He stared down at the first two words on the page for a moment before rolling it back up placing it in the box. He didn’t want to read words from a dead man he couldn’t remember right now. It felt highhanded and manipulative in some way to have a letter held together by what Arthur knew had been King Dean’s ring.
If the man had known he wouldn’t survive the battle, why not make sure his mother was safe and with Arthur and Alma? If he and Daphne ever had children, he would never let her come back to die with him when their children were too young to protect themselves.
He turned and found the woman offering him the key with a small smile.
“It is… yours after all.”
He nodded stiffly, thanked her, and took the key and the box with him back to his room. Daphne wasn’t there when he arrived, but her scent lingered in the air. He sunk onto the bed and opened the box carefully. It was strange to know that he
Arthur couldn’t help himself. Her scent was filling his senses and she looked so delicious, soaking wet and his.His mate.He licked his lips and she gasped.“A-Arthur?”He lowered his head and kissed her, lifting her out of the water. She wrapped her arms and legs around him with a little gasp of shock.“Arthur, what about the—”“The fire can wait.” Arthur growled, “Do you not want me?”Daphne huffed at the question. She did, but she also knew if they got started, he wouldn’t want to stop. She tried to explain that, but Arthur was kissing her again, walking back towards the tree line to where a large boulder sat. She felt the cool stone under her hips as he set her down; kissing her as if he wanted every breath she had for his own.She moaned as his hands skimmed her thighs and one slipped between her legs. She threw her head back with a cry as he stroked her. A
As they drew nearer, Daphne’s joy turned sour. Planks were missing from the sides of the cabin, broken as if a wild animal had pulled them off. The gate and fence had been torn down and vines were starting to grow over the remains of the gate.Her heart clenched in grief seeing the state of the cabin. She expected some damage, but not like this.Arthur growled, “Those bastards did this…”Daphne slid off his back and approached the cabin. There was blood still staining the floor. Glass was still everywhere and her bed had been broken in half. It seemed like they’d tried to destroy everything in the cabin, but nothing she was concerned about had been damaged. The few books that had been on the shelf had been knocked off the shelf but seemed intact. They had been her grandmother’s.“Help me clean it up?” Daphne asked.Arthur shifted into his human form and came to her side, “What should I do?&rdqu
Brown Valley’s pack patrol had returned from hunting Arthur empty-handed. The lack of victory had angered Haley and Irene. In response, the patrol members had begun shirking their duties. First, they stopped patrolling three times a day, reducing it to just once in the morning and once in the evening.As Haley’s paranoia began to grow and their son, Adam, started to show himself as an unworthy successor, the morale of the pack and the patrol continued to decline.This morning, the patrol leader didn’t bother to call the patrol members for the morning shift.“It’s not like they care anyway,” he said with a shrug. “And if the alpha and luna don’t care, why should we?”No one disagreed. The patrol members spent the morning with their families, willfully ignoring their duties. Haley and Irene woke up the way they always did with one thing on their minds: Adam.They had held several mating ceremonies
Daphne gasped, shocked at Arthur’s words. She felt the air shaking around them. She had prepared herself to watch Arthur tear them apart.“What the hell are you talking about?” Haley bared his teeth at them. “You don’t…”“Traitors are not welcome in the werewolf kingdom,” Arthur growled. “Never will you be anything more than the rogues you sent to murder me.”Haley winced and stumbled, pressing a hand to his chest. Irene swooned and let out a little gasp of agony. Haley’s wolf wailed as bonds of the pack and the place where he held the power of alpha over the pack shattered, draining him.He looked at his wife and knew she was feeling the same way. How had he done this?“Banished?” Haley gasped.“No!” Irene shrieked. “Y-You can’t!”Arthur growled, grabbing Haley by the arm. He cried out in terror, bracing himself for the
Arthur woke at first light, prepared to leave Brown Valley. Daphne watched from afar as he designated one of the members of the pack as the alpha and said his final goodbyes. The new alpha and his wife seemed honored to take on the responsibility and happy together.“Perhaps next time you come to visit, you’ll introduce us to your wife?” The luna said with a kind smile at Daphne.Daphne’s face burned with embarrassment and she ducked her head.“If I ever come back,” Arthur said, stiffly. “It will be after she is my wife.”Daphne gasped at his words as the alpha smirked and nodded. They had talked about many things, but marriage wasn’t one of them. While she wanted him to start thinking about what he wanted for the future and making decisions for himself, wasn’t there a better way to broach the topic of marriage?Arthur turned and transformed into his wolf form. The crowd nearby gasped as D
Daphne tried to pull away from the man, but his grip was unyielding. He was using just enough strength to hold her captive and jerking her along as he evaded Arthur’s attacks. She struggled, fearing the moment he would throw her in the way of Arthur’s claws, but it never came.He pulled her behind him and shoved her back into the arms of another man who took hold of her quickly and lifted her from the ground.“Let me go!” Daphne cried, kicking and wiggling, aiming for the man’s face or anywhere else she could manage.He dodged her attacks with easy movements of his head before throwing her over his shoulder.“Release me!” She shrieked and the man froze for a moment. It was long enough to knee him in the face and tumble off his shoulder. She scrambled back and onto her feet, running away from him towards Arthur as he pulled free of the man he’d been fighting.Arthur roared, shaking the air with its int
Arthur woke up with a little smile. They’d spent most of the night tangled together and in the throes of pleasure, whispering sweet things to each other. Daphne had passed out sometime in the middle. As far as he could tell, she would remain asleep well into the afternoon if he left her undisturbed.Arthur had stayed up for several hours after Daphne had passed out, thinking it over. The thought that maybe if someone had stepped up to unite the werewolf kingdom, or if they could have agreed to remain united, he and Alma would not have grown up the way they had burned him.If even the most remote packs could receive aid specific to their issues instead of whatever they could trade for, it would be worth a bit of discomfort. He dressed for the day, finding his hands steady as he looked over at Daphne.If the werewolf kingdom was unified, those creatures and whatever other threats that could come into the territory could be stopped.He could protect Da
Days passed since Arthur’s declaration in a whirlwind of hustling servants, cleaning, and decorating. Some of them seemed misty-eyed and emotional as they set about cleaning and restoring every part of the castle and readying guest rooms. They pulled out golden tapestries to drape in the grand hall embroidered with scenes of battle, victory, and prosperity.Arthur escaped the hustle and retreated to the tower near his bedroom. Daphne was standing on the balcony overlooking the front entrance to the castle.“There you are,” Arthur said, wrapping his arms around her. “What are you doing out here? You’ll catch a cold.”“There are so many people…” She said with a voice filled with awe. Arthur looked down in the courtyard and froze.He hadn’t expected droves of werewolves to come. They seemed to be busy repairing other parts of the castle to use for living arrangements for the guests, hanging banners
Arthur was in a bad mood, but as Daphne held onto him, she couldn’t help but laugh. They’d left the cottage about an hour ago and they hadn’t gone for. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn he was walking in circles just to avoid leaving.“Oh, Arthur, it won’t be that bad.”“We deserve at least a month,” Arthur grumbled walking through the forest.She laughed, “Is that why you’re walking so slow?”He didn’t answer and she laughed harder, leaning into the warmth of his glossy, golden fur. He’d been grumbling about heading back to deal with the mess of the werewolves and vampires for the past few days.“We don’t have to go back,” Arthur huffed. “You don’t think Nicole can’t handle those cowards?”Nicole would just as soon kill half of the pack leaders than put up with bullshit from them, but that wouldn’
Morning came slowly, waking Arthur. Daphne’s scent filled his nose and he turned to look at her, grinning at her sleeping face. As if she felt him looking at her, her eyes snapped open and their gazes met. Arthur turned, pressing his lips to hers, unable to resist the need to be closer to her, to be sure she was still his Daphne.Daphne sighed, pressing into the kiss with a little sigh. The sound sent heat through his blood until need and desperation pooled in his hips and he felt his cock swelling.Daphne gasped, as he angled his hips against hers. She looked up. Arthur’s face heated. He was going to apologize, to make some sort of excuse, but he didn’t get a chance.In a flash, he was on his back with Daphne hovering over him. He was a bit shocked at her speed and strength, but his wolf growled in contentment. Did werewolf mates tussle with one another? He’d always imagined it as sweet and gentle, but the urge to flip them over again an
Arthur chuckled at her thought. Did she think he wanted to talk about it now? He was running on adrenaline and relief. As soon as he got somewhere he knew was safe for them both, he’d probably collapse, curled around Daphne.“I haven’t changed much, Daphne.”“That’s not true,” Daphne said, “You have more scars.”Arthur shrugged, “They’ll be gone in a few days.”“Not on your skin,” Daphne said, sliding a hand over his chest as she looked up at him, “In here.”His heart sped up as their gazes met. He wanted to protest, but he couldn’t find the words. She was right. So much had happened. He’d been so used to not thinking about it before Daphne, then worrying about it with her, that losing her had left him floundering.She stepped back, taking his hands and leading him towards the house.“Come on. Let’s take a bath. I th
Arthur opened his arms trying to sweep her into his arms, but she lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing into his shoulder. Fear filled him and anxiety. He didn’t know what to make of her sudden apology or what he should say in response.“I’m so sorry, Arthur! I should have never gone! I shouldn’t have left you. I should have made Mamie and the others leave me behind, at least they would have been alive.”Arthur’s eye burned with an unfamiliar sensation. He didn’t remember the last time he’d cried or if he’d cried at all, but the tightness in his chest felt like it was going to burst. It sounded like she was regaining her memories, but had she regained all of them?She hiccupped, “The baby… It wasn’t your fault. I…”Arthur tightened his grip on her with a relieved sigh, burying his nose in her neck.“Daphne,” he whispered. “You r
Daphne didn’t speak as they watched the fire rage, burning through vampire and werewolf corpses and surrounding John as he panicked, limping as if his leg had been injured. Daphne narrowed her eyes as he tripped on nothing.He tumbled, head over heels onto the duchess’ body, and shrieked, drawing back as the fire began to devour him.“No! Your Majesty, please!” John crawled towards them. His face twisted with desperation and terror.Daphne didn’t look away, meeting his gaze as he realized that there was nothing he could say to escape his fate. His expression turned determined as he got to his feet and tried to shake off the fire that had reached his jacket. He tore it off but another burst of fire started on his pant leg and he went down again.“That lesson about tying your boots properly,” Nicole said lightly, “That is why.”Her lips twitched into just a bit of amusement as he began to scream a
Daphne rushed to where his body stopped, pulling him onto his back as tears fell down her cheeks.“Just hold on!”Owen’s hand grabbed hers as she settled her shaking hands over the hole in his chest. Blood was bubbling up and pooling around them. Her magic warmed and stuttered trying to close the hole.“Run…” he gasped before his last breath escaped him and she could no longer feel any spark of life in him.“No…” she sniffled. “No! You can’t–”A snarl drew her attention from above. Osborn had shifted and started to barrel down the side of the hill towards her. She lunged aside, barely dodging his attack, and grabbed her sword, turning into his next attack as he skidded, turned, and lunged at her again.His claws met her blade and shoved her back and off her feet. She tumbled back and landed hard on her arm.He was too strong f
Arthur ran towards Osborn, snarling at him. Osborn didn’t seem worried, watching and waiting for him before moving at the last possible moment. He shifted into his human form so Arthur’s attack, just barely missed him before shifting back into his wolf form to snap his jaws at Arthur’s leg.Arthur shifted mid-air and rolled across the ground. His heart was hammering. If he hadn’t, there was a good chance that Osborn would have taken his leg off or at least wounded him seriously.Osborn was nothing like Owen. He had to be more careful. Osborn chuckled and turned towards him.“Hello, nephew… shame your mother manage to get you out in time… I’m impressed you have a bit of battle awareness.” Osborn laughed, dark and furious. “Next time, I’ll just take your head.”Arthur got to his feet, eyeing Osborn. They watched each other before he heard the duchess’ footsteps.&ld
Tom looked up in horror.He couldn’t believe it, but there was no mistaking Osborn even with his missing eye. He was wearing the same armor he’d gone to battle against the vampires in though it bore the signs of battle. Behind him were other werewolves in the same armor, glaring across the clearing.How could he be alive?His heart lurched as Arthur got to his feet and shifted into his wolf form at Daphne’s side. He’d been overpowered by a half-vampire woman. Arthur didn’t stand a chance against Osborn! What were they going to do?Even with the Royal family’s ability to control wolves, Arthur didn’t have the years of combat experience or the deep-seated rage that Osborn did. His legs felt weak as he turned to look at the others who looked confused and had started to engage the turned werewolves.It was uncanny and deeply disturbing to see Osborn commanding them. What would Dean have thought of his brother now
Her tone was as sharp as a blade. She seemed to glide towards him and swung at him, barely missing his shoulder.She was much faster than he remembered. He felt the force of her swing as it missed him and knew she’d gotten stronger too.“Daphne! Stop. I don’t know what they’ve done to you, but this isn’t like you–”“You don’t know anything, murderer!”His gut clenched and for a moment he heard the furious chants of the Brown Valley pack at the back of his mind.He pushed those thoughts away and dodged another attack.“You killed my son!” Daphne screeched.Her words struck him. His blood ran cold, “What?”Daphne growled at her, “Don’t play dumb, werewolf. You were happy to sleep with me but you couldn’t bear the thought of half-vampire son, could you?”The bubbling joy of hearing that she was pregnant died as the rest o