chapter 9

Chapter 9

"They have been feeding her lies," Darryl said absentmindedly to Maurice, who stared at him with growing worry. The relentless weight of concern had settled on Maurice's shoulders like an oppressive cloak. His best friend, his king, was slipping away from him, consumed by bitterness and anger. Over the past three years, he had watched Darryl transform from the compassionate, respected leader Diana had shaped him into, back into the hard-hearted ruler he once was.

Darryl's mate had been his beacon of light, the one who softened his rough edges, but now her race had torn that away from him. The transformation pained Maurice deeply; he hated seeing the king everyone once feared rather than the respected one Diana had made him.

Maurice's mouth twisted with remembered resentment. He couldn't forget how those people had exploited Darryl's vulnerability, his soft side. He yearned for the Darryl who had shown patience in taming Decanal, the most feral of all the wolves.

"When the he