Chapter 66

Arthur waited in what had once been the center of Sharp Armor for the living and able werewolves to join him. He focused on keeping his breathing even and his mind clear. Daphne would want him to be calm and try to understand how they were feeling. It was a shock to them all to find out about Daphne’s heritage, but there was no reason for them to act like this.

Daphne wasn’t a traitor. There were so many other people who could have betrayed the werewolf kingdom in all the years since his parents were killed, yet no one thought of them.

Slowly, people came, gathering around him. They murmured between one another. Some of their voices were angry and biting. Some shook with terror and anxiety, but no one among them spoke of anything but their sense of betrayal.

“I can’t believe we’ve all been fooled…”

“Think about His Majesty…”

When enough people seemed to have arrived, Arthur addressed them.

"By now, you've heard that the vampires are claiming that Daphne is descended from their queen," Arthur said, "And that they've asked us to return her."

"We should return her body!" Someone yelled. "Let no traitor live!"

"We should kill her the way they killed all of our people!" The crowd agreed with the voice. “We’ll send back her burnt corpse!”

Arthur clenched his fist looking at them all. Irrational, unbridled fear and malice filled their voices and the raucous they caused with their outrage. It pulled on memories he had thought he'd put to rest.

Murderer!

Cursed by the moon goddess!

They wanted murder and their bloodlust was thrumming through the pack bonds he’d formed with them. His hand shook and he felt the edges of rage start to pull him under. He’d kill them all for threatening Daphne. It would be easy to kill them all or banish them, turning them into rogues before killing them for sport or using them in future battles.

He turned from those thoughts and pushed Lucas aside to speak. Daphne would want him to hold on to his sanity, so he would. She would want him to address them properly and tell them what he thought.

"Silence!" He yelled, shaking the air with his command and forcing them all to shut their mouths.

Wind swept through town. They stared up at him in shock and fear like so many people of Brown Valley had. His stomach turned. Where had any of them been when Daphne had been kidnapped? How could they forget the way Daphne helped them while Mamie was pregnant or after all the attacks by washing bandages and tending to the wounded? How could they all forget everything that Daphne had done for them? How could they act as though she was his mate and luna?

"I will not hear another word about executing my mate and luna from anyone!” Arthur growled. “For all that she has done for all of you, for all the times she’s kept me sane, she deserves better and you should all be ashamed.”

“She’s lied to us all,” a woman said. “Your Majesty can’t believe that she didn’t know she was a vampire. It’s too convenient!”

Arthur glared at her, “Believe what you want, but I believe, Daphne.”

“If she was our luna,” Diana began. “If she wanted to make us believe that she did care, she would do what was necessary to avoid future attacks.”

The crowd murmured their agreement and Arthur clenched his hands, forcing himself not to run over and murder Diana. Her gaze was cold and unflinching.

“And what of me?” Arthur asked. “You think that without Daphne I will stay in control?”

He narrowed his eyes, “Do you think all of you could restrain me? Could you keep me here if I wished to leave?”

They flinched at his tone. For all their cries about justice and betrayal, they didn’t seem to understand how they were betraying him with every word and deed against Daphne.

Traitors. Terrified, cowardly, traitors flocking to him for help, needing his strength and fearing it all the same.

“Your Majesty,” Tom began, primly. “Your mother died to protect you and died fighting to protect the kingdom… Diana isn’t wrong. The fact that she’s refusing to go can only bring into question her loyalties.”

Arthur looked at him, “How convenient for you to ask her for help when you wanted me on the throne and cast her aside now that I am?”

Tom flushed, “This is not about you, but about the kingdom. The kingdom that your parents died for—”

“If you cared that much about it, you would have united even after they died,” Arthur growled, “But all you did was toss around responsibility—“

“You—”

“Happy to protect yourselves and no one else!” Arthur yelled, “And now you have me in this stupid position fixing problems that you could have fixed ages ago!”

Tom shut his mouth, staring at Arthur who growled at him.

“Dragging your feet over everything that needs to be done, attempting to undermine every change. You might not be ordering child executions,” Arthur said, “But you’re not hindering them either with your crap leadership. I don’t care what any of you have to say about this.”

“Your Majesty, you’re out of line—”

“I’m the fucking king,” Arthur growled. “Right?”

Tom shut his mouth, unable to retort as Arthur glared at the rest of the alphas.

“That’s what you wanted, right? A Royal to make you all get in line by choice or by force?”

“Arthur—“

“I’m drawing the fucking line!” Arthur growled. “Daphne is not to be harmed. Daphne is not to be harassed.”

He looked at the crowd, “Instead of crying for Daphne’s execution, maybe you should cry to your alphas about how they’ve allowed the defenses of the territories to slip so much over the past twenty years?” Arthur shook his head, “Why don’t you ask them why there weren’t enough warriors at Sharp Armor?”

“Your Majesty—”

“As far as I’m concerned, you all are far more to blame for the current state werewolves than anything I or Daphne could ever do!” Arthur glared at him, “You and your lazy methods are the reason Owen remained at large for years. Why I and Alma grew up in Brown Valley. Giving them Daphne won’t fix a damn thing!”

Tom’s jaw clenched, “Your father wouldn’t agree.”

“I don’t care what a dead man has to say,” Arthur glared. “And I doubt he’d agree with me giving my mate to people who have attacked us!”

“You can find another mate,” Tom said. “One who is right for the kingdom—”

Tom broke off as he realized Arthur darted across the clearing, his hand raised high, his face twisted in a murderous sneer and half transformed. The clearing was silent as Tom looked up into his vicious red eyes and felt his heart tremble.

Arthur’s shoulders heaved as he shook, barely holding himself still. His features flickered as if he was fighting his shift into wolf form. Tom held his breath and remained still, terrified to move or Arthur would have killed him.

Slowly, his features turned back to his human form. His fingernails retracted to a normal length. His fangs shrunk to fit back in his mouth. He lowered his hand to his side, curling his fingers tight and forcing the shaking of his body to concentrate into his still trembling arm.

His eyes flickered between clear, angry blue, and burning red before settling.

“… you have Daphne to thank for your life.”

Arthur turned stiffly and walked away as Tom let out the fearful breath he’d been holding. He shook and sank to his knees before staring up at the sky in a daze.

“Tom?”

“Tom!”

His heart clenched with grief and terror. Anxiety churned in his stomach. A memory he had long forgotten surfaced and filled his mind. He had known Dean since he was an adolescent, going from a teacher to a warrior at his side. When he began to pursue Sabina, his parents had been against it. Tom had tried to reason with him about Sabina, but he had never had the chance to say anything.

Dean turned swiftly, ripping through the advisor’s abdomen. Blood spurted, staining the far wall and his entrails poured out as he choked and fell.

“She is my mate and she will be my luna!”

Tom swallowed his protest and watched the advisor fall to the ground. His blood ran thickly across the stone.

“Does anyone else have a problem with my decision?”

The advisor he’d killed had known Dean longer than Tom had known him, serving as his childhood tutor. He’d been the most trusted man in the palace until his death.

“Tom?” Rex asked.

“He would have killed me.”

“What?”

“K-King Dean would have killed me,” Tom said, vacantly. “How… “

Rex frowned down at the old man.

“How could I have forgotten?” Tom asked.

And why hadn’t Arthur killed him?