Chapter 29
The next morning, she woke alone though it was obvious that Arthur had come inside sometime during the night. She ate breakfast, dressed, and headed into the village to visit Mamie and the newborn baby. The entire village seemed to be buzzing with excitement. She knocked on the door.
“Come in!” Mamie called through the door. “He’s awake!”
Daphne chuckled and opened the door, “I guess I’m late to the party.”
Mamie’s eyes were bright as she looked at Daphne as she walked into the room where the bed was set up. She looked a bit tired, but her eyes were bright and in her eyes was a squirming bundle.
“Daphne!” She grinned. “You’re in luck. He’s been asleep when everyone else has come.”
Daphne drew closer cooing at the bundle as Mamie handed the baby to her.
“His name is Joseph, the little troublemaker.”
Daphne chuckled. The baby's face was wrinkled, scrunched up as he squirmed, but Daphne found him adorable.
“I’ve never seen a baby before…”
Mamie chuckled, “Well, look your fill. He won’t stay a baby long.”
She sighed, lying back with a pout, “If I had my way, we’d be out in the village so people wouldn’t have to keep stopping by, but Blade insists that I rest.”
“He’s concerned.”
“I’m just fine!” She protested. “He’s the one who almost fainted.”
Daphne laughed, rocking Joseph as he started to settle into sleep.
“Where were you yesterday?” Mamie asked. “Is everything okay with Arthur?”
“Sorry,” Daphne sighed. “I saw Arthur coming back and went to look for him. He was alone in the forest again, chasing rogues...”
Mamie looked at Joseph with a little resentment in her heart. There was no one in the village she would have chosen other than Daphne to be his godmother, but Blade had been against it.
“Why not?” Mamie asked, pouting. “Daphne’s been such a help and—“
“It’s about Arthur.”
Mamie had wanted to protest and had gotten upset that Blade seemed to be holding Arthur’s mental states against the couple, but he leaned close and whispered the truth in her ear. She’d been speechless.
If Blade was telling the truth, Daphne could be the future luna of the rebuilt werewolf kingdom. She would have to care for every woman and child in the kingdom. Daphne couldn’t favor Joseph over her duty.
She still wanted to name Daphne his godmother though.
“How are you and Arthur getting along these days?” Mamie asked, turning away from her thoughts. “When will I get to see your pups too?”
Daphne blushed, “We are not—”
Mamie rolled her eyes, “Sooner or later, honey.”
“But—“
Mamie chuckled, “Just make sure Arthur’s gentle with you since you’re human.”
She turned a brighter red as Mamie winked, “And, of course, have fun.”
Daphne scowled at Mamie before turning her attention back to Joseph. She thought back to her conversation with Arthur the night before. Instead of being dismayed that she hadn't said yes, Arthur took the one little stone with glee. His eyes had been alight with hope, he grinned and nodded as he clenched his hand around the little rock.
She chuckled remembering Arthur’s shy request when they got home.
“A bag?”
He nodded, “To hold the stone… I want to keep it with me.”
Daphne thought it was a strange request, but she sewed a little bag on a length of twine for him. He placed the stone inside and put it around his neck.
"Wait and see, I'm sure I'll get your five points soon!”
He’d been adorable in his excitement, but she didn’t tell Mamie about it. Instead, she asked after her health and if there was anything she needed to be done before she gave Joseph back to her and left her to get some more rest.
She might be a little upset with Blade, but Blade was right to tell her to take the day to rest as she was barely keeping her eyes open when Daphne was leaving.
She headed back home to prepare lunch. She didn’t think Arthur would be back so early, but he was there in his wolf form. His fur glowed in the sunlight as he sat beside the door, wagging his tail with a bouquet in his mouth. His eyes were bright as she approached and he offered her the bouquet.
She chuckled, surprised and delighted, “They’re beautiful… How did you remember to give me this?”
Arthur followed her into the house, then shifted back to human form, “Do you like it?”
Daphne nodded, “I like them a lot.”
Arthur looked at her a little anxiously, “So could I—”
Daphne almost laughed, realizing that Arthur was trying to impress her and wanted an extra point! It was so cute Daphne couldn't say she wasn't completely swayed to give Arthur an extra point. She tried to control the smile on her face and cleared her throat.
“Only one day? You have to come back clean every day for at least a month before I can give you one point.”
Arthur grinned, “Only a month? We'll see, I'm sure I can do it!”
Daphne turned from him so he wouldn’t see her smile as she placed the flowers in a vase and started to make lunch.
Arthur said he would do it, so he did. He came back early every day a clean as he left. Sometimes, he accompanied Daphne to go shopping. Even though he only helped carry the bags, Daphne was happy to have him with her. The longer he stayed away from the fighting, the better he would be long-term. Maybe, with any luck, they’d get to a point that he would always be stable and calm.
It had nearly been a month since he’d started his goal. He was so sure that he would make it. He’d said so that morning before he left.
Daphne was sure that he would make it too, but Arthur didn’t come home at the usual time that day. She sighed and went to look at the training pitch, expecting the rest of the patrol to have returned, yet they hadn’t returned either.
Her stomach lurched in fear and she waited until long after the sun had set, but no one had returned. She couldn’t sleep, pacing through the night as her mind turned over everything that could have gone wrong. Maybe the patrol had run into a lot of rogues. Maybe they’d run into Owen and they were all dead.
What about Mamie and Joseph? What about her?
What about all the mates of the patrol members?
Dawn was beginning to turn darkness to grey and blot out the stars when she heard noises coming from beyond the door. She thought it might be a rogue attack, but the noises were too orderly, the sound of coherent voices talking and footsteps.
She leaped to her feet and hurried out the door to get to the training ground hoping that Arthur would be among them.
She saw his golden fur in the dimness, streaked with blood and tattered in places, and drew up short. It wasn’t just Arthur, but Blade who was stumbling from the forest. The others of the patrol looked worse, barely dragging themselves onto the training grounds.
“Arthur!”
Several wounds swooned and fell to the ground with a low moan. Behind them, they dragged several werewolf corpses, still bleeding as they were dragged home. Her stomach churned. She knew something had happened, but she had never imagined it would be this bad.
Arthur shifted into his human form, turning back to one of the wolves who had fallen as Blade turned towards the village. She reached him to find Arthur applying pressure to the man’s wounds as the rest of the patrol stopped and fell on the ground.
“I’ll get the doctor, just keep him alive!” Blade said, grunting in pain and rushing on shaky legs towards the village, blood dripped and formed a path in his wake. Daphne kneeled beside Arthur.
“What happened?” Daphne asked as she looked at the man.
She gasped in horror, looking down as the man shifted back to his human form with a little moan of pain. The dark hair was familiar and the cut of his jaw stirred something at the back of her mind.
“Just hold on, Anthony,” Arthur said gruffly. “Blade will bring the doctor in time, but you have to hold on.”
Anthony?
She could barely recognize him. His chest was ripped open with several large gashed. His skin had been almost flayed and turned revealing the bloody muscle and bone beneath his skin. He twitched as more blood gushed out of him, pooling beneath him. Daphne felt her stomach turning at the sight of the flashes of broken bone sticking out of the shredded muscle.
It was a miracle that he was even alive, but there was no doubt in her mind that it wouldn’t last much longer.
Anthony was going to die.
