Chapter Two - Adriel

I pace the room.

They’re all there. All watching me. I’ve only been crowned for a week and yet already they expect me to act like a King. But then that’s what I am. The Lycan King.

“Adriel.” My mother murmurs.

I look at her, at her beautiful face and I can see it, the pain, the sorrow. She’s grieving as if she understands what I’m feeling. Only she doesn’t.

None of them do.

I should feel pain. I should feel complete and utter devastation. Except I don’t. I don’t feel anything. I just feel numb.

Maybe it’s because I never met her, maybe it’s because we never truly formed a mate-bond, but it still feels like I should feel something. Anything. How does my soul not realise that it’s been torn apart?

I curl my fists. Glare at the man stood before us all, the man who barely ten minutes ago brought the news that’s upturned all of our plans.

“The Council will be on their way.” My father Aeron says.

I grunt in reply. Of course they will be. They’ve spent the entirety of my life sticking their noses in, as if they have a right to.

I sink back into my chair staring at the polished wood in front of me. My mate is dead. My queen. Murdered. Butchered along with her entire Pack.

And we all know why. The timing is too coincidental. Too convenient.

Someone is challenging me. Trying to destabilise my rule before it’s even begun.

Well good fucking luck with that because this Lycan doesn’t simply roll over. This Lycan has fangs and I’m more than happy to use them.

“Let me know when they arrive.” I growl getting to my feet.

“Where are you going?” My mother asks.

I don’t reply. I just stalk past them all.

I need fresh air. I need to stretch my legs. And more than that, my Lycan needs to get out and release some energy before I give into the swirling, furious anger inside.

***

The air whips at my face as I race through the trees. I’m miles from our home already but that’s the beauty of being a Lycan, we are stronger, more powerful and not just with the fighting but with everything. Every aspect of our being.

As I summit another hill I see the shadow of movement behind me and internally I’m already smiling.

‘Fancy a sparing partner?’ Ryker says through the mind-link.

He’s the only one physically capable of keeping pace with me. None of our other brothers or our sister can match us.

I pounce on him and we roll, into the dirt, our jaws snapping, our Lycan’s following the familiar movements as we fight.

He swipes a claw at me, sending my flying into the trunk of a tree and it creaks, the wood giving way, and the tree comes crashing down. I get back onto my paws then take my revenge, ploughing into him, sending him flying off the edge of a cliff and he falls, landing in a heap at the bottom.

For a moment I stand watching but he’s up, swearing at me through the mind-link and clawing his way back up to where I am while I can’t help but laugh.

And then we hear it. Our father, Aeron, calling us back.

I let out a growl.

Ryker growls louder and then we both snarl so loudly it feels like the very trees around us are shaking. That the world feels our annoyance and it’s already fearing what we’ll do.

We race back, not because we want to but because that’s what expected of us. When we reach the Residence we don’t change back, we continue up to my room and, once the doors are shut, we’re back to human form.

“You okay?” Ryker asks.

I narrow my eyes. “I don’t know what to feel.” I admit. Ryker is the only one I trust. Not that I don’t trust my mother, or either of my fathers, but it’s different between me and Ryker. We tell each other everything. We always have.

He leans against a chest of drawers. “Your mate is dead.” He says.

I nod but something in me still rallies against it. I guess that’s what they mean about the stages of grief, the denial. My head won’t accept it. Won’t accept that the one person made on this earth for me alone is gone, before I even got to meet her.

“We have to get going.” I say turning my back, pulling on some jeans and a t-shirt.

He grunts, grabbing some of my clothes and it’s a good thing we’re practically the same size so he doesn’t fuck them up the way our other brother Connor does.

“I’m here if you need to talk.” He says. Like he needs to say it. Like I don’t already know that. He’s always had my back. Just as I have always had his.

I don’t reply, I just walk out leaving him to follow.

When we get to where the Council are waiting I pause, square my shoulders, click my neck.

I’m the Lycan King. I can’t show weakness. I can’t show anything to these arseholes because my parents taught me a long time ago that they will take everything they can get.

I have to be tough. I have to be the king my people expect of me. The king my people deserve. My race deserves.

“King Adriel.”

I look around the room. They’re all here. The entire damned council. All ready to revel in my supposed grief.

I grunt in response walking over and take my seat beside my father Aeron. Cain isn’t here. Neither is my mother. It’s easier to keep it simple, easier if we two manage the Council because that way we can present a united front.

“We’ve been informed about the attack on the Aurora Pack.” Ezekial says.

“And that none of them survived.” Elder Mab adds.

I don’t reply. We all know the answer to that because why else would they be here?

“In light of this we will need to take certain measures…”

“What measures?” I ask.

“If there are no survivors then that includes your mate. We will need to come up with a list of suitable replacements.” X says.

I clench my hands. “Replacements?” I say like she was merely an object that broke.

“Your line is new. We need to establish a strong line of succession to ensure we have stability.” Ezekial states.

“Don’t tell me what I need to do.” I growl back.

“King Adriel. We’re in a precarious situation. We’ve got attacks all along the human borders…”

“Not by Wolves.” I reply.

“Some have been rogues.”

I shake my head. “Rogues under bewitchment.” I look at Cassandra as I say it. At the Witch.

She doesn’t reply, she just juts her chin up like she’s doesn’t have to answer to me.

“Whatever it is, we need to establish calm. And a whole Pack being destroyed certainly doesn’t do that.” Ezekial says.

“The Wolves are my dominion, are they not?” I say.

The Council nod.

“Then leave them to me.”

“Choose a queen and we will happily accede your request.” Cassandra says back.

I snarl getting to my feet. “One does not simply choose a mate. One does not simply pluck a suitable She-Wolf out of thin air. My Mate was chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. It is not for you to dictate who and if she is replaced.”

“What do you mean ‘if’?” Ezekial replies.

I smirk, pulling my trump card. “Who’s to say I will chose a new mate? Who’s to say I will sire pups? I have enough brothers and sisters to continue my line.”

A few them look shocked.

“Surely you would want to secure…”

“My siblings are more than capable of doing just that.” I state.

“Elder Aeron…” Ezekial says but my father gets to his feet standing beside me.

“My son has said his piece. See to your treaties. See to your human borders. And leave the Wolves to him.”

I can see from their faces that they want to say more. I can see they’re itching to pull something, to twist my arm, to force me to bend. But there’s no chance I will. They still haven’t learnt that though I’m young in years, my parents taught me well, they gave me all the skills necessary to rule, all the knowledge to ensure our bloodline, our family, our species survive for an eternity.

I turn and walk out, with my father right behind me. These arseholes thought they could come here and dictate who I would be mated to? They can see themselves out.