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“I have an heir. He is moping over in the corner.” Maddox jerked his thumb over at Lorien who remained blissfully unaware of the content of the conversation going on about him.
Alonzo’s brows rose.
“But he’s not of your lineage. You are an ancient, sire. Your bloodlines are not only honored, but truly precious. That one is common. And makerless.”
“I’m aware of what Lorien is and is not,” Maddox said. “He is my heir. You may write it in whatever ledger you need to.”
“Long may you live, sire,” Alonzo said. Maddox allowed himself a smirk. He did enjoy the way petty functionaries like Alonzo were capable of delivering an ego stroke and a complaint in the very same sentence.
“Thank you, Alonzo.”
2 THE PAST
In the aftermath of Maddox's coronation, one might have been forgiven for thinking a happily-ever-after might ensue, that the narrative was complete, and that all good things had come to an end.
But it was not over. Maddox knew that. Young people like Will always thought stories had ends, that monsters could be defeated, and that ever-afters could be happy. Maddox knew better. Monsters would always rise, and stories did not end, they just went on and on… and ever after? That was another term for torturous eternity. He should know.
Still, there was little point in trying to convince Will otherwise. He was happy, and happiness was a rare enough thing to be worth preserving at the cost of truth.
But being king could not unfortunately be all orgies. Maddox was forced to suffer an almost unbearable amount of paperwork coming from other kingdoms—of which there were a nearly endless number. The diplomacy requirements alone were enough to crush the souls of a thousand mortals. He was attempting to read the same convoluted sentence for the fifth time when the door to his office sprang open dramatically.
Will had still not mastered the art of knocking, along with many other social nuances lost behind bars. Sometimes that irritated Maddox. Other times, like now, it was a welcome relief from the tedium of office.
“So,” Will declared in that way he did when he had something to declare. He dropped himself into a chair, limbs sprawling in an all too comfortable way. “I’m a werewolf.”
“Yes. You are,” Maddox smiled indulgently at how long it had taken Will to make that remark. He had accepted his transformation with incredible emotional agility, or perhaps he’d just been too busy to ask questions. Eventually, however, these things did have a way of sinking in.
“What does… how did that happen?”
Ah, here it was. The where do I come from question. The question that covered a myriad of other, deeper, darker questions. Maddox had known this was going to come up eventually. Will was not the most curious of creatures, but even the most disinterested pup had to wonder where the fangs and paws came from.
“Your father was the last pureblood werewolf. He met your mother, things happened in the usual way, and you were born.”
“And put in a fucking dumpster.” Will’s eyes flared with blue fury. “That’s all I know about myself. That I was thrown away the second I was born. It was the one thing in my file everybody just fucking loved telling me about. Like it was some massive miracle I survived.”
“Your mother was very young. Younger than she should have been. And you were born with fur and a tail. I don’t think she knew what to do with you.”
“I don’t have a fucking tail, Maddox. And I’m not covered in fur.”
“The fur fell out a few hours after birth, and the tail was removed as a vestigial appendage at the hospital after you were found.”
Will’s eyes narrowed with understandable suspicion. Maddox had previously decided to answer the boy’s questions honestly as they arose, but not to bring up the topic before William brought it up himself. He didn’t want to overload Will with more information than he could handle. Too much, too soon was bad for a human with a temper issue.
“How do you know all this?”
“I knew of your father. Not as a friend. He was not a friend.” Maddox was very clear about that. “I did not know your mother at all, but even a casual observer could conclude that she was too young, too inexperienced, and too afraid to deal with the consequences of her actions. She made a mistake the day she left you behind.”
“Yes, she fucking did.” Will gritted his teeth.
“Let me tell you something before you give into all that rage. Nothing is ever lost. Everything is conserved. And those with unfinished business inevitably return to one another’s orbit.”
“Is that right? Sounds like bullshit.”
“The truth delights in masquerading as bullshit. All’s well now, isn’t it?”
“Sure, I mean my childhood was a nightmare and I ended up in prison, but that’s all fine because now I suck a vampire’s dick.”
This conversation was clearly not putting Will in a good mood.
