His heart was pounding. It hadn't stopped pounding since the almost deadly attack on Eve.
It had gotten too close. The fact that blood had been drawn was already too much.
Erebus had slept in an empty bedroom across the hall the past couple of nights, but it didn't stop his mind from wandering to Eve's wet hair from the shower, the way she looked at him when he showed her his true form.
Saints help him.
Erebus walked down the empty hallway to his father's quarters. He had spent hours debating on whether or not to trust him with the incident, and his mind was still shouting warnings at him.
his father wasn't going to help him.
He didn't help him with any of his other wives. Not even Laura. So, there was no way he was going to help him now.
Laugh in his face? Maybe. Help him? Not a chance.
But this castle was a snake pit. At the end of the day, his father was the King. If he wanted to stay alive, he had to play by their rules.
"Erebus!" A female voice echoed through the empty hallway. "Wait up!"
He turned around and found Kara running toward him.
A sigh escaped him. "Not now, Kara," Erebus said, turning around and continuing toward his father's quarters.
"Your wife seems like a nice girl," she continued. "I'd love to get to know her more one day."
He stopped dead in his tracks. "You talked to Eve?"
She caught up with Erebus, her blonde hair bouncing as she jogged the last few feet.
"At your wedding, yeah," she said. Another breath escaped him, but his heart was still pounding. "She's pretty, too. Although for a human she's awfully…"
"If I were you, I would be very careful about what you say next, Kara."
She looked at him in awe, then scoffed. "I can't believe this," she said. "You're really going to drop everything we have for another human. I thought you were done with that. After what happened with Laura, I figured you had learned your lesson."
Kara was stupid, but not that stupid. She was trying to get him angry.
He turned and continued walking, but she grabbed his arm. It took every ounce of his strength to resist throwing her small body to the ground.
"What lesson is that, exactly?" Erebus growled.
Kara smiled, but it was calculated. "That what you need is right here, Erebus. You don't have to keep doing this."
"Doing what, Kara?" he ripped his arm from her grip. "I'm not the one deciding I should get married to a human again and again. I'm not the one making those decisions."
Anger flashed across her face. If Erebus had learned one thing about Kara, it was that she couldn't hide her emotions. That type of flaw was deadly in the Caliphate.
"You're more powerful than them. You know you are. If you decided what to do with your own life, they would have no choice but to listen."
He shook his head. Kara, just like everyone else, had no idea what they were talking about. They didn't know the power his father had over him.
Of course his father was stronger than him. Erebus was stronger than everyone. He could kill any one of them with his power, but then what?
His mother needed him.
His father was his only link to her.
"Leave me alone," he mumbled to her. "You have no clue what you're talking about."
She didn't follow him as he stormed away, but that didn't stop her from yelling, "She'll never belong here, Erebus!"
His vision darkened and his fists clenched.
Eve belonged wherever he said she belonged.
He pushed his father's door open before his anger forced him to turn back around.
He sat alone, drinking from a golden mug in his massive study. "Erebus!" he cheered. "What a nice surprise!"
Erebus shut the door behind him and continued inside the room. His guards didn't move an inch.
They were smarter than him.
"I haven't seen you in a few days," I started. "Anything new I should be aware of?"
He stood from the long wooden table
"Nothing comes to mind."
"Really? Anything regarding his mother, perhaps?" Erebus leaned against the wooden frame of the door.
His father shook his head. "You know the deal, Erebus."
"The deal was that I do what you ask. Well, I married the human–again. So I think it's about time you hold up your side of this bargain. Where is his mother?"
"Patience, boy," he said, standing from his chair. "Marrying the girl is not the end of the road. You should know that more than anyone."
Anger rumbled in his chest. Erebus urged his power back to its core, reigning it in.
"How long are we going to play this game?" he asked.
His father just laughed. "It's no game, son. I'm running a kingdom here. You'll understand one day. You'll understand all the sacrifices I've made for you. And you'll come back to thank me."
It was his turn to laugh. "Thank you?" Erebus repeated. "For what, exactly?"
"For protecting you. There are hundreds if not thousands of people who will enslave you and use your power for their own will. Are you not aware of the war happening across the sea?"
"They'd have to catch me first." he crossed his arms over his chest.
His father took a step closer to him and shook his head. "You're just like her. Defiant. Arrogant."
His mother. He couldn't even remember what she looked like. It had been that long since he hid her away, claiming to protect her.
He had spent decades obeying his every order in hopes that he would eventually tell him where she was.
And we had gotten nowhere.
"I'll tell you everything you want to know," he started, "soon. But I need you to trust me."
He placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed. It wasn't often that Erebus saw this side of him. The side of him that created a king hundreds of years ago.
He hadn't always been terrible. It was hard to believe, but it was true.
"Fine," Erebus said after a while. "But leave Eve alone. She has no part in this."
He nodded in agreement, and he was out the door.
It took a few seconds for his breathing to slow down.
His father knew exactly what he was doing. Saints, he might have done the same thing. But to his own son? That was a stretch.
One step after another, his feet pounded the stone floor of the compound. How many times had he walked these stupid halls, reporting to his father what mission had been successful? How many of his enemies had he killed? How many wars had he won for him?
And how much information had he given him about what happened to his mother?
Erebus shook his head. This wasn't the time for anger. He had to play this one smart. If he had anything to do with Eve's attack, he would attack again.
And soon.
He heard her before he saw her.
Eve's voice echoed through the stone walls of the dining hall. His feet moved toward her like he had no choice.
What in the Saints was she doing down here?
Erebus turned the corner just in time to see her tossing her head back in laughter, that red line on her throat still visible. She was sitting next to Dimitrius, which instantly made him relax.
But it wasn't Dimitrius and Eve that concerned him. It was everyone else.
"This has to be some sort of record," his brother Eli asked her. Nobody looked at him as Erebus approached, lurking as far back as possible.
Eve smiled, but her eyes remained focused. "Are you surprised, dear brother?"
The way she spoke to him made his stomach flip. It was bold for any human to talk to a Werewolf that way. Even if that human was his wife.
Eli sat back in his chair, and the rest of his brothers laughed. The dining room was filled with spectators. Nobody would dare make a move here, but still. Dimitrius was tense, his eyes tracked every single one of his brother's movements.
Erebus trusted him with his life. He had no doubt that he would keep Eve safe.
But why the Saints would he bring her here? Sitting around, waiting for an attack?
Kara entered the room, trotting over to the table as if she owned the place. She pulled up the seat on the other side of Dimitrius and beckoned one of the servants for a plate of food.
Erebus took a step back, ensuring he was hidden in the shadows of the hallway.
"What have I missed?" she sneered. How had he not noticed how annoying her voice was?
His brothers were still laughing amongst themselves, but Rafiq leaned forward. "We're just making the acquaintance of our dear sister," he said. "Someone attempted to take her life the other day. Did you know about it?" he said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Erebus watched Kara's eyes as they darkened. "You're kidding," she gasped.
"Who was it?"
Rafiq shook his head. "Nobody knows. Isn't that right, Ser? Nobody knows who tried to kill our dear princess."
Eve stiffened, but the coy look on her face was unmoving.
"We're working on it," Dimitrius answered. Rafiq stared at him for another second before saying, "I heard Erebus did quite the damage. There wasn't even a body to bury, was there?"
Dimitrius' jaw tightened.
Rafiq moved his attention to Eve. "Did you see it?" he asked her.
"Did you see him rip the head off the man's body? It's quite intense, really. Erebus has a gift." He eyed Eve, sizing her every reaction.
Erebus wanted to rush to the table. He wanted to shut them all up.
But he also wanted to see how Eve acted when he wasn't around. Eve didn't have to like me. But she was his wife. He hoped that she had at least a tiny ounce of loyalty.
After all, he did save her life.
"He really does have a gift, doesn't he?" Eve added casually. "It's really no wonder he's going to be king. With all that power, he could take down any kingdom. Don't you agree?"
Every muscle in his body froze. Erebus watched as Rafiq stared at her, unblinking, like a stunned rabbit.
Kara's jaw was wide, and the rest of his brothers were too busy snickering to pay any attention.
"You seem to know a lot about his attack," she added. She leaned over the wooden table, propping her chin on her elbows. "Careful, brother. You don't want to get yourself into any trouble," she said with a wink.
Dimitrius choked next to her.