Ethan’s POV

We needed to come up with something, and fast!

Putting a hand through my hair, I walked to Chance’s room and saw him playing with both Eleanor and Beta Locky.

I missed my boy, he was talking more now and had normal human teeth.

But…

Putting a hand through my hair again in frustration, I stamped off to my luxurious room and slumped down on the bed.

Putting a hand to my growing bump, I rubbed it gently.

My children were not safe!

How can I make it safe for them!?

To my complete surprise, the floor of the area shook and then broke apart, to show an Elementalist in front of me…

The Elementalist coming out of nowhere like that scared the shit out of me!

I went onto the bed and stood on it!

Earth came up then and directly attached to me, ‘They are coming!’

Oh, that’s right…

I took a shaky breath in and nodded, “Ok, and you told them that there was no killing anymore? That I wanted to stop the feud between us?”

‘Yes’.

I nodded, that’s good…

The Elementalist’s made no more sounds and I didn’t move nor know what to do either.

I didn’t want to order these things around, but…Do I have to order it to let me go now?

“I…Well, that’s good! Do you know of a place that you won’t be harmed?” I asked, finally thinking about where they might be able to stay. What if my original idea was not good enough for them?

‘We want protection.’

Protection? That’s what I want!

So many of us were being abused and wanted protection!

I’m supposed to be a King, wasn’t I!?

Aren’t I these Elementalist’s saviours or am I going to be their downfall!?

Well, damned…

Austorious was staring at me in pure interest and I felt like perhaps the Omega in me ran off!

Looking at the Elementalist, I narrowed my eyes, “How long until they get here?”

‘Water, a month, Fire, two years, Earth a few months, Air, a month and Metal will take a year.’

A month…

“What do you want to do in the meantime?” I asked it.

‘Wait.’

Mmm…

Being in a ‘King’ state of mind, I looked formally at the wall and wondered about our problems.

Under the reasoning of a regent being used, it is because the King is unable to rule…

Well, to stop the Alpha’s being forced to take a blood pact and to keep them as potential allies…I will just have to come back to rule!

“Very well, you can wait, do as you like as long as there is no harm to a Shifter’s life. Understood?”

‘Yes.’

After hearing this, a sudden blur came over me and I felt very dizzy…

Stabilizing myself with the bed post, I wondered why my hand was suddenly outstretched to the location of the Elementalist…Well, where it used to be…

Weird…

Perhaps it was a pregnancy thing…

The Elementalist obviously already disappeared and I finally got down from the bed and went into Chance’s room, “Locky!”

Beta Locky got up and bowed, “Your Majesty!”

“I will be leaving both the Queen and Chance in your care!” My firm resolve completely stunned both Eleanor and Beta Locky.

“…Your…Your Majesty?”

I nodded at them and went back to the room that had three Alpha’s still talking to each other and looked at them firmly, “It seems the King is able to rule once again. Chance and the Queen will stay here though, I will rely on you Alpha Lorez to keep them safe!”

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

“Precious, we still have time to come up with a good idea so that this blood…”

“No! My two pups will be safe, and I will return and not run away! Owen may not have done anything for us to punish him, but I will not let him force others to choose between himself and I over our dispute! He wants everyone on his side, then pronounce me dead and state his son as next King. Why does he need a blood pact for that!? I will not allow it!”

I humphed and took a deep breath!

“Precious?” Damien came to my side and looked at me with questions in his eyes.

I hadn’t acted like this in some time…

“I can’t let him force people, Damien. I can’t!” I stated, still firm and with my chin razed slightly, to state my unwillingness.

“…Ok, Precious. It’s not like we couldn’t handle him before. I much prefer that you come back to help the Alpha’s anyway. It’ll show that you weren’t’ able to continue hiding while other Shifter’s could be in trouble…Wait a minute…”

I watched as Damien turned and pointed out a finger, “This…This could be a trick! Owen knows Ethan will act like this and come out of hiding!”

Uh?

“…I think…You’re right…” Alpha Lorez said, starting to nod his head. “Even though it does make himself look slightly bad, he still has every right to ask for it…He’s taking a gamble!”

“Shit! He must have some news that the King survived and wants to bring him out or to lose his allies!” Damien stated, putting his hand down by his side. “Sly, old man!”

“It is indeed a good scheme. If the King comes out of hiding, Owen will know where he is and…”

“Wait!” Damien interrupted Alpha Lorez, “No, it’s not just to come out of hiding, I have no doubt that Owen will have something prepared for the King, for when he comes out!”

“Do you mean yet another type of trap?” Alpha Lorez asked, frowning.

Damien nodded and narrowed his eyes in thought.

I blinked and also narrowed my eyes, “Are you saying that whatever I choose to do, I will lose?”

Damien looked at me silently for a moment, and then nodded, “Think about it, Precious! He wants everything so the reason why he’s trying to get you out to be in front of him, is to probably put you away for good or even get you killed! He was probably hoping that the Ele…Elementalist…The rocks…That’s it! That sly, old man might even use the rocks against you! He might suggest that since an attack on your life had not come that…That maybe you are with them or something…”

Alpha Lorez widened his eyes and then shook his head, “Do you really believe that he’d go that far?”

I shook my head too, but because I didn’t understand, “What do you mean? I just saw the Elementalist and it said that it won’t hurt anyone!”

Damien looked at me again, and sighed, “…Owen might state that you might have got them to kill the royal family…”

“What!” I shouted!

What the hell!?

I didn’t even know that my father had been the King at the age of twelve! Plus, how could I have done such a thing! That’s regicide and…Murder and…

I found myself falling, making me realize that my legs gave out and Damien helped me sit properly on a seat. “I never…”

“We know, Precious. You don’t have to say anything…” Damien scooted in beside me and then picked me up and put me onto his lap. “Calm down…”

I leaned into him and did as I was ordered to do as…I knew that worrying about something I had not done was really useless. What we needed to do, was find a way to either not give him a chance to do this to me, to us, or to get him instead!

Relaxing in Damien’s arms, I heard their conversation continue.

Hearing Damien’s voice through his body relaxed me more and even though it was an important matter, I wasn’t feeling worried now.

“…But informing the other Alpha’s has its drawbacks. They could not only be on Owen’s side but if we were to state that the Elementalist’s were no longer a threat to the King, it may support Owen’s potential theory against His Majesty!” Alpha Lorez stated in an answer, to something that Damien had said.

“I know, but…One, we have to stop the Alpha’s from forcing themselves to become Owen’s dogs and two, we need to get the power away from Owen, even though it’s before schedule.”

I heard Alpha Lorez ‘hum’, then add, “No wonder he hasn’t done anything for a month, this tight trap that he’s made is really…”

Damien patted me absentmindedly when he replied, “It’s a sure method. Loss our allies or lose our lives. That is his statement.”

Silence filled the room and finally a third voice reminded me that Alpha Monk was still there, “Can’t the Elementalist’s state His Majesty’s innocence?”

I looked at Alpha Monk and wondered the same but…Wouldn’t that be bringing in trouble for the Elementalist’s then?

They wanted protection and ordering them to come out, to state my innocence, would bring them danger, I just knew it!

“I don’t want that.” I stated, sitting up properly.

“…Why not?” Alpha Monk asked.

I sighed, “They want protection and as it is, they have lost many just because of being condemned to stay on the continent of Gorde. I told them that I want the past history to be swiped clean, where we don’t hurt them, and they don’t hurt us. If I were to bring them out, to state that I had not used them to kill the royal family, they would be included and targeted. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Owen has no heart and attacks as soon as the Elementalist’s shows up!”

Damien rubbed my bulge and nodded, “It’s probably best to keep them out of the way. If something was to occur, Ethan’s life might be in danger again.”

I looked at Damien and realized that he was right…If the Elementalist’s feel like they need to attack, and I’m not quick enough to ‘order’ them not too, I could be in deep trouble!

“Then, what do we do? Do we just go and get the blood pact then and leave His Majesty to defend for himself?” Alpha Monk said in mockery.

Damien shook his head, “The blood pact can’t happen! But neither can Ethan’s return to the palace!”

“Then what do you suggest?” Alpha Monk asked.

Damien looked at Alpha Lorez and both of them narrowed their eyes, “Here.”

With both of them saying the same thing, I looked at one and then the other.

Suddenly, a few orders were given. Alpha Lorez demanded to have the fastest runners to come to him and then to get some paper.

I saw that Alpha Lorez put a few papers in front of me and an empty small container.

“Can’t he use my blood?” Damien said in pure heartache.

“Don’t be stupid! It has to be his!” Alpha Lorez stated, passing over a knife from someone else.

I caught on, “So I’m to write a few letters?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Demand each Alpha to come here directly and then you are to formally pronounce your health has gotten better and that you no longer need Beta Owen to represent you as the regent King.”

I sighed and sat up straight, grabbing the knife and cutting my arm.

Putting blood into the container, I heard Damien wince.

“Alpha?” I heard in the background.

“Beta Locky, you are the fastest, you will go directly to the palace and try to stop any Alpha from seeing Beta Owen. Quickly get the messenger bag and get in some food and drink, so that you won’t have to stop very much. His Majesty’s first three letters will go to you!”

Picking up the blood pen, I let it soak into the blood and then wrote out quickly upon what I was to state and made three copies.

These three copies were a bit different from one another. The first one held all of the Alpha’s names, even though Alpha Lorez, Alpha Monk and Alpha Rendall were already here. A second copy was a ‘just in case’ copy, if something was to happen to the first, but the second copy was only to demand for the Alpha’s that they knew were not on their side.

I didn’t know why I was making a letter to those who probably wouldn’t come, but it was what I was told to do…

They stated something about being given a royal order twice and disobeying but I didn’t think that went as far as casting their positions away, so I thought I had heard wrong…Besides I was busy writing anyway…