The Lost King of Dragons

Chapter 16

Dante –

Alpha Damascus came running in when he got news that they were headed back. He had Beta Eros contact the Kings and Queen to bring our allies here.

We would stand 8,000 strong. Each equipped that would be equipped with a special crystal to stop the effects of the female Sirens. They were going to be tucked carefully into our armor. This way during the battle, there wasn’t a likelihood of them getting pulled off of us.

I couldn’t still the whole day, excited for Ember to be coming home. Alpha Damascus warned us that they would look a little rough. They had to play the part.

Everyone in the pack house exited when we heard their card driving up the driveway. It came to a stop and they all filed out.

They looked horrible. Most of the girls were skin and bones and had bruises everywhere. Exhaustion showed in their eyes and faces. They could finally relax.

“Warriors, meet me in the conference room. We must complete our briefing prior to you turning in for the night.” Without a single attitude, they all filed into the house and down the hall to the conference room.

They all took a seat and waited for Alpha Damascus to begin. Vatra and I took a seat near Alpha Damascus. Axon joined us seconds later. As with everything top secret. The doors were shut and a magic bubble formed around us.

“How are you all doing?” I asked each one first. They gave generic answers. Their appearances left a lot to be desired. I ordered each one see the pack doctor followed by a phycological evaluation. We needed to ensure they were all still with us.

Following this, Ember and the warriors explained everything that had happened while they were gone. Some of the information was already know, but some of it wasn’t. The bruising wasn’t from any of the bondsmen. It was from Warrior Athena playing her part as Madam Medusa. This gave me some relief, but it also irritated me. Did she need to bruise the girls so?

Ember must have read my thoughts as she addressed me. “We were in the enemy’s camp. We had to live, eat, and breath by their rules or face possibly exposing ourselves. We all gave consent to have Warrior Athena leave bruising. Anything faked could have exposed us.” She said matter-of-factly.

Conversations continued for another hour of so until Alpha Damascus felt he had enough information to formulate a plan with the 11 kingdoms we had coming to assist.

There was one more problem though. We had no idea how to get in and out of the Mountain of Shadows.

Rather than grueling over the unknowns, we decided to call it a night. We all needed sleep especially the girls.

I gave Ember a quick hug before she went up to her apartment.

“Hey Ember?”

She turned and looked at me.

“I am glad to have you back.”

“Thanks Dante.”

She turned to start walking up again when I stopped her.

“Hey Ember?”

Now very much irritated. “Yes Dante?”

“You need a shower.” I scrunched up my nose.

She laughed and headed back up the stairs.

Still my little Ember.

The next morning, the dining room was full of life. The kitchen staff had made a huge buffet of a variety of foods. Alpha Damascus and I knew they would be starving.

The girls loaded up their plates and ate more than most of the men did.

The dining room was alive with noise, laughter, and music. Things felt right again.

Then a foreboding thought came into mind. “The calm before the storm.” That had my face scowling and Vatra touched my arm. Worried about me.

“I wish things could stay this calm.” I told her.

“Once we get past this mess, things will calm down.”

I looked over at Ember. Her eyes were full of life and she was laughing hysterically at something Axon was telling her.

Vatra and I went and sat with them. We laughed and talked as Axon was his animated self. His mate was really entertaining as well. I see why the Moon Goddess paired them. It had a nagging point in the back of my mind. Who the hell is Ember’s mate?

I tried to push back the thought. We needed to enjoy this time before these trails came out way.

Breakfast ran late into more of a brunch. The kitchen manager finally politely kicked us out as they had much to do before dinner.

We all vacated the area and moved to the game room. Alpha Damascus agreed that we all needed a relaxing day before the other Kingdoms arrived.

The day was full of fun and laughter. I don’t think I’ve every laughed so hard in my life. Axon was being an i***t and was trying to show off for his mate. Well, the damn chair broke beneath him.

We got a heads up from patrol that the Lycan and Werewolf King were close. The entire pack greeted them with revere and respect.

Alpha Damascus approached the Kings with his hand held out. They shook hands. “Welcome back your majesties. I hope the ride wasn’t too terrible.”

“No, it was quiet and was a great opportunity for a nap.” Responded the Werewolf King.

“Wonderful. I have prepared your suite for you.” For a moment he looked around. His brows furrowed. “Is the queen not in attendance?”

“No, she is home bound as she is due any moment with our pup.” His eyes shown he was hiding something. Was he lying as to why the queen was home?

Rather than pushing the issue, I let it go. We would find out soon enough.

“Alpha Damascus, we are here long enough to bring the warriors. We will be staying the night and getting them set up for battle, but our Betas will be leaving the attack. Call us selfish, but we want to witness the birth of our heir.” Again, the Lycan King looked as though he too was hiding something.

It wasn’t a bad feeling I was getting so I set my worries aside.

“Let’s go inside and talk a bit before we head to bed.” I suggested.

They all agreed and we moved into the office.

We talked a while. Some was on task, and some was not. The Kings told us of the events of the Queen’s pregnancy. Sounds like she was very short tempered and hungry.

I looked over to Vatra as she laughed. One day, we would have little ones running about. The thought excited me. I rubbed my thumb on the outside of her hand. She looked up at me with so much love and adoration. My heart fluttered.

We turned in for the night, claiming we were exhausted. Our motives were anything but innocent. I needed to see, feel, and hear her screams beneath me.