Southern Reign

Chapter 2: King of the South

King John

Yvonne was a light witch whom I had known since I was a young Lycan. She rose to the rank of headmistress after successfully vanquishing one of the darkest, most dangerous demons of the supernatural world. When she reached out to me to invite me to her coven, I thought I would accept. It couldn’t hurt. She ran a pretty tight ship and did not condone dark magic whatsoever. She was referred to as “the lightest witch” because she had a genuinely good soul. I trusted her enough.

I was a 30-year old Lycan bachelor. My closest friends joked that I would die alone. I’ve been all around the North and South Territories. Into the East and West. Even overseas. My Lycan mate doesn’t exist. I briefly imagined my mate; what she might look like, her personality, the type of mother she would be. I imagined two kids, a boy and a girl, running around my huge front yard. But right now, it’s lonely me inside of my mansion.

My thoughts were interrupted when the flight attendant spoke through the intercom.

“Please put on your seatbelt and prepare for landing. We will reach our destination in fifteen minutes.”

I complied with her instructions and took a deep breath.

My close friend and Beta, Solomon, got my attention. “Hey, man. Let’s make this a quick visit. I want to get home to my mate ASAP!”

I rolled my eyes. Solomon and his mate, Anaïs, acted as if they just found each other. They were actually mated when they were 18-years old. I remember it like it was yesterday. Anaïs had invited all of us to her parents’ house for her birthday party. Solomon wanted to go to the river and swim. After convincing him to attend the party, he got dressed and met me just a block from where she lived. I knocked on the door and Anaïs’ mother answered. Before she could greet us, Solomon got a strange look on his face. We both looked at him and as I was about to speak, Anaïs appeared around the corner and stared at Solomon. I heard her mother ask if she was ok. Next thing I knew, Solomon and Anaïs practically ran to one another. He lifted her off of the ground and growled before we heard him shout, “Mate!” Anaïs had her arms wrapped around his neck in a tight hug. Her mother clasped her hands together as her eyes filled with tears and she smiled. I was stunned. To this day, he thanks me for convincing him to go to the party. He and Anaïs weren’t exactly friends and didn’t run in the same circles. It could’ve taken months for them to meet.

12 years later, they are still very much in the honeymoon phase. I don’t even think they have ever argued.

Once we landed and exited the jet, two black Escalades took us to the coven. Although we were just over the mountain, I couldn’t imagine attempting to drive out this way. It would take hours and maybe even more hours to try and get through the terrain.

A young wizard greeted us at a huge, cast iron gate. We were dropped off at the door to a castle. Yvonne was standing outside with a small grin on her face.

“Welcome, King.” She spoke with a warm tone.

I nodded. “Yvonne.”

“And who might all of your friends be?” I knew she was referring to my men, whom I had bought along just in case.

“This is my Beta, Solomon. My Gamma, Rico. And five of my best guards; Andre, Quincy, Brandt, Romeo, and Zeus.”

Romeo stepped forward and took Yvonne’s hand, planting a kiss on it.

“Hello, m’lady.” He smiled at her. I could see her blushing before she caught herself and nodded at my men.

“Gentlemen. I am Yvonne, the headmistress of the Vieux Carré Coven.” I noticed her eyes landed on Romeo as she turned. His eyes had a lustful look in them. I rolled my eyes upward and smacked him on the back of his head.

“Focus.” I spoke quietly so that Yvonne didn’t hear me. He quietly chuckled. I couldn’t blame him for his attraction to Yvonne. She was centuries old, but she looked to be a young 35-year old woman. She had smooth brown skin and long auburn colored locs that she had tied into a massive braided bun. She had almond-shaped eyes, a small nose, and full lips that were painted with a matte crimson red lipstick. Her body was curvy, an hourglass, like that of a Goddess. She was a look.

Yvonne was very beautiful. But if I let Romeo get too close, we might not become allies.

“Zoë will show you to your rooms. If you want, she can also give you a quick tour of the castle. I have a couple of pressing matters to tend to.” She bowed slightly and moved so gracefully, it was as if she was floating. After Yvonne disappeared around the corner, we all turned to Zoë.

“Hi there! I’m Zoë, the self-proclaimed, one-woman welcome committee. How about I show you your rooms so you can set your things down?”

We all nodded and followed her to an elevator.

***

Once we set our things down, we all met Zoë at the end of the guest hall.

“We can start at the first floor. The castle is pretty big, but not as big as it looks on the outside.”

Zoë was talking a mile a minute and we were trying to keep up with everything she was saying. She was actually precious. She was a little on the pale side, but she had big green eyes and jet black hair that was styled into two topknots with a bang. Her lips were naturally a perfect shade of pink. She had to be at least 5’8.

I observed Zeus and Quincy watching her from behind as she walked ahead, pointing out the different artifacts and trophies that lined the front wall. I just shook my head.

We made it to the library on the second floor. It housed books from floor to ceiling. The shelves were neatly lined parallel to one another and there was even a backroom filled with books. I was making my way between the rows when a faint aroma caught my attention. It was enticing; the most delightful aroma I had ever inhaled. I dropped the book I was carrying onto a table. As I made it to the door, following this lovely scent, I saw a young woman standing against the wall. She was petite, but curvaceous. Her body was amazing. Her skin was a beautiful shade of brown; like caramel. She had full, pink lips that were covered with a clear gloss. Her head was wrapped in a yellow scarf and she wore grey leggings with a black v-neck shirt that showed a little bit of cleavage. She was perfect. I stood in front of her and couldn’t resist touching her. I could tell when she opened her eyes that I had startled her. I wanted her to know I was staking my claim. My mate. My mate has been at Vieux Carré all this time.

I growled and then said, “You belong to me.”

Her jaw dropped and I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder to carry her back to my room. My mate is a witch. That’s why I hadn’t found her yet.