Chapter 6: A Delightful Sight

Silver Blade was packed with people chattering excitedly, but it didn’t seem they had come too late as the main road was still lined with people and the crowd was growing. The village was bigger than Sapphire Lake and there seemed to be more men there. Had their men come back earlier, or had they simply had enough to keep some to protect the village still? Were they all cowards like Lucas?

Laurel scanned the crowd to find a way to get closer to the main road, but there was barely enough space between people to see through, let alone squeeze through. Mothers with their children on their shoulders and at their sides crowded together with their elders. Young men and women chattered and struggled to get closer. 

She caught the scent of someone’s perfume and shook her head. Carefully, she lowered Amanda to the ground as others from Sapphire Lake arrived. 

“Thank you, dear,” Amanda said, patting her back as she panted and bent over, struggling to catch her breath now that she wasn’t just caught up in the excitement. Exhaustion made her heavy and her stomach rumbled a bit with hunger.

“The others have arrived. We’re going to try and find a place a bit closer.” 

She nodded and waved Amanda along, “I’ll catch up if I can.”

Amanda and the others slipped into the crowd quickly as Laurel’s strength slowly began to return. She was excited to finally meet her father and a little excited to see King Adolph and his army for the first time. 

King Adolph Raymond was the most powerful alpha of the kingdom. Talk about him had filled her ears since she was a teenager. King Adolph the Invincible, the Vampire Destroyer, the Goddess-Blessed King: she knew him by many names, but she also knew he was more than just powerful. He was brave and relentless, dedicated to the safety of his people. No other king had led the efforts against the vampires the way Adolph had, not even his father. The ministers had spoken quietly of their disapproval, but they had been unable to be too upset as the king had left behind his heir and had been driving the vampires into a corner for years.

She had admired the young king as all young women had and swooned listening to the story of his steadfast love for his luna, Basil’s mother. After she died in childbirth, he never took another wife. It was obvious to the entire kingdom that they had a romance written in the stars. Laurel had thought she too could have that with Basil.

The thought angered her a bit. 

Perhaps she should be a bit resentful that he hadn’t married again so she would have never have become luna, but she couldn’t find it in her to condemn the man who had made sure the werewolf kingdom was safe and had starred in so many of her teenage fantasies about what finding her mate might be like. 

When she married Basil, she had expected to see some of the qualities Adolph was praised for in Basil. It had been a part of why she had fallen so hard for Basil in the beginning. If the son of their king could find potential in her, he had to be a good man, she’d thought, but Basil was nothing like the stories said Adolph was. There was nothing of the war-minded focus Adolph had in Basil. He had always been controlled by his whims and without discipline. Adolph was known for being a great leader, listening to his subordinates, and considering their ideas with care. Basil was careless and dismissive of anything that was not his idea or went against his will.

Father and son were nothing alike according to the stories. Was it possible that King Adolph’s reputation was an illusion and Basil did take after him? She had never met Adolph before and no one in the palace ever talked about him outside of speaking about the war. She shook her head. They may not have spoken a great deal of him, but what they did say had been full of loyalty. There was fear, of course, but King Adolph’s reputation warranted it. 

He was undoubtedly different from Basil. She wondered how Basil had become such a horrible person. Surely, the great King Adolph could have raised his son born of his infamous romance to be a semi-decent person! 

A cry of cheer drew her thoughts and she looked into the distance. Men on horses approached and her heart leaped for joy. The crowd pressed closer to the sides of the road and the cheers began to spread. People pressed and pushed her. Suddenly, she felt a hand slip down her back and take a firm grasp of one of her buttocks. 

She screamed and turned roughly to see the man. His eyes were heated and lecherous though his expression seemed to be apologetic.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to,” he said, his voice filled with lies. “A pretty little thing like you really shouldn’t be out here all alone. I’ll escort--”

“Fuck you!”

She grabbed his arm and twisted viciously until he cried out and kicked him between his legs. He howled, crumpling to the ground with his hands between his legs. 

“Creep!”

She turned and shoved her way out of the crowd. Someone whistled nearby, a sleazy expectant sound. 

“Hey, you--”

She whirled, glaring at the man. He froze and his face went pale under her gaze. She turned from him and continued to push her way out of the crowd. 

She thought of Jack’s words and sneered in disgust. Yes, she was a beautiful young woman seemingly without protection. She should have been more careful or brought a weapon, but it wasn’t too late to correct her mistake. She had to get out of the crowd and think about carrying a weapon. She wasn’t going to allow anyone to mistreat her. Now that the adult men of the town had returned, Silver Blade wasn’t safe, and she didn’t think that Sapphire Lake would be much safer once the men of her pack returned. 

With a gasp of relief, she reached a clear space behind the crowd and searched for a way to get a better viewpoint. The crowd was growing louder and louder and more people were rushing to join the crowd. There was no way she could find Amanda in the crown. There had to be somewhere safer to get a better view. 

“There,” she grinned and hurried towards the tall tree just beyond the crowd. She hiked her skirt and tucked it loosely into her belt before climbing up to the overhanging branch. Carefully, she crawled onto it and sat. 

The view was perfect. She could see to the edge of town just as the soldiers were reaching the edge of town. Their silver armor, though battered, still gleamed in the sun beneath their black cloaks bearing the Imperial crest. Her stomach clenched with apprehension but she pushed that away and tried to scan the soldiers hoping to see her father despite the distance. 

She was Laurel now and Laurel had no reason to grow nervous at the sight of the Imperial crest. Laurel let out a cheer and clapped with the rest of the crowd, swept up in the excitement of the crowd. Her heart raced. 

Alice jerked to attention inside her. Laurel took a deeper breath, puzzling out the scent that seemed to be growing closer and louder as the soldiers drew closer. 

The freshest roses and cedarwood tinged with just the faintest scent of blood drifted on the wind. The crowd’s enthusiasm seemed to lessen as the soldiers entered the town. 

Among the silver and black, red fluttered and drew her gaze. The man was tall and handsome. She felt he was as remote as a star twinkling in the night. He stood out among the sea of back and silver though he was not in front of the procession. 

His cloak like knitted blood billowed in the wind attached to his armor with golden cords and fastenings. His chest plate was black, but the gold glinted in the sunlight like flint sparks adding to his dangerous aura. His light blonde hair seemed to catch and hold the rays of the sun, ruffled by the wind. He was the most handsome man Laurel had ever seen. She doubted anyone could say anything different, yet his aura seemed to subdue the crowd.

Who was he?

The scent grew stronger as did the scent of blood. The roses bloomed like a midnight perfume and the cedar warmed. Her heart raced and her mouth watered. 

The procession continued and the man grew closer, nodding at people as he passed before he stiffened and lifted his head, his eyes scanned the area for a moment before he met her gaze.

A shock of heat and elation went with her. Alice howled in her heart and she felt almost dizzy with the rush of attraction and rightness.

***Mate!***