Adolph’s voice was sure and even, but Basil couldn’t believe what he was saying. Didn’t he understand that they had no way of knowing how long that would be? A few months? A few days? His father was the strongest man he knew, but he wasn’t indestructible!“But father—”“You’d let Basil be king?” Olivia scoffed and laughed, “You know he’s not ready. He won’t ever be ready!”The twinge of pain that went through him took his breath away. He pushed it aside. This wasn’t the mother he’d imagined his whole life. He expected his father to say those things, not the woman who died giving birth to him. He winced at the thought. She hadn’t died giving birth to him. She’d died giving birth to a curse. There was no other choice to make.“Nimue, end the séance.”Nimue said nothing. Whether that meant she couldn’t or wasn’t going to, he didn’t know.Adolph shook his head, “Your father tried to make that true, but it’s not. Basil isn’t an idiot. He’s young and inexperienced, but that’s fixable. He h
Nimue took a deep calming breath as Basil let out a mournful sob. The air began to warm slowly around them as the path between their world and the afterlife closed. She should have known when her first evocation yielded nothing that Olivia was going to be another troublesome spirit.She hoped Basil would be able to recover and accept the truth in time.“No… mother…” Nimue’s heart twisted with grief as she calmed her powers and Basil’s hand tightened on her ankle. “Why? She… She lifted it.”“She was prepared to sacrifice you,” she said solemnly.“She lifted the curse, Nimue! You didn’t have to!”Nimue looked down at him, “She only did so to save her existence, Basil. That was the test. It wasn’t about remorse towards what she’d done to your father… it was about what she did to you.”His eyes welled with tears as she set her staff aside, allowing it to hover in the air. “She was never your mother.”She kneeled beside Basil, placing a glowing hand near the dagger in his chest as he fell
His stomach churned but he nodded, walking into the room. Fear filled him, but as he entered the room he started to relax. “You’re so beautiful… you take after your father.”Laurel lay among the sheets, dressed in a loose gown and cradling the baby to her chest.At the distance, he could only see a tuft of honey blonde hair in the swaddling blanket. The wetnurses bowed and stepped aside as he approached. Laurel smiled up at him, “Want to meet him?”“Him?”Laurel beamed at him, “Him… Nimue told me before, but I wanted it to still be a surprise for you.”Another boy. Adolph sunk onto the bed beside her, kissing her cheek before looking down into her arms. He had Laurel’s nose and hair pattern though the coloring was all his. Maybe when he grew up he’d take after his grandfathers, but he wouldn’t be able to tell that for a while.“Can I hold him?”Laurel nodded, offering the child to him. He smelled like fresh water and clean skin as Adolph took him, and held him close. He was so smal
There wasn’t any time to lose.Sarah held her skirts and ran through the orchard outside Cynthia Castle to find Laura. Since the king’s wife died years ago, the position of luna had been vacant. Prince Basil married Laura to fill that role and help manage the kingdom while King Adolph led the war against the vampires.Many had been skeptical of Laura due to her origin, but Sarah had remained faithfully in her service since her appointment. In her opinion, marrying Laura was the only thing Prince Basil had ever done right.Now, he had gone and done *this*. She pushed herself to run faster. She had to tell Laura, to warn her somehow and help her prepare. Maybe Laura could figure out a way out of it if she just had enough time.“My Luna?! Luna Laura, where are you?”Sarah skidded and stumbled, barely missing crashing into a tree when she found Laura on a ladder in the orchard overseeing the harvest of fresh fruit.“Luna Laura, thank god, I found you! Prince Basil, he--”“Calm down, Sara
*He can’t.*Her heart clenched. Laura couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The past three years couldn’t have been meaningless to him. Even if they didn’t mean as much to him as they meant to her, they had to have meant something!Sarah stepped forward, bowed low and beseeching, “Your Highness, our Luna--” “Don't call her luna!” Basil snarled. “She doesn't deserve that title! Seize her!”Sarah flinched and screamed in terror as Basil’s soldiers advanced on her and dragged her away from the opulent hall. “Wait!” Laura cried, “How can you--”“Your Majesty, please!” Sara cried, struggling against the soldiers. “Move!” “You can't do this to me!”Laura reached for her, but another group of soldiers blocked her path as Sarah disappeared into the shadows still struggling. Her cries filled Laura with grief. She had only ever had Sarah on her side. Most of the nobles shared Basil’s contempt for her lowly status. The few who didn’t were too bound in politics to go against Basil’s orders
The darkness peeled back as Laura opened her eyes. There was no pain, her heart was calm, and she wasn’t cold. She should have been dead. She *had* been dead. She remembered the craggy rocks and the rushing river. The sharp pain in her neck had been the last thing she remembered before the dark had taken her. She remembered the beautiful paradise and the face of the goddess smiling at her.So where was she now? The forest was quiet and beautiful. The sky was dark with night and filled with stars and constellations she had never seen, winking at her. Glowing blue birds landed on the grass and twittered at her as she sat up. Fish swam in the clear water of the lake nearby, peacefully moving through the gentle currents as the wind blew carrying the scent of blooming night flowers. A small brook carved through the earth until it reached the lake nearby, and Alice lay in her lap, seemingly sleeping. Laura stroked Alice’s brilliant white fur with a trembling hand and found her warm to to
The house was small, much smaller than the room she used to live in in the castle. Filled with a few odds and ends, Laurel had been a young woman living on the edge of poverty. Did she have no skills or was she simply in a pack that frowned upon female wolves doing much outside the house?The old woman sat at the small table with a smile as Laurel looked around for something to give her. She found a basket with a few fruits inside and offered it to the woman. “As thanks.”The old woman shook her head, pushing the basket back towards her. “You are too thin as it is! You should eat more.”Laurel smiled as her heart clenched with warmth. The old woman was strange, but she cared for Laurel. The old woman shook her head and stood. “Come for dinner sometimes, hm?” She said and stood. “I should head back before I am missed.”Laurel walked her to the door, “Thank you. I will repay you someday.”The old woman waved her hand dismissively, “Don’t be ridiculous, Laurel.”She left and Laurel cl
*Lucas*, Alice growled in contempt. Laurel’s lips curled in disgust and she sneered at him. This was the coward her father wrote about. Fury filled her. “I would *never* marry you.”Lucas barked a laugh, “Don't be so silly. I’m the best option of the pack! I don’t care that you’re not my mate.”His words struck her in her chest, and for a moment, she saw Basil and Delia, dressed in fine clothing and sneering at her. Her stomach roiled.He smirked, “You’re pretty enough. When I become alpha, you’ll be my luna.”Her nausea heaved and she fought it back with her anger. Who the hell did he think he was? Who the hell had Basil thought he was? Prince or not, he was an arrogant, stupid man. Lucas was nowhere near as attractive, influential, or important.She bared her teeth, “No one wants to be your damn luna!”Lucas licked his lips, his eyes turned heated as he dragged his gaze over her body, sending a fresh wave of nausea through her. “It’s not something you really have to worry about.