Arthur left the castle early the next morning, headed towards the ruins of Sharp Armor. They had rebuilt some of the main structures, but the homes that had been burned down or destroyed had remained piles of broken wood. He wondered how long it would take to rebuild Sharp Armor and if they ever would.Maybe they could relocate everyone and turn Sharp Armor into a military outpost. It was the closest village to the border and there was plenty of land to establish a new settlement.Arthur put it on his long mental list of things to try to complete. The list seemed to be growing by the day and alongside it came frustration. He’d barely been educated while in Brown Valley as a child. All the alphas that sat at the table with him and bickered for hours were older than him by at least half a decade.Why had no one ever thought about organizing everyone? Were they all just that weak or that selfish? He found himself coming back to those questions more and more o

Arthur glared at Tom as he panted. His shoulders heaving and his face contorted with anger. Perhaps he was out of line, but he meant it and he wouldn’t take it back. To bow to a vampire, to accept her as luna would make a mockery of every comrade and loved one he’d lost in the war.“I refuse to serve a luna with vampire blood,” Tom turned. “Mark me, Your Majesty, she’ll reveal her true colors in the end! She is likely the traitor among us!”Arthur glared at Tom, “I had two demands, Tom.”He froze and looked at him, eyes wide and shocked, “You would abandon your throne, your birthright, your family’s legacy for a vampire?”Daphne put a hand on Arthur’s shoulder, squeezing gently to keep him in place. She could feel his fury roiling from his shoulders. Tom didn’t seem to understand what kind of buttons he was pushing, or maybe he did and thought they had such a good

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 the

They spent the rest of the day in bed except for dinner and washing up for bed. Daphne fell asleep beside him, exhausted and satisfied, but Arthur lay awake turning over the issue in his mind.Did Nicole want war? Why was she so adamant about bringing Daphne back to the queen’s castle? Would she be forced to take on the same problems that he had taken on upon taking the throne? He shook his head. Nicole didn’t seem at all like Tom or any of the other alphas. There didn’t seem to be anything weak about her, and she’d been serious about waging war on the werewolf kingdom.It had been a few days since they’d met. He was running out of time. He huffed and got out of bed at first light, tucking the blankets around Daphne. He dressed quickly and quietly before escaping the room.“Your Majesty,” Blade called from down the hallway. He looked at Blade. “Good Morning.”“Blade…” He said, slowly

Arthur turned to the rest of the room, “I’ll be sending a group with her to escort her back.”"I'll go!" Mamie volunteered.Blade stood, "But Mamie--""She needs someone she can trust to go with her." Mamie beamed at Daphne, "And it's doubtful many others will agree to go."Daphne frowned, "I don't think it's a good idea…"Mamie smiled at her, "I'm a lot tougher than I look. I promise."Mamie looked at Blade who clenched his jaw, wanting to disagree, but he huffed, unable to formulate an argument. Mamie was the best choice as whoever else would be sent wouldn't be as close to Daphne."Are you sure about this?" Blade asked, looking at Mamie."Positive."Arthur nodded, "Fine. We'll send three others."He looked at them, “We’ll send whoever can be trusted to obey orders.”Blade nodded and looked at Mamie who gave him a comforting smile.It’ll be fine,