Justin’s POV
“Your highness, we are here to serve you.” A girl dressed in the head maid’s uniform said as she entered the room. Twelve other females stood right behind her holding different articles like towel, scent, clothes, ornaments. She led me to a large tub filled with hot water.
“If you need anything, I will be right here,” the girl said before stepping behind the smoke screen where the others were waiting.
I would have appreciated the sweet fragrance of flowers if my heart was not so laden with grief. I stepped into the tub, letting out a soft moan as the hot water engulfed me in its warmth.
The medicinal oils seeped into my skin, relieving all the stress. I closed my eyes and let my body go limp. My mind reeled with all the information that Boris had given me the previous night.
The dragons had killed the vampire king and appointed a viceroy in his place. The Darknight pack, Bloodfest Pack and Bluemoon Pack had already surrendered and accepted their overlordship. Even the witches had become extremely wary and had initiated peace talks with them.
The Alphas of the other packs were constantly urging me to initiate peace talks as well. An intense pain shot through my chest, making me wince.
“Is this what you wanted, Hera? To rule this world?” I gulped the lump that had formed in my throat.
“Your highness,” the court maid’s voice sounded, pulling me out of my reverie. “The Alphas have gathered and are waiting for you.”
A sharp gust of wind left my lips, and I stepped out of the tub. I let the maids fuss over me as they dressed me in ceremonial robes. At first, all this had seemed very awkward, but after a month I had gotten used to it.
By the time I reached the courtroom, all the alphas had become restless. But I took my time to walk over to the throne. My gaze shifted to Boris as I sat down. His expression seemed more desperate than usual.
Catching my gaze, his lips pressed into a thin line, and he gave me a curt nod. My heart skipped a beat at the familiar gesture. He probably had news about Daciana. I had to wrap this up quickly.
“What is the agenda for today, Secretary Joan?”
“All the Alphas are here only for one reason…..” His voice trailed off, and he hung his head.
“Go ahead, speak your mind.” I said half-heartedly. I so didn’t want to waste my time listening to them. I wanted to know what Boris had found out. I shifted uncomfortably and almost got up. But Boris threw me a warning glare.
“Your majesty, the alphas, they want to dethrone you.”
I swept my gaze over the alphas, looking at them with a dead expression. “What is the reason for this?”
“We don’t think your highness can handle the crises in our Kingdom effectively.” The Alpha of the Azure Pack said, taking a step forward.
“Then who do you think is suitable?” I asked in a calm voice, fully knowing how this meeting was about to play out.
“I think the Alpha of Moonrock Pack is the most suited.”
“No, your highness. He has a bad rapport even among his people. I think Alpha Loren is more suited….”
“I think….”
The Alphas continued to argue back and forth. With a frustrated sigh, I roared, “Stop it! You all call yourselves Alphas? You are no better than squabbling children! If any one of you can find a way to defeat the dragons, I promise to step down that very moment.”
A deep hush fell over the room, and they retreated quietly. I shook my head in annoyance and then clapped my hand thrice. All the servants and guards filed out of the courtroom immediately.
The moment the hall was empty, I rushed over to Boris. “What did you find out?”
He went outside and returned with a man dressed in coarse clothes. “He claims that he saw the princess.”
“Where did you see her?”
“Umm… she… Your highness…”
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t take offense no matter what you say.”
“About a month ago, I saw a girl being carried by a large, green dragon. I am not sure if she was the princess, but…” He held out a pin. “This fell from the sky.”
I recognised the pin immediately. It was made of red jadite accessible only to the royal family. I motioned for the man to leave and turned my attention to Boris. “Did you try to contact them?”
“I did. The Dragon King agreed to let Daciana go but…”
“But, what?”
“He has one condition. He wants to duel with you.”
My heart went numb, and I staggered. “He wants to duel with me?”
“Yes. We tried to offer him money, loyalty and even a treaty on his terms, but he is not ready to budge. He kept saying just one thing. He wants to duel with you in front of everyone.”
My mouth became as dry as sawdust. I couldn’t do that. If I fought with him in an open duel, everyone would find out that I was wolfless.
“Your highness,” Boris looked at me with a pleading expression. “Please accept the request. He didn’t say that you have to win. He just wants to see you fight in your wolf form. The Dragon King has even promised that he won’t hurt you if you don’t win.”
“I am afraid I can’t do that, Boris.”
“What do you mean by that?” He grabbed my arms and shook me up. “WE DON’T HAVE A CHOICE. If we don’t meet him for the duel, he might kill Daciana.”
I averted my gaze and shrugged out of his hold. “I am sorry, Desmond. I can do everything, but not this.”
“YOU CAN’T SAY THAT. It is your duty both as a king and her brother to protect Daciana.”
I reached over and patted his back. “I will find another way, Boris. I promise.” With those words, I spun around and walked out of the hall.
I send a message to Hera asking her to meet me. She knew how much I cared for Daciana. I was sure she would understand my situation and help me.
***
Two days later…
I paced in the hall of a cottage located at the far edge of the forest. My heart kept fluttering erratically at the thought of seeing Hera again. Despite everything she had said and done, I still loved her.
A sharp cackle outside the cottage drew my attention. I rushed over to find Desmond shifting from his dragon form to his human form. He was alone.
A deep frown settled on my forehead and I ran outside. Pausing to catch my breath, I questioned, “Where is Hera?”
“She doesn’t want to waste her time meeting a loser like you.”
His words sliced through my broken heart, cutting deeper into the wounds left by her. My fingers clenched into tight fists and I gulped. “Did she read the message?”
“She did…”
“What did she say?” Gulping the lump in my throat, I added, “I want to know the exact words she said.”
“You really shouldn’t ask me to do that….” Desmond replied, reaching over to place his hand on my shoulder. “It will only hurt you further.”
“Just quote it, Justin.”
“After reading your message, Hera crumpled the paper and burned it using magic.” His grip on my shoulder increased as he continued. “She instructed us to continue with our plan…. She said….”
I looked at him with burning eyes and rasped, “Spit it out.”
“She said she wanted to watch you being humiliated, just like your biological father had watched on while she was being tormented.”
“She can’t possibly blame me for The Lycan King’s actions!?” I snapped in annoyance. “I need to meet her, Desmond!”
He patted and his lips curved in a cryptic smirk, “I think you should return to your palace first.”
His words hit me like a bolt of lightning. “W… what do you mean?”
“Hera knew that you would come here. So, she told the dragon shifters to take advantage of this opportunity and attack the Palace.”
He squeezed my shoulders, and his voice took on an icy edge. “Now you know, Hera never had any feelings for you. Everything she did was to weaken you and your Lycan Kingdom.”
His words kept ringing in my ears even as I made my way to the Lycan Palace. My heart pounded against my ribs; matching its rhythm with the hooves of the galloping horse. “Go faster, Andrew! Go faster!” I urged, shifting in my seat in anticipation.
I hadn’t given any standing instructions before coming here. God knows how they were handling the sudden attack. “For God’s sake, drive a little faster. Why is it taking so long?”
“If you shift to your wolf form and take the shortcut through the woods, you can reach faster.” The driver’s words dripped in my ears as vicious drops of mockery.
“Don’t try to teach me how I should do my job!” I snapped, my fingers digging through the fabric of the seat. “If we don’t reach the palace in ten minutes, I will give the command to execute you!”
The driver’s face turned pale, and he struck the horse, making it gallop faster. “I apologise, your highness. I was just trying to…. I am sorry…. Please show mercy on me.”
A pang of guilt clenched my heart. He had given a genuine suggestion. It was my inability that I couldn’t even shift. Letting out a deep sigh, I muttered, “Just go as fast as you can, Andrew. If we are too late, we might not be able to save anything.”
My heart went numb as the carriage entered the grounds of the Palace. The structure that once boasted of elegance and grandeur was now laying in ruins. Scorched walls, crumbling roof and thick fumes greeted me with an ominous bow.
I jumped out of the carriage and ran inside to find bodies littered all over the ground. Their faces and bodies were burnt so badly that it was difficult to distinguish one from another.
Boris? Where was Boris? I ran inside the palace, my gaze sweeping around the rooms in anticipation.
“Boris!….” I called out as loudly as my raspy voice would allow. “Please tell me that you are alive.”
“Your highness….” His voice sounded from under a table. I rushed over and pushed it aside with a frustrated scream. His face was half burnt, but he was conscious.
I kneeled to the ground and supported him against my chest. “Are you okay?”
He licked his dry lips and nodded, his gaze drifting around the room. “I… I am sorry, your highness. I failed to protect this palace.” He burst into a bout of violent coughs.
“Shh… don’t talk anymore. I… I will take you to a safe place and summon the royal healer…. You will be okay….”
I was about to get up and carry him but he gripped my arm and shook his head, “I have to tell you so many things….. I kept stalling ‘cause I thought I had a lot of time…. Oho…Oho… who knew…..”
“We still have a lot of time, Boris.” I stuttered in a panicked voice. “You can tell me everything once you have healed.”
He shook his head and gasped for breath, “I am holding on to my last breaths to give you…..” He groaned as he took off the chain around his neck. “This key opens the secret vault in your bedroom.” Thrusting it into my palms, he continued, “Y… You must find the grimoires….. You must become powerful if you want to protect the one you love….”
“But…”
He gasped, “Hurry Justin…. Get it out of the vault before this place crumbles completely.” His lips curved in a weak smile. “Don’t worry about me….”
I licked my dry lips, my gaze drifting from him to the bedroom door. A frustrated sigh left my lips, and I laid him on the floor. “Just hold on a bit longer, Boris. I will come back for you.”
I made a mad dash to the bedroom and slid open the wardrobe; fumbling to find the keyhole. A familiar hiss sounded outside. F***! That was the sound made by the explosives we had set around the perimeter. Which moron set that off now?
Two minutes; that is how long I had before the explosives went off. My fingers shook as I struggled to insert the key. It was taking too long.
“Dang!” I cursed, as I finally managed to twist the key. Grabbing the books that were inside the vault, I bolted for the door. I was running along the corridor next to the garden when Boom! The explosives went off.
The impact shattered the windows, and I was thrown out of the palace. My ears echoed with a shrill ring and my mind blanked out. Gasping for air, I scrambled towards the palace, but pushed back again by another wave of detonation.
The tongues of flames engulfed the palace, swallowing it like a hungry serpent. My body went limp, and the books slipped through my hands. Boris! He was gone….
Tears of guilt and regret flowed down my cheeks as I watched the grand palace turn to dust. It is the duty of a King to protect his people. But, here I was; weak, helpless, desperate.
They relied on me; they were willing to sacrifice their lives for me. But what did I do? I should have been honest with them and told them about my weakness. I should have been the one to die….
I got to my feet and took a step towards the blazing palace, but then Daciana’s face flashed in my mind. If I died too, she would have nobody left.
“You must become powerful if you want to protect what you love.” The last words spoken by Boris reeled in my mind as I picked the grimoires and trudged out of the palace grounds.
As I watched the burning palace crumble to the ground; the love in my heart transformed into a sense of deep hatred. My eyes blazed with determination, fiercer than the flames. “This is not the end, Hera. This is just the beginning; the beginning to YOUR end.
I would come back; I would return with enough power to destroy you.
You used me as a stepping stone to rise to the top. That very stepping stone will carve the path for your downfall.”