Crown of Fangs: A WhyChoose Romance (Throne of Wolves Book 3)

by River Ramsey

  The forest is silent, of course. I don’t believe in ghosts, and even if I did, I’m not sure I’d want to know what this one has to say.

  I place the last rose on the makeshift memorial and as I’m trying to work up the courage to leave, I hear the sounds of engines roaring down the road on the other side of the castle.

  I get to my feet and walk until I’m able to see the road, but sure they can’t see me. There’s not one, not two, but three armored vehicles decorated with the royal crest barreling down the road.

  I know that’s not just a training exercise. My heart beats faster as I realize this is it. This is the invasion they’ve been planning for. The day that determines Mace’s fate.

  Why can’t I shake the feeling that it also determines mine?

  “Danica.”

  A woman’s voice stops me short and when I turn around, my blood runs cold. I’ve only ever seen her in the vision Aedan showed me, but I know as soon as her eyes meet mine.

  “Mother?”

  The Queen smiles softly. She seems so real, even though I know she can’t be. “You need to go, my dear.”

  “Go where?” I ask in confusion.

  “Find him. He holds the key to your destiny.”

  “Who?” I cry, running toward her. She’s already beginning to fade and by the time I reach her, she’s already gone.

  I’m left standing, my heart racing in my chest, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Even though she didn’t answer me, I know. I just know.

  And I’ve already made my decision. No matter how I try to reason with myself, my heart is set in stone and I rush toward the guard house. There’s someone on patrol, but before I can figure out a suitable distraction, he gets a call on his radio and rushes off. All the forces are scrambling.

  I duck into the shed and eye the shelves for a uniform that looks like it might fit. I don the jacket and trousers, along with a hat to cover my hair and a pair of boots. There’s a gun on the desk inside the shed. I sling it over my shoulder. Time to hope Rowan’s shooting lessons pay off.

  I check to make sure no one is outside the shed and dart across the lawn to where the young troops have assembled in neat lines, ready to file into the next van that shows up in the convoy.

  Even as I focus on looking calm and blending in, a voice in my head is screaming at me to turn back, but I can’t. Maybe it was my mother’s ghost, or maybe just a manifestation of my own subconscious instincts, but either way, I know she was right.

  Somehow, some way, Mace’s fate is inextricably tied with mine, and if I don’t at least try to reach him, I’m going to regret it forever.

  Six

  As I sit in the back of the van, keeping my head down and avoid suspicion, I can feel a few of the others glancing at me. They’ve probably all trained together, so they know I don’t belong, but the army is vast and I haven’t made too many public appearances. I can only hope that if I keep a low profile, I’ll go undetected.

  The journey is a long one, and I already know how treacherous it is on foot. By the time evening falls, the others are beginning to drift off, so I figure I can rest my eyes. We’ve got another couple of hours to go before we reach Aedan’s territory.

  I’m trying not to think too much about the fact that James and Rowan have probably noticed I’m gone. Their fury, I can live with, but making them worry again seems unforgivable. Then again, I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t at least give Mace the same chance he gave me.

  Unfortunately, my morning sickness and the road are not mixing.

  “You okay?” A young soldier asks, looking at me from across the seat. She barely looks twenty, and I can tell she’s a beta. Her thick brown curls are pulled back in a bun at the base of her neck, like most of the other women with long hair wear theirs. Her uniform suggests she’s a private, like most of the others in the van.

  “I’m fine,” I say with a sheepish smile. “Just a little roadsick.”

  “Your first mission, huh?”

  “Is it that obvious?” Something tells me the ones I’ve been on don’t count to the royal army.

  She chuckles. “I know that look. You’ll be fine. We’re just support. Probably won’t even see a vampire.”

  “That’s great,” I lie, hoping I don’t sound as disappointed as I am. I’m sure I’m the only one hoping to see any action, and our interests are in direct opposition.

  I close my eyes again and this time, I manage to fall asleep. I wake when the van grinds to a stop and nearly throws me out of my seat.

  My friend is already lining up to file out of the van up ahead, so I hurry up to fall in behind her. If she hasn’t recognized me, that’s good news. A sergeant barks orders at us to head further up the dirt road we’ve stopped on. The sign up ahead signifies we’re on the other side of Aedan’s territory, and the fact that we’re here means they must have struck some sort of compromise with the other vampires.

  I guess there’s treachery even among their ranks.

  Our unit is led into the woods, and everyone grows silent even though the van was full of chatter. We’ve joined up with the occupants of the van ahead of us, and I relax a little when I realize I’m not the only one who doesn’t know everyone.

  My legs are already tired, but there’s no room to sit down. Once I get home, I’m going to nap for a whole month.

  The fact that I’m surrounded by armed guards trained by Rowan and James is keeping me from being too anxious. At least where my own safety is concerned. I’ve already promised I’m not going to do anything risky, but if I stay here, I know I’ll never get to Mace in time.

  I’m just hoping there’s a way I can reach out to him. Hell, if he found me in the forest without really being there, maybe we’re connected somehow. I know it’s insane to be doing this, but it’s not like my mother’s ghost has a habit of showing up randomly and telling me to do things. Seems like the kind of thing that requires action.

  When I see the chance to slip away from the group without being noticed, I take it. I can hear others not far ahead, and there’s a cluster of higher-ups conversing about strategy. I’m counting on the fact that only Christopher knows where Aedan’s estate is, and the others are probably having as hard of a time finding him as I did. That gives me a chance to get within range first, and if Mace is good at one thing, it’s tracking me down.

  There’s an unoccupied vehicle up ahead, the engine still running. I try to look casual as I approach, like I have every right to commandeer it. When I close the door, one of the officers looks up, but he goes back to his conversation.

  I let out the breath I’ve been holding and pull out onto the road that leads deeper into the forest. So far, so good. There’s no way I’m going within a stone’s throw of that house, but I know Mace keeps an eye on his territory. Hopefully Aedan is still too frail and weak to venture out during the day. He takes the typical vampire aversion to the sunlight to the extreme.

  It feels like I’ve been driving for miles when another car pulls up beside me. I gulp, tightening my grip on the wheel as I slow down. Should I gun it? No… I can’t take the risk of an accident. I roll my window down and stare at the female Captain watching me through the window of her SUV.

  “Can I help you with something, Captain?”

  “You’re from the Gray unit,” she says, frowning at the insignia on the corner of my window. “Aren’t you guys supposed to be back by the highway?”

  “Sergeant’s orders,” I say with my most convincing shrug. “I just go where I’m told, ma’am.”

  She snorts. “Well, get on with it. We’re about to block these roads, so you’d better get where you need to go.”

  “Understood,” I say, nodding to her. I wait until she pulls up ahead before I keep driving.

  Talk about a close call.

  I’m starting to think I wouldn’t be as bad at this whole soldier thing as I feared. Apparently, I blend in better as a beta than I thought.

  Once I get within
range of the forest I spent so long running through, a familiar sense of dread spreads out through me like a weed. I came so close to dying in this place, and I promised myself I’d never be back. Yet here I am, all for a man I should despise.

  And I do… but those moments we shared caring for Aspen make things more complicated. It’s not just that, either. We share a connection, him and I. It’s a painful connection, born of enmity and spite, but over time, it’s become something... more.

  I’m not anywhere near ready to entertain just what that more entails, but I have to do this. I pull to a stop when I decide I’ve gone far enough on the road. This is close to the place Mace first found me. I can feel it.

  I get out of the car and hug myself. This whole forest hums with Aedan’s energy, even though the ancient vampire scarcely leaves the confines of his attic. If he wasn’t such a twisted bastard, I might pity him, but I don’t. If only for what he did to Mace, he’s irredeemable in my eyes.

  Then again, I’m sure he’d find that flattering.

  It doesn’t take me long to start berating myself for what I’m doing, and I’m about to turn back and return to the car when I see a glimpse of something up ahead. At first, I think it’s Mace, but then I see the decidedly feminine outline of a woman disappearing into the trees. Her dark tresses spilling over her robe fill me with nostalgia.

  “Mom?” I cry, rushing after her. I finally catch another glimpse of her and I know it’s the same apparition I saw before. It’s a struggle to catch up, but just when I think I’m going to, she disappears.

  I’ve barely stopped to catch my breath when I hear rustling from somewhere behind me. I spin around, expecting to see her again, but instead, it’s the man I’ve been searching for. Mace is standing in a clearing not ten feet away, his eyes hard and cold and his long hair pulled back, as usual. Away from the scars that are now a permanent fixture on the left side of his face. He’s wearing dark clothes, but it’s hard to tell if he’s dressed for any particular occasion. He always looks sharp, and deadly.

  “Mace,” I breathe, my chest tightening as I realize I may have just walked into a trap. I don’t know if he’s capable of conjuring spirits or illusions, but who knows what Aedan taught him?

  He stares at me for a moment, his face as impossible to read as ever. When he finally speaks, his voice is as snarky and cool as I remember. It really shouldn’t make me shiver for the reasons it does.

  “You know, when you’re not defying every stereotype there is about omegas, you’re proving them.”

  “Good to see you, too,” I say, folding my arms. I know I have to put a wall up or I’m going to regret it. He’s not safe for a variety of reasons.

  “Have you lost your mind?” There’s an edge to his voice as he stalks toward me. “Where are the others?”

  “They’re around,” I lie. I can tell from the look on his face that he doesn’t believe me, but I’m not going to volunteer the fact that I came here alone. I hold out my hand and he stops, but the truth is, I have no idea how I stopped the other vampires in the forest and certainly not how to recreate that magic. “Don’t come any closer.”

  “You leave the sanctuary of the castle to come here and now you want to act concerned for your safety?”

  “I came to warn you,” I say, trying not to sound as uncertain as I am. “Aedan will fall. The vampires have all turned against him, and if you don’t act now, you’re going down with him.”

  His eyes narrow. “And you came to tell me this why?”

  “Because you protected me,” I murmur, realizing how pathetic that sounds. Imagine what he’d think if I told him my dead mother said to. “I figured I’d at least give you the same opportunity.”

  He stares at me for a long while and when he finally shakes his head, I realize it’s disgust and disbelief more than anything. “You really are an idiot.”

  “Flattering, but if you don’t come back with me right now, you’re going to end up on an executioner’s block.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” he says, turning away from me.

  “Mace!”

  He stops, looking over his shoulder with venom in his gaze. “I spared your life, but if you think I’ll turn on my own master, you don’t know me at all. Now get out of here, before I think better of my mistake.”

  His words cut deep, but I came all this way and I’m not going to give up that easily. Before I can try to convince him, I hear the sound of tires squealing on the dirt road.

  “Shit,” I mutter. “They found us.”

  Mace’s eyes widen and it takes him only a fraction of a second to shift. As soon as I see his wolf, I follow suit. I’m a hell of a lot faster on four legs than two. I follow him through the woods as I hear the soldiers shouting. It won’t be long before they realize we’ve taken off on foot, and soon, I hear the howls of hounds in hot pursuit.

  Mace is faster than I am, but I manage to keep up, panting the entire way. I realize he’s heading back toward Aedan’s estate, even though the troops are guaranteed to have surrounded it by now.

  Shit. And he thinks I’m the idiot.

  I don’t know if it’s Aedan’s mind control or good old-fashioned brainwashing, but either way, the battle for his soul is going to be harder than I ever imagined.

  Seven

  Keeping up with Mace when my paws already feel like they want to snap off is hard enough, but then I see a shadow flying overhead. At first, I’m sure it’s some fucked up forest magic courtesy of Aedan, but then I see the net closing over us. I yelp as the heavy rope mesh flattens me to the earth and hear Mace snarling just a few feet ahead. He snaps at the ropes, but before he can get out, a tranquilizer dart pierces his flank and the sharp pain in my hip tells me I’ve been hit, too.

  Everything goes hazy and I hear people shouting orders, but I can’t make out anything. When I try to lift my head, it immediately drops back to the ground and then I’m out like a light.

  The next thing I remember is opening my eyes to find myself in a cell. At some point, I must have shifted back to my human form. At least someone had the decency to put me in a robe.

  “Hello?” I call.

  There’s silence, until I hear footsteps coming down the hallway. I’ve never been in the royal dungeon, but something tells me this is it. I swallow hard and prepare for the worst as a guard I don’t recognize comes to stand before me.

  “We ran through the list of soldiers in your platoon. Turns out, you’re extra,” he says flatly, folding his arms. “No identification, and you were caught trying to help a traitor of Eternus escape. Anything to say for yourself?”

  “Just my name,” I sigh. “But you’re probably not going to believe me if I tell you.”

  “Try me.”

  “Alright. Princess Victoria.”

  He scoffs a laugh, just as I expected. “Sure. And I’m one of the royal consorts.”

  “Sorry, but she’s not accepting any new applicants for the position,” I say dryly.

  He cocks his head and studies me a bit closer. I can tell he’s weighing the possibility that I’m not entirely full of shit, so I decide to seize on the opportunity.

  “You don’t have to take my word for it, but I happen to know the Princess went missing yesterday afternoon, if my migraine is any indication of how long has passed. Go ahead. Consult Lord Rowan and Lord James, or better yet, my brother. They can identify me.”

  He narrows his eyes like he doesn’t believe me, but if nothing else, I’ve sewn the seeds of doubt. He backs up and growls, “Stay where you are and keep your hands where I can see them.”

  “Where would I go?” I challenge, closing my hands around the bars. I watch as he goes down the hall and picks up a phone on the wall. He’s lowering his voice so I can barely make out the words as he calls for a higher-up. It doesn’t take long before another soldier comes down the steps to inspect me. He seems unsure, so he calls someone else and before long, Jenna is standing right in front of me.

  “Princess!” she cr
ies, striding toward me. She turns to glower at the cocky guard who first came to me. “Open this door at once.”

  “Y—yes, Lady Jenna,” he stammers, fumbling for a large ring of keys on his belt. He gives me a bewildered glance and opens the door. I guess his curiosity about what the Princess looks like up close is finally satisfied.

  “Thank you,” I say, stepping out and trying to maintain some semblance of my dignity while wearing a bathrobe in front of total strangers. “I know how this looks, but I can explain.”

  “I’m certainly eager to hear how,” Jenna says, staring at me like she’s looking at a ghost. “But that can wait until I’ve alerted your consorts. They’ve both been worried sick, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

  I gulp. I definitely can imagine, but the guilt is just one factor in my troubled emotional landscape. “Just humor me. What did they do with Mace?”

  She frowns in disbelief. “He’s being held in a different chamber. As for what will become of him after that, I can guess.”

  Yeah, that’s the problem. I can, too.

  Eight

  After I’m escorted to the castle, some maids bring me a fresh change of clothes and bring me into the sitting room. There are two guards waiting at the door, which I suppose means it’s been decided that I can’t be trusted.

  And… fair enough, really.

  My stomach is full of butterflies as I sit on the sofa and wait, but the moment Rowan and James appear, my heart leaps with relief at seeing them, even if I know the lecture I have coming up. I stand and James engulfs me in his arms before I can reach him. He squeezes so tight I can barely breathe and I can feel the anger and relief coming off him in droves.