Chapter 102
RYKER’S PO.V
I wasn’t able to get to the town square before people saw the b*dy. By the time I arrived, people were gathered around. It was so bad that the guards had to force through them to create a passage for me.
When I got there, I realized why they were gathered. The b*dy was barely recognizable. There was a head mounted on a sp ike and the b*dy was covered with blood and slashes that looked like they were made by claws. One of the guards next to me had to rush into a bush to throw
up.
“Clear everyone out,” I ordered. “I don’t want anyone here who isn’t a guard. The last thing we need is for the family to see him by accident and for f ucks sake can someone cover up the b*dy.”
Two guards rushed to cover the b*dy with a cloth and one of them froze. He stood there immobile for a second before releasing a growl to feral that it shook the grounds. It took me a second to recognize him and I realized he was the one who spoke to me about his brother being missing. I didn’t need to be a mind reader to know that his brother was the one lying on the ground.
“Get him away from here before he shifts and kills someone. I don’t care if you have to knock him out to do so,” I whispered harshly to the guards who were next to me and they rushed over to grab him.
They held him by his arms and dragged him away while the masses watched. If we weren’t in such a cluster f u ck before then we were now. I could hear the whispers and for the first time in a long time, I had no idea what I was supposed to do or how I was supposed to fix it.
We spent the next hour cleaning up the town square and getting the boy packed
I didn’t leave until everyone else had gone. I couldn’t even if I tried. It was my duty to help them and I failed.
up.
“Your majesty,” a guard spoke snapping me out of my thoughts and I turned to him. “The carriage is ready for you.”
I shook my head. “Go on without me.”
“Your majesty, the palace is so far away. Are you sure about that?”
“A run would do me some good. Fresh air has never hurt anyone.”
<
He didn’t look convinced but he nodded and walked away. I waited until the carriage had disappeared from sight before I quietly walked towards the woods. I knew guards were following me at a respectable distance. I couldn’t see them but I knew there was no way they would leave me alone.
I stripped out of my clothes and shifted immediately. It felt good to be in my work form. It felt like stretching after a long day of work. I made sure my clothes were carefully situated in my mouth before I took off running. I had no idea where I was going, I just let the wind lead me.
I ran until my limbs hurt and I felt like I was one with the wind. I ran until I felt like I couldn’t move anymore and I stopped in front of a stream to drink somè water. The air was crisp and quiet, the breeze rustled the leaves and the animals held their breaths.
I was used to the quiet where I was present. I was a predator, it was in their nature to be wary of me. I usually had my guard down while in the woods so it was a surprise when I heard the branch cra ck. My spine straightened and the fur on my back stood on end.
I looked up from my spot and scanned the trees for any sign of life but I couldn’t see anything. I let out a warning growl hoping that whatever or whoever was lurking would be smart enough to run but to my surprise, the trees parted and a vampire stepped out.
Thankfully, it wasn’t the same one who had bitten Camilla. This one looked younger and more inexperienced, it was obvious in the way he stood and walked.
“You shouldn’t be alone here,” it was obvious from the way he spoke that he didn’t know who I was. “Don’t you wolves know that the woods aren’t yours anymore?”
He stalked closer to me but I kept my position. I wasn’t going to attack him in the woods, I was in wolf form, it narrowed my space and gave him an advantage. Instead, I waited for him to step out and get closer to the stream. Once he was within reach, I jumped on him and pinned him to the ground.
I snarled in his face and I saw fear cross his features. He tried to throw me off but I was much more experienced than he was. He opened his mouth and I knew he was going to bite me so in one quick move, I bit his head clean off his shoulders.
A part of me wanted to get rid of the b*dy but another wanted to leave the b*dy for the others to find because I knew there would be others.
I also didn’t want to risk bumping into any more vampires. There was no guarantee that they would be as young or easy to defeat as this one. I ran in the
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Chapter 102
direction of the palace without looking back and it wasn’t until I got there that I realized I had left my clothes by the stream.
I couldn’t go back there but I also couldn’t walk into the palace n*ked. I had to mind link Christine to get me clothes and it took her less than ten minutes to arrive. She gave me the privacy to change and we walked into the palace together.
“When I saw the carriages without you, I was worried,” she said under her breath as we walked towards the palace. “I thought that something had happened and my first thought was how I was going to explain to Audrey that she was going to lose both her parents.”
“She isn’t going to lose either of us,” she hummed in disbelief and I couldn’t exactly fault her because it was becoming harder for me to believe as well. “I needed some air, I needed to think.”
“How did that work out for you?” she asked and I shrugged. She stopped in her tracks and turned to me. “Audrey is asking questions. The guards are asking questions and so are the elders. What do I tell them?”
“Nothing yet, I need more time.”
“We don’t have time, Ryker,” she whirled on me. “We have maybe twenty four hours before we have to do something about this. We have to make a statement. Don’t you realize how weak the palace looks when Camilla is always attacked? The people have barely recovered from Frederick and now this.”
I knew she was right. I didn’t want to hear it but I knew. I had to breathe deeply to calm myself. She had every right to be upset because she was suffering just as much as I was. I was saved from having to respond to her because heavy footsteps rushed towards us.
I saw the physician’s son and fear gripped my heart. In the five seconds it took for him to reach me, I had already imagined a hundred different ways that he could tell me Camilla was dead. I even searched for our mate bond and I only sighed in relief when I felt it still pulsing between us.
“Your majesty,” he panted as he reached us. “You need to come right away. I can’t explain it.”
I nodded immediately and we rushed off in the direction of the room. I couldn’t help but conjure up all the possible worst case scenarios. I braced myself to see Camilla on the bed looking worse for wear but she looked… fine.
“What’s wrong with my mate?” I asked the physician who was leaning over her
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b*dy.
He gestured for me to come closer and it wasn’t until I was beside her that he spoke. “What do you see, your majesty?”
“I see my mate,” I deadpanned. “I don’t have time for all of thus. Tell me what you found out.”
He sighed and tilted her head to the side. I looked around trying to find something but there was nothing there. I opened my mouth to yell when it hit me- there was nothing. Just yesterday, there were two fang marks that looked poisoned.
“Did you find a way to heal her?” I asked and he shook his head.
“I think she found a way to heal herself. It is completely unheard of and it is quite, miraculous if I do say so myself. Her color is returning. I reckon that she will be back to normal in twenty four hours at most.”
“Are you sure?” I didn’t want to risk getting my hopes up only for them to be shattered on the ground like glass. “Will she truly be alright?”
He nodded and I felt a heavy weight lift off my shoulders. I sank into the chair next to her bed and held her hand. I was determined to be there when shr woke up. I didn’t care if I had to sit there for the next three days. I just wanted to make sure that my face was the first that she saw.
The others must have realized my intentions because they quickly went off to do their own thing. I heard Christine sobbing quietly as she left the room but I didn’t care about her. My entire focus was on the woman in front of me.
I couldn’t tell you how long I stayed there. I wasn’t even sure myself but it happened sometime around midnight. The physician and his son had retired to their rooms but I stayed.
My eyes were on the window. I stared at the full moon in the sky and listened to the birds chirping when I heard that voice I hadn’t listened to in days.
“It’s a beautiful night, don’t you agree?”
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