We've been at the werewolf kingdom for four days now. We had to create records of all the people who were here and where they were going to be placed. We placed most of the people in nearby packs since I was able to go there in person and show them I am the Werewolf king. That way there wouldn't be any doubts about whether I was telling the truth. Most of the packs were hesitant, but as soon as they felt my presence and heard my commands as king, they knew they had to do as I said.
I made it clear to the packs that if any of the people we placed with them left, I needed to be notified. I also gave everyone my contact details so that they could call me if they were chased away or not treated right. The rest of the people were taken away in a bus to the Black Claw pack. Audrey was happy that a few seers were going to be at the pack.
We were now driving back to the Black Claw pack. Kendrick decided to drive with me so that we'd catch up. He helped us to place everyone and he was the one who told us the reputations of the nearby packs so that we knew which packs to go to.
"So, are you going to tell me who you've been trying to call for the past 3 days?" He was eyeing me curiously.
I chuckled awkwardly. I've been trying to call Elizabeth for the past 3 days and she hasn't answered any of my calls or messages. At some point I got so desperate, I even tried calling Mike. He also didn't answer any of my calls or texts.
"I'm just trying to reach a friend, but I guess she's busy."
Kendrick eyed me suspiciously. "Is this friend of yours your fated mate by any chance?"
"No, but I'm hoping she'll take me as her chosen mate. Things haven't been the same between us because honestly, I keep losing control when it comes to her. I get so angry and jealous that I see red and ...well, I ended up saying things I really wish I could take back."
"What did you say?", Kendrick asked.
I let out a deep sigh.
"I said something I knew would hurt her. Something I could tell she was insecure about. Something I knew would hurt the most coming from me. But none of it was true, Ken! At the time, I thought she had replaced me. "
He punched my arm. "Royal members always have a tougher time controlling their emotions and their wolf. But you shouldn't use that as an excuse to hurt the people you love, Nathaniel."
"I was angry, Ken. She was getting close to another guy and-"
"That's not a valid excuse and you know it, Nathaniel", Kendrick reprimanded. "Are you going to hurt her everytime you feel like she's hurting you and then blame it on anger or jealousy? Come on, man. Your parents taught you better than that."
I let out another deep sigh and nodded my head. "Your'e right, Ken. Fifteen years apart and you're still the wise one between the two of us."
He chuckled.
"What can I say? I got the brains and you got the brawn!" He was laughing. "Just make sure you fix things with Elizabeth and then make her your queen. You know, Queen Elaine was the perfect queen. While dad and I were on the run, there were times when we'd sit around a camp fire and he'd tell me that the Moon Godess would one day give me a mate like Queen Elaine or mom."
I put my hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you bury your mom, Kendrick. I didn't even know who I was back then."
"That's okay, Nathaniel. I'm just glad I didn't lose you too. People were saying you're gone, but dad told me to never lose faith. He said you were still alive out there somewhere. At some point, I started believing what everyone was saying, but I still held a shimmer of hope that you were okay. I wish dad were here to see you."
He looked down at his knees and then I realised that with all the commotion, I hadn't told Kendrick that Luciene was still alive.
I took a deep breath.
"Kendrick, I am so sorry. With everything that's been going on I neglected to tell you that I found your dad."
"What?", he said with a loud roar. "What are you talking about? Dad can't be alive, he got captured a few days after the witches attacked the kingdom." Kendrick was practically tripping over his word.
"Did you ever feel your bond to him get severed?"
He was quiet for a few seconds.
"I don't know. A few weeks ago, I felt our bond get a lot weaker. It's actually been getting weaker ever since he got captured, but last week it was almost completely gone."
I gave a deep sigh.
"That's probably because he's in a coma."
Kendrick's eyes got wider. He looked completely shocked.
"What the hell are you talking about, Nathaniel?"
I proceeded to tell him how I found Luciene and how he got struck by one of Freya's spells and hasn't woken up ever since. He had tears in his eyes and then suddenly jumped at me and gave me a hug, causing the car to swerve.
"Kendrick, I'm driving. You'll get us killed!", I said as I jokingly pushed him off of me.
"You saved my dad. He was locked up for more than a decade and you saved him!"
I sighed.
"He's still in a coma, Kendrick. I wouldn't say I saved him. If it weren't for me, he'd probably still be awake right now."
"But he'd still be captured if it weren't for you. He'll wake up. My dad is as strong as...well...as strong as a royal werewolf", he said as he chuckled to himself.
For the rest of the drive, Kendrick and I reminisced about our childhood and caught up on each other's lives. I told him everything, even everything that's happened to Elizabeth since she found this world. It felt like we just picked up where he left off. He still felt and acted like my kid brother.
"Mmmmm...I'm sorry, Nathaniel. I can't say I know magical creatures with fiery gold eyes and who can burn things."
My phone rang before I could respond.
"Who is Megan and why does she keep calling you?", Kendrick asked with a raised eyebrow.
I gave a low growl. "She's my ex-fiance'."
He almost choked on his drink. "Wait! I thought Elizabeth...Nathaniel, what the hell is going on?"
"When I met Elizabeth, I was engaged to Megan. A month ago, I found out Megan cheated on me. She dumped me, so things are over." I didn't want to waste anymore time talking about Megan. She is my past and I want to keep it that way.
"So Elizabeth is your rebound?? Kendrick looked at me with a shocked face.
I hit the brakes and the car came to a screeching halt right in the middle of the road. Kendrick's head almost hit the dash board, but his seat belt held him back.
I narrowed my eyes at him and felt a wave of pure anger rolling off of me. "Don't you EVER say anything like that about her again. She is going to be your queen. You will respect her!" I could feel Orion at the forefront. He had also been angered by hearing Kendrick say that about Elizabeth.
Kendrick's head was bowed to me and his neck was outstretched. My royal aura was pushing down on him. Most people would have been suffocating by now, but he could withstand it because he's also a royal member of the werewolf kingdom.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Nathaniel. I didn't mean to disrespect her. Please...calm down." He was struggling to speak.
I took a deep breath and pulled back my aura. He lifted his head and burst out in laughter.
"Nathaniel, that was so cool! That's one of the strongest royal auras I've ever felt. That's enough to even take a gryphon down!!"
I jokingly punched him in the shoulder and started the car.
"Ow! You're such an abusive king, Nathaniel!" He was still laughing.
I shook my head. "I've been telling you for days that I go by Mathew now."
He rolled his eyes.
"It's going to take me some time to get used to calling you by your second name. It's also going to take some time to get used to these freaking glowing moons on your arm!"
I hadn't noticed it, but the moons on my right arm were glowing. They were dimming down now.
"By the way, I'm curious. Why did you stop going by Nathaniel and how did you get these glowing moons?"
"The moons appeared on my arm when I got Orion. As for my name, apparently the person who left me at the orphanage told them that's my name. When I got adopted, my parents decided to keep it."
"And you don't know who left you at the orphanage?"
I shook my head.
He shrugged. "I guess I'll have to get used to calling you Mathew. If I'm being honest, you look more like a Nathaniel than a Mathew."
We both burst out in laughter and he handed me some snacks.
**
When Kendrick and I got to the pack, Jonathan, Audrey and some warriors were helping everyone get off the bus and settle in.
Jonathan was giving Dave, one of his warriors, some orders for the new pack members."Dave, I want you to help place these people in our pack", I heard Jonathan say. "Get them into the vacant houses, get the kids placed with a family, give them jobs and get them some food."
I stopped Dave just as he was about to leave.
"Hey Dave, here's a flash drive containing everyone's details and skills. Please update the information on the drive while you're helping everyone get settled in."
"Sure thing, super wolf", he said as he gave me a wink and walked off.
Some pack members had gathered to come see all the people coming into their pack. I saw Esther coming to the bus with Ishmael when suddenly her eyes started glowing.
"MATE", I heard Kendrick growl as soon as he saw Esther. He ran to her and hugged her before she could say anything. Esther was smiling with tears in her eyes. She looked down at Ishmael and Kendrick followed her eyes. When he saw Ishmael, he bent down and picked him up. He hugged Ishmael and inhaled his scent.
"He smells a bit like you", Kendrick said to Esther. Esther had tears streaming down her face.
"He's my son. His name is Ishmael."
"Ishmael", Kendrick smiled as he repeated his name. "That's a very strong name. Are you a strong boy, Ishmael?" Kendrick said as he looked at the boy.
Ishmael looked at his mom, unsure of what to say. When he saw her laugh. He started nodding his head.
"Mom says I'm the strongest boy she knows!"
"I bet you are, Ishmael!", Kendrick said while laughing. Then he looked at Esther again and held her cheek.
"I'm Kendrick. Please tell me your name."
"I'm Esther. It's nice to meet you." Esther was laughing with tears in her eyes.
Kendrick hugged her and kissed her and then turned to look at me.
"Nathaniel, do you mind if I get to know my mate here? I'll be back shortly."
I smiled at him.
"Take your time. We have enough hands here!", I said as I yelled out to him.
Kendrick, Esther and Ishmael started walking away from everyone else.
By the afternoon we had gotten everyone settled in. We had found everyone homes, jobs and fed them. We finished quickly because I kept rushing everyone. I wanted to go see Elizabeth and introduce her to Kendrick. I was surprised that she and Mike hadn't even made an appearance given everything that's been happening today.
I knocked on her bedroom door and no one answered. After a few minutes of knocking, I slowly opened the door. She wasn't there. I peeked inside her bathroom and she wasn't there either. Orion started growling.
"Check the drawers", he said in my head.
I checked the drawers and none of her clothes were in there. All her stuff was gone.
I quickly rushed to Mike's room. His door was also unlocked. He wasn't there. I checked the drawers and, nothing. There was nothing in there.
Orion kept roaring in my head. We were both getting worried.
"I told you to go back for her. Why would you go anywhere without her!" He was angry and I was trying to calm him down because I knew people couldn't handle his aura. I ran downstairs to the kitchen and found Jonathan and Audrey.
"Hey guys, can I talk to you for a minute?", I was trying my best to sound calm.
"Yea, sure. Why don't we go to my office?", Jonathan answered me.
I nodded my head and the three of us went to Jonathan's office.
"What's wrong? You look worried", Jonathan said as he sat down in his chair. Audrey sat down in his lap.
"I can't find Elizabeth and Mike. Do you guys have any idea where they are?."
Jonathan and Audrey didn't seem surprised by what I said. They just looked at each other and then looked at me with pity in their eyes. They remained quiet for way too long.
"Did you guys hear me? I said Elizabeth and Mike are not here. Where are they?"
Audrey stood up and held my hand.
"Mathew, we know that Elizabeth and Mike are not here. They left after we left to go find the seat of the werewolf kingdom."
My whole body went cold. This couldn't be happening. She promised me. She promised that we would talk when I got back. She wouldn't leave me. It would have wrecked her the same way it's wrecking me right now. My body was going numb. Waves of excruciating pain were threatening to consume me. She wouldn't leave me. I love her, and I know she loves me too. She has to. There has to be some mistake. Elizabeth would never leave me.
"Where did they go?" I asked through gritted teeth. It felt like something was crushing my chest.
Jonathan stood up from his chair and walked toward me. Audrey just kept quiet and kept holding my hand.
"Mathew, we don't know where they went", Jonathan said.
Audrey squeezed my hand. "I had a vision about Elizabeth. I told her about it and she decided it was better if she left. Mike decided to go with her."
"What did you see?" I was narrowing my eyes at her and trying to focus all my attention on not letting Orion rip her and Jonathan to shreds right now.
"This vision was only meant for Elizabeth. I can't tell anyone else about it." I knew they could both feel the raw anger pouring out of me, and yet they were both so calm.
"Mathew, Audrey couldn't even tell me what was in this vision and I'm her mate", Jonathan said.
"I'm going to find her right now", I said in a low growl. I stood up and headed for the door.
"Mathew she doesn't want you to find her!", Audrey yelled after me.
I froze in my steps.
Orion was trying to claw his way out of my mind and take control. It took all my willpower to create a wall and shut him out. My hands were balled in a fist. They were mid-shift and claws were ripping out of them despite Orion being locked away. I felt the blood trickling from my hands and I knew that Jonathan and Audrey had also noticed.
Jonathan quickly tried to get Audrey to get away from me, but she stayed next to me.
"He is fighting his wolf at the moment", I heard Audrey say to Jonathan."Mathew, Orion might be the first werewolf created by the Moon Godess. He may also be the most powerful werewolf to have ever been created, but you are the Werewolf king. Orion answers to you and he MUST follow you. You are in control; not him."
I was just focusing on my breathing. I could tell that if I let Orion get control, he wasn't going to let go until he found Elizabeth. He was going to kill whoever got in his way, regardless of who that person is.
After what felt like an eternity, I felt Orion giving up. I kept reminding him of all the people who needed our help here. I reminded him of Raphael and what he'd do if we didn't stop him and eventually that made him give up on trying to take control of my body.
"Orion, I am going to let you out now. If you try to take control of my body, you will never see the light of day. If we don't protect the magical world, Raphael will kill everyone. Do you understand?"
He didn't say anything, but I could feel that he understood why we needed to focus. I tore down the wall in my head and let him out. He was quiet. He didn't say anything. It was almost like he wasn't there anymore.
Audrey smiled at me and Jonathan. "His wolf has calmed down", she said as she looked up at Jonathan.
"I won't shift until she's back", Orion said as he disappeared into the shadows of my mind.