Chapter 13

MISTY

Uncle Zack graciously gave us Friday off. I tried to sleep in but was awake early and heard my dad making breakfast. I now wished I’d taken the other books Lloyd had in his cottage for some research.

I couldn’t get him or this mystery out of my mind, my emotions bordering on annoyance because he was avoiding me and sadness because he hadn’t claimed me.

~“We’d be in much more pain if he rejected us,”~ Cammy said.

In the back of my mind, I had the urge to take the grimoire and head to Monolith, but that wouldn’t happen, at least not until after the gala event.

The palace was putting us up for one night, and I packed an overnight bag, carefully folding the dress. I was excited to see Chelsea. Video chats were great, but not the same.

My dad had a meeting with Uncle Zack, so I used the morning for self-care, even using a mask to brighten my complexion and curling my hair.

“Got everything?” my mom asked when I entered the kitchen after lunch.

“Yes, and thank you for my dress.” She’d worked wonders on it, and I couldn’t wait to wear it.

“It’s a pleasure. Say hello to Chelsea for me.”

“I will,” I said, hugging her goodbye.

I knew Lloyd was going, but it hadn’t entered my mind that he didn’t have a car until I walked outside and found him leaning against the station wagon. He must have asked my dad for a lift. My heart accelerated just seeing him.

“Lloyd, sit in front,” my dad said, stowing our luggage.

Lloyd nodded and got in the car. I sat behind my dad so I could admire his profile. Why would he not speak to me? Every time I linked him, he blocked me.

“How far is it, Dad?” I asked once we got on the road.

“About two and a half hours. We should be there by late afternoon, so there’s plenty of time for you to freshen up and do all the girly things.”

We’d been on the road for about an hour when Lloyd’s head snapped around. I’d been playing games on my phone and texting Chelsea to keep from thinking.

“What was that noise?” he asked.

I hadn’t heard anything, and judging by my dad’s frown, neither had he.

“What noise?” my dad asked.

“Pull over,” Lloyd requested.

My dad pulled over to the shoulder of the road, and Lloyd got out and walked around the car, crouching down at the rear tire. My dad got out and circled the car.

“What’s the problem?” he said, and that’s when Lloyd stood up and punched my dad so hard that he went down and stayed down.

I looked at Lloyd in shock. “What the fuck?” I shouted and jumped out of the car, running to my dad, who was lying in the dirt, unmoving.

“Is this payback because I broke your car?” I yelled, but he ignored me and got into the driver’s seat. “What are you doing, you crazy fuck?” I shouted.

The engine purred to life, and I watched Lloyd drive off in disbelief.

Crouching beside my dad, I patted his cheek. Within a few moments, he opened his eyes and sat up with a groan. “Sonofabitch,” he growled, grabbing his head. “Where’s my car?”

“Lloyd drove off in it. We’re stranded.”

“I’ll fucking kill him,” he shouted and winced simultaneously.

I helped him up when I heard another car approaching and stepped onto the road to flag them down. The SUV stopped, and Beta Anthony buzzed his window down.

“What the hell happened? Where’s your car?” he asked.

“When I catch up with Lloyd, I will kill him,” my dad ranted.

“He did this?”

“He punched my lights out, the sonofabitch.”

“Hmm. Josh knows how hard he punches. We’ll take him together,” Beta Anthony said.

Their eyes glazed over, and both seemed tense.

We squeezed into the SUV, and I was squashed between my dad and Josh, who thankfully kept his mouth shut. I tried linking Lloyd, but again, he blocked me.

I was utterly outraged and hurt by his actions. Did he not want us to go to the palace? Why else would he leave us stranded on the side of the road? What the fuck was he hiding?

~“There must be a reason,”~ Cammy said, but even she sounded disappointed.

~“Sure, he’s not right in the head. That’s the problem.”~

Why was I still hoping for him to accept me as his mate when he did things like this?

I would give him a piece of my mind when I saw him, and I hoped my dad would punch his lights out, but I had a feeling Lloyd was much stronger and could probably take both my dad and Beta Anthony with ease.

Who was he really? Fuck, I was so confused and angry. Our clothes and my dress were in the back of the station wagon.

~“What about our clothes?”~ I linked my dad. My phone was in the car too, and I couldn’t message Chelsea to let her know when we would be arriving.

~“He’s bound to be at the palace, and I’ll search for the car when we get there. And then I want an explanation,”~ he linked back.

I wanted more than ~one~ explanation.

The closer we got to the palace, the more tense things were in the car. By late afternoon, Beta Anthony pulled through the palace gates.

The grounds were beautiful, with every type of flower you could imagine, and all the shrubs were pruned into wolf shapes. A maple tree forest sprawled to the left.

The entrance was white marble with a fountain in the middle. We were waved to the parking lot, and my dad hissed; looking in his direction, I spotted the station wagon immediately.

“Thanks, Anthony,” my dad said, getting out of the car. I clambered after him and stretched my legs in relief.

“At least he didn’t disappear with your car, but we’ll corner him tonight. Such behavior is not tolerated at Knox. I had misgivings when Zack appointed him, and I was right,” Beta Anthony expounded.

My dad nodded.

The keys were in the ignition, and he grabbed our luggage. I grabbed my phone, only to find it had died, and shouldered my backpack.

“Dad? How far is Monolith from the palace?” I asked.

“Much further than Knox—they’ll be coming from opposite directions and probably left early this morning. Let’s settle first, and then you can find Chelsea, okay?”

“Sure,” I agreed.

We were met by two she-wolves in the foyer who checked off our names and handed us an itinerary before directing us to a set of interleading rooms on the third floor.

I couldn’t stop gawking at the furnishings and finishes. No expense was spared here. The hallway carpet was plush and blood-red.

The room numbers were marked, and I stopped at the threshold in astonishment.

My dad’s room was so big that it had a lounge, including a beautiful bathroom with gold-plated taps. My room was smaller but still bigger than mine at home, and it had its own bathroom and balcony. This was luxury.

“Right, it says we have to be in the throne room for pre-dinner drinks at six. He glanced at his watch, “You’ve got forty-five minutes.”

“Crap, not enough time to find Chelsea,” I yelled and ran to my room.

I showered, making sure to keep my hair dry, and quickly applied makeup before slipping the dress over my head and admiring myself. The dress had turned out just as my mom had predicted, and I felt beautiful.

~“You’re always beautiful,”~ Cammy said.

~“Thanks.”~

My dad took a double take when he saw me. “Goddess Misty, when did you grow up? You look beautiful.”

“Long ago, but thanks, Dad.” I grinned. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” He wore a black three-piece suit and looked dashing for an old wolf.

“Can’t believe you’re going to be eighteen soon.” He shook his head. “I’m getting old.”

The itinerary had a map on the back, which was just as well because the place was a maze. We eventually found the throne room, which was on the first floor.

“Have you ever been here?” I asked.

“No, generally only the alphas are invited for the annual dinners. Misty? Please don’t stray,” my dad warned.

High tables were placed all around the room, but there were no chairs, and waiters ran around with champagne on serving trays.

I looked around for Chelsea but couldn’t find her. Lloyd would be easy to spot, but he definitely wasn’t here.

The sheer number of alphas and betas surprised me. I didn’t know there were so many packs. Where the fuck was Chelsea? Uncle Zack and Aunt Faye joined us.

Aunt Faye barely acknowledged us as she rudely elbowed her way to another table closer to the dais. Uncle Zack threw my dad a look and followed her.

The noise died down when a gong sounded, and an elderly wolf announced, “His majesty, alpha of all alphas, King Axel Sayelle-Moreau.”

The king was nothing to look at, although he was dressed the part in a long red robe edged in gold. His brown hair was cut asymmetrically. He had deep-set brown eyes, a hook nose, and a rosebud mouth, which made him look slightly effeminate.

He sat down on his throne while we all bared our necks.

And then I saw Lloyd and gasped as he took up position beside the king’s throne as though he were his personal guard. He was even dressed like a palace guard. My dad stiffened beside me and threw me a worried look.

~“What are you doing?”~ I linked Lloyd. He didn’t respond, but his eyes burned into mine angrily.

“Welcome,” King Axel said, his voice ringing out. “Now, before we start the festivities, it’s time for ~me~ to have ~my~ fun.”

He looked around the room casually and leaned back, crossing an ankle over his knee. “Bring her,” he commanded.

The door to the left of the throne opened, and I gasped again when I saw Olivia. What the fuck was going on here? I grabbed my dad’s arm, but he shook his head.

“Alpha Zack Ross, join your daughter,” King Axel ordered, and I got the feeling he was enjoying himself enormously.

Uncle Zack stepped forward. “Sire,” he acknowledged.

“The last time you insulted me, I took your daughter, but this time, I’m going to take your pack. Did you think I wouldn’t know what you planned?”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Uncle Zack said, his voice unsteady.

“My warriors are at Knox as we speak, killing every one of your pack members.” The king angled his head and said two words. “Kill him.”

My blood froze. Knox! Mom! My dad’s expression turned to one of pure grief. No, this couldn’t be happening… Was that why Lloyd stranded us? Had he known King Axel’s plan? What had Uncle Zack done?

No sound was heard as Lloyd stepped forward, his face a mask. He looked scary as fuck. Uncle Zack looked like he wanted to shift, but he brandished a silver knife instead. “Fucking traitor,” he spat, and buried the blade in Lloyd’s chest.

I slapped my hand over my mouth in panic, but Lloyd didn’t even react when the knife pierced him.

He casually grabbed Uncle Zack’s head and, with a quick twist, snapped his neck. Uncle Zack’s lifeless body fell to the floor with a thump, and Aunt Faye and Olivia screamed in shock.

The pack link broke, and I stood unmoving and incredulous. My dad was frantically looking around, and I followed his gaze. All the doors had been shut, warriors blocking them.

“Kill those two. I hate that keening noise,” King Axel said, but Lloyd ignored him and headed toward me.

With tears streaming down my face and unable to encompass what just happened, I ran up to him, smacking his chest with both my palms. “Why are you doing this?” I shouted.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going? I’m not done yet,” the king yelled.

“The threat has been neutralized,” Lloyd answered in a gruff voice.

“Dad,” I screamed, trying to get away from Lloyd, but he threw me over his shoulder and headed for the door.

The knife clattered to the floor with hardly any blood on it. I pounded my fist against his back, but he felt as hard as a stone, and his movements were lethargic.

“No,” my father shouted, but before he could get close, the guards grabbed him and pushed him to the floor.

Lloyd growled loudly at the guards.

“Let him go,” the king said. “His duty is done. Tanner? Get your ass over here.”

The guards opened the doors just enough to let us through, and now I was scared. “Please don’t kill me, Lloyd. I’m not a witch,” I pleaded.

His gait became slower and heavier as he walked down the hallway to a window. He pulled me off his shoulder and said, in a voice that barely sounded like him, “I only wake when there’s a threat. Save me if you can.”

He brushed my hair away from my neck and bent forward. When his fangs pierced my marking spot I screamed and tried pushing him away, but it was too late—he’d marked me.

“Run. Now,” he said in a strained voice, his words rough and raspy as though he’d forgotten how to speak. He then punched the glass behind me before throwing me out the window.

I landed on a shrub and bounced to the ground, my hip and elbow catching the edging stones. I grunted in pain and looked up at Lloyd in the window above, his green eyes dull and lifeless.

And then he was gone. I couldn’t leave my dad or Chelsea. Would King Axel kill everyone? What type of a king was he?

~“We have to go,”~ Cammy said urgently. ~“If we stay, we might die too.”~

I knew she was right, but running felt like cowardice. I ran to the station wagon and got behind the wheel, wiping my eyes so I could see where I was going, but the tears kept coming.

The palace gates stood open, and there were no guards as I raced through them, my heart breaking into a million pieces.

As soon as I was out of the area, I pulled into a side street and sobbed. I’d left my phone in the room to charge and couldn’t contact anyone, and with the pack link broken, I couldn’t link anyone.

Without the link, I wouldn’t know when they killed my dad, and he might already be dead. And my mom too…