Chapter: eighteen

Down in the dungeon, Ana was shackled to the cold stone wall, her heart pounding with anticipation.

She couldn’t believe her brother would let her die. But she knew she’d face some kind of punishment for not sticking to the plan.

The master wouldn’t be happy. She’d strayed from his instructions, and she knew that would lead to something far worse than a simple reprimand.

A chill wind swept through the cell, and Ana felt a shiver of dread. She was going to die here, alone, bound by silver chains. This wasn’t the life she’d dreamed of.

Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation, like something was creeping up her spine. “My dear, sweet Ana. You’ve been a naughty girl.”

“Master Zagan, I—”

His shadowy figure seemed to dance around the room, taunting her, making her wish her brother had been the one to end her life. At least then, she would have died at the hands of someone who once loved her.

She closed her eyes as the room fell silent.

When she opened them again, he was there, standing before her. It was only the second time she’d ever seen him, but she still thought he was breathtaking. “M-Master—”

He pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. “Tell me, what did I ask you to do?”

A single tear slipped down her cheek as she answered. “Seduce the Rogue King until he made me his queen.”

“And did you?”

More tears streamed down her face as she replied. “I was so close, Master. Please, give me another chance!”

Zagan’s gaze bored into hers, and he smirked. “Too late. You failed. I should have left you where I found you, cold, scared, and on the run from your brother.”

She sobbed uncontrollably, imagining the cruel ways the master might choose to end her life. It wouldn’t be quick, and it would definitely be painful.

She opened her eyes one last time, catching a fleeting glimpse of what looked like regret in his eyes. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by anger.

With a swift movement, Zagan reached out and grabbed her heart, crushing it. He didn’t remove his hand until the light had faded from her eyes, leaving a deflated heart in his palm.

He stared at it for a moment, then closed his hand. When he opened it again, the heart had turned to ash. He gently blew the remains onto her lifeless body, then left the dungeon.

***

Aylin woke with a jolt, her heart pounding in her chest. Something was wrong, she could feel it. She glanced at the other side of the bed and found it empty.

Ezekiel’s scent was absent. He hadn’t come to bed. “Damn it,” she muttered.

She padded into the bathroom, flicked on the light, and looked at her reflection.

She looked different. Her eyes were brighter, her cheeks flushed, and her hair had regained its silky texture.

After splashing some water on her face, Aylin climbed back into bed, wondering when Ezekiel would return.

Suddenly, a heavy feeling enveloped her, and she felt paralyzed.

“Aylin.” A chilling voice echoed in her head. “I can show you.”

Her head pounded and her heart raced as she found herself lost in darkness. She reached out, but there was nothing. Just endless black.

The air felt ominous, and she could sense something approaching. It was the same malevolent presence she’d felt in her dream on the road.

In a panic, Aylin did the only thing she could think of. “Zeke! Help me!” she screamed into the void.

Meanwhile, Ezekiel was in the dungeon, scanning the area for signs of demons. One of the warriors had spotted something moving in the woods, but it had disappeared almost as soon as it was seen. Quill had immediately called for the king. When Ezekiel entered the dungeon, he found Ana’s body hanging from the chains, her heart reduced to ash.

“Search for the other demon!”

“It’s gone!”

“Shit!” Ezekiel cursed.

“Now what do we do? Both leads are gone.”

He rubbed his face in frustration. He didn’t have an answer. Just as he was about to speak, a wave of pure, unadulterated fear washed over him. “Aylin,” he whispered.

He transformed into his wolf form and raced back to the castle as fast as he could. The closer he got, the stronger the fear became.

Quill followed his brother, not sure what was happening but knowing it had something to do with the queen.

Ezekiel burst into their bedroom and tried to wake Aylin. He shook her, but she didn’t respond. “Aylin! Aylin! Wake up!”

Quill barked orders to his men, “Secure the castle! I want everyone accounted for! Check for any signs of intrusion!”

Ezekiel continued to try to rouse the queen, but to no avail. Just as he was about to resort to more drastic measures, she suddenly gasped for air, coughing and sputtering.

“Easy, easy. Breathe.”

“Zeke,” she wheezed. “I heard you.”

He gathered her into his arms and sat on the bed, holding her close. He kissed her forehead, fighting back tears. “I was so scared.”

“It was him.”

“There’s more,” Ezekiel began. “Ana is dead, and the demon we had in custody has escaped.”

Aylin’s eyes widened, but she couldn’t find the words to respond. She felt like she was choking on her own thoughts.

She buried her face in his shoulder, and he held her gently, as if she were made of glass.

Quill returned to the room and let out a sigh of relief. “The castle is secure. Everyone inside is being accounted for, and we’re checking on the pack members in their homes.”

Ezekiel only nodded. His main concern was Aylin.

The way her small body trembled in his arms was a stark reminder that the threat they faced was real and growing more dangerous by the minute.

With no leads left, he knew he needed to come up with a new plan—and quickly. It was clear that Zagan had somehow infiltrated his castle, which raised questions about the extent of his power.

“Quill, bring Angus to the throne room. We need to tell him.”

“The queen—”

“She stays here.”

“No,” Aylin’s voice trembled, heavy with fear. “I need to go too.”

They braced themselves for the worst. Ezekiel paced behind Aylin’s chair, his thoughts hidden from her. She wished she could ask him what was going on in his mind.

She knew he was considering every possible outcome, every potential scenario. With their sources of information gone, everything was about to get a lot harder.

“Pacing won’t help, Ezekiel. You’ll wear a hole in the floor. We need to stay calm for his sake.”

He sank into his chair with a sigh. “You’re right. But how do I tell someone who’s been by my side for years that a demon killed his only sister? I hate not knowing.”

Guilt gnawed at Aylin. She was the reason for the chaos in her pack.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that her old pack had to deal with the aftermath of the first attack, now a demon was inside the castle.

Things were spiraling out of control faster than she’d anticipated.

“What’s on your mind?” Ezekiel asked, noticing the distant look in her eyes.

“Nothing much,” she lied.

The doors swung open, drawing their attention to the men entering. Their faces were serious as they approached, not fully understanding the situation they were stepping into.

Quill and Angus were at the front.

The beta’s eyes were red and swollen from crying. His emotions were taking a toll on him. Seeing him like this made Aylin’s heart ache with guilt and regret.

Ezekiel stood to address the men.

“Gentlemen, I know you’re all worried about what’s been happening tonight. A demon has infiltrated our castle and attacked the queen—”

“Is this related to the announcement earlier about the queen being attacked?” A warrior interrupted.

“Yes, it is. Some of you might be more aware of the situation, since you came with us to the Dark Moon Pack—”

“The demon we brought back is gone! Why are they targeting us?”

Aylin couldn’t stay silent any longer. She stood next to Ezekiel, took a deep breath, and spoke. “I can tell you why the demons are here.”

“Don’t,” Ezekiel hissed.

“I have to. They won’t understand otherwise.” She turned to face the warriors of her pack, gathering her courage to tell the truth.

“The demons are here because of me.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Anger radiated from the group in front of her, and she braced herself for their reaction.

“Something happened in the past, something I didn’t know about, that led to the attack on my old pack and the attack tonight in the cells. The king is not to blame for any of this.”

Ezekiel flinched at her words. She was throwing herself under the bus to protect him. He looked at Quill, who seemed to be reacting the same way.

If a riot broke out, neither of them would be able to save Aylin.

“I’m sorry that this fight has come to your doorstep. It’s a fight you should never have had to face. I know the king just introduced me, but I leave my fate in your hands.

“I can’t ask you to follow a leader you don’t trust. I will respect whatever decision you make.”

When Aylin finished speaking, the room fell silent. Everyone was frozen in place.

Then Angus stepped forward to stand in front of the king and queen.

He turned to face the crowd. “I don’t know what happened in the queen’s past to make the demons want her, and it doesn’t matter.

“When she could have punished me for my crime, she didn’t. She thought about how I felt, how to make things better.

“The king chose her for a reason, and I think I understand that reason now.” He turned back to face the king and queen, then knelt down.

Tears welled up in Aylin’s eyes.

She’d never thought she and Angus would get along. Their relationship had started off rocky, filled with tension and resentment.

She’d never imagined he would accept her, let alone pledge his loyalty to her. But here he was, kneeling in front of her, despite everything that had happened. She struggled to hold back the tears streaming down her face.

Ezekiel stepped forward to address his warriors again. “There you have it. If you don’t believe me, believe a man who has lost too much in the past few hours.”

Aylin glanced at Quill, blocking out everyone else. ~“Did you tell him?”~

~“I had to. There was too much chaos for him not to ask.”~

Their moment was interrupted when Ezekiel took her hand. She looked up to see everyone bowing down in respect. She gasped. It was an incredible sight.

“Do you all pledge your loyalty to me, your king, and to your queen? Say aye!”

“Aye!”

Aylin couldn’t believe it. Despite everything, these wolves were pledging their loyalty. They were all on one knee, heads bowed.

She could see their trust in their king, which had influenced their decision. Aylin was proud to be the queen of such loyal, trustworthy wolves.

“For now, I want constant patrols outside. If anyone feels unsafe in their homes, they are welcome to stay in the castle.

“Even though we’re all inside the wall, we should stick together.”

With that, everyone dispersed to their assigned duties.

Angus was about to leave when Aylin stopped him. “Beta Angus!”

He turned to face his queen.

“I… I’m so sorry,” she sobbed.

He gave her a small, sad smile. “A queen who would cry over the death of someone like her deserves my loyalty.” He bowed slightly, then left.

After everyone else had left, only Ezekiel and Aylin remained in the throne room.

Ezekiel looked at Aylin, his mate, with a sense of pride. He’d been scared to share what they’d discovered, but honesty had won out in the end. It was a lesson Aylin had taught him.

Time had passed, and there was still no progress with the patrols. No signs of any demons, including the one they’d released.

Ezekiel received updates every hour, while Aylin cared for those who had chosen to stay within the castle walls.

Many had opted for the safety of the fortress. It comforted Aylin, knowing it would be much harder for the demons to attack inside. But something was nagging at her.

She excused herself and slipped into the library. She scanned the shelves, finding rows of books about demons. She picked up the first one, flipping it open to the table of contents.

“Let’s see. Habitat, no. Lesser demon, no. Higher demons, here we go.” She turned to the relevant pages, finding the information eerily similar to that of werewolf mates.

She read on until something caught her eye. “If a higher demon finds his mate, it must ingest the demon’s blood for the bond to be formed.

“If the bond is broken, the mate will forever feel the pain of the rejected mate. In most cases, higher demon mates are human or another higher demon.

“It’s almost impossible for any other supernatural being to become such.” Aylin read on, puzzled.

As she sifted through other books on the subject, something fell to the floor behind her. Startled, she picked it up. It was a book on demons, opened to a specific page.

She checked the cover. It was a book detailing the higher demons known in existence, both dead and alive.

“Chapter 12: Zagan the Unmerciful,” she read aloud. A chill ran down her spine. She didn’t like where this was going.