Chapter 38

Owen was stunned as she cursed at him. Slowly, he released her and let her fall to the ground, coughing and scrambling for breath.

He hadn’t expected the human to resist him or show such backbone.

She laughed at him, raspy and derisive, “Am I wrong to call you an asshole?”

Owen sneered down at her as she lifted her head, rubbing her throat.

“You’re Arthur’s cousin, and I am Arthur's mate. We should be a little more cordial, right?” She chuckled. “You should show a little respect to me, but look what you’ve done? You only wanted to use me to defeat Arthur! Your a heartless, evil bastard and no different than those rogues!”

Owen growled at her, feeling his fury start to tear out of his control. How easy it would be to shift into his wolf form, pounce, and tear this woman to pieces. He could almost taste her blood in his mouth.

The only thing that restrained him was the fact that he needed her alive for now. If she died, Arthur would know and he would never get a chance to kill him for certain. It was only a matter of time before Arthur found his way here. If the werewolves knew anything about vampires, they would point him here. If not, the castle was close enough to the village and the border of the werewolf kingdom that he’d eventually stumble upon it when he stared searching further and further away from the village.

Daphne felt her heart speed up. Her legs were weak, but she straightened her spine and stared at him, determined not to let him terrorize her any longer.

Owen’s eyes flashed with fury then the red glow left his eyes and he seemed to relax, staring down at her.

There was something strange about this woman to be able to stare at him with those golden eyes.

“Is Arthur that good?”

Daphne raised her chin, “You’ll never be a match for him.”

Owen's face twisted into a sneer of fury, “You don't know anything about the royal family. We are powerful, but our power also tends to get out of hand. That's why we need a mate. A mate is just a tool for us to control ourselves!”

Daphne waited for him to continue. She knew he wasn't entirely wrong. It explained why Arthur had gotten so much calmer after he’d marked her. He needed her to control himself, but he was capable of restraint when he wanted.

Still, she didn’t need Owen to think she was faltering.

“I won’t believe a word you say unless you let me go.”

“You don’t love him,” Owen said offhandedly.

“It’s none of our business!” Daphne yelled. “Don't you have a mate?”

Owen's fury vanished and his expression turned flat.

“I don’t.” Daphne gasped. “And I never will. I have killed too many werewolves and have long been abandoned by the moon goddess.”

Daphne stared at him with a new sense of horror. Was this was Arthur could have become if they hadn’t met? She knew his anger was powerful and could consume him, but did Arthur have it in him to kill so many werewolves that the moon goddess would abandon him?

She thought of the dream she’d had where Arthur had killed and eaten the rogues that had been chasing her before turning into Owen. Had that been a warning from the moon goddess?

She felt a bit sick thinking about it and grateful that Arthur had found her before he could become a monster like Owen.

Owen frowned down at her and his eyes widened, “Are you… pitying me?”

“No,” Daphne shook her head. “I was just thinking about Arthur. It's a good thing he found me…”

Her gaze softened and Owen eyed her suspiciously. Arthur may have found his mate, but it wasn’t enough and it wouldn’t last long. Who could love a monster?

He smirked, “He may have found you, but you don't love him. He's a monster just like me, and he will never be loved. He can’t be loved.”

She wondered for a moment who he was trying to convince: her or himself. She had a feeling that even he didn’t know.

“I love him,” Daphne said as her face burned. “He's my friend, my family, and he saved my life, so I'd do anything for him, too. If I could, I'd kill you for him.”

Owen looked at her in shock, stunned into silence. Love? He didn’t know what that meant really, but he knew it was something Arthur’s parents had. It was a reason to die and a reason to live that Owen never imagined having or even thought about wanting.

No one had ever loved him. His mother had died giving birth to him and his father had been murdered during his failed rebellion. The servant who cared for him died soon after they escaped the castle. She had lived just long enough to tell him what had happened and how much she regretted serving his family before she grew stiff and silent.

He had left her corpse in the little shack and lived alone in the forest, relying on his strength.

He had known of Arthur before they’d left the castle. For most of the time he had survived in the forest, he had imagined that Arthur was somewhere in the wilds living just as he had been, but now it didn’t seem that way.

Where had he been all this time? How had he managed to earn the right to have a mate? Why hadn’t the moon goddess abandoned him?

He crouched down, peering at her, curiously. Her brow furrowed and she leaned away from him. Her expression hadn’t changed, but her heart had sped up a bit.

What was it like to have a mate? What was it like for someone to love him? Did Arthur love him or was he just clinging to her because she was his mate?

“If I killed Arthur,” Owen said. She didn’t flinch. “Would you love me?”

Daphne’s jaw dropped in horror at the thought and she drew back as if she had been struck.

“Of course, not! I would never love you!” Her face scrunched up in horror. “You kidnapped me and you’re trying to kill Arthur!”

Owen let his expression fall flat as he stood and looked down at her. The moon goddess had abandoned him to scrape and survive in the forest for years. Arthur, the son of the king, had been given a chance though he didn’t deserve it.

He looked down into her amber eyes and smirked.

“You’ll regret rejecting me,” he said, but he couldn’t be sure if he was speaking to Arthur’s mate or the moon goddess.

He turned to leave, pulling the iron door closed behind him, leaving her alone.

Arthur led the patrol through the forest. He knew they had never been so far away from the pack. They had to search aimlessly in the forest for a while as Arthur tried to call for Daphne, but got no response.

He stopped in a clearing, pacing furiously, “Why isn’t bond working? I can't contact her!”

Blade frowned and looked at Arthur as he continued to pace and growl to himself. He remembered that vampires used a special material to keep werewolves from communicating through their bonds. Was it possible that she had been taken to one of their old castles?

“You said you can’t contact her?”

Arthur shook his head, “It makes no sense. Even if she were asleep, I should be able to contact her.”

“Remember when I told you about the vampires?” Blade asked. Arthur stopped, frowning. “The special stones they used?”

Arthur nodded, “Is there a vampire building around here?”

Blade wasn’t sure and none of the young patrolmen knew anything about the vampire war, but they all knew exactly where the vampire boundaries were as it was a part of learning the terrain around the village.

“We’ll check there then,” Arthur said. “Blade, lead the way.”

Blade took point as the guide, and they ran towards the border between the vampire’s lands and the werewolf kingdom. As they neared the border, the forest thinned and the air became chilly. The closer they got the stronger the stench of vampires grew, but soon a familiar smell hit them.

Blade wanted to stop at the scent of the rogues prowling around.

There were a lot of them, more than they’d ever encountered before.

“We've come to the right place!”

Arthur ran forward, taking the lead as hundreds of glowing red eyes turned towards them.

There were too many of them.

None of them turned back or faltered as they followed, but none of them believed they would survive the battle.

Blade sent an apology through his bond to Mamie and a wish for her to be strong. If he died, she would be all Joseph had.

Mamie’s fear came back, but he pushed it away and followed Arthur into battle.