by Jen Talty
“The plan will work.”
“If you get shot, I’m not going to stand there and do nothing.”
“Just promise me you won’t do something crazy.” He batted her nose. “I sense your mind churning all the possibilities and all your potential reactions. I know you’re a formidable werewolf and can handle yourself, but you’re still the future queen and without you, I’d be nothing.”
“Now if we only had ten more minutes, you’d be getting lucky.”
He growled.
She patted his chest before taking a step back and removing all her clothing. She stood in front of him naked.
His gaze lowered from her head to her toes and back up. He licked his lips a good five times. “Is it crazy that I’m totally turned on about the idea of watching you shift?”
She tossed her head back and laughed. “Yeah. That’s crazy.” Crazy in a great way. She cracked her neck and back as she allowed her body to contort and morph into her white wolf form. She was the only one in her family that was completely white. As a child, it drove her batshit crazy, as an adult, she loved her wolf look. She could blend in with the snow during the winter months and in the summer, her coat kept her cool.
She stood proud in the middle of the family room. Her head only came to his shoulder, just like in the picture.
He reached out, scratching her behind the ears. “You’re beautiful.”
“Get naked and shift.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She sat in front of him as he removed all his clothing. Foam formed at the corners of her mouth. A deep rumble bubbled against her throat as she let out a long, slow growl. His body changed quickly and soon he stood next to her in his wolf form.
She looked up at him and a sense of pride and joy filled her heart. “When this is over, I want to go away somewhere.”
“After the Winter Wedding. It will be our honeymoon.”
“I get to pick the place.” As much as she’d love for the banter to continue, it was time to walk out of the cabin.
Dayton must have read her mind because he nudged open the door with his massive snout. The protective wrap Coral had created had disappeared, leaving only a small layer that Dayton had made, ensuring they controlled when they left the safety of the cabin. Two guards stood on the porch with rifles at the ready. Her three brothers were about fifty paces from the front of the cabin. Isabelle stood with her husband. Coral and Daphne were nowhere to be seen. Someone needed to protect Finn and Ivy and all the Royal Fairy children. Daphne possessed great powers, and Coral’s fairy magic had grown stronger and stronger. They would be able to fend off any threats.
“No matter what happens, stay connected to me.” Dayton’s massive paws vibrated the wood planks. The guards parted, making way to royalty.
Her parents stood with her brothers as did Aron and a dozen other officers from the Twilight Crossing Council along with at least fifteen other wolves from the pack.
She couldn’t imagine that any of the faces that stared at her would betray her family and murder innocent people. But she’d also never in a million years thought she’d be the queen of anything. Other than when she’d been in the drama club, her entire life had been played out behind the scenes. Something she’d been perfectly happy with until she found out Chaz was the wolf in the Legend of the Princess and the Wolf. It was that moment that she realized she wanted more purpose in life. She wanted to matter on a grander scale, and historian just wasn’t cutting it.
But queen was over the top.
Taking long strides, she made sure she stayed in pace with her fated mate. Her brothers and Isadore all bowed their heads.
“This is the one true King and Queen of the Wolfairies,” Chaz said. His voice was filled with pride and humility.
Cheryl puffed out her chest. Every doubt she had about her life disappeared in a flash.
“They will rule alongside me. The Crescent Moon Pact and the Kingdom of the Wolfairies are one.” Chaz raised his hand. Fairy dust flowed in a steady stream from his palms. “As it turns out, my siblings and I are not werewolves. We are Wolfairies. The direct descendants of King Lear and Queen Aria. We join with the Royal Fairies, ensuring the Wolfairies’ existence and seeking peace among all species as we work closely with the Twilight Crossing Council. This is truly a day that will go down in history.” Back in the day, Chaz would snub his nose at such rhetoric, but now, as he said the words, Cheryl gained a new respect for her parents and her brother.
She scanned the row of wolves in their human form. All bowed their heads except one.
Aron.
Sour grapes. She should feel bad for Aron, but she didn’t. For as long as she’d known him, she felt no connection to him. She never understood why everyone bent to meet his needs. He’d been abandoned by his parents, and therefore by his pack. He hadn’t any recollection of who his original pack had been. He’d told her parents that he’d been roaming the woods of Vermont for months before he started stealing food from the family farm.
Her father had taken that as he must have been a member of the Crescent Moon.
But she never bought it.
Didn’t matter as her father made him a full member of the pack and helped him into becoming a Twilight Crossing Officer. Her father wasn’t necessarily a do-gooder kind of guy, but he had an enormous amount of compassion, and he couldn’t leave a stray alone.
She didn’t blame him. Having a kind heart is what made for a great leader, but right now, she questioned Aron’s loyalty.
Something that made her shudder in shame. Aron had been nothing but loyal. He would never do anything to hurt her or the pack.
He loved both.
But she didn’t return his love, and that could be a problem. Aron was the type of werewolf that held a grudge. She’d always seen him as being the jealous type. He never totally respected Chaz and often mentioned that he could think of a few wolves that might better serve as leader.
At least he never named himself.
Looking at him now, and the way he snubbed his nose at Dayton and refused to look her in the eye, she wondered how jealous he really was.
The hair on the back of her neck stood straight. The enemy was close.
Too close.
She scanned the faces that flanked left and right of her family. The only one that bothered her was Aron, but that didn’t count because she simply didn’t find him attractive when he sought after her for years. He wasn’t a bad werewolf, but he just didn’t have what it would take to keep her happy.
Not like Dayton.
And she’d mated with Dayton the first time she’d met him.
That was true fate.
“We are one,” her father repeated.
Her mother waved her hands in the air, fairy dust filling the morning sky. “We are one.”
Everyone followed her mother’s actions.
Except Aron.
“Aron is the traitor,” she projected to her family and to Dayton.
“We know,” her father said.
“What’s the plan?” Dayton asked.
“We all leave and wait for Aron to show his hand,” her father said. “You and your mate need to spend time as werewolves together.”
“We will leave you alone so we can all prepare for the Winter Wedding,” her mother said.
“Aron will stay and take guard.” Chaz took a single step back. “We have the property well covered. Go to the meadow and enjoy a picnic. Coral has prepared a feast.”
“We’ve never seen what happens past you getting shot,” she projected.
“I have thick skin. But I wish we had an inkling of what happens when you jumped out of the picture.” Dayton turned his head. His thick tongue lapped the side of her face.
“Looks like we’re about to find out.” The hair on the back of her neck stood at attention.
Dayton pounced on his front paws, lunging forward. He bared his fangs as he let out a warning growl.
Cheryl did the same, staring down the bar
rel of a shotgun held by Aron.
“You don’t want to do this.” Trying to reason with someone holding a gun to your head might not be the smartest thing to do, but it worked in the movies.
Aron laughed. “I’ve been waiting for this moment.” He aimed the gun at Dayton’s head.
Cheryl inched closer to Dayton, stepping slightly in front of him.
He stomped his paw, crossing it over hers, pushing her back.
“What do you mean?” She scanned the area, looking for subtle differences in her surroundings versus the sketch or any other painting they had come across that showed this very moment. Nothing seemed out of place. “Waiting for what?”
“To kill you,” Aron said.
“Why?” she asked, leaning into Dayton.
His slow, steady snarl had deepened, but she wanted to keep Aron talking. She knew her brothers had to be close. Knowing Aron was the traitor meant they wouldn’t send her into the field of battle without backup.
She just wished they had filled her and Dayton in on the plan. “Chaz?” Having more than one conversation telepathically could be dangerous if she didn’t block off one open channel, leaving the discussion open for eavesdropping. Her brothers had mastered the technique when they were young. Cheryl, on the other hand, had gotten herself into more trouble over the years by trying to have too many private chats at once.
“When I first laid eyes on you all those years ago, I thought wow, what a beautiful woman. But you barely gave me the time of day. I tried and I tried, but you ignored me.”
“You want to kill me because I ignored you?” she asked. Talk about lame. Her entire family was in danger because this moron got rejected. She would enjoy taking some dust and crushing this asshole.
“That’s only the beginning,” he said.
Dayton inched closer. Smoke poured out of his nostrils with every exhale of his breath. A constant growl echoed from his mouth.
Aron cocked the shotgun.
Dayton froze in place. A fresh stream of fairy dust flew from his mouth.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Aron raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Two young Royal Fairy children stepped forward. They held Finn and Ivy in their arms. It would normally be too young for any creature that was part werewolf to shift, but Finn and Ivy were Wolfairies.
“I didn’t believe Isadore and Coral’s adoptive father when he came to me with a proposition to kill Chaz, Nico, or Drew. He didn’t care which one, because it was required that all three mate with their respective fairy.” Aron stood less than a foot from Finn and Ivy. He reached out and patted them on the head. They barked and nipped at his fingers. Their tiny growls might not be very menacing, but they knew this man was a danger to them.
Smart little creatures.
“But I said no. I wouldn’t do that to the family who took me in when I had nothing.”
“I’m done listening to this jerk,” Dayton projected. “Chaz, I know you’re watching all this and those are your children, so your call. Just give me the go ahead and I’ll rip his head off.”
“My mom is watching the drawings. This image is changing as is the painting of you and my sister,” Chaz’s voice bellowed between her ears. “And those aren’t my children. It’s Isadore and Coral. They just learned to shift. Apparently, they are still pups. Aren’t they cute?”
“When this is over, you’re a dead man,” Isadore mumbled.
“And here I thought me being a queen was the weirdest thing that could happen.” She closed off the discussion. “So, what changed?” she projected to Aron.
“When you came back, and we went out on a few dates, I thought, this was it. She’d finally see I was the wolf for her. But instead, you humiliated me in front of your brothers right after we defeated Apep. That’s when I decided to use that damn wolf. If everyone thought he was the threat, and I put him down, I’d be a hero and you’d have to see, but instead you go and mate with the beast while I’m trying to set him up to be a murderer.”
“Is he our only threat?” she projected to his brothers. “Or has he converted others to his pathetic cause?”
“He’s been in touch with two rogue witch covens and a couple of rogue wolves,” Chaz said. “They have a camp not far from here, and they are waiting for the Wolfairy pups.”
“Do you seriously want to let him race off with Isadore and Coral hanging from his jaws?” she asked the question, but she knew the answer. Of course he was willing to do that. Isadore and Coral could work their fairy magic, securing the camp, and making sure all parties were brought before the council.
She growled. That meant they were going to have to play this out.
“Don’t worry, babe. I’ve got thick skin.” Dayton gave her a little hip check as if they were playing.
“First. If you ever call me babe again, I will crush your big toe. Second, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I didn’t think we’d be able to avoid it anyway.” Dayton raised his paw, dragging it across the ground in an act of aggression. “Let him shift before attacking.”
“And let him take Isadore and Coral. We’ve got the camp surrounded, so just follow closely,” Chaz said.
“You could have told us this before we left the cabin.” She dug her claws into the dirt, bracing herself to watch her fated get—
Pop!
Dayton howled.
Pop!
Dayton dropped to his knees. “Holy shit, that hurt.”
“Are you going to be okay?” She stared at Aron who stood with the rifle aimed right at her.
“Flesh wound,” Dayton grunted.
“He’s not shifting,” she mumbled.
“We’ve got another problem. The witches and rogue wolves are charging the farm.”
“You mean I let this asshole shoot my mate, and he’s not going to take off running with the Wolfairy pups?” She showed her teeth, scraping at the ground. She wasn’t going to wait for an answer from Chaz. She would take great pleasure in putting Aron down.
“Come on, girl. Come get me.” He cocked the gun, his finger hovering over the trigger. “But you’ll be dead before you get five feet. You see, the beast really wasn’t who he said he was and he killed you, so I had to kill him to save the day. Everyone will bow to me.”
“My brothers never will.”
“Of course they won’t, but they will be dead too. So will their wives. All that will be left are these two little pups, and I will raise them as my own. I will be King of the Wolfairies.”
“You have to be a Wolfairy for that to happen.” She glanced at the Wolfairy pups. Hard to believe they were Coral and Isadore, but that was no less weird than her being part fairy.
“You’re outnumbered, and you’re not going to do anything to me as long as I have these two.” He reached for one of the pups, who growled fairy dust. Lightning popped inside the trail of dust, snapping at Aron’s skin.
But he just flicked it away.
It should have burned him, but a thin layer of black magic protected him. That wasn’t good.
“I’m tired of this game.” He raised the rifle. “The queen is dead.”
“No!” Dayton yelled.
Pop!
Instinctively, she dropped her head, falling to the ground, spreading her legs out, hoping the bullet would whiz past her. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched in horror as Dayton jumped in front of her, taking the bullet in his chest.
His large body jerked. When he hit the dirt, the earth shook so hard she bounced.
“Nobility only gets you killed.” Aron stepped forward, his weapon raised and ready to fire again.
Dayton’s breath came in a shallow gurgle. His lids drew heavy over his eyes. This was not how this was supposed to play out.
She rose to her feet and opened her mouth to howl, except instead of noise filling the sky, fiery fairy dust flew from her mouth and nostrils. The same kind of dust that nearly crushed Dayton.
“You are going to regret that.” She huffed and pu
ffed until the dust settled around Aron’s body.
He dropped the gun, and his face contorted. His eyes grew wide, and he dropped to his knees.
She darted forward, knocking him to his back. She wrapped her mouth around his neck, putting just enough pressure on his skin to draw blood, but not enough to cause any real damage. The dust continued to squeeze his body. She wanted to watch him take his last breath.
“Stop,” Isadore said. She stood next to Cheryl in her human form with a blanket wrapped around her body. “You’re going to kill him.”
Cheryl growled, digging her teeth in a tad deeper. The taste of blood burned her tongue. She flexed her muscles, tightening the grip her dust had over Aron. “He deserves to die.”
“Let the council handle Aron. Right now, your mate needs your healing powers.” Isadore tapped her shoulder. “He’s hurt pretty bad.”
Cheryl snarled, releasing his neck. She glanced at Isadore and nodded before racing back to Dayton.
“Can you hear me?” she asked.
“I’m still kicking.”
She tipped her head, licking his wound with fairy dust. Green, red, yellow, and pink dust danced over Dayton’s body.
“Now we know what you were lunging at,” he whispered between labored breaths.
“I think this is going to hurt.” She raised her paw, commanding the dust to settle around his wounds like a magnet.
Dayton’s body shook.
“We should do this in human form,” she projected.
“You have to get the bullets out while he’s still a wolf. You can shift any time. We’ve got clothes for you.” Isadore dropped a T-shirt and a pair of jeans on the ground. “I’m going to take care of Aron and make sure the camp has been secure. If you need anything, you know how to reach us.”
She nuzzled her head against Dayton’s. “I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you back. Now please get these bullets out of my body. We have a Winter Wedding to attend and a honeymoon to go on.”
10
Cheryl sat in front of her mother’s vanity while her mother put the final touches on her hair for the Winter Wedding.