Chapter 13
3912 Words
Feared one POV
“Gunther” I say and he appears from the shadows
“Yes my lord?” he says and I smile
“How is little Katya?” I ask and he beams
“Oh my lord, she’s perfect. Such a wonderful little lady” he says and I lean back
“Seems you found a new reason for living” I say and he seems to blush a little
“She has been a light in my life sir. My children both live far away, so I rarely get to see them” he says and I sit forward
“You never said anything” I say and he shrugs
“I can’t leave my post sir, they know this” he says and I feel guilty
“No, you’ll visit them, at my expense. As soon as this is over you will go. I can look after myself” I say and he looks really happy. Haven’t seen that smile in many years
“Thank you my lord” he says and I lean back rubbing my face
“Sir”
“Yes”
“Do you still feel her pain?” he asks and I nod
“Yes, it’s this constant dull pain right here” I say pointing at my chest
“Sir, may I speak freely?” he asks and I gesture for him to continue
“You have never been in this situation, is it possible that it might be your pain and not hers?” he asks and I frown
“It is also possible that you are feeling her pain, but it’s not just hers. It’s yours too, the way you reacted the night she almost died, sir that together with the lashing was overwhelming. I believe that they both, for whatever reason is connected to you. They are feeling extreme emotions, probably together and it is now affecting you sir” he says and I sit forward
“Gunther, will it always hurt?” I ask quietly
“No sir, once she’s with you, it will be better because she’ll be better” he says and I sigh running my hand through my hair
“What about the nightingale, how do I explain that to my mate?” I ask and he chuckles
“Sir I have no idea. That will have to be decided once we are there. The royals have arrived sir” he says and I nod standing
“Well, let’s go see to our guests” I say and he nods. When I open the office door a very happy Katya wraps her little arms around my legs
“Gunther!” she calls out and I look down into a petrified little face
“Oh s-sorry m-my lord” she says softly stepping away
“Kayta dear, come here” I say crouching down and she glances at Gunther but steps closer
“Can I tell you a secret?” I whisper and she nods stepping closer
“I’m blind” I say softly and she gasps
“Really?” she whispers back and I nod
“I need Gunther to be my eyes, but when he’s not here will you help me?” I ask and she nods, tracing my closed eyes with her little fingers
“I can see for us” she says and I nod
“Good”
“I love your new haircut, you look even more handsome than the drawing” she whispers and I kiss her cheek
“Thank you Katya. Now do you have a pretty dress on?” I ask
“Yes, Gunther bought it last week” she says and I smile
“Good, I need you to be on your best behavior we have very special guests” I say
“I know, he said we shouldn’t bother them” she says and I nod
“Okay, run along. Later we can have our chocolate milk and cookies” I say and she giggles kissing my cheek
“Okay, see you later” she says and scampers off, I stand and Gunther chuckles behind me
“Wow, going soft there” he says and I shrug
“Might as well, she’s turning my world upside down without trying” I say and he laughs
“Katya, the nightingale or your mate?” he asks and I smile
“All of them” I say and walk toward the dining room. When I open the door I feel this immense surge of power and I bow
“Welcome to my humble home. We are delighted to have you” I say and my claws extend. The whole royal family comes into view and I almost stumble backward. That’s her… she’s here, but how? Wait why is… no wait calm down
“Good evening, I’m Cayden” the king says and I bow
“Pleasure your highness” I say taking his hand and shaking it, then a younger version of Belmont steps up with the woman
“I’m Leo, this is my lovely wife princess Callan” he says and I almost choke. Goddess they look almost identical, but she’s bearing his mark. Oh I can’t wait for her to bear mine
“The pleasure is mine your highness, your majesty” I say kissing her knuckles before shaking his hand. Okay so I guess I should get used to them being my in-laws huh?
“This is my son, Prince Kit” the king says proudly and I greet him too
“Glad to meet all of you, this is my right hand, Gunther” I say gesturing to Gunther and he greets everyone in turn
“Please” I say gesturing to the table and they all take a seat. I can’t keep my eyes off princess Callan, she’s unbelievably beautiful. The conversation is light, but then I hear a low growl behind me and I snap my gaze to the guard. Gunther quickly makes his way to me and whispers in my ear
“Sir, lady Cordula is on the line” he says and I sigh
“Please excuse me, I will only be a moment” I say and walk out, taking the phone grunting
“Lady Cordula” I say and her brain splitting voice rings in my ears
“Oh finally! My lord I was so worried” she says and I clench my hand into a tight fist, my claws piercing my palms
“Regarding?” I ask as calmly as possible
“Oh I tried to get hold of you for two days. Is everything in order?” she asks her sickly sweet tone making my stomach turn
“Yes all has been attended to, for now. My lady you’ll have to excuse me, I’m in the middle of a meeting” I say and she sighs
“Oh my apologies my lord, I appreciate you taking the time to take my call” she says and I swallow the bile rising up
“It was no imposition. I have to bid you adieu my lady” I say more forcefully and she giggles
“Yes of course. Auf Wiedersehen mein Verlobter” she says and I groan
“Auf Wiedersehen” I say and cut the call
“I hate her with the passion of a thousand suns Gunther” I say and he gives me a grin
“She is your fiancé” he jokes and I growl before returning to the dining room
“My apologies your majesties” I say bowing and Cayden waves me off
“Please, no need to be so formal. We’re allies, maybe friends one day. But we are at a loss” he says as I sit down
“How so your highness?” I ask and he leans forward
“We don’t know what to call you” he says and I sigh
“Like I told your father your highness, I had a name, long ago. Now I’m known as Una temută” I say and I see the princess pale
“It can’t be” she whispers and I frown
“I assure you, I am indeed here your majesty” I say and she looks at Prince Leo
“It’s the one she always tells stories about to him” she says and the prince nods
“We assumed you were a legend” he says and I nod
“Yes, I tend to keep to myself your highness” I say and he nods
“Well Feared one, do we have a plan?” he asks and I nod
“Yes your highness, we will meet after dinner” I say and he seems satisfied with the answer. After dinner we all gather in my war room, yes I have a war room. I’m not known as the Feared one for nothing
“This is impressive” Leo says and I’m proud that he likes it. His whole demeanor screams military and I must say I respect him more for it
“Thank you highness” I say nodding and he acknowledges me. Well we’re off to good start, he’s not going to like the fact that his daughter is mated to me, I know it
“Gunther, bring him in please” I say and he nods disappearing into the shadows
“Atrides does that too, took some time for me to get used to” Leo says to Callan and she smiles. Good heavens, I need to focus or I’m going to say something I will regret forever. Lycans aren’t known for their jealousy but they tend to be very possessive, not as possessive as vampires but close enough. Gunther enters with the young guard and he is clean shaven, neatly dressed and has very good manners. Gunther had to have a hand in this, he likes the boy, softy
“Good evening” he says bowing. Belmont steps closer
“Good evening” he says eyeing the boy suspiciously
“Your highness, your majesty it’s a great honor” he says not looking at them
“Look at me son” Belmont says in his Alpha voice and we all look him in the eyes, except the boy. I growl lowly and he shakes a little
“The king is speaking to you boy” I say towering over him and he nods
“I know my lord, I just…” he trails off and I see Isa’s eyes glaze over and then she steps forward, taking the boy by the shoulders and guiding his eyes to hers
“Are you him?” she asks softly, her voice like that of a mother speaking to her sleeping child
“Yes” he says and she does something I’ve never experienced, she pulls him to her and hugs him tightly. I glance around and see all their eyes glaze over before they move closer, the king is first
“A distant cousin, isn’t this a pleasant surprise” he says and my eyes go wide. Oh goddess, I locked up a royal
“I thought they all died” Belmont says and pulls the boy to him, giving him a fatherly hug
“I’m sorry, I thought you… she always said you’re…” he squeezes his eyes shut and grips the king tightly
“Lies, all lies. Your mother, rest her soul, was a little disgruntled with my mother” he says and the boy nods
“I know, I heard the stories she told” he says and Leo steps up
“Who? Who told you?” he asks and the young man steps back
“Your daughter” he says and Callan lets out a soft sob
“You saw her?” she asks and he nods
“Yes, she sent us here. She gave us hope” he says but I can see the regret in his eyes
“Is she okay?” she asks taking his hands in hers, tears running down her face
“Majesty, she… I am so sorry, I had no choice” he says and Leo growls loudly
“What did you do?!” he yells and the boy cowers. His father and brother quickly step in between them and I step closer, shielding the boy
“Tell me!” he demands and the young man takes a deep breath, steeling his resolve before he speaks, his voice stronger
“It was before I knew who she was, we were ordered to capture her” he says and I see the prince's eyes flash bright gold I know what’s going to happen
“Your highness please” I beg and his angry gaze snaps to me
“He took her!” he growls loudly
“Yes I realize-“
“And you’re defending him!” he says in a deep commanding voice, making the place tremble
“Leo please” I hear her voice and he steps closer, his father and brother seem to struggle keeping him at bay
“Baby, you’re scaring me” she says and steps in front of him. He growls, grabs her and buries his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. When he looks up again, his eyes are back to normal but I can feel he’s still seething
“Talk” he says toward the boy
“I will tell you everything, I don’t mind punishment, just leave the girl out of it” he says and they all frown
“What girl?” Isa asks and the door creeks open, in comes Katya and curtsies
“Me, he’s talking about me” she says, her little head held high
“Oh my, aren’t you just a precious little thing” Isa says scanning her face with her fingers
“Thank you, you’re very pretty too. I bet you’re the queen, the mother of him” she says pointing to Cayden and he nods
“I’m Isa” she says and Katya smile nodding
“Oh I know, and you’re Belmont, and you’re king Cayden, oh you’re her dad, Leo!” she squeals but then her eyes go wide and she steps forward
“Oh wow” she says, her eyes locked on Callan
“You look just like her” she says softly and Callan crouches down smiling at the little girl
“What’s your name sweetheart?” she asks in her motherly voice and my heart swells, she’ll sound like this one day
“Katya” she says and Callan nods fixing her hair
“It’s a beautiful name” she says and Katya smiles brighter
“She gave me the name. Where we come from we have no names, those who do get sent to the place you forget” she says and the woman clasp their hands over their mouths
“You saw her?” Leo asks, his anger gone
“Yes, she was in the room across from ours” she says and he nods
“Is she still there?” he asks and I hear the strain in his voice
“She was, but I don’t know where they took her” she says looking sad and he glares at the boy but I speak up
“They tend to treat their staff and prisoners the same” I say and they all growl
“She told me to come here and get help, she said that the he’d help us” she says and they nod
“Well he was true to his word darling, we’re here to do just that” Isa says and the little girl nods
“What’s your name son?” Belmont asks the young man and he shrugs
“I can’t remember” he says and Belmont starts laughing
“That’s a lie” he says and the boy steps back
“Etienne” he says finally and Belmont smiles
“Well Etienne, welcome to the family” he says and the boy’s eyes go wide
“J-just like that?” he asks and Leo growls
“Yeah dad, just like that?” his father shoots him a death glare and he looks away
“Yes, despite my son’s animosity, I will not let the only living relative on my mother’s side be estranged. She only had one cousin, much younger than her, your mother must’ve been about my age, but you were the only one that I have left. Regardless of Petra’s disdain for my mother I will not let this come between us” he says and the boy nods. He glares at his sons, Cayden smiles but Leo has no intention of playing nice. I get it though, he took my mate so I want to kill him, but he’s the only one that knows the castle. Shit
“Fine, but I want to hear about her” Leo says and the boy nods
“Well, your highness, she is weak, tortured and still remained positive. She’s strong, courageous and fair. When I realized who she was, I did everything in my power to help her, protect her and keep her out of harm’s way. I suffered for it, but it was worth it” he says and Callan steps closer
“What did they do?” she asks and his eyes go soft
“No, please I can’t tell you that” he says a pained expression on his face
“To you son” she says and he looks down
“It doesn’t matter, just know I took her punishment” he says but she steps closer again
“Show me, please” she says and he sighs, turns around and lifts his shirt. My eyes go wide and I hear multiple gasps
“The cable whip… and… wait is that boiling oil marks?” Cayden asks and he nods
“Yes sir” he says and I start vibrating with anger. The beast wants out but I can’t let him, not now
“They wanted to do that to her?” Leo asks and he nods
“Yes sir, she beat up a guard, and challenged the master” he says turning back, Callan is standing there with a pale face
“And you took it in her stead?” she asks softly and he nods
“Yes. She endured enough” he says, looking away
“Do I want to know?” Leo asks and the boy looks him straight in the eyes
“If I was her father, I would ask me that question just before we attack” he says and Leo growls loudly before storming out the door, slamming it hard behind him. Well this went about as good as passing a kidney stone
“I’m sorry, I didn’t come here to upset you. I came to help. There are many innocent people there, they need help” he says and the rest nod
“Yes, it seems the time has come to gather all our allies” Isa says and takes out her phone. She places it on the table and the phones rings on the other side, once, twice then I hear the most beautiful voice, she makes you think of a melody
“Hello my darling” her voice says and Isa smiles
“Hey mom” she says
“How are you?” Isa glances at us
“We have a problem actually” she says and the other woman sighs
“Who is missing now?” she asks and I bite my lip. Don’t laugh
“Fallon was kidnapped” she says and the woman gasps
“No! Leo!” she calls and he enters
“Yes Granma” he says, now sounding like a very cautious little boy
“Honey, we’re coming. Wait, where are you?” she asks and Isa gives her the details
“Leo, baby where’s Callan?”
“I’m here” she says
“Honey, you two stay strong now. We need you to focus, this is about Fallon okay?” she says and I see them looking at each other before they answer together
“Yes ma’am” they say
“No fighting, oh we’ll need the others too. Ares is quite fond of Fallon” she says and my mouth falls open
“Yes, thank you mom, I’ll call Abby” she says and the other lady laughs
“Oh he’s going to enjoy this, see you in a bit” she says and cuts the call. I look up
“Do I want to ask?” I ask and they slowly shake their heads
“Will I need to get more place to sleep?” I ask and they nod
“How many?”
“Well, let’s get the facts before the rest arrive. Now Etienne, please tell us what you know” Cayden says and he steps forward rolling out the floor plan for the castle, each floor perfectly described. Two hours later I’m sitting with Katya on my lap eating cookies and having chocolate milk
“Oh, there, she’s always here” she says pointing to a room two floors under the castle
“What’s there honey?” Callan asks
“The laundry room” she says and I see Callan’s hands ball into fists
“Her room is here and my mom’s room is here” she says pointing to the different rooms
“You have a mom?” Leo asks surprised and she rolls her eyes
“Of course silly, she said I should come here” she says and he nods looking back at the plans. Katya yawns and lays her head on my shoulder
“Oh it seems little girls need to get to bed” Callan says and Katya nods
“Okay, can we go now?” she asks Gunther and they all look at him
“Yes honey, say good night” he says and she turns to me and kisses my cheek
“She’ll be back soon” she says seriously and I nod
“Yes honey” I whisper and she hops off my lap waving at the others and they leave
“I’m going to rip him to shreds, he’s going to wish for death long before he breathes his last breath” Leo growls, I stand
“There’s one more” I say and they all look up
“I don’t know her name, I just know that she has the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard” I say and Belmont smiles
“Your mate?” he asks and I feel my ears turn pink
“No, my mate is also there but it’s not her” I say and they nod
“She’s mostly in the dungeons” I say and their eyes go wide
“I must be honest, I have selfish intentions” I say and they nod
“We get it, believe me we do” Isa says with a knowing smile. Oh dear no you don’t
“Well we need to get some rest, we can figure out the plan when the others are here” Belmont says and everyone nods
“Leo, come” he instructs and he turns, following his father reluctantly.
“Thank you Etienne” Callan says and gives him a hug
“It was my honor your majesty” he says as she steps back
“Good night” they all greet and soon it’s just me and Etienne left
“I just hope we’re not too late. The princess was very weak when we left, I’m not sure there are others looking out for her” he says scanning the plans, then he looks up
“You going to tell them?” he asks and I frown
“What?” I ask and he smiles
“That she’s your mate” he says and I glare at him
“How do you know that?” I ask and he chuckles
“I saw the way you looked at her mother, that longing look in your eyes. They do look very alike” he says smirking
“That’s none of your concern” I state
“Hey, I get it. She’s special” he says and I growl
“Relax, I love her, but as family. When I heard her telling those stories I was happy you know? I knew they were good people. My mother always told me that they were ruthless and bad, but I somehow knew it wasn’t completely true” he says and I sit on the desk
“How did you end up there?” I ask and he sighs
“You won’t believe it” he says
“Try me”
“I was sold to him, as a young boy” he says and I nod, but then he looks up
“By my mother” he says and I look away
“I was the payment for her debt. So I did what was expected of me, I never cared much for my job, I just did what was required. But when we got her, it all changed. He’s fully aware of who she is, you know that right?” he asks and my insides knot
“I do”
“So you’re going to get her out?” he asks and I stand, dwarfing him
“We are going to get her. And the rest, Stefan and Cordula will die for their crimes. I’m done playing games” I state and he nods
“Good, well see you in the morning my lord” he says and turns to leave
“Etienne” I say and he stops
“Come on, you need a room” I say and he smiles
“Thanks, but I’m fine. It’s quiet down there” he says but I walk past him
“The king will have my head knowing his nephew is sleeping in the dungeons. Come” I state and he follows silently behind me. We walk outside toward a cottage I haven’t been in in many decades. I open the door and show him inside
“You can stay here, don’t run” I state and he looks around
“This was a woman’s place” he says and I nod
“Yes. Good night” I say and turn around, leaving him alone. The beast is restless, I need to see her but how? She’s there, somewhere in that hell hole and I’m here trying my best to get her out. I need her desperately, but I decide on letting him out. I shift and he stretches out his body groaning in appreciation
“Ah, finally” he says and I grunt
“So run, climb do whatever just don’t go to her” I say and he scoffs
“I am not an i***t” he says and takes off, into the dark night, running then darting to the tree tops heading toward the mountain, scaling the mountain without any trouble, settling into the snow he lies down and looks at the view
“This should be shared with her” he sighs
“Yes, she’d appreciate this” I say
“She’s very weak, we need to hurry” he says and my heart aches
“I know, just a few more days” I say and he nods. We fall asleep on top of the mountain, dreaming of her, like we do every time we sleep
- Writer
