plan of action,” Titus responded.I turned to Evan. “How many fighters do you have?”“I won’t know the ratio until the enemy gets here,” he replied.It was a fair analysis. “Do we have an estimate?”The question was directed at Titus from Bentley. “Not quite. They’re moving quickly, and in the dark. The only thing we can go on is sound, and they sound like quite a lot.”“Alright. Bentley, I need you to assist in getting the women and children to safety. Evan, rally up as many of your men as you can. Ti, let our guys know to be prepared. I’m going to let my dad and Clay know the situation. I think they should be close,” I instructed.Everyone moved out, and after talking to Clayton, I headed out. Within two minutes, we were ready. While Evan’s pack is a lot smaller than ours, he’s developed just as efficient a system as Clayton.It was quiet by the time the first
AZALEA'S POV“Even if I wanted to tell you, I wouldn’t. You deserve no answers from me,” I told them.“Are we really supposed to believe that the King is back? And that he’s aligned himself with Clayton Kensington of all people? As well as this creature with no scent?” Alpha Rover questioned.“Ouch,” I mocked.“Believe what you want to believe. You have made your alliances very clear, unless of course you’d like to switch sides,” my father offered.“Though, switching sides once more wouldn’t say much about whether or not they can be trusted,” Clayton pointed out.I tapped my chin. “Hmm, that does present an issue, doesn’t it?”“We were trying to protect our packs!” Alpha Maison exclaimed.“What is it that you said to me? That I’m an insignificant Alpha?” Clayton taunted.“What’s it going to take for you to let that go?” Alpha Rover asked.My father crossed his arms. “Is this you switching sides once more?”“Your Highness, we just want to live,” Alpha Maison stressed.My father scoffed
CLAYTON’S POVI gently shook her. “Love, you need to get up.”“No,” she whined, digging herself deeper into the bed.“We have to leave. Everyone else is ready,” I informed.She glared at me. “None of them had to breastfeed in the middle of the night.”Even though I’d stayed up with her when she did, I could tell that she was more exhausted than I was. While she had tried to be strong since waking up from her surgery, I could tell that her body was finally giving in.It wasn’t the most convenient time, but I was grateful for it nonetheless.“Come on Lea. You’ll rest in Erea,” I suggested.She raised her head once more. “I’m going to ignore how that rhymes. You promise to let me rest?”I chuckled, nodding. “I promise.”She sighed before getting up and going to take a shower. I’d already done so, getting ready for the day. I’d packed our bag, and I left her to get ready while I headed to my office. Pixie had told us not to pack too much, insisting that we would get anything else we neede
PIXIE’S POVHe wrapped his arms around me from behind and I smiled as he kissed my shoulder. “I can’t believe I’m here, or that your dad is letting you stay with me actually.”I giggled. “He has no choice. We’re mates and he’s clearly on the road to accepting that.”“This place looks even more magical than you mentioned. It’s amazing that I’m at the place you call home,” he mentioned.I turned to face him. “Well, not really.”He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean not really?”I sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t think I have a home. I haven’t spent enough time here to truly consider it home.”He gently brushed my cheek. “Home for you has been wherever Zae is.”I nodded. “Becoming friends with her in the Nomad World was purely coincidence, but I’ve been by her side since. I’ve spent time here, sure, but not enough. I spent a lot of time in the Nomad World too, but it’s also not home. The Lycan Kingdom isn’t home for me either.”“Home for you is a person Pix, and that’s understandable, bu
PIXIE'S POVWe headed out after that short talk and I took them on the tour of the castle first. That tour took just a little over an hour (it was a lot to cover), before I suggested we head outside the castle.“Aren’t you going to be bombarded?” Cleo asked me.“I would be if people knew what I looked like,” I replied.They all shot me a look of pure bewilderment. “You mean they don’t even know what you look like?”“It’s why I’ve been able to move around Erea so easily. I go by a different name and I hide my true aura. I’ve met and befriended a lot of the people outside the castle. If anything, hiding who I am has helped me get closer to them. I know them and their lives and stories better than I would if they knew who I was and I was living like a Princess,” I explained.“Which will probably work to your advantage when you eventually take up the crown,” Bentley noted.I nodded. “Exactly. I even have a secret exit that I use so that I don’t get seen leaving and returning to the castle
AZALEA’S POV“I can’t believe two years into your marriage and you’re still pulling these stunts!”“How else am I supposed to keep the romance alive?”“He’s going to kill you, you know that much, right?”“He wouldn’t kill me while my dad still lives.”“At this point, Hugh would welcome your death. You truly are a menace.”My mouth dropped as she giggled. “You don’t mean that!”“Oh, I believe it too. When they told me you’re a menace, I didn’t know just how right they are,” my aunt teased.“You all just hate me,” I argued.“No one hates you because you won’t even allow us to do that much,” my mother commented.I gasped, and the evil women just laughed at me. “I can’t believe you’re in on this too!”“You and I are connected, and while the reason why is still a myth to all of us, at no point in my life did I swear to stand by your foolishness, especially when it involves tormenting that poor sweet boy,” Simoa stated.“There’s nothing sweet about him. You guys just don’t get to see how he
CLAYTON'S POV“I underestimated Eligor’s memory spell. I was desperate to explain myself and my actions, and to ask for forgiveness. I wasn’t sure if going to Aragon would help, so I went to the only other two people who knew me better than he did. Avril and Val were my best friends, so I thought if I could get them to understand, then they’d help me make sense of everything and help me deal with my new reality. I was lost, and in pain, and I just needed someone to understand me, except it was in that moment that I realized it would never happen. If the people closest to me couldn’t remember me, then I had no one. I was officially all alone,” Alyx explained.“What happened? Where have you been all this time?” her brother asked her.“After what happened with Avril, I knew I had to find a way to control what I’d become. I got some of Eligor’s powers through our mating, and they helped me to an extent. I found out he was abusing the Xeglan, and they asked for my help in keeping them from
CLAYTON’S POVOnce King Brennus lifted the spell from them, it was decided that we should head back while their memories started to trickle in. With everything over, the packs had been instructed to stack the dead hybrids and burn them.We suffered a couple of casualties and injuries on our side, and it was decided that the bodies of the dead would be put aside and we’d have a funeral for them the following day. We needed to let everything settle down first.With Eligor out of the picture, King Brennus ordered the Xeglan to return to Advalur, and they happily complied, while the Xeglan hybrids were imprisoned. At the end of the day, they were traitors, and it would be decided later what we’d be doing with them.Azalea led her aunt to our room, refusing to leave her side, while Pixie was quickly at mine. “You’re coming with us.”I followed after her, and she led me to a room with our friends in it, including Brantley and Bentley. “When did you guys get here?”“That’s not important! Wha
AZALEA'S POVThe turned Lycan looked my way. “I’m the source of a lot of your problems. With me out of the way, you stand a better chance of taking over this kingdom, but you’re going to have to catch me first.”I closed my link to my family and friends as I turned and made a run for it. I could hear him following after me, as well as my family following after him. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, or what the plan was, but this distraction was giving me some time to think.And before I knew it, I was running past the border and into the Forgotten Lands.Being here, I knew that only Eligor, Clayton, King Brennus, Greier, and my aunt could follow after me. My father and Clayton’s father didn’t have the bracelets on them, so they’d be affected if they came through.I finally let my mate through our link as he ran in after me, shifted back and changed into shorts. “Now what?”“I have no idea, but I know this is where everything has to end,” I told him just as Eligor’s beast grow
AZALEA’S POVShe looked more badass than she had in the vision. Confusion surrounded us as we watched everyone wondering why the Xeglan hybrids weren’t fighting, and who the woman was. Much like in the vision, she was preceded by smoke, and when it cleared, I could see recognition from our inner circle.“It’s her. It’s the woman from the painting,” Pixie was the one to state.“It’s Alyx, isn’t it?” Cleo asked, but no one responded.Instead, we watched as Eligor took in his mate, surprised to see her in her true form. “You can control the faces?”“I can do a lot more than that, but I’m not here to tell you all about that,” she told him.“Well, it’s about time we joined hands and finally took over the kingdom as planned,” he smiled, walking over to her.She put her hand out. “You either didn’t hear me, or you’re choosing to ignore what I said. I’m here to stop you.”It was a slight opening in his emotions as the vulnerability showed on his face. “Tell me that these people aren’t right.
CLAYTON’S POV“Avril and Valencia were my closest friends. Lost as I was, I thought if I went to explain myself to them, they’d understand, but I underestimated Eligor’s spell. They really had no idea who I was, and the changing faces and my changed form weren’t helpful. That’s when I realized that I needed to learn how to control the faces and my body.”Azalea was crying beside me, and I put my arm around her. “Where was Eligor during all this?”“I didn’t want anything to do with him, and he agreed to give me my space. However, in that time apart, I realized that my love for him was turning to hatred. Every time he checked in on me, he would let me know about his efforts to undo what he’d done, but I’d already lost too much. Being with him didn’t feel like something I wanted to do anymore, so I kept to myself. One thing I got through our mating is some of his powers, and I used them to travel the dimensions, learning as much as I could about what they knew about shapeshifters. I also
AZALEA’S POVThere she was.She was dressed in a dark emerald dress, and there was smoke around her, but I knew it was her. The same eyes I’d seen in the painting were looking straight at me. She was unmoving, showing no emotion on her face.“It’s her.”I didn’t know if I could even bring him with me, but I was relieved to look to my side and find Clayton there. “Do we go to her?”He shook his head. “We wait for her.”I agreed, and we waited. Before getting pulled in, we moved off the battlefield, hiding, and I could only hope that we’d stay hidden given the fact that we had no idea what was going on outside this vision.After a while, she finally moved towards us. I unintentionally squeezed Clayton’s hand a little harder, and he put his other hand on top of mine. I looked up at him, and I knew what he was telling me through his eyes.He was with me, and he had my back.She walked until she stood before us. Much like I’d felt back in the castle, it felt like I was looking at an older
CLAYTON’S POV“Report?” my father asked.“They’re coming from the direction of the castle, so we can confirm that it’s Eligor and his army. There hasn’t been any movement from the Forgotten Lands,” his man reported.My father nodded. “Take to the skies and stay there waiting for my command.”“And Isaiah?” the man asked.“Tell him to stay where he is,” my father replied.The man nodded before leaving. “What’s going on Hunter?”“Like Theo just said, Eligor is headed this way with his army. There’s no word from Alyx’s side,” my father replied.I was about to ask a question when my mind link was prodded. “CLAYTON!”“Simoa?” I asked.“Yes, it’s me. Where is your mate?” she asked.“She’s here with me. Why?” I countered.“Eligor is on his way. I have been trying to let her know, but I haven’t been able to reach her,” she huffed.I turned to my mate. “Love, is there anything going on with your link to Simoa?”I heard the murmuring, but I didn’t care for it as my mate scowled. “I can’t feel he
AZALEA'S POV“Are you sorted?” I asked him.He nodded. “Ariel and Cleo are directing everyone here. Greier and the Lyca will join us shortly. Your uncle linked to say there’s a bit of a delay with the archives, but that he’ll be here as soon as he has the information with him.”“Should we maybe not talk to our people before they get here?” Clayton suggested.“He’s got a point Aragon. While we may be understanding of how you reached the decisions that you did, your people may not be,” Clayton’s dad joined us.“I’ll address them once they’ve all assembled,” my father agreed.As expected, our pack members were the first to assemble, and I could see the pride on my mate’s face at seeing his people still as efficient as ever. The pack members of The Rebelution were officially the pack members of the royal pack.I had read up on the royal pack, with my father answering any more questions that I had. Apparently, the royal pack that he was Alpha of was either taken over by Eligor, or those wh