Rex stumbled and collapsed against the side of the building, barely remaining standing, near slipping in a patch of mud. He’d been doing the last check after Jake went running to the castle to deliver the news of the vampire’s attack. Rex had ordered two others to leave the village to notify nearby packs as well, but he hadn’t been sure if any of them had made it.
The attack had been swift and brutal, more like guerilla warfare than a siege. It had been too long since any werewolf had fought a vampire. No one was trained to handle their agility, so Rex could only blame the passage of time and complacency for the number of casualties.
Tom, however, had a different opinion on the matter.
These vampires are more skillful than the ones from the days of the war…His voice had been grim as Rex had slumped against a wall, trying to catch his breath and staunch the bleeding wound in his side with a rough bandage.
He didn’t k
Tom had watched Arthur grow into his role as king with a deep sense of pride, but he had never seen this deeply pensive and suspicious look on Arthur’s face until today.“Your Majesty?” Tom asked. “You seem pensive.”“We never found Owen’s body,” Arthur said.“What are you getting at?”“Who else would know enough about the werewolf kingdom, and where Sharp Armor is? Who else would have a reason to give such information to the vampires?” Arthur thought back to their battle and how determined Owen had been to prove that he was stronger than Arthur no matter what. He’d wanted Arthur to be just like him. “If there was anyone I suspect to be behind why the vampires attacked where they did, it would be him.”Based on what Owen knew about Arthur and the feud that had left them both orphans, Arthur was willing to bet he knew a bit about the vampires.Tom frowne
Daphne and Arthur shared dinner in a warm quiet, neither intruding on each other’s quiet thoughts. It was nice to sit together. For a little while, it felt as though they were back in Sharp Armor. They changed for bed and climbed in to cuddle close together in the center of the bed.Arthur sighed, “I really like this bed.”Daphne laughed, “It is really nice not to be crammed together.”“I love you, Daphne.” Arthur kissed her head and stroked her hair gently, “I promise I’ll keep you safe. Just like always.”“I know.” She smiled, shifting a bit closer to him, “I love you too, Arthur.”She sighed, slipping into sleep as quickly as she could manage. She drifted into the darkness of sleep until a woman’s weeping started drawing her out of it.Who was crying?She opened her eyes and looked up into a face she had only seen in portrait, crying softl
Arthur couldn’t believe what he’d heard. He glanced at Daphne and found her frozen in shock as well. He looked back at Blade who looked pensive and troubled.“I’ve talked with the other members of the patrol, and we all think it’s a trap.”Arthur thought that much was obvious, but he was more interested in what their goal was. At least with Owen, he knew the man just wanted to kill him, but what did the vampires want? Maybe it wasn't a trap, but an opportunity.He didn't know enough about vampires to know for sure, but his instincts said they weren't trying to trick them.“Have you told anyone else?”“No, Your Majesty.”Arthur sighed and stood, “Call a meeting in the hall about this.”Blade nodded, bowed and left. Arthur looked at Daphne.“Once this is done we’ll go back to lunch.”Daphne gave him a tight smile. She had a feel
Arthur left the castle early the next morning, headed towards the ruins of Sharp Armor. They had rebuilt some of the main structures, but the homes that had been burned down or destroyed had remained piles of broken wood. He wondered how long it would take to rebuild Sharp Armor and if they ever would.Maybe they could relocate everyone and turn Sharp Armor into a military outpost. It was the closest village to the border and there was plenty of land to establish a new settlement.Arthur put it on his long mental list of things to try to complete. The list seemed to be growing by the day and alongside it came frustration. He’d barely been educated while in Brown Valley as a child. All the alphas that sat at the table with him and bickered for hours were older than him by at least half a decade.Why had no one ever thought about organizing everyone? Were they all just that weak or that selfish? He found himself coming back to those questions more and more o
Arthur frowned, confused. Why would the queen of the vampires be in the werewolf kingdom? More importantly, why would she think he knew where she was? He’d never even met a vampire until he went with Daphne to Brown Valley.“What are you talking about?”“We don’t have your queen,” Tom hissed. “Don’t blame us for her disappearance.”“Shut the old man’s mouth,” she said, sharply.Arthur’s heart lurched at the snap of her voice through the air. It was an order, but he didn’t know who it had been issued to.The air stirred as if a gust had rushed past him.“I’d like to—”Tom flinched as a vampire appeared in front of him, his dagger pressed to his neck. He froze looking up into the cold eyes of the vampire looking down at him. There was no malice or anger. His gaze was placid like a lake.He was just like all the other vampir
Arthur glared at Tom as he panted. His shoulders heaving and his face contorted with anger. Perhaps he was out of line, but he meant it and he wouldn’t take it back. To bow to a vampire, to accept her as luna would make a mockery of every comrade and loved one he’d lost in the war.“I refuse to serve a luna with vampire blood,” Tom turned. “Mark me, Your Majesty, she’ll reveal her true colors in the end! She is likely the traitor among us!”Arthur glared at Tom, “I had two demands, Tom.”He froze and looked at him, eyes wide and shocked, “You would abandon your throne, your birthright, your family’s legacy for a vampire?”Daphne put a hand on Arthur’s shoulder, squeezing gently to keep him in place. She could feel his fury roiling from his shoulders. Tom didn’t seem to understand what kind of buttons he was pushing, or maybe he did and thought they had such a good
Arthur had been avoiding Daphne since they returned to Sharp Armor from the meeting several days ago. She’d been asking about the meeting, but the thought of talking about it only angered him. He told her that he didn’t want to talk about it until it just seemed better to avoid her as much as possible. He didn’t want to upset her. He didn’t even think he could say anything about it without being upset. There was so much to say, and he wasn’t sure he could manage to talk about it.It was better to work out his frustration on the training pitch and think about the situation. Nicole was serious. She planned to murder and pillage the kingdom until Daphne was returned. He didn't know how he was going to manage to avoid that and keep Daphne at his side.The best option was to be ready for war and try to negotiate, but would Nicole and her forces be receptive to that? Would Daphne want to be with her people? Did she have family left? Would she wa
Arthur waited in what had once been the center of Sharp Armor for the living and able werewolves to join him. He focused on keeping his breathing even and his mind clear. Daphne would want him to be calm and try to understand how they were feeling. It was a shock to them all to find out about Daphne’s heritage, but there was no reason for them to act like this.Daphne wasn’t a traitor. There were so many other people who could have betrayed the werewolf kingdom in all the years since his parents were killed, yet no one thought of them.Slowly, people came, gathering around him. They murmured between one another. Some of their voices were angry and biting. Some shook with terror and anxiety, but no one among them spoke of anything but their sense of betrayal.“I can’t believe we’ve all been fooled…”“Think about His Majesty…”When enough people seemed to have arrived, Arthur addressed the
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