Chapter 66: 67: Interspecies Incident

ARIEL

The Hunter holds his knife to Vivian’s throat, his three companions closing in on Dianne, Maria, and me.

~And here I am, unarmed. Like a good luna.~

If I pounce, I risk the ambassador’s life. If I don’t, I risk us all.

I lock eyes with Vivian, and she seems to have the same idea. We need to surprise them before we miss our chance.

Beneath the Hunter’s grasp, her lips move. She’s mouthing something. Communicating with me silently.

~Three…~

~Two…~

~One!~

I pounce and shift simultaneously as Vivian kicks her captor in the groin, taking the opportunity to duck out of reach of his weapon.

I leave the fancy dress in tatters as my wolf explodes through my regal facade.

The knife grazes Vivian’s arm before I sink my claws into the Hunter’s shoulder, and he drops his blade.

We turn to face the other Hunters. Dianne and Maria are still vulnerable in human form. I wish they’d leave their etiquette behind for a moment and defend themselves.

But Maria is accustomed to having bodyguards, and Dianne is…~Dianne~.

I pounce, again and again, maiming one Hunter after another. I tear through flesh with tooth and claw, but I hold my rage back. I don’t let it overtake me.

~I won’t kill.~

I let my wolf instincts take over as I incapacitate the Hunters. I hear a screech and whip my head around from the Hunter I have pinned to the forest floor.

Dianne is jerking forward in pain as she struggles on toward the palace. An arrow has just grazed her shoulder, leaving a gory flesh wound.

I’m mad at myself for leaving one of my own in a vulnerable position. It feels as though these women are my squad right now.

I look at the attacker, but Vivian poses more of a threat with the first Hunter’s knife than the man’s crossbow now that he’s at close range.

The injured Hunters huddle together, protecting each other as they retreat.

I want to go after them, to bring them to justice—but I stay to protect Maria and Vivian.

“Let’s find Dianne,” I say.

I hate to let the Hunters disappear into the forest, but I can only take on all four by killing one of them.

And even I know killing a human in front of our human ambassador is a bad idea.

I glance at Vivian. “How’s that wound?”

“It’s just a scratch,” she says. “I’m glad I was with you.”

“In warrior training they taught us… When you’re unarmed, and your attacker has a blade, it doesn’t matter how skilled you are at fighting—he’s going to draw blood.”

I want her to know she did well. The truth is, even I’m rattled that the Hunters surprised us so easily.

~I’m getting sloppy...~

I glance at Maria to make sure she’s okay. She looks shaken too.

We begin to follow the trail of Dianne’s blood.

~It seems like a lot for the way the arrow grazed her...~

***

As we sit in the hospital waiting room, I can’t help but fixate on the Hunters.

Vivian was attacked because of her dedication. She believes in peace between humans and werewolves. And her attackers can’t stand that.

The ~Hunters~ can’t stand that.

I don’t trust any humans—not until they’ve proven their trustworthiness—but I have to admit, she’s gained my respect today.

There’s nothing like a common enemy to bring things into perspective. If this treaty isn’t signed, the Hunters will be a bigger threat than ever.

We need humans on our side so that we can face the Hunters together. I see that now.

When a nurse calls Vivian away to treat her wound, I broach the subject with Alex.

“I’d like to be Vivian’s personal bodyguard.”

“What? No chance,” he says.

I’m taken aback. I didn’t expect any resistance from him. “She was almost killed today.”

“I’ll give her a security detail. I know you’re a strong fighter, but you’re also a luna. A queen.”

I scoff.

“You should be focusing on your royal duties now. The unification ceremony. That sort of thing.”

I don’t want to give up my warrior duties, not entirely. This afternoon was the first time I felt like myself in too long.

“What do you think will happen, Alex, if our human ambassador is killed? Do you really think the president will go through with the unification ceremony? The treaty?”

Alex’s eyebrows furrow, and he runs a hand through his hair.

“I want to do this. It’s my duty as queen.” I stand up, not waiting for his approval.

“Ariel, will you just—”

“I need to check on Dianne,” I say without turning around.

ALEX

It’s always challenging to keep a clear head in a crisis. But I’m the king, and it’s my job to remain composed when my people are panicking.

My father did it so well. He made it look easy. He used to remain utterly unemotional as he weighed the options of every decision.

It was almost human, the way he calculated his actions without losing his head.

But I can’t help letting my emotions influence me as Ariel persuades me.

I’m not sure letting her be Vivian’s personal bodyguard is a strategically sound decision.

While I want to keep our ambassador safe, I can’t ignore the optics of the queen of the werewolves serving the human ambassador.

~Will our people see this as a sign of submission?~

~Will theirs?~

But I’ve decided not to push the issue with Ariel. Some decisions I make for the kingdom, and some I make for the queen.

Ariel wants what’s best for the kingdom too, and I have to give her time to navigate her new role.

In time, she’ll find that though she was trained to be a warrior, she was born to be a queen.

I can see it, even when she doesn’t.

Dom enters the hall where Ariel and I have been discussing her position.

“Sorry to interrupt…but the president’s on the phone.”

I feel my stomach drop.

~Does he know already?~

I pick up the receiver and motion for Dom to stay as I switch it on to speakerphone.

“I hear you had a border breach today,” the president says.

“There was a small group of humans—”

“Hunters, weren’t they?”

“Right. Four Hunters. The luna fended them off, and they retreated outside of our territory.”

It feels strange to be speaking candidly with the human president about our weaknesses. But maybe this is right. Perhaps this is the only way forward.

We have to unite against our common threat.

“Hmm… I’m not comfortable with that,” he says.

“No, I’m not either.”

“My ambassador could have been killed. She called me very shaken up about it.”

Vivian didn’t seem shaken up, but she’s a diplomat. Perhaps she masked her feelings. It’s a traumatic experience to have your life threatened, of course.

“I’m thinking you might need help, sooner than I thought,” the president says. “I had no idea you lacked the capacity to defend yourselves.”

I bite my tongue.

I want to say that we did defend ourselves. Ariel fought off the Hunters, didn’t she?

I want to say that the Hunters are more a human problem than a werewolf one—they’re human outlaws the president has failed to apprehend.

But again, I keep my thoughts to myself.

Such divisiveness won’t lead to peace. And it won’t lead to our common goal: arresting the Hunters.

“What did you have in mind?” I say.

“I’ll send some men to help you out.”

Dom clears his throat, and I meet his eyes. He shakes his head no. I’m not comfortable with it either.

But this treaty could end the Hunters once and for all; I have to protect it.

I want to be a strong leader. And sometimes, the strongest thing a leader can do is swallow his pride.

“What do you say?” the president asks. “Shall I give the order?”

I keep my eyes on Dom, who’s still shaking his head. I wish I could be that sure of what the right decision is.

My mind is blank, but I have to act now. Decisively.

~What would my father do?~

ARIEL

Dianne ran straight for the palace at the first opportunity.

I don’t blame her. She’s a civilian. It’s not like she could have protected the rest of us from the Hunters.

She was just another target.

My father wraps his arm around her good shoulder now as she wails in pain.

“Don’t worry, dear,” he says. “I’m sure the doctors will have you good as new in no time.”

I study the ugly wound on her shoulder.

The arrow was tipped with wolfsbane, and the doctor says Dianne will require extensive treatment to remove all the poison from her system.

She won’t be ~good as new~ anytime soon, not unless I do something for her.

“Dad…,” I say. “Could I actually talk to Dianne alone first?”

My healing gift is an intimate part of who I am, and the idea of sharing it with Dianne makes me anxious.

My father looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “She needs treatment. Can’t you talk later?”

“Trust me, I know,” I say. “But please. Let me handle this.”

I love my dad, but it’s best that he doesn’t know too much. He already worries about me enough as it is.

“I’ll be right outside if you need anything,” he says, looking to Dianne. “May the Goddess’s hand give you some relief.”

~It just might…~

I can’t believe what I’m about to do as I approach Dianne, who’s still moaning in pain.

I reach out to her, my mind spinning.

Can I really trust her?

Can I share my gift with her?

Dianne’s words are barely comprehensible through her sobs: “Ariel, please…”

I don’t want to misuse the Moon Goddess’s gift, so I reach out to her with my mind. I try to link with the divine.

I place my hands on Dianne as I ask the Goddess for help.

I don’t feel the usual glow to indicate the Goddess’s presence. There’s a flicker in my palms, but that’s all.

I emphasize the importance of this action to myself, racking my brain for a positive memory with Dianne to connect with.

But I’m unable to summon the energy.

I want to heal her, but I don’t know if I can…