Chapter 1

LLOYD

“Let’s see what you can do.”

It was barely dawn, and King Axel Sayelle-Moreau sat on his throne in his robe. His brown hair was tousled and cut strangely, short at the back and long in front. The throne room looked the same as the last time I had awakened.

His gaze snapped to the guard at the door. “Kill him,” he instructed, and leaned back in his chair with a cruel smile.

The guard approached hesitantly, his spear at the ready.

“Make it last, Lloyd.” Axel licked his lips in anticipation. “I want a show.”

Before the guard lunged, I heard the knife. The blade made a particular sound as it cut the air, and I turned to catch it easily by the hilt. The wolf who’d been instructed to throw it looked at me in admiration.

Sidestepping the guard, I hit him with the butt of the knife, and he stumbled away, trying to regain his balance. The movement split my tunic further, and it fell to the floor, leaving me naked from the waist up.

“I want to see blood,” Axel yelled, getting to his feet.

Fury ran through me. I was part of the royal pack—not by blood and not by choice, but I had no option but to obey the alpha command.

With a flick of his wrist, Axel picked another two warriors to fight me. They rushed me, but even if they did wound me, I healed instantly thanks to the curse.

Crouched and waiting, I struck first, driving my blade into the guard behind me, then sweeping the legs out from the one charging from the side.

The spear shot toward me—quick and brutal—but I slipped past it and slit the guard’s throat, hoping this would appease Axel.

The gleam in his eyes and the way he licked his lips told me he wanted more.

The third guard circled, and I could smell his fear.

“Slice him,” Axel shouted.

Stark fear bloomed in the guard’s eyes as I attacked, slicing diagonally across his back so his tunic split and blood welled. I added two more in quick succession, both across his chest, cutting just deep enough so he bled profusely.

“Throw the knife at me,” he instructed.

~“Here’s hoping,”~ Vetus, my wolf, said.

With barely a flick of my wrist, the knife sailed toward the king’s forehead, right between his eyes, and stopped five inches from his face, the blade quivering and straining from the sudden halt.

King Axel’s eyes went wide before his lips curled in satisfaction as he grabbed the knife. “Perfect. What other gifts do you have?”

My gaze flicked to the slim leather bound journal in his hand, which contained most of my secrets. Was he just testing me?

“I can become invisible, but not in electric light, sire.”

“Show me,” he demanded.

I called the shadows under my skin, and King Axel gasped and leaned forward. I knew how it made me look; even in electric light, it blurred my outline.

“And it says you can mask your scent,” Axel smirked.

“Yes, sire.”

“Come here.”

I moved closer and knew what was coming.

“It says you’re invulnerable.” With a sadistic grin on his face, he slashed the knife across my face, but I barely bled, the skin knitting together instantly.

“Any other abilities?”

“No, sire, just those listed in the journal.”

My stomach growled loudly.

“When did you last wake?”

When the monarchy was in danger, I woke. When the threat was neutralized, I went back to sleep—a dormant sleep so deep that my heart stopped beating, the blood freezing in my veins and all thought processes halted.

Sometimes, decades passed, and I had to reacquaint myself with the world. Progress was hard to follow, and it could take weeks before I familiarized myself with the changes.

“I served King Cillian in 1908, sire.”

“Tanner? Get Lloyd fed, clothed, and up to speed. I want him to infiltrate Knox Pack within a week.”

Infiltrate a pack? No king had ever ordered such a foolish thing.

“Sire, I cannot protect you when I am not in your vicinity.”

He waved his hand. “Are you questioning my judgment, or do you magically know who poses the threat?”

“No, sire. Do you want me to kill the alpha of Knox Pack?” I asked, not missing the glare of the she-wolf who sat at the foot of the dais. “It is unwise to be far from the chamber after eliminating the threat, as there is little time before I become…dormant.”

He waved his hand dismissively, and I followed Tanner, the very guard who’d thrown the knife out of the throne room.

“Right, we have a lot to accomplish in one week, so let’s get started,” he said.

“How do I address you?” I asked.

There was a slight hesitation, but he turned and looked me in the eye. “I lead the guards. You can call me Tanner,” he explained.

~“There’s a story here. Where is the king’s beta?”~ Vetus mused.

Tanner took me to the palace kitchen. The general layout had not changed, but the furniture had been replaced, and the rugs looked expensive and new. The same paintings adorned the walls, and the guards were stationed in the same places.

The kitchen, however, looked completely different. Stainless steel surfaces mirrored the first rays of sunlight.

“Frieda?” Tanner called to a she-wolf wearing a net on her head. “Feed us.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, appraising my half-dressed appearance in astonishment.

“Sit.” Tanner pointed to a table in the corner and sat opposite me. “So, you haven’t eaten in one hundred and sixteen years? You must be ravenous.” He grinned.

“I could eat a boar.”

Tanner puzzled me. He had beta power but wasn’t addressed like one. I was surprised at his friendliness. Generally, I was treated like a traitor and slept in the stone chamber deep underground when I wasn’t guarding the king.

Tanner laughed. “I doubt we have that on the menu. But jokes aside, the world has changed a lot.” Something buzzed, and he held his hand up, hauling a device out of his pocket.

What type of devilry was this?

Tanner read something on the device, placed it on the table, and laughed at my frown. “This is a cell phone,” he said. “You can call or text anyone you want, provided you have their number.”

Text? I knew what a telephone was, but these devices were much smaller. “Why would you need one when you can link?” I asked.

“True, but cell phones are invaluable. Boy, you have a lot to learn. So, how did this whole thing come about?”

Before I could reply, Frieda brought breakfast, and all conversation ceased. Sausages, steak, eggs, and toast with mushrooms on the side. “I’ll have three more of the same,” I mumbled, picking up my cutlery.

Frieda’s gaze slid to Tanner, who nodded silently. I had no intention of telling Tanner what happened centuries ago; palace wolves were loyal and not to be trusted.

If I counted the times I had been alive, I was barely twenty-one, not two hundred and seventy years old. Everyone I had known was long dead and gone.

After breakfast, Tanner showed me to my room. One glance at the bed revealed that it was too small, and I was thankful I needed no sleep during my awakenings, something else I kept from my captors.

Clothes were laid on the bed, and Tanner left me to change.

The week flew by, and it was hard to assimilate all the changes and the diction of those around me, but speaking informally came quite easily. Tanner never left my side, and I got to know him and enjoyed his company, but I still didn’t trust him.

He was tireless in his explanations as I slowly grasped this century’s inventions. Every evening after dinner, he taught me to drive, stopping at various bars and eateries.

Tanner didn’t bother locking my door at night, and I roamed the palace unseen. I took advantage of his oversight and perused the library for any books on witches and curses, and to my delight, discovered a grimoire, the pages blank.

I suspected it belonged to Kiralah, the very witch who cursed me, and was worth its weight in gold.

But to read the grimoire, I needed a witch. As far as I knew, they had been slaughtered ~en masse~, but I was betting that some slipped through, and if I could break the curse that made me dormant, I’d get the chance to find one.

I listened to King Axel’s conversation whenever possible, but like a lone wolf, he kept his own counsel and rarely said anything pertinent. Under his cosmopolitan façade, I became more and more aware of his cruel and bloodthirsty nature.

Most palace staff were guarded in their conversations, from which I concluded that they were unhappy, but that wasn’t my concern.

It irked me that my power transcended his but that my unwilling allegiance was to him as long as I was bound and he held the title.

The day dawned when I loaded my new possessions into the Jeep Wrangler I was given and drove to Knox Pack.

I presented myself to Alpha Zack and offered my services as a warrior. I masked the royal link and told him I hailed from a pack in an obscure country and wanted a change.

After witnessing my fighting prowess, he unexpectedly offered me a beta position solely to train the elite. The Knox Pack link snapped into place, squeezing in next to the royal one without a problem.

I now understood why a cell phone was necessary. Knox Pack was just out of linking range. Tanner called me daily, but I explained I had to integrate first and had little to report. I did not mention the beta position.

Alpha Zack assigned me a suitable cottage east of the pack house, bordering the training grounds earmarked for the elite. At my instructions, meals were brought and left at the front door.

So far, everything was going according to plan—my plan. I trained the warriors during the day and spied on the Pack at night.

The little she-wolf that sat at Axel’s feet was Alpha Zack’s daughter, Olivia. It didn’t sound like he intended to attack the palace, but he must have had a plan to eliminate the king; otherwise, I wouldn’t have awakened.

I was thoroughly entertained by Beta Anthony’s incessant bitching to his mate at my appointment. He was even more irritable when Alpha Zack announced that his brother was to join as a third beta.

I kept to myself and only frequented the pack house when ordered, utilizing my free time to read the thick tomes. However, I had yet to find the curse that put me in a near-death state.

And then I scented azaleas, and Vetus snapped “~Mate~” so loudly I froze.

How was this possible? I never expected to be granted a mate while cursed.

I sniffed again. Another lurked under the azaleas’ scent, barely discernible, but I knew it of old. The sweet, spicy aroma that tainted the blood.

“~Witch~,” Vetus whispered, aghast.