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Chapter Eighteen
Arne’s lips were my wakeup call and, despite the fact that I wanted to sleep more, he gave me a better gift. We spent the morning mating until a knock at my door interrupted the after-cuddling.
“What?” Arne yelled out. I felt the rumble of his voice in my chest.
From the other side of the door, someone must’ve answered him. He growled low and slow before turning toward me. “It’s time to get dressed and face this bastard once and for all.”
Not the words I wanted to see on my mate’s lips.
But what I wanted more than anything was for this nightmare to be over.
Out of my life—vanquished and forgotten.
“Let’s go.”
Arne pulled me in for one more kiss before declaring he was going to get ready. We shared an innuendo-filled joke before he left and Candace came in.
“I’m not wearing a dress. No way in hell.”
She beamed while clapping her hands. “I was hoping you would say that. I had something made up for you.”
Candace rushed to the closet and pulled out a pair of walnut-colored leather pants. She had a seriously amazing white shirt to go underneath a vest of a similar color to the pants along with boots.
“These aren’t just regular leather clothes. I took the liberty of having them reinforced with plates to protect you. They are a little heavy, but worth it. They are also delicate enough to shred should you find the need to shift and take that jerk on with your teeth.”
Candace was priceless.
As she dressed me, I became more and more internally empowered. My courage built up along with my esteem. I could do this. My mates and I, along with Jillian and her entire pack, would take them on. They would not leave this kingdom alive again. Not on my watch.
With my mates and my twin by my side, we walked to the clearing where one of the scouts had already spotted Bors and his pathetic army. He had clearly found the scum of the earth to be his defense. After all, scum did attract scum.
“Finally, we end this,” Bors boomed.
It didn’t impress anyone on my side of the battle. We were ready. The Crystal Cavern pack, my kingdom, my mates, and my family. We were ready. It would be a long fight, but it would be worth it.
I was ready to charge when Leif took my hand and stopped me from moving. Everyone was facing the hill that separated us from the kingdom.
“What is it?” I asked, since clearly they could hear something that I couldn’t.
“Your Majesty, it is your people. They have come to defend you in battle.”
I gasped. In the distance, I saw a myriad of pitchforks, swords, shovels, and any other farm tool I could think of. Townsfolk with sticks and brooms and I didn’t know what all. They were marching to battle with whatever they could find.
Leif turned toward Gunnar. “Get them the extra swords. Give them to the strongest ones.”
Gunnar rushed to meet the people at the top of the hill and replaced at least a dozen garden tools with proper swords.
If I survived this, everyone would have access to a sword. Everyone should have the right to defend themselves and their property.
My eyes scanned the horizon and landed on Bors. His face had turned a pasty pale color while his mouth was open shock.
He’d never counted on my people helping me, mostly because they never in their lives would’ve defended him, even against a squirrel.
In what seemed like seconds, the battle began. It was a bloodbath from the start, but my people were doing the slaying.
Heads rolled, bodies hit the ground, and growls broke out as many turned to their animal selves to do the fighting. Even Candace, Quinton, and my good friend Zenia had come out and were kicking ass left and right.
In a blur of time and space, they were all gone, all but Bors. He stood in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by all of my people, mates, family, and anyone else I knew.
