EVANGELINE.
Danciana and Maryka slowly rise to their feet. From their pale faces, they were not expecting that. I rein in my aura, glancing around. No one moves. I guess I donât need to use my powers. They bow down to my simple commands. They can sense who I am, my presence alone enough.
âYou should be ashamed for having your mate thrown in prison and betraying him.â I say icily to Maryka. âHold your tongue unless I ask you to speakâ
Her eyes flash, her lips quivering with anger, but she is unable to argue with me.
âThese lands once belonged to the Night Shade Pack You are making a mistake Evangeline and remember the King lives. You are not in charge.â Danciana says haughtily, but despite her calm exterior, sheâs terrified. âI am acting on his behalf.â
âOh, I am, and when the King comes forth, only then will I speak to him, as for acting on his behalf? I donât see him submitting to another pack!â I growl.
She flinches, her eyes darting around the room as I advance upon her.
âYou, as the Kingâs Luna, should be representing him! Not defying his beliefs.â
With each step closer, I also pay attention to those around me, realising that more than half of the men are wearing the crest of the Night Shade Pack.
âShe is a traitor⦠apprehend her!â Danciana shouts, forced to step back.
But no one moves, and I reach her, reaching up I rip the crown that she wears off her head, tossing it onto the throne behind her.
Gasps fill the room and even Danciana is visibly shaking as she realises she canât move, my eyes blazing as they dare her to defy me.
âLuna Evangeline!â Philip exclaims. I glare at the member of the kingâs court, instantly silencing him.
âBeing the goddess sure makes for a boring showdown,â Ragnar mutters, and I almost smile.
âLock the traitors, Danciana and Maryka Vilkas, in the dungeons where they will remain until their sentences are announced!â I growl, my eyes blazing.
There are probably traitors here who do not wish to see me as queen, or some forced or bound to serve the Luna Queen, or should I say Ex-Queen.
âYou are making a mistake. YOU FOOLS! SHEâS THE TRAITOR!â Drystan thunders.
âOh, shut the fuck up, you chose the wrong side.â Ragnar growls.
âLock the twin princes up too.â I state icily. âWhere are the King, the other Princes, the Beta and Kash Donovan?â
âThe king is in the hospital wing. The rest of the royal family who disputed the queen, the Beta, Gamma, their families and a few others are being held in the torture dungeons.â One of the warriors says, bowing down to me.
I clench my jaw, turning and leaving the hall.
âRagnar, please find the Beta and the rest, and summon an emergency meeting with those who are in the dungeons. As for the council members who were on your motherâs side⦠imprison them and then we will set out.â
âSure, and for that, are we travelling in wolf form?â He asks.
I nod. I canât risk using the portal for everyone. I will return first, but before then I needed to see Ambrose.
An unease is filling me, urging me to hurry I head to the hospital wing and soon the kingâs scent reaches me.
Entering the silent hospital area, I follow my nose until I am at the door to the kingâs room. Two warriors stand guard at the doors.
âStep aside.â I command and they obey immediately, despite their concern. Pushing the door open, I pause when I see the sleeping king. But it is his state that shocks me.
Heâs hooked up to a machine, and heâs hooked up to b***d. His body is covered in bruises and gashes. Whoever he fought had injured him badly⦠Anger flares through me.
âHe put up a good fight.â Evelyn offers.
âWhoever touched the King or has any information regarding what happened, I want reported to me.â I say through my link, reaching out to every wolf around me.
My heart is thundering as I stare at the king, taking a deep, shaky breath.
Heâs pale, and his heartbeat is weak. I cross the room, my footsteps echoing in the silent room, and I place a hand on the kingâs forehead.
His time is near⦠I can feel him nearing deathâs door.
I close my eyes, hesitating as I am about to summon my powers. But deep down, I know if I do, Iâll be messing with the balance of life and death⦠He is already teetering on the brink of life and death. This means he now falls under another God⦠The god of death himself⦠Hadesâ¦
âYou canât.â Luna says sorrowfully.
âI know.â I whisper back.
Sighing, I look down at the king. He has seven sons, yet on his deathbed, they canât be here.
âRagnar⦠your father is on his deathbed⦠please come to his side.â I say through the link. âIf you can, bring Alcazer and Chasyn too. Please make haste.â
Thereâs silence, but I know heâs heard me.
âUnderstood. Itâll be just Alcazer and I⦠Chasyn isnât in any position to come.â Ragnarâs simple reply comes. I wonder if my words shook himâ¦
âIâm so sorry.â I whisper, looking down at the king, unable to stop the tears that trickle down my cheek.
âDonât cry. Everyone diesâ Evelyn offers in her own attempt to comfort me.
I canât help but smile at her words.
âI know, but he was a good king.â I whisper, wishing Zedkiel was here. âHe was one of the rare people who treated Zedkiel like a person and not a monster.â
âYeah, he was a good Dadâ¦â Evelyn replies as one of my tears splashes onto the kingâs face.
I wipe it away and just then his eyes flutter open, making me hope that somehow, he will be ok, but I know that is just wishful thinking.
He takes a moment before he recognises me.
âI thought⦠I was meeting the Moon Goddess.â He says softly, smiling slightly and I canât help but return it with one of my own, even if my heart is breaking inside. His eyes twinkle and I wonder if he knows more.
âItâs just Evangeline.â I whisper, âYour daughter-in-law.â
âI do wish we had more time, but alas⦠life has its own plans.â He says, taking a breath.
I caress his face with one hand. âYour majesty.â I whisper, not knowing what else I can say.
His heart rate is dipping and rising, making my nervousness rise. Time is short, hurry Ragnar!
He looks around, his eyes shadowing. âWhere⦠where are the rest?â He asks softly. âSome of them are coming.â I whisper softly.
Does he know what happened? Or if he even remembers it.
âAh⦠Zedkiel? Where is he?â
âHe isnât hereâ¦â I reply, wishing he was.
The look of disappointment on the kingâs face breaks my heart. We need you, Zedkiel.
âI wonât last⦠you need to take your place⦠as Supreme Alphaâ¦â His eyes flutter shut and his heartbeat becomes erratic.
âI will. Relax Alpha Ambrose, Ragnar and Alcazer are coming!â I exclaim in a hushed whisper. âRagnar, hurry please!â I cry through the link.
âCut⦠cut my hand.â He murmurs. âI must hand you the title, I know⦠thereâs no time for a ceremony⦠Iâ¦â I donât want to but we both know his time is short⦠with a heavy heart, I make a cut in both of our hands. âI Ambrose Vilkas⦠the Supreme Alpha of Alphas renounce myself as the King and as the Alpha of the Moonstone Pack. I pass my position to the rightful queen⦠Evangeline Vilkas to lead this pack to prosperityâ¦â His voice is ragged, as if each word is a struggle for him.
We join hands as he smiles warmly up at me and he nods, encouraging me to speak.
âI, Evangeline Vilkas, accept the power and position of Ruler and Alpha, and vow to always uphold the laws and ethics of the Moonstone Packâ
I feel the shift in power, the snapping of the mind connection to the rest of the pack filling my head. âIt is done⦠take care of them all⦠I leave the⦠rest to youâ¦â He murmurs.
âNo⦠wait!â My heart is thumping, and I shake my head
Suddenly, I sense another entity in the room, and I know that itâs time for him to go. My head snaps up as I see the cloaked, hooded figure hovering above the kingâs body as his soul is tugged from his body, and I close my eyes as I feel Ambroseâs life force fade away.
The hooded figure turns to me, and despite being faceless, I know heâs watching me. Neither of us react, before he turns and disappears.
Heâs takenâ¦
The sound of hurried footsteps approaching, the shouts of alarms of the doctors as the machine goes flat, the steady beep ringing in my ears, but nothing is louder than the thudding of my own heart as I stand there trying to contain my emotions.
âHeâ¦â Ragnarâs voice comes as the door is thrown open.
Silence follows as everyone realises that their sovereign is gone.
âThe kingâs deadâ¦â One of the doctors whispers, horrified.
âThe Alpha⦠this-â
âHeâs gone⦠but we have a new Alpha. Pledge your allegiance and place the kingâs body somewhere safe until we may mourn him.â Alcazer says coldly.
I turn to see him leaning on Ragnar who is supporting him, heâs in a bad state, clear signs that he put up a fight. Both brothers lower their heads slightly to me, but I have no time for protocol.
I close the kingâs eyes and turn away.
âTake a moment to be with him⦠I will wait outside.â I say softly.
âWe need to ask them about the others.â Evelyn offers.
âGive them a moment.â I reply to her as I walk past them, watching as both brothers walk to the bed before the door shuts, leaving the two brothers with their father.
Iâm sorry I couldnât do more.
âAlpha, if there is anything you need us to do.â The guards bow their heads in submission.
I shake my head. âTake a moment to mourn your king.â 1 say quietly, my heart squeezing.
What will I tell Zed? How will I tell him that his father is gone?
A few minutes pass before the brothers exit the hospital room, both looking sombre. âHow are Amora and Kayla?â I ask Alcazer.
âAlive.â He says and Ragnar frowns.
âI commanded the guards to bring everyone to the hospital.â Ragnar says, frowning, motioning down the hall.
âWho else is there?â I ask.
âKayla, Amora, Kash and the Beta and Gamma alongside their families. Adonis is in bad shape. I think he put up a fight when he got back⦠then thereâs Lucia and Alistair, believe it or not. Omegas.â
âLucia?â I ask, my heart skipping a beat.
He nods curtly âShe tried to protect Chasyn from Maryka and ended up almost dead.â Alcazer says. âIf Kash didnât intervene, she would be dead.â
Worry consumes me, and I walk swiftly towards the ward.
The doors to the ward swings open and we step inside. There are several beds and I spot Kayla instantly as sheâs sitting on the bed, nodding at something the Nurse just said.
âYeah., plus thereâs something else you should know about Lucia.â Ragnar remarks.
I raise an eyebrow, but he doesnât explain further, simply turning to his wife.
âYouâre awake.â Ragnar says. She turns, and her heart skips a beat.
âYouâre alright.â She says, looking him over.
âYou donât sound too pleased.â He remarks moodily, going over to her.
She tilts her head before she stands up and wraps her arms around his neck tightly. âIâm more than pleased.â She says quietly. Evelyn scoffs.
âMushy couples.â She mutters as Ragnar hugs Kayla back. âThey go well.â I smile.
âYeah.â She replies grudgingly, but is it just me or does she sound sullen?
Then again, itâs Evelyn. Sheâs always going through many mood swings.
I turn my attention to Kash who is stirring, Chasyn is indeed in a bad state, lying there unconscious. Then my gaze finally lands on Lucia, her blond hair is coloured red with dried b***d I can barely recognise her from the brutal swelling in her face. Making my anger flare.
Maryka beat her violently.
Sheâs still unconscious and in a horrific state, but what shocks me is the prominent curve to her stomach and the steady gentle heartbeat of an unborn pupâ¦
She is pregnant.