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“Earth to Bella!” my mother says with a sly smile. “Your brother’s potential brides will arrive in two weeks. So, I figured instead of allowing you to tear them apart, we’d invite your potential mates here first.” A knowing grin appearing on her face. The way my father tells the story, my mother ripped two other she-wolves to shreds for being in the same room as him.
“Excellent decision mother, we wouldn’t want blood staining the new mosaic.” I smile as I motion with a practiced flourish to the beautiful artwork beneath my feet.
“Quite true Bella. We save that for a better occasion, like when I decide she’s not good enough for my son.” Mother displays a feral grin as shadow wisps move freely through her long tresses, giving her a spectral appearance.
“When’s the war games over with? I was hoping for Ryker to be home before this whole debacle begins.” I miss my twin terribly, even though he can be a real jerk.
Mother sweeps me up in a big hug and kisses my temple. “He should be home tomorrow evening at the latest with your father.” Mother tightens her hug for the briefest of moments before releasing me and heading back to the lead party planner. Her goal is to make this a night to remember.
We stand there for a moment longer, watching as mother drifts around the hall making all the final adjustments. “Things just got real,” I say to no one in particular as my eyes drift from decoration to decoration. Dread settles in the pit of my stomach as the realization my days here are numbered.
Chapter1
Belladonna
Screams echothroughout the halls of the castle, setting my wolf on edge. Without a second thought, I shift to my wolf and step into the shadows in the corner of my old room. Phasing between the shadows in the castle shortens the distance between me and my mother’s pain-filled screams. Emerging from the shadows, my wolf bares her canines with her hackles raised in full attack mode. That is, until I see my mother chasing a stretcher that is being carried down the hall by my brother’s guards. Shifting back to my human form is effortless as I race down the hall after them. Thankfully, my clothes remain on me between forms, a perk of being a royal wolf. If we are not careful, it has happened that clothing gets destroyed from shifting to quickly, even for royals.
Bursting through the doors to the infirmary, I see my twin prone on the bed, pale as if death itself is beckoning him home. Rich crimson blood stains his abdomen and I see a wound on his left side. Tears fall from my eyes as I stare at Ryker in disbelief. “What happened?” I say to no one in particular.
Disbelief, shock, you name it, floods my system, sending me on an emotional rollercoaster. What I wouldn’t give to be a Water Wolf right now and be able to heal my brother.
Father, for once, offers me solace as he wraps a thick arm around my shoulder. “Orcs attacked during the presentation ceremony. No one was prepared for their attack. It was a literal bloodbath.” Father runs his free hand down his face before he turns his gaze to me. “The Orcs are more organized than usual. I suspect someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes.” Father’s wolf flairs to life, making his eyes glow with the power of his beast.
Nodding slowly, my eyes drift from my twin to my father, then back to Ryker again. “What will we do, Father? Wage war? Or wait to be attacked again.” My voice quivers with a mix of rage and pain.
“Shhh, Bella, first things first. We must find you a mate to help keep you safe. After all, war is not a female’s place.” He shakes his head before tilting it to the side and smiling. “I need to know that you are protected. A good powerful alpha to help keep you in line.” Father cups my cheek, then kisses my temple. “We are returning to the old way of doing things. I will arrange for you to go to all the packs to choose a mate from each.” I protest, and father raises his hand to silence me. “We need to unite all the packs as one.”
“But Father, no one should be burdened with a she-wolf like me. It’s like an automatic death sentence for the unfortunate male.” Furrowing my brows, I raise my eyes to look up at my father. My heart is breaking thinking about possibly harming an innocent male.
Father abruptly releases me, then moves to stand before me. “Belladonna Fenrisulfr! I will not tolerate you degrading yourself like that! You are an intelligent and powerful she-wolf that any male in his right mind would be honored to have as his mate.” Father cups my cheeks in his hands as he smiles at me. “You are my greatest accomplishment and my most precious gift. Don’t fear what you are; you are perfect just the way you are,” Father says with conviction as his smile softens. He kisses my forehead in an odd showing of affection before releasing me to go speak with the healer.
Several beats longer then I should, I watch Father’s retreating back disappear down the hallway. The doctor tells my father that they have stabilized my twin. I move to his left side and grip his hand in mine. I can only hope and pray that the Goddess sees fit to allow him to remain here with us. Ari is eventually allowed in the infirmary, and she pulls over two chairs for us to sit at my brother’s side.
I adjust my grip on my brother’s hand and rest my forehead on our joined hands. I don’t know what I will do if he passes away from his injuries. Sleep sneaks up on me at some point, and I am awakened by someone running their fingers through my hair. Groggily, I raise my head and look around slowly. The only other person in the room is Ryker, and he’s smirking at me.
“Can’t kill me that easy, sis…” His voice is rough from lack of use. He forces a smile just for me, trying to convince me that what he’s saying is true.
Tears spill immediately from my eyes as I stare at my brother in disbelief. “Shhh… Rest, I need you to get better.” Standing slowly, I move to lean over my brother to hug him carefully and kiss his temple. All the pent-up fear and anxiety seems to melt away as he weakly holds on to me. Our wolves rumble to each other, reassuring each other that they are still here.
“Do you want me to hunt for you? Catch you something fresh, like we used to do when we got sick?” Carefully I pull back and away to look Ryker in the eyes.
“I’m okay sis, honest. My primary concern besides getting better is helping mother and father find you a suitable mate or mates.” Ryker’s signature smirk is back in place; he reminds me of Damon from that Vampire TV show I loved watching. Cocky, arrogant, and has a heart of gold underneath it all. The only thing that snaps me out of my inner monologue is how much effort it takes for my brother to talk. His voice sounds weaker now than it did when he first started talking.
Before I can say anything else, mother and father return to check on us and smile, seeing Ryker awake. Father leaves immediately to retrieve the healer, and Mother rushes to Ryker’s side. “Thank the Goddess you’re awake. It was touch and go there for a while and had us all scared.” Mother’s furrowed brows eventually relax, and the tense expression she’s holding fades away. “Bella refused to leave your side the entire time,” Mother says as her fingers run through my long obsidian hair.
“Bella, you need to take better care of yourself,” Ryker forces out in a huff. I can tell he’s getting tired all over again.
Nodding, I lean over to nuzzle my brother’s cheek. “I love you Ry. Get some sleep. I’ll stay right here and watch over you.” My wolf stirs under the surface, in agreement with my statement.
Ryker smiles and mouths he loves me too before closing his eyes to rest again. Just as he drifts off to sleep, the healer returns with our father. Carefully, he examines my brother under my watchful gaze; every movement he makes, I scrutinize. I know I must make him nervous because of my powers and the fact my eyes constantly glow with the power of my wolf.
“Belladonna.” Father uses the stern tone of his that infers that there will be no arguments over what he’s about to say. “We must proceed with the betrothal process, with modifications all things considered.” He sweeps his hand toward my prone twin.
“What do you propose, Father?” I may as well sort out this impending debacle.
A semi-sinister smile creeps over my father’s lips as he assesses me. Deep down, he knows I can overpower him; for me to go along with his plan is throwing him off his game of psychological warfare. “Each kingdom is holding their own betrothal ball. As the Princess of the ruling kingdom, they expect you to attend each kingdom’s ball.” He crosses his arms over his barrel chest, signifying he will tolerate nothing less than complete compliance from me. “Look pretty and play nice. Hopefully, some male will take a willful female like you.”
“From initial conversations, Father, you indicated I should a mate from each of the other four kingdoms. Is that still your desire for me to do?” I personally hope to live my days alone and eventually shift and never take my human form again. But alas, a princess’s life is one of duty and service to the crown and to her people. Various emotions flicker over my father’s stoic expression till he settles back on his normal apathetic indifference.
