He turned to her, his eyes bright with desperation. "You think it doesn’t matter—but it does, your highness. It matters more than you can imagine."
His hands trembled slightly as he added, "The king would rather die a hundred tis than let harm co to you or the heir. I would too. But if you rush headlong into Gabriel’s war, then we lose the one thing that matters: a future where we are more than shadows."
"Damien is hurt. The guilt weighs him down."
"He will get over it. He just needs to see the bigger picture."
He looked at her with a softness that few had ever seen in him. "You are his anchor. You hold more power over him than you realize. If you hold fast, he will too."
"Veyron..." Luna sighed.
"You have to be careful, your highness. Gabriel is on to sothing. And if he ca for , it ans he will be going after everyone who can protect the king. Stick with Doctor Thessa. Listen to her. You are Blood City’s future."
Luna reached across the table and held Veyron’s hands. "How do I get rid of Gabriel?"
Her fingers were cool and trembling as they clasped his. Veyron felt the rawness in her grip, the unshed tears she refused to cry, the fury she swallowed because it was unbecoming of royalty to break in public. But behind her eyes was a warrior’s fire.
A mother’s rage.
A queen’s resolve.
"I want him gone," she said.
"Your highness..."
Veyron hesitated, the words catching in his throat.
He gently tried to withdraw his hands, but she didn’t let go. That alone told him more than anything — she was serious.
He sighed. "Gabriel is not an easy man to get rid off. Nor does he fall by simple ans."
"I have never been one to run from a fight. Damien still sees him as his uncle and Luciver as his brother, so they think it best to ignore him. He ans absolutely nothing to . I stand and fight. It is what werewolves do."
"I co from a land where we do not fear our enemies — we stalk them. And when they hurt our pack, we take vengeance. Gabriel... he’s a rot in the walls of this kingdom. And if no one else will dig him out, I will."
"Gabriel is sneaky. I do not know how to take him down. We have not been able to pin anything on him. But if you need any kind of help, tell Doctor Thessa," Veyron explained.
He wished there was more he could offer than warnings and vague strategies.
"Gabriel has too many allies in plain sight," Veyron said carefully. "He plants his seeds in hearts, takes advantage of what one truly desires. He plays the long ga."
Luna nodded finally realising that she may have overreacted. These were people fighting for their lives and their only hope for survival if Damien continues being stubborn was in her womb. "I am sorry, Veyron. I tend to get angry without seeing the bigger picture, and I may have ripped off the king’s head."
A hint of a smile played at Veyron’s lips. "That’s quite the image, your highness...Do not let the king get anywhere near this case, your highness. Not even a whisper from him. Not a comnt to the people. If Gabriel so much as hears a murmur from Damien’s lips, he will twist it," Veyron warned.
"It’s killing him, to not be there for you. Could you at least speak to him? He thinks he failed you, Veyron."
Veyron exhaled slowly.
"I can’t see him yet," he said, finally.
"Maybe after the trial," Veyron said.
"I will do all I can to help you."
"No... you won’t."
Veyron cut her off gently.
"You have other wars to fight," he said quietly. "Ones I no longer can."
"Your stubbornness matches that of a werewolf." Luna tried to smile.
"You should go now, your highness," Veyron urged.
His eyes drifted to her belly for the briefest second.
Luna got to her feet and began to walk out.
Her footsteps were reluctant.
"One more thing... protect the heir. It is your responsibility as queen now. You must do things that are against your nature. You will do unspeakable things, but protect the heir."
His voice stopped her cold at the threshold. She turned, eting his eyes one last ti.
She gave a small nod and left.
*****
Morvakar stood in the middle of the forest holding the necklace high in the air. The compass hidden in the necklace had led him to an open field.
Mist clung to the earth.
In his hand, the pendant spun erratically, then stilled, the needle pointing directly north. The magic was insistent.
He looked around, but there was nothing. The field was hidden deep in the forest, so kiloters away from Blood City’s walls.
Morvakar frowned.
He had been able to realign the finding spell to instead lead him to the signature of the one who made the necklace.
But it was odd, because there was nothing there. Just a clearing in the middle of the forest. It made no sense.
Morvakar remained still.
He had followed the compass for hours only for it to bring him to... this. A hollow piece of land.
Morvakar clenched the necklace in his fist.
He turned and headed out of the forest, stopping at the main road to glance at the Blood City checkpoint far in the distance.
Morvakar kept to the treeline, careful to blend in. He knew the checkpoint well, and his presence would raise more than a few eyebrows.
His eyes narrowed toward the city.
He hoped Luna was safe and she would use the whistle he had sent to her when the ti ca.
One blow would summon him across any distance.
But whether she would use it was another matter.
Luna was proud.
He hoped she wouldn’t wait until it was too late.
*****
Councilman Richard stepped into the courtroom; everyone was there already. Today was finally the day of sentencing, and Veyron was seated in the front of the courtroom. The prosecutor, a true blood vampire, sat at the other side.
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