When Loveday had first come to Ruhundy Keep, she was telling the truth when she said any kind of work would do.

My, how times change…

“Don’t you think this is enough?”

Loveday was bleary-eyed as she stared up at Selena. The girl had been absolutely amazed and delighted when Loveday had explained her current ordeal, and immediately asked what she needed, and how she could help.

So, now Loveday was sitting in Ruhundy Keep’s library, at one of the large tables, with about two dozen open books and scrolls and maps, and the last few sips of a cold cup of coffee, silently mocking her.

Loveday moved some of the maps of Calleigh land and sighed.

“I’m not sure when it’ll be enough. I’ve spent the last two days here combing through every bit of pertinent history, but all I have learned is that the Calleigh have every right to their own land, and that the Noxier are really getting on my nerves.”

Selena laughed, shaking her head with a sigh.

“Yours and everyone else’s…”

Then she gave Loveday a soft look and Loveday knew what was coming.

“You should take a break. Get some sleep. Have you eaten anything since you started studying?”

Nodding, Loveday finally made to stand, feeling her knees creak and her back ache miserably. Exhaustion descended upon her quickly, and as she glanced at the time, her heart sunk even further.

Every hour is one hour closer to when the Noxier return… Loveday was dreading it, to be honest, but she also knew she needed to do everything in her power to be prepared and ready for whatever they threw at her.

As she and Selena made their way out, Loveday suddenly remembered something.

“Hey, I haven’t seen the King in a few days. Do you know if he’s feeling any better?”

Loveday hadn’t been told exactly what was wrong with the King, but it was apparently pretty hush hush, since after the first meeting with the Noxier and his subsequent passing out, he’d shut himself in his bedroom and hadn’t let a single person go in or out…

Selena winced, shaking her head slightly as they made their way down the empty halls.

“I’m really sorry you’ve gotten tangled up in this,” she says. “Between you and me, I think the King should just give the Noxier the land they want and be done with all the fighting. It’s not like he’s in any state to be leading a war or battle.”

Loveday frowned.

“How come?”

It took a moment for Selena to respond, and when she did, Loveday once again had that sinking feeling, except this time it was accompanied by a crushing guilt and sadness… maybe she should have given Dimitri Veil the benefit of the doubt.

“He hasn’t been the same since the war two years ago. No one would ever say this to his face, but between us, all his symptoms since then make it seem like he lost his mate in the explosion… but, the King was never married, so no one really knows what’s wrong.”

Instead of returning to her sleeping quarters, Loveday bid goodnight to Selena and promised her she’d sleep just as soon as she checked on something. She hid the fact that it was actually someone…

Heart beating just a little faster as she entered into the King’s portion of the castle, Loveday tried to suppress the memories of fear that came with being here, and instead focused on the business at hand.

She was in the process of building a strong defense for the Calleigh and their land, but for that, she needed to be on the same page as the King, and it seemed like that might be an even bigger chore than going through the entire library.

When she reached the King’s chambers, Loveday steeled herself before knocking. It was very late at night, but she figured the King would be up. It just seemed logical.

Loveday would find out quite quickly that nothing about Dimitri Veil was logical…

When nobody answered, Loveday was about to knock again, regardless of whether the King was asleep, when suddenly there was a heavy presence behind her, and Loveday froze, smelling heavy spirits and blood.

“Who the hell’re you?” The King slurred.

Loveday swallowed, then turned slowly to meet the man’s dark eyes. The King blinked a few times, and in that time, Loveday was able to see just how completely trashed he was.

He must have been drinking… it smells so bad-

Dimitri Veil gazed down at her with heavy-lidded, red-rimmed eyes, and Loveday genuinely felt sorry for the man, but she also knew she had no right to pity him when she didn’t have a clue what was truly going on.

“Oh,” he rumbled, voice hoarse. “You’re the Held girl.”

Loveday nodded, then introduced herself again.

“…my Lord,” she started, unsure how to start when it was clear Dimitri Veil was in no condition to be having a conversation like this.

“Do you think you and I could meet soon, to discuss how the meeting with the Noxier delegation will proceed?”

Dimitri’s forehead wrinkled, and he frowned. Loveday held her breath and waited for him to respond, but when he did, it seemed all her hope drained away with his words and sudden, carefree smile.

“Sweetheart…” he grinned lazily, “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

The King started to push past her and into his room, and Loveday stumbled a bit, shocked even as Dimitri struggled to open the door.

“My Lord, I-“

“Shhh!” He grumbled, fully leaning his face on the wood of his bedroom door and closing his eyes, as if he was seconds from passing out again right there, standing up.

“Don’t wanna hear words… my head hurts…”

Loveday momentarily didn’t know what to do. Then she took a hold of herself and took a deep, centering breath.

“Alright, then… let’s get you into bed so you can sleep this off.”

Loveday opened the door and Dimitri immediately fell. Completely asleep, dead weight on the floor.

Cringing, Loveday took a moment to look around, just to see if anyone was nearby and had witnessed her accidental assault of the wolf King.

After finding the hallway to be empty, Loveday gingerly stepped into the bedroom and knelt to help the man up. Getting Dimitri Veil into his bed was perhaps the most frustrating thing Loveday had done in a while…

He’d wake up just to throw all his weight on her and then faint again, sometimes pulling her down to the ground along with him. Finally Loveday was able to toss the completely out-of-it King onto the bed, only for him to twine all his limbs around her and pull her down on top of him.

Loveday struggled for all of two seconds before she realized that even intoxicated, Dimitri Veil was still Calleigh, and he was stronger than her by… a lot.

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Breathing through her mouth from just how strong he smelled of alcohol and blood, (from what??!) Loveday lamented the choices she’d made in life that had led her to this superbly embarrassing experience.

I really need to get out of here… he’s got to let go eventually, right?!

Except, Dimitri Veil was already snoring, completely dead asleep and hugging her like a life raft in a storm.

Loveday tried to get out of his hold a couple more times, but it was like being in a vice. Completely useless…

It wasn’t for at least an hour that Dimitri once again stirred awake, and his arms and legs loosened enough for Loveday to slip away.

As she headed quickly toward the door, Loveday heard Dimitri moaning from the bed. Obviously he was half-asleep still and was likely starting to feel the pain of a stellar hangover.

Guilt tripped her up and Loveday briefly wondered if the Calleigh had any sort of hangover remedy. Then she heard the King make a soft sort of crying sound… like he was, whimpering?

Something tugged at Loveday’s mind and she suddenly recalled the pups she’d been teaching songs to. Occasionally, the younger ones would make a noise like that when their parents dropped them off. It always reminded Loveday of a puppy whine, and it always melted her heart.

Hearing Dimitri Veil make that sound however, terrified her in a very specific way.

Loveday didn’t know what she was getting herself into with all of this, but somehow she’d still been hoping that the Calleigh King could help her figure it out. It was becoming painfully clear to her though, that Dimitri was genuinely struggling. How was she supposed to even speak to him about their situation when he was sick and inebriated every time she saw him?!

Not to mention… clearly going through something.

“Come back,” Dimitri was saying as he tossed and turned in bed.

Loveday assumed he didn’t mean her, so she left, still feeling a bit guilty.

She didn’t know what to do for the King… so, very quietly and awkwardly, Loveday went all the way down to the kitchens, where she’d worked not even a few days ago.

It was empty inside, but a few lights were on, and Loveday decided if anyone came in she’d just say she was here under the King’s orders.

Not like he’d be able to tell the difference…

She knew there was ginger tea and honey in the cupboard, and, at least for Held, that was supposed to be calming for the stomach.

She could only imagine how terrible Dimitri Veil was going to feel when he really woke up, and while she did genuinely want him to feel better, maybe this was also a bit self-serving.

I need him to be functioning when he wakes up so that we can talk about this. The Noxier threat isn’t going to go away and frankly, I shouldn’t be the one the Calleigh are solely relying on.

Dimitri Veil needed to step up.

She felt horrible even thinking it, but it was true. Heartbreak or no, alcoholic or not, the King didn’t have a choice and neither did she.

They had to communicate.

At the last minute, Loveday also put a half-empty bottle of painkillers she found tucked away in a cupboard onto the tray.

Dimitri was still half-asleep when she came in, and he tried to grab her as she set the tea down on his bedside table. Loveday sighed, hoping he’d find it when he woke up, and quietly made her escape.

Going to bed that night just as the sky was starting to lighten, Loveday prayed silently that the King would actually be coherent tomorrow.

This turned out to not be the case.

When Loveday tried to go to him the next morning, there were a handful of attendants already going in and out of his room.

Apparently, or so one of them explained to her, the King wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be receiving any visitors today.

Yeah, no shit he wasn’t feeling well…

Loveday didn’t feel very well either, having not slept a full night in days, but they needed to tough it out.

She spent another thirteen hours in the library and decided she’d give the King one more day to sleep it off before she demanded an audience.

Again, she went to his door in the evening and knocked. Again, Dimitri didn’t answer, but after a few moments of waiting, again he appeared like magic right behind her, this time not smelling of any alcohol but instead completely drenched in blood, and limping!!!

“What happened?! Are you hurt!”

Dimitri Veil raised an eyebrow and pushed past her, grumbling under his breath with hunched shoulders as he went inside and flopped down into an ornate cushioned chair, completely uncaring how the blood on him soaked right into the fabric.

Loveday was appalled. What… the fuck was going on?!

Without even thinking about propriety or respect for his station, Loveday barged inside the absolute disaster of a bedroom, she noticed, and just about started yelling at the King.

“Did you get into a fight? Was it the Noxier?!”

Dimitri huffed, rolling his eyes.

“I keep forgetting you’re not Calleigh. Come on, most of this isn’t my blood. I was hunting, get it? Blowing off some steam. Pfft-“

Leaning back in his chair, the King closed his eyes and chuckled.

“The wild boars that usually live around the back hills gave me a good time, but that mountain lion was the real treat.”

Loveday balked. “You did what?!”

Dimitri Veil grinned at her, and her stomach rolled as she caught sight of his extended fangs, blood still smearing his mouth and teeth.

Reminding herself that the Calleigh were genetically closer to wolves than humans, Loveday shook off her culture shock and took a tentative step forward. The closer she got to Dimitri however, the more she could hardly stand it. Breathing through her mouth, she couldn’t help but gag.

“You smell like death.”

Dimitri cocked his head, flashing her a dazzling but alarmingly false grin. A smile that dripped with blood.

“You sure know how to make a man feel special-”

Loveday took a moment to decide what to say, and then landed on-

“Shower before you come to the meeting. It isn’t… sightly, for your people to see their King not taking care of himself.”

The King blinked slowly, dark eyes sparkling.

“Meeting?”

“…your assistant said you’d be ready to discuss the Noxier threat with me and your advisors this evening. Was I mistaken?”

Dimitri Veil still looked confused, and as he raised a hand to comb back his disgustingly drenched hair, Loveday finally noticed the gashes through his torn shirt. It was hard to see with all the blood and dirt caked on, but there were definitely extensive wounds on the King’s forearm and chest.

Loveday scanned the place and quickly found the emergency supply kit that was in every room, always marked with a black ‘X’

Even if he washes all that animal blood off, it still wouldn’t do for him to get his own blood everywhere-

He waved her away when she moved closer with the medical kit.

“Go away. If I wanted a mother hen I’d bother the maids. Your services are not required here, so kindly piss off.”

Loveday put a hand on her hip and tried to control her rage. She wasn’t a maid, at least, not right now! She was trying to act as a mediator, so why should she take this?! In fact, no… she wasn’t going to take this! Even if Dimitri Veil couldn’t respect himself, he was at least going to respect her!

“I said-”

“I heard what you said, you ignorant ass! Now go take a shower or I will let the fucking vampires wage war on your kingdom! And trust me, your lordship, they would be very happy to do exactly that!”

Loveday got right up in Dimitri Veil’s face and wagged a finger at him, all pity long forgotten.

“You’d do well to remember that without my help, you’d likely be knee-deep in it, covered in more than just animal blood! I’m doing everything I can to keep this floundering kingdom afloat, and yet you act as if it might as well be a lost cause! I don’t get you, Dimitri Veil… You’re a King and yet you take no responsibility! Your clan has been running on fumes, and if you don’t snap out of whatever this is, I’m afraid-”

There was the sound of something snapping, or popping in the air- Dimitri’s bones, or maybe his patience, as he moved in one fluid motion and suddenly Loveday was being pressed into a wall by a furious mass of coiled muscle and bloody wolf King…

“Now you listen to me, sweetheart-“ Dimitri snarled into her ear, eyes blazing.

“You don’t get to waltz in here, no Calleigh blood to speak of, and pretend like you understand me or my kingdom!”

Loveday’s heart was pounding in her chest as Dimitri continued to close in on her. For a second, she truly felt what it was like to be in the jaws of a predator, with no hope for escape.

“You know nothing about our ways. You know even less about me, so instead of sticking your nose in where it really doesn’t belong, I suggest you find some other poor bastard who actually wants your precious concern, to coddle and hand feed as if he’s a weakling pup not yet weaned from his mother’s teat!”

Dimitri’s growl had grown so intense that now he was gasping and shaking, and Loveday only just managed to reel herself in from that brief spike of panic at his anger, to realize that his trembling was the precursor to another fainting episode.

She caught him, somehow, just before he hit the ground, and then Dimitri was more or less a lump of bloody flesh with clothes, and it was laughable in the most pitiful way. And yet, Loveday didn’t feel a hint of remorse as she carried his dead weight, with difficulty, into the shower stall of his bathroom, dumped him on the floor, turned the water on, and let the blood wash off his clothes and skin and down the drain…

The wolf King slept through it all.