Page 31

T he mindlink crackles open as Liam desperately calls for the guards, his voice filled with urgency, increasing my heart rate and panic. But there is only silence in response. A disconcerting silence hangs heavy in the air, causing a knot of unease to form in the pit of my stomach.

Yet, despite the lack of any answer from the guards outside, Kyson opens the mindlink, and his voice flits through our heads.

“What is it? ” Kyson asks, his voice laced with concern and a touch of apprehension.

“The council is here. Get home. Now,” Liam’s voice comes through the link, tinged with a mix of frustration and desperation as his head turns, taking in all the council members and guns trained on us.

“Don’t let them in. I am on my way,” Kyson responds.

“Too late.”

“Azalea?”

“Get here, Kyson. I am all that is left,” Liam growls, his words laced with fierce protectiveness as he slams shut the mindlink, cutting off any further communication.

As Liam takes a deep breath to steady himself, he walks down with purposeful strides to confront the unwelcome visitors, standing in front of me, he pushes me further behind him.

“How may I help you, gentlemen?” Liam asks.

“We have had a complaint,” the tallest member of the council states coldly, his voice dripping with authority and superiority.

“So you thought you would break into the kingdom? The king isn’t here, so I am sure we can reschedule,” Liam retorts, a bit of his humor slipping back into his tone.

The tall council member matches Kyson’s height effortlessly; his obsidian eyes fixated on Liam with an unsettling gaze.

He then peers behind Liam, his gaze finding me, and he stares at me curiously, giving the air a sniff.

“Clarice, take the new girl upstairs,” Liam commands, but the tall council member steps forward, causing Liam’s hand to instinctively fall on his chest, a silent warning.

The energy in the air shifts, crackling with tension as Clarice grabs my arm, pushing me up the stairs. The man’s presence is foreboding, commanding attention and respect. He steps forward, disregarding Liam’s attempt to redirect him.

“She remains. We aren’t here to see the king but to find two women, an Abbie and the queen.”

“As I said, the King isn’t here, and neither is Abbie, and neither is the queen,” Liam growls, looking at the man whose gaze has not left me.

His eyes then dart back and forth between the council member and the men surrounding him, their guns glinting ominously in the dim light when one presses against his chest.

The man watching me tilts his head to the side. “Now that would be a lie because she reeks of the king’s scent,” he growls.

“And as I said, the king is not here, so I will escort you off the premises, gentlemen. No need to frighten everyone here,” Liam retorts.

Clarice’s grip on my arm tightens, pulling me further away from the unfolding confrontation. Fear courses through my veins like venomous poison, constricting my thoughts and actions making me sluggish, and I follow her when another voice fills the room.

Just as Liam is about to make his next move, another voice cuts through the chaos, commanding attention and freezing everyone in their tracks. The sheer force behind it sends shivers down my spines.

“She goes up those stairs, shoot him, and the woman,” the voice echoes through the room, its authority leaving no room for argument. Clarice gasps, her eyes wide with terror as they meet mine, silently conveying the gravity of the situation to not move right now.

“Clarice, take her upstairs,” Liam orders, his voice filled with a dangerous edge. I swallow, turning my attention back to these men surrounding Liam.

“What is this about?” I demand, and the man smirks as my command rolls over him but has no effect. He looks amused at my attempt.

“If you would come with me, My Queen,” he says with a mocking tone, his words dripping with falseness.

“She is not going anywhere with you,” Liam snarls, stepping into the council member’s path and placing a firm hand on his chest. The tension in the room intensifies as the other men surrounding Liam move closer, their guns pressing against him.

A palpable sense of danger hangs in the air, threatening to explode at any moment.

The men holding guns step aside to allow the other three men into my line of vision, all of them dressed impeccably in tailored suits.

“You must be Azalea. I see you have met Mr. Crux. I am a council elder. My name is Denali,” he says.

This man, Denali, oozes authority, and is clearly the one in charge. He smirks, his cold blue eyes staring up at me as he sweeps thick blond hair from his face. He also speaks with a thick accent I can’t quite place.

“And this is my brother, Larkin,” Denali says, motioning toward the man beside him in a tailored blue suit, his blond hair tied neatly at the nape of his neck. Larkin possesses the same cruel, sharp features as Denali, a mirror image of him.

“And this is Kendrick,” he says, motioning to the last man who is missing an eye.

A long, jagged scar stretches from his hairline to his chin, his lips twisted into a permanent snarl.

He moves forward with an unsettling grace, his one-eyed gaze fixated on me with an intensity that sends shivers down my spine.

He takes a step toward me, and Liam moves quickly, stepping into his path and grabbing the front of his suit jacket.

“Touch her, and I will remove your other eye,” Liam snarls, his words laced with a lethal promise. Kendrick responds with a snarl of his own.

Denali intervenes quickly before the tension can escalate further. “No need for that, Liam. You are outnumbered. We are here for the rogue girl and the queen. There is no reason for things to turn messy,” Denali states calmly, his voice carrying an air of authority that brooks no argument.

“Not without the king present,” Liam retorts, turning his attention squarely toward Denali.

“We are well within our rights to enter. As council members, we have immunity into any pack, even the King’s Pack.

We also have a warrant and an entire pack to back our claims. She will be given a chance to have her say, but for now, she must come with us,” Denali states with an air of finality, his words leaving no room for negotiation.

“What claims?” Liam demands.

“There are only two laws that are upheld to this degree, Liam. You know that, so if you would follow me, Queen Azalea, we can settle this and bring the other girl,” he says, motioning toward me.

“Abbie isn’t here,” I say.

“Very well, this won’t take long, we brought the truth serum, so it should be settled quickly,” he says, motioning for his men.

Liam growls, and all hell breaks loose. The tension in the room reaches its breaking point as the men surrounding Liam tighten their grip on their guns, their fingers itching to pull the trigger.

A sudden racket of gunshots and chaos erupts, tearing through the air like thunder.

Liam’s body shifts in a blur of motion as he fights against an overwhelming number of guards.

But my attention is torn away from the unfolding battle as Clarice grabs my arm, pulling me desperately up the stairs to safety amidst the confusion.

The sound of gunfire and screams reverberates through the castle, haunting my every step.

Panic courses through my veins as Clarice and I race away, searching for a hiding place.

My heart pounds in my chest, my breaths coming in ragged gasps as I struggle to comprehend the magnitude of the situation.

“Kyson!” I scream through the link, my voice filled with desperation and terror.

“An hour out, fucking pull over!” Kyson’s voice crackles through the link.

“Hide. I will find you,” he promises. I feel him shift through the bond just as Clarice stuffs me into an unfamiliar room.

She glances around, and so do I as I hear footsteps.

My entire body shakes, and I find myself in the forbidden room across from Kyson’s old quarters.

“Stay here. I will lead them away,” Clarice whispers urgently.

“Lock the door,” she says, cracking the door open and peering out. I move to go after her when she slips out and shuts the door. I quickly lock the door and glance around toward the window. Hundreds of people stand out front the gates, and I step back so they won’t see me.

“Where are you?” Kyson says through the link.

“The room across from your old quarters,” I tell him, watching in horror as I see Dustin lying unconscious on the cobble driveway along with a heap of guards.

Men are handcuffing their hands behind their back, all of them unconscious with darts sticking out of them.

I hear a barrage of yelling, without being able to clearly make out what they’re hearing.

Liam is being dragged out, fighting against his restraints, his body twisting and arching as he’s forced to shift back.

Multiple darts are in his back, legs, and neck when a guard wearing black camo lifts his gun and shoots him in the chest three times with more darts. His legs go out from under him and drench his entire body in blood. Just then, I hear a shrill scream; a female’s scream.

I watch petrified as Clarice is dragged out kicking and screaming with the two boys she has taken in. Denali wipes his face with a handkerchief as he walks out toward the gates when I spot her. It’s her… the woman who stood watching after Kade was killed.

She is attractive but haughty and menacing.

Denali talks to her through the gate, though I can’t make out what he’s saying.

Three other men also stand off to the side, watching him before he turns around.

The man with the missing eye wipes the blood off his face before snarling and kicking Liam in the stomach.

My hands cover my mouth, and I am so consumed with fear I’ve forgotten Kyson is still talking to me through the link.

“Azalea!” he snaps. Denali turns around before reaching for a microphone from one of his guards. He turns to face the castle, bringing the microphone to his mouth.

“Queen Azalea, you have been summoned by the council, so you need to step outside,” he says slowly. He looks up at the windows, and I remain back out of his line of vision.

“You have two minutes to step out, or we will use deadly force, beginning with…” he looks around before one of the guards grabs Oliver.

At this, Clarice loses it. She writhes free and lunges toward the guard when Mr. Crux punches her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground.

“Two minutes or the rogue boy dies.”

“Azalea!” Kyson snaps at me.

“They’re going to kill them if I don’t,” I whimper.

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

“They have Oliver.”

“Azalea, I am not far out. Remain where you are,” Kyson says as I watch in horror as they push tiny Oliver to the ground on his knees. Mr. Crux pulls a pistol from inside his jacket and presses it to his head.

“Two minutes, Queen Azalea, I cannot kill any Lycan here but a rogue, even a child I have the authority to.”

“I have to go,” I tell Kyson.

“No, remain where you are,” he orders and I grit my teeth.

“How far out?”

“20 minutes.”

“It’s too long,” I say, forcing his command off.

“One minute,” Denali calls over the microphone, and Oliver cringes away from the gun held to his head.

“Azalea?” Kyson says, his panic smashing into me.

Mr. Crux presses the gun to Oliver’s temple, and I rush toward the window, throwing it open.

“Wait, I will come down,” I scream to them. Mr. Crux lifts his head to look at me while Mr. Denali smirks.

“We thought you would change your mind.” He nods toward some of his men, who race toward the castle.

“They will meet you at the foyer doors,” Denali calls through the microphone, and I nod, moving back inside the window.

I glance around at the baby’s room. One that was made for me had Kyson found me when my parents were killed.

Yet it offers no protection for me now. Swallowing down the bile in my throat, I move toward the door and open it.