I don’t know how he knew I was nervous about messing up with Monkey, but I’m grateful for his creepy insight. All through breakfast, I try to thank him for handling everything so subtly and sweetly, but the words keep failing me.
Angel kisses my forehead when he sees how hard I’m fighting to keep the stubborn tears at bay, and I know I don’t need to say the words for him to understand me.
Monkey suddenly stiffens in my arms, and I know it’s because of how close Angel is. I grab Angel’s hand and rest our joined hands on top of the table so Monkey can see that I’m not afraid of him touching me. When Monkey turns to me, I kiss his head, hoping it’s enough to assure him everything is fine.
“So, the boy is…” Grace trails off.
“A werewolf,” I confirm. “The witch had a vision about him, too. I don’t know what she saw, but he was in my cell the very next day.”
“His Divine is strong for a kid,” Angel notes, smiling at the boy licking chocolate from his plate. I chuckle when Monkey lifts his sticky hands to my face, silently asking for help.
“Royal blood,” Grace concludes, handing me a wet napkin. “It shouldn’t be hard to find more about him. There aren’t many royal bloodlines left.”
Everyone nods in unison, but I’m lost. My current affairs are rusty at best. “What happened toThe Royal Six?”
“Slaughtered for power,” Angel says with a frown. “The supernatural world has been a disaster for the past couple of years. Almost every species is facing uprisings from their oppressed communities, but the werewolves are a whole other mess.”
Werewolves have always been chaotic. I’ve heard stories about their way of life, and even for someone prettycomfortable with violence, I can’t stomach it. It’s so damn unnecessary in the name of tradition.
Several mythical kingdoms have had to intervene when the Royal leaders lose control over their packs and their gruesome ways. It took centuries of negotiations and threats from the Horsemen and vampire leaders before werewolves were forced to end their ancient alpha-challenge tradition.
Even though the alpha challenge is still legal and widely accepted, the terms have changed drastically.
In the past, when a challenger defeated an alpha, the victor had free rein to do whatever he pleased with his new pack. More often than not, the new alpha killed any offspring of the old alpha before forcing the Luna to mate with him and create a new bloodline.
It’s bone-chilling to realize that was only the tip of the iceberg. Every time an alpha lost his title, the women of his pack suffered the most. Crimes like rape, forced markings, and the murder of Fated mates were once the norm.
Werewolves have slowly evolved their ways over time, but they need to abolish every last one of their outdated traditions if they want to survive in the current world.
“The Royal Six became too greedy. They were already losing control of the wolves, but then they betrayed each other for power, and now it’s destroying their entire species.” Grace adds.
“A few more decades of killing their own, and they’ll wipe themselves out.” Hazel glances sideways at Monkey, and suddenly, it clicks.
My little boy was in that dungeon because of a vision. Visha said he was an obstacle to her plan. And with how the werewolves are falling apart, maybe whatever destiny this kid has will be what changes his world for the better.
“Sweetheart, if you eat any slower, we’ll have to call this lunch, not breakfast.”
I’m so lost in my head, I don’t notice Angel has already finished eating, and he is now waiting for me. He chuckleswhen I open my mouth to signal I’m ready for another bite.
Angel turns to Grace. “We need to call a council meeting. I have to update them on what we’ve learned so far, introduce them to Nevaeh, and tell them we’ll be staying in the human realm until we find Harvey.”
“Already done. They’ll be here tomorrow afternoon.”
“Your overenthusiasm to stay busy benefits me a lot, Gracie.”
Grace slides a small slip of paper across the table to Angel. “I’d gladly accept Dragon Mirah’s latest book series as a thank-you.”
Angel shakes his head with a soft smile. “Of course you would.”
10. Rick the dick
Nevaeh
When Angel mentioned calling a council meeting yesterday, it didn’t occur to me until later that it would be my first introduction as both Nevaeh Blackburn—the princess who went missing ten years ago—and Anxo Alarie’s fated mate.
I’m already regretting not bringing my little Monkey with me. His adorable face would’ve been the perfect distraction from whatever I’m about to walk into.
Since waking up from his temporary coma, Monkey has refused to leave my side. He sleeps in my room every night, and freaks out if I’m out of sight, which is why I had to wait for him to fall asleep before sneaking out for this meeting.
