Chapter 9
“They have been feeding her lies,” Darryl said absentmindedly to Maurice, who stared at him with growing worry. The relentless weight of concern had settled on Maurice’s shoulders like an oppressive cloak. His best friend, his king, was slipping away from him, consumed by bitterness and anger. Over the past three years, he had watched Darryl transform from the compassionate, respected leader Diana had shaped him into, back into the hard-hearted ruler he once was.
Darryl’s mate had been his beacon of light, the one who softened his rough edges, but now her race had torn that away from him. The transformation pained Maurice deeply; he hated seeing the king everyone once feared rather than the respected one Diana had made him.
Maurice’s mouth twisted with remembered resentment. He couldn’t forget how those people had exploited Darryl’s vulnerability, his soft side. He yearned for the Darryl who had shown patience in taming Decanal, the most feral of all the wolves.
“When the hell will the king arrive? My patience is running thin!” Darryl exclaimed, tossing a glass of blood aside in frustration. Maurice winced as the glass shattered. Diana’s absence weighed heavily on them all. “Where is Diana when you need her? Oh, she is in a coma.”
“They promised to be here any moment now,” Maurice replied. As if on cue, the massive oak doors swung open, revealing the King and Queen of the werewolves. They had pledged to track down Leonard’s pack and return the vampire king’s mate, or else there would be a catastrophic war between the two races, with humans suffering the most.
The Alpha king appeared deceptively young despite his age, while his newly mated queen exuded glamour and strength. Their entry brought a chilling air of seriousness into the vampire king’s coven. The Alpha king’s gaze was cold and calculating, bearing the weight of the bad news they brought – they had yet to find the location of Leonard’s pack; it was as if the entire pack had vanished from the face of the Earth.
Darryl rose from his throne and moved to the council chair, where the Alpha king and queen took their seats. “I trust you’ve brought me good news this time,” Darryl drawled after a heavy sigh.
The Alpha king sighed, visibly concerned. He and Darryl had been close friends, the architects of the alliance between their races. But everything had changed when a newly turned vampire attacked Red Moon pack, killing Leonard and Diana’s mother, the pack’s Luna. That was the night they also lost Diana as a child. The Alpha couldn’t bear the pain of losing his mate and he ended his life resulting in Leonard taking over early.
Darryl had acted swiftly, killing the vampire responsible and attempting to calm the enraged werewolf community. However, anger still simmered, especially among the new Alpha of the Red Moon pack and some Vampires.
“I’m sorry, Darryl. The witch who cast the spell is powerful; it’s as if they’ve disappeared to another dimension,” the Alpha king explained with a heavy heart.
Darryl erupted into hysterical laughter, startling the Alpha king and queen. Then, abruptly, he stopped, his eyes glinting with a sinister resolve. It was the first time the Alpha king felt a shiver of unease in his friend’s presence, and even the queen was on edge.
“Bring her in,” Darryl commanded. The oak doors opened once more, and Leo, one of his trusted guards, dragged a bound woman inside. With bloodshot eyes, she stared at the royals, her wrists tightly bound. This red-haired woman was the witch who had torn Decanal away from Diana and banished the Red Moon pack to another dimension. Though physically unharmed, a necklace of Hawthorne adorned her neck, causing her pain and restricting her powers.
“Well, if we can’t find their location, we’ll make her tell us. She’s the one who hid them and took them to another dimension; she should be able to reveal where they are,” Darryl declared, pointing at the trembling woman who cowered under his relentless gaze.
The Alpha king gazed at the woman who stared at him with a lost expression on her face. He almost pitied her situation but the gravity of her crime made his heart boil in anger.
” Now Kiona, care to tell the king of the werewolves where you hid some of his subjects?” The Vampire king drawled, he knew she won’t talk but he wanted to get that information out of her in front of the King of werewolves.
“No” Defiantly she said staring at everyone but their faces. She knew the vampire king is capable of hypnotizing her to get the right answers so she refused to meet his gaze.
The Alpha king’s eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, his voice dripping with a dangerous edge. “You have no idea the consequences you face if you continue to keep your little mouth shut. The fate of entire races hangs in the balance.”
The witch, her defiance barely masking her fear, lifted her chin defiantly. “I’ll reveal nothing,” she hissed through clenched teeth, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she felt Darryl’s gaze on her body.
Darryl’s patience had worn thin, his anger smoldering like a coiled serpent. He leaned in closer, his voice lowering to a menacing growl. “You underestimate the lengths I’ll go to for the safety of my mate and my people. You may think you’re untouchable, but you’re gravely mistaken.”
Maurice watched, his anxiety growing, as the tension in the room reached a fever pitch. He knew Darryl well enough to recognize the signs of his impending rage. The witch’s stubbornness was pushing him closer to the edge.
The Alpha king glanced at Darryl, a silent understanding passing between them. With a nod, he gave Darryl permission to do whatever it took. In response, Darryl’s eyes flared with a predatory glint.
“You brought this upon yourself,” Darryl whispered, his voice chillingly calm. He reached out and touched the necklace of Hawthorne around the witch’s neck. It began to glow with an eerie, pulsating light.
” No, no please” She tried to yank it off her neck but it burned, the best spreading throughout her body.
The witch’s defiant facade cracked as she gasped in agony, her body convulsing. The necklace tightened, burning into her flesh as if it had a life of its own. She shrieked, unable to bear the excruciating pain.
Maurice winced, torn between sympathy and the necessity of the situation. Darryl was willing to use every resource at his disposal to find his mate, even if it meant inflicting suffering on another being.
“Stop! Please!” the witch pleaded, tears streaming down her face. “I’ll tell you… I’ll tell you everything.”
Darryl released his hold on the necklace, and the pain subsided, leaving the witch gasping for breath. She gulped in air, her body trembling. Her eyes were filled with terror and regret.
“Speak,” Darryl commanded, his voice cold and unyielding.
The witch hesitated for a moment, still trying to catch her breath. Then, with a defeated sigh, she began to reveal the information they so desperately needed-the location of Leonard’s pack and the spell she had cast to banish them.
As the witch divulged her secrets, a sense of relief washed over the room. Darryl’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, and Maurice could see a glimmer of hope returning to his eyes. They were one step closer to reuniting Darryl with his beloved mate, Diana, and ending the tension that had gripped their world for far too long.