‘We need to make a plan, Vale. If we tried to go one on one with Oran, we would lose. We aren’t alone though. We need to plan together.’ Naresh piped up for the first time since this morning.He had been very upset with me over last night, even before I snapped at Zeke. Naresh pretty much went on a silence strike but I felt him sit on the edge of my mind while we were talking about all of this. I was surprised when he didn’t feel any issues when our mother said that she was still the Alpha King.‘She never said she was the Alpha King. Just that she still had the Alpha King power. Our mom isn’t a threat. She didn’t want the crown when she got it and she doesn’t want it now. I truly believes she just wants peace. The problem is she has the power to do something about it but Mom is aware of the consequences and repercussions if she does take action.’I sighed and nodded. ‘I guess. I’m still not happy about it.’Naresh chuckled. ‘You’re so moody lately. One would think you’re on your peri

For the next week, the pack house was a furry of chaos. Everyone had their jobs and was working on those while still keeping up with the normal day to day pack duties. Already we had called the Vampire King, Oran really, and requested a meeting. Much to our surprise, he agreed. We set up a meeting place and Pipsqueak was already setting up the venue with a multitude of cameras and microphones to catch the meeting. That wasn’t for a couple days, so we spent the rest of it gathering information.Hector also made good on his word and I hadn’t seen Zeke come home this sore since the first time Hector started to train him. He would soak in a bath before even attempting to sit down in a regular chair. It made me smile until Hector called me out for not showing up as well. He said it was either him or Mom and I chose to train with him three days a week. Those three days we sent Rowan and Reagan to Mom’s in order to just prevent them from trying to attack us with cuddles. Neither of us could

I regretted everything. Every bowl of pasta I’d ever eaten. Every piece of bread. Every cookie, cake, and piece of pie. I regretted every elevator ride instead of taking the stairs. Every time it was a quick drive instead of walking. Every lazy decision I made was coming back to haunt me as sweat poured out of my body. We had passed breathing heavy over an hour ago. Now, I was just wheezing like I had asthma.Somehow, everyone knew that I was going to start training with my mom as soon as I got home. They also made sure to get me out on time the next day. I had the meeting with Vampire King, or Oran, tomorrow. So she said it was the perfect time to understand how much I shouldn’t be fighting him. Boy, was she right. She had asked Naresh to take a backseat this time and he happily scoffed, throwing out unhelpful critiques.“This reminds me of when you came back from the High Council and ran away from Zeke.”It was like she had been just taking a stroll. Not a hair wasn’t out of place;

I brought my arms up and crossed over my face as Mom’s foot hit me. My feet slid back but my heel caught on a seam in the floor and I tipped back. The problem was that I blinked and she was next to me. Her elbow came down and slammed into my stomach. It was like I was in slow motion while she was in full speed. I tried to bring my arms down to protect me but I couldn’t, not fast enough. Suddenly, I wasn’t hitting the floor. I was bouncing back up off the floor, my breath leaving me. My eyes shut and I curled up into a ball as her foot slammed into my side and I flew into the wall on the other side of the room. The entire room shook as my back slammed into the wall. “Vale Maximillion Everfell! Don’t just give up after one hit!” Mom shouted at me. There was no way I could reply. I was crumbled into a ball after sliding down the wall onto the floor. She was brutal. Every day was like a new form of masterful torture. There had to be something against the Geneva code with how she was trai

The pieces were falling into place. Morgan’s words and convictions over why the Vampire King should be dethroned and what he wanted to do to move the vampires out of their old fashion ways struck a cord with most vampires. He had overwhelming support. Even some of the problem vampires swapping sides after hearing some of his interviews. After a few days, I finally stepped into the light, speaking about the conversations I had had with Morgan and that he was also wanting what we wanted; peace. While it would mean both sides didn’t get to do whatever they wanted, it was enough that we could live harmoniously together.My packs followed. Most of them know Morgan from him helping put out the fires of unrest for many years with Hector. They were mostly on board with my endorsement, which was exactly what I needed. It was never just my endorsement that was needed by also the people I serve as King. Uriel hadn’t said anything yet but I also hadn’t heard from my mom yet. We were already into