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Fletcher sighed, then kissed each cheek with a delicate affection. Feeling the dampness from her tears only invigorated his anger even more.
“I shouldn’t be long,” he whispered. “But please, don’t wait for me in case I am longer than expected.”
They kissed softly, and then Fletcher helped her lie down on the king-sized bed. She nestled into the pillow, still sniffling.
“I will make this right,” he said before pulling the door closed.
“I know,” she said in the dim light. “I know, My King.”
He shut the door gently, his heart savagely jostling behind his ribs. He hated seeing her in that state. Whoever had done such a heinous act was going to regret even thinking of her precious name.
He moved down the hallways with meaning, using the secret door out of the lower terrace to meet the enforcers who were already waiting for him in the SUV. The night was calm, cool, and foreboding.
He sat in the passenger's seat, mulling over the day's events in his head.
“Tell me the plan again,” he said.
“Barry says the security is in tack. Frank and Sal are guarding the store. You, me, and Angelo are heading out to this Colt fellow’s home. He lives just outside the city with his family.”
Gary, one of his more seasoned enforcers, was in the front driver’s seat and doing the talking. Angelo sat in the back, nodding along with agreement.
The enforcers of the royal family were both security and investigators. He trusted them as much as a king could trust anyone. Actions spoke louder than words in most cases.
“How many members of the family?” Fletcher asked.
“Two daughters and a wife. They’ll likely be asleep at this time. He’s known to hunt in the forest just behind their home.”
“Perfect,” Fletcher said. “Let’s get going. Park a good mile away. We will catch him before he catches us.”
Gary started the engine and backed out of the palace parking garage. They took the side roads, a route that only those closest to the royals knew about, moving through the inky black with the headlights spilling in front of them.
Fletcher knew who Colt was. He was a wolf shifter who lived on the outskirts of the main city where Madison’s store was. He was a failed beta who once defended the mountain from outside attacks from the four realms.
The king had spoken to him a mere few weeks before Madison’s arrival on account of one of his tours around the state. He found checking in with locals earned him respect and made him more approachable than a bloodthirsty brute who rules with an iron fist.
But apparently, that respect did not extend to his future queen.
Fletcher had picked out the scent easily. It was one that didn't shroud itself with the intensity of the rest. It reeked of the forest, but rather than sandalwood and oak, it was more like the decayed corner where leaves fell to rot away.
He knew what he needed to do, and there was no hesitation in his mind about it. His enforcers knew better than anyone what had been decided. Violence wasn’t only an option on the table … it was the only one.
They crawled up to the tiny collection of suburban houses and parked behind an apple orchard. They all moved on foot up the hill, progressing about a mile in their human forms to arrive at the home of the culprit. Even in a kingdom full of shifters, it would still be strange to see wolves wandering about in the dead of night. There were various laws in place that forbid such transients.
When they came upon Colt’s home, they all donned their hoods. All of the lights inside were out, which was a good thing. Fletcher, however, was hoping they wouldn’t have to venture inside and traumatize the family. It was their father who had done the deed and should be the one punished.
Fletcher caught the wolf’s scent in the air as they lingered near the house, then followed it as it curled around back. It grew more intense as they descended upon the forest, black as coal, all to find Colt there scavenging in his wolf form.
They had to move fast. It was a matter that the king wanted to be dealt with quietly before the kingdom got word on what had happened in the store. All three of them charged the wolf before he had a second to realize what was happening to him.
They hit him all at once, with Angelo connecting his fist with a thundering blow to Colt’s chin and Fletcher and Gary lifting him by the paws. Colt let out a high-pitched howl that was muffled by the punch and the growing thickness of the forest they ran deeper into.
They smashed him against a tree, with Gary using his strong forearm against his throat to hold him still. His eyes went wide with panic, and his state of anxiety forced him into his human state. His voice was squeaky and pathetic as he begged for an explanation.
“What’s going on? Help! Hel …”
As Angelo tied his hands around the tree, Fletcher connected with his own ear-ringing jab. His fist collided with the man’s cheek, rearranging his chin and cracking the bones beneath it.
Fletcher realized then it had been some time since he’d hit anyone. His knuckles swelled into tiny balloons instantly, pulsing with a stabbing burn.
