Chapter 20 #2
When I was seven, I was mistakenly mesmerized by the vampires’ red eyes that glowed like rubies and white fangs that gleamed like pearls.
But after several close calls with our enemy, I learned that their crimson eyes were like ice, devoid of compassion, and their fangs, sharp like a steel saw, could slash through skin, flesh, and muscle.
Dad’s warriors who’d survived vampire attacks came home with stories of bloodshed, broken bones, and carrying back the bodies of mutilated werewolves.
This would cause an uproar in the kingdom when they saw Lucy escorted by the King’s daughter on our premises.
“Ready?” I asked as we parked in front of the white building.
She nodded.
Lucy’s tensed body moved next to me like a robot. In front of the dungeon, the Alphas had blocked the entrance, and a small crowd of pack members gathered around.
How did they get here before the King?
I groaned when I saw Layla.
Mark was the first one to step forward. “Princess, we don’t invite the enemy into our territory,” he said with a “duh” sort of tone.
“Lucy is the prisoner’s mate, and she’s here for a final goodbye. Now move aside, Mark,” I said.
His eyes flashed his wolf in a warning. No one moved an inch.
“No passage. Take her and throw her back where she came from. Or I can do it for you,” Mark said and growled.
The audacity of this man had no limits.
Dad had taught me I had to appear strong on the outside when I dealt with high-ranking werewolves. But on the inside, I was crumbling.
“Step aside, Mark. Or did you forget your place?”
His body shook, and his nostrils flared. Would Alpha Mark shift and attack Lucy?
Torin stepped out of the crowd in front of me.
“Move aside,” Torin said and growled.
Then he shifted completely into his vampire. Lucy did a double take at Torin’s silver hair.
Did his vampire side feel instinctively that I was in danger? But I didn’t want to believe that an Alpha could hurt the King’s daughter.
“Alpha Torin, I see you defend your kind,” Mark said with a clenched jaw. “Not very loyal of you.”
“I’m helping the Princess. And I said move aside, unless you want to fly to the side as I toss you there,” Torin said.
The air filled with tension. Growls from the crowd and the other Alphas echoed around us, and my blood froze in my veins.
We were in so much trouble. Even Torin wouldn’t be able to protect us by himself.
Mark’s hands shifted into his wolf claws, and I gasped. He wouldn’t, would he?
Lucy moved to my side, tense. Why couldn’t they see she wasn’t the vicious vampire they thought she was?
“Alpha Mark, you better put your claws away in front of my daughter,” Dad said from behind me and stomped toward Mark.
When he got in Mark’s face, Dad growled.
Mark retreated and dropped his chin to his chest. “Yes, my King.”
“You’ll see your punishment later for insubordination, Alpha Mark,” Dad said, turning his back on him.
When I thought the danger was gone and we could enter the dungeon, Alpha Henry walked to my dad.
“Brendan, we’ve been friends for a long time. But what the Princess did, bringing in a vampire here, is outrageous and frowned upon. How can we trust that she wouldn’t do something like that in the future when she is the Queen?”
The older Alpha spoke softly and with a low voice. He had served Dad for many years, and Dad listened to him. But the murderous expression on the King’s face told me Dad didn’t see Henry as his friend right now.
“When the time for a vote for the next Queen comes, you can decide. Now move aside, Henry.”
I blinked. Dad supported me unconditionally.
“Fair enough,” Henry said, glancing at Torin standing on my other side. “But you can’t deny that Alpha Torin’s behavior is suspicious. Even the Princess’s mate is not supporting her decision.”
Henry pointed to the crowd where Hayden stood with his arms crossed, watching all of us but not engaging.
“But Torin could be trying to gain the Princess’s favor to take the throne next to her. He could be the vampire Queen’s spy, just like our prisoner, and wants to destroy us from the inside. What if he compels the Princess?” Alpha Henry asked, raising his eyebrows.
I couldn’t stifle the scoff that escaped my throat. As a witch, the vampires, including Torin, couldn't compel my mind.
I looked at Layla. Would she use this moment to tell everyone that Torin was my mate, and as such, he had the right to the throne as my King?
My pulse sped up, and I stared at Layla, who had all the power right now to bring chaos to our already weakened kingdom.
She pressed her lips together and smirked. It was going to be worse. She seemed to have a different plan for later.
Dad didn’t bother to respond to Henry. If he were to defend himself or Torin, Dad would only look like he was making excuses. But Henry had already planted a seed of doubt in everyone’s mind about Torin’s true intentions.
The King shouted his order for everyone to disperse. For the most part, people left. The Alphas moved aside, scrutinizing Lucy and me.
After locking the cell behind Lucy, I asked the guards to leave. Her sobs and muffled voices echoed from inside the prison cell. My heart ached for the couple, and I stepped out of the dungeon.
After a moment, Lucy walked out, disheveled and sobbing. She took confident strides, walked up to Dad, and bowed.
“Thank you for allowing me one last time with my mate,” she said.
My dad’s eyes widened, and he blinked repeatedly.
He finally recovered and glanced at me. “You should be thanking my daughter. She’s a better person than I am.”
Dad called over a warrior and asked him to drive Lucy back to the airport. The young man frowned, but Dad smacked him on his head like an unruly child. The warrior wasn’t older than twenty and immediately apologized to his King.
Lucy crossed toward me. “If you ever need help with anything, I’m ready to help.
Although your position as the future Queen may be shaky now, I think it’ll pass.
Once you’re the werewolf Queen, if you ever declare war on the vampire Queen, call me.
Other vampires like me and my mate have suffered because of her.
We’ll help you,” she said and smiled, silent tears wetting her face.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She nodded and walked away, following the young man Dad had assigned her.
Had I just made an ally of the vampire woman?
The streets were nearly empty. The only light came from the high poles that lined the roads.
I was so exhausted from the day that the only thing I wanted was to crawl into bed. I made it to the manor, climbed the stairs to my bedroom, and was about to turn into the hallway leading to my room when Layla’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Alpha Torin, fancy meeting you here,” she said, and my eyes widened.
I tiptoed to the edge of the wall and peered into the dim hallway.
Torin leaned on the wall next to my bedroom door, and Layla swayed her hips as she approached him.
I swallowed hard. I should just walk to my room and interrupt them. But instead, my legs planted, unmoving.
Layla lifted on her toes and whispered something into Torin’s ear. He didn’t move away from her, and my stomach knotted.
Suddenly, a warm hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me back into a hard chest. My body jerked and stiffened. But the jolt of electricity passing through my spine told me my mate embraced me.
“What are you doing snooping on people, sweetheart?” Hayden whispered.
“I’m not snooping…” I said and sighed. “Fine. I was.”
“So what’s so interesting going on there?”
Hayden and I both peered down the hallway. We stood a good distance away from Torin and Layla, and she was whispering to him. I wanted to ask Hayden what the couple discussed but decided not to.
Layla moved closer, thrusting her chest into Torin’s side. And then he leaned in, as if he would kiss her.
“No,” I whispered, my heart breaking. “Don’t.”