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“I am Dustin. They sent me as an envoy from the Fire Pack.” He bows deeply at the waist and walks side by side with me up the stairs to the upper balcony.
We reach the top and step onto the balcony. Amun is quick to wrap Dustin up in a bro hug. “What brings you here tonight?” He walks Dustin over to his parents, and Dustin bows to them deeply. Thankfully, it appears I am off the hook for a bit.
Dustin remains with my mother and my in-laws, so Ari and I return to the balcony to watch the woods for the males to return. About an hour or so later, the birds break free of the canopy, scattering in all different directions. Siren’s sound, and I look at King Coro. He’s already barking out orders to his elite guard. Apparently, the wall has been breached and Orcs are in the woods.
Fear grips my heart as I think about my mate being in the woods. My eyes take on that haunting green glow shifting to the fathomless orbs of my wolf. “I’m going after Kaedyn,” I say with more force than I mean to. Amun nods and straps on his bow and quiver, then offers me mine. Laughing, I look at the bow and then hand it back to Amun. “I can do far more damage without the bow than with it. Besides, the shadows call me home…” I say as I undo my braid, letting my long obsidian hair flow. Shadow tendrils whip wildly from my hair and my mother beams with pride.
“Go Belladonna, seek and destroy, leave no Orc breathing,” my mother says, looking more like Maleficent than the regal queen from just an hour ago.
I give my mother a terse nod and leap over the balcony into the darkness below, vanishing from sight. Whipping through the shadows, I only emerge long enough to use pestilence on the Orcs I find desiccating them with just a touch. I pick up speed, searching for my mate; I know he’s here somewhere. The scent of evergreen grows stronger in the cedar part of the forest, and I know I’m getting close. At least a dozen Orcs surround my mate’s white wolf. Emerging from the shadows, I let the darkness consume me and amplify my powers. Nightmares plague most of the Orcs, causing them to lash out at their comrades striking them down where they stand. The ones that I cannot scare, I touch and they turn into a dried husk before falling away to nothing.
I appear to be more specter than human as I drift around attacking the Orcs that dare attack my mate. They injured Kaedyn, and I can smell his blood on the air. It enrages my she-wolf to the point of frenzy. I become fully corporeal again and stand over my mate’s wolf. With one last burst of power, I kill everything within twenty yards of where I stand. Trees, plants, Orcs, my powers don’t discriminate, everything it touches dies.
When I’m sure the area is safe, I kneel next to Kaedyn. “You need to shift, Kaedyn; I can carry you back as my wolf. As a human, I’m not strong enough to help you.” My eyes plead with him as I watch him shift back to his human form.
“It’s the same pack that hunted us at the war games. The bastards,” he says with a growl.
Nodding slowly, I check his wounds. Several cuts litter his ribs and his biceps. “I’ll shift, climb on, and I’ll carry us back through the shadows.” I sigh softly, then look at the surrounding carnage.
“We will not speak of what I did today outside of family. I don’t need to be viewed as a threat by your people.” Kaedyn now takes the time to look around and really take stock of what happened.
I shift to my wolf and lie down next to him. I swear, the more I use my dark powers, the larger my wolf seems to grow. Reluctantly, he pulls himself onto my back and I carefully stand up. Once I’m sure he’s ready, I bend the shadows to my whim and get us back to the castle in record time.
The healers are already fast at work on those that made it back before us. Climbing the stairs, I carefully place each paw, making sure not to rock my mate too much. We make it to the top and his father and brother take him from me, both thanking me a dozen times over. I shift back and follow my mate to his room and sit as a sentinel watching over everything that’s being done.
News reaches me that tonight’s ball has been postponed till tomorrow night. Part of me is thankful for the delay, the other part just wants to get this nonsense over with. Dustin and Amun enter Kaedyn’s room cautiously. Bending the shadows, I shut the door behind them then move out from my hiding spot.
“What brings a fire envoy here tonight?” My voice is firm and filled with the tone and power of my wolf. I take the seat closest to my sleeping mate’s side and cross my arms over my chest, waiting for an answer.
“Princess Belladonna, King and Queen Randulfr of the Fire Kingdom, send their good tidings to you during your dark times.” Dustin bows deeply to me, then reaches into his jacket pocket and offers me a wax sealed envelope.
Cautiously, I lean forward and take the envelope from him and look it over. Verifying the seal is authentic. “Do you know the contents of this letter, Dustin?” My eyes flair to life, lighting up the room with their eerie green glow.
Dustin quickly drops his eyes. “No Princess, I do not. I was told to bring this to you post haste concerning your father’s trial and which pack you plan to visit next.” A smile creeps across his lips as he glances up briefly at me. “If you have chosen to visit our pack next, they gave me orders to ensure your safety.” He bows deeply, then backs out of the room. At least he’s smart enough not to give me his back.
Flipping the envelope over and over in my hand, I look up at Amun. “Watch over your brother. I need to seek an audience with your parents.” Amun nods and moves out of my way as I get up and head out the door.
I catch one of the king’s attendants in the hallway and he leads me to the king’s study. Firmly, I knock on the door and wait to be acknowledged. A faint “enter” can be heard through the thick solid oak doors. It’s my first time entering King Coro’s study. I scanning the room quickly before entering, noting there were no windows, nor does there appear to be a second way out.
“Princess Belladonna, please enter and join me on this call.” He motions to the large computer monitor before him.
Without hesitation, I move around the side of the desk, then behind it to gaze upon the other men on the screen and take a seat. I recognize King Flint from the Fire Pack, King Idris from the Earth Pack, and King Mateo from the Water Pack. Holding my head high, I meet their gaze. “Greetings your Highnesses, I hope this evening finds you all well.”
The kings respond with their greetings and then an awkward silence falls for several moments before King Idris speaks. “Coro, your description of Belladonna’s beauty was lacking. She’s far more radiant than you made us believe.”
I raise an eyebrow and look at Coro before looking at King Idris. “You’re too kind, your Highness. I’m sure we have much more pressing matters than my looks.” I raise my chin slightly in challenge as I refuse to lower my eyes.
Coro lightly pats my back, telling me I did well, calling the other king out on his nonsense. “I’ve gathered the other kings here to discuss the matter of your father breaking the ancient covenant of not striking one’s mate. Your mother admitted that it was not the first time he had struck her.”
A deep, guttural growl escapes my lips as I feel my canines break free of my gums. The reflection of the glow from my eyes illuminates the top of the desk. “He did what? How dare he!” I growl my words out as I barely restrain my beast.
“Her wolf is far too powerful for an air or water, mate. Send her here to the Fire Pack. We love our females fiery and spirited,” King Flint says arrogantly.
King Coro is about to speak, but I just give him a look, then smile. “I’m sorry you feel that way, King Flint. I’ve already chosen my first mate from the air pack. And as first mate, he will help me choose which pack we go to next.” I smile sweetly and bat my eyes. King Coro, at some point, slipped on leather gloves and now holds a rose before me. I glance at him quickly and he waggles an eyebrow at me. Knowing exactly what he wants me to do. I kiss the rose and watch it wither and die before me, then fall to ash.
King Flint suddenly falls silent, and I smile. “As for the matter of my father,”—I steeple my hands before me and smile—“he hasn’t worried about the pack’s wellbeing for years. My brother, Ryker, is severely wounded and will never fully recover.” I lay my hands flat on the desktop.
“I vote to dethrone my father, have my mother rule in my place till I have taken a mate from each kingdom.” Leaning back in my chair, I cross my arms over my chest, giving the other kings my death glare.
