All Chapters of Bloodline: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

“Hey, Dad,” I smiled, as Kiran walked over to me, and we hugged. He slapped me on the back a few times, and I could feel Duncan’s disapproving looks at the familiarity we were displaying. Royal families apparently didn’t do this.Adara was next, and I hugged her tightly and lifted her off her feet. I really didn’t care what anybody thought. I missed my family, and I was glad they were all here with me. I wasn’t going to pretend that I wasn’t happy.“Saga, as always, you look great,” I said, as tears welled up in her eyes, and we hugged.“And you call me the showoff,” she said with a chuckle, and took my face in both her hands.“William,” I said, and we shook hands.“With your personality, I thought your castle would be bigger,” he said, and Levi laughed as we hugged, as well.“Hey, kid,” he said. The last car parked, and Malachi and Jessica climbed out and I beamed.“Nice digs, Kai,” Jessica said with a smile, as we hugged each other.“Kai,” Malachi said seriously. He smiled, and we h

Dinner felt awkward. My family made small talk, and every now and then, I’d glance at Levi. The cold glint in his eyes told me that Rupprecht better sleep with one eye open. Falcon was on edge, and I struggled with the fact that Adelie was sitting next to the bastard.Rupprecht had his eyes on Jace, who wasn’t fazed, in the least, by the silence or the awkwardness. I loved that Jace felt he could be himself, but I could also sense the animosity from him toward Jace.“Doesn’t it bother you to have a gay member in your family?” Rupprecht asked me. He was trying to make me lose my temper. I realized it quick enough, and I smiled at him.“Oh, hell no, bitch, you didn’t just …” Falcon put his arm around Jace’s shoulder, but I could also see he was pulling him back.“Should it?” I asked Rupprecht, and winked at Jace.“My apologies. I didn’t mean any disrespect. I’ve just not come across gay wolves before,” Rupprecht said, in an effort to rectify the situation. He was smart enough to realize

Magnus and Grette had left two hours earlier to rest and freshen up before that night’s dinner, when everybody would be present. I had not expected the meeting to go so well, but I was glad it did. I didn’t really want to wage war as my first official act as King.I took my phone from my jacket pocket and dialed Duncan’s number. “Where’s Rupprecht and Adelie?”“They are both in the library with Princess Saga and Her Grace, your mother,” Duncan said.“Thanks,” I said. “Please escort Princess Adelie to my office to welcome her brother. He’ll be arriving shortly.”“Yes, Your Highness,” Duncan replied, and I ended the call. Duncan was so old-school that I purposely phoned him instead of mind-linking him. It was my own private joke.Edmund fell into step behind me as I stepped out of my office and headed to the entrance hall. I could have waited for Sacha in my office but I didn’t want to start our first interaction off with anything that could be seen as disrespect. Sacha had been king fo

For the next two days, I was holed up in my office with Kiran, Malachi, Levi, William, and Falcon as we discussed what Malachi had heard. It was everything Adelie had already told us, except that Rupprecht’s hatred of me burned much brighter than we thought. We would all be armed on the night of my coronation, except for Saga and Adara. All my Zetas were well informed of Rupprecht’s threats against us and his planned attack. New patrol rotations were worked out for that night, but in the light of day, they all stuck to the same routine.We all agreed on one thing though, Rupprecht would not be leaving with Adelie, even if it meant going to war with him. What Rupprecht didn’t know was that between Kiran and Malachi, we had a lot of support from American packs, and Malachi assured me that we’d be aided by his friends in Israel, as well.Kiran and I were alone in my office, drinking coffee, and just taking a breather. It had been a busy few days, and I hadn’t slept much. I spent half th

Adelie was just about to lock her bedroom door, when the sitting room door burst open, and she almost cried with relief at the sight of her brother standing there.“Sacha!” She ran toward him, and he pulled her against him.“Come on, dear sister,” Sacha said, and took her hand. She followed him out of the sitting room and looked down at the two Zetas who lay unconscious in the hallway.“What happened?” she asked him as they walked down the hall toward his own chambers.“Nobody tells me that I can’t speak to my sister,” Sacha said, and Adelie laughed.Sacha led Adelie into his own chambers and locked the door behind them. He took her face in his hands and looked at the healing scab on her bottom lip. Adelie looked down suddenly, as he stared at her in anger.“Just leave it, Sacha,” Adelie whispered.“We need to have a serious conversation,” Sacha said, as he reluctantly let go of her face and sat down.“About what?” she asked him, and sat down opposite him.“I’m not sure if I trust thi