“Thank you,” she said, blushing.
Forest shook both of their hands as well and followed Uriel out of the trailer.
“Now what?” he asked.
“Now we wait. They have one hour to prove they have the honor and courage to abide by their agreements.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The sun rose over a changed world. The fence had fallen, and Astris immediately began to address their basic needs that had been denied to them for so many days. Uriel passed out copies of the treaty to the other alphas and sent three scouts off into the world to spread the news to the other tribes. Strella’s phone crackled on in her ear, and she wept for joy when she heard her mother’s voice. The pack was safe; they had been trapped behind a force field just as Astris had been, and it had interfered with their communication. She and Gomer left that day to join her family, with plans to stop in and check on his own. Jason confessed that he had no home to go to; he had been turned ages ago by a lone wolf, and had been living as one ever since. Bianca asked him to join their pack, and he agreed. Uriel suspected romance blossoming behind Bianca’s stiff demeanor, and he silently approved of the union.
Now that their territory was firmly established, it was time for Astris to settle down and civilize itself. The band of children had grown up, and it was long past time for them to live like adults. There were nearly three hundred full-grown shifters in their tribe, and each of them had their own ideas of what civilization looked like; Uriel predicted months of meetings and discussions to determine the direction of the tribe. He didn’t mind. The chaotic chatter rang of hope, a widespread persistent kind of hope, the kind of hope that the mother bred in them for all those years. He had allowed it to go silent in the years since her death. The restoration of it nearly brought him to tears.
“Do you think it will last?” Forest asked.
“Who knows,” Uriel said. “It’s a start, at least. The fact that we no longer feel the need to creep around in our own territory...well, it’s huge. We’ve been in hiding for two hundred years. It’s almost like seeing the sun for the first time.”
Forest slipped his hand in Uriel’s, and they walked together, watching the happy shifters bustle about and make plans for their futures.
“They asked me to return as head of the tribe,” Uriel told Forest. “They wanted me to take my place as king.”
“What did you say?”
Uriel looked over his people, questioning his decision for the hundredth time. “I declined,” he said quietly. “I told them that I was happy to lead my own pack, and that I was happy to be part of the Astris tribe, but that any decisions that would affect the whole of our community would be put to a vote. I gave up my power to make unilateral decrees.”
“How did they take it?”
“Raguel is uncomfortable with it, but he’s always been a little uncomfortable with his own power. He was only eight when our parents were killed, and didn’t have much of a voice for a long time. He’ll grow into it, though. He has the ability, he just needs the opportunity. The rest of them... I think they were relieved. I’ve done some good things for our tribe, but I’ve also done some terrible things. I shouldn’t have as much power as I had. I don’t think anybody should.”
“I’m proud of you,” Forest told him sincerely.
Uriel squeezed his hand. “I’ve asked you if you wanted to stay,” Uriel said. “But I never asked you what you were leaving behind. Is it a sacrifice, to stay here with me? With the new treaty, you could return to your life with relative safety.”
Forest thought about what he’d been ripped away from when Animus’ goons took him. A soft bed in a tiny apartment with good water pressure. A few dozen books, each of which he’d read two or three times. A routine that left him feeling unfulfilled and lonesome, but too unsure of himself to do anything about it.
“No,” he said finally. “It’s no sacrifice at all. Though...do you have showers here?”
Uriel laughed. “Not here,” he admitted. “This camp was never intended to be long-term. Our old valley is about a day’s journey from here, and it has all the comforts of home. Running water and electricity and a damn good clinic. Oh, that reminds me...come on.”
Uriel jogged through the camp, dragging Forest behind him. He took him straight to a tent that had a snake painted on one side, curled into an infinity loop. He pushed through the opening.
“Good heavens,” a female wolf exclaimed as they barged in. “You could have said something, you know. Oh! Uriel!”
“Hi Nessie,” he said. “This is my...this is Forest. He could use your talents.”
“I can see that,” she said, giving Forest a critical once-over. “Lie down here, sugar. Let’s see what we’ve got going on.”
Forest lay down on the couch she was patting, feeling awkward and uncomfortable.
“Hmm,” she said, pressing her hands into his belly. “No, this won’t do. Shift for me please.”
Forest shot Uriel a startled look, and Uriel shrugged. Forest stripped out of his pants—he’d considered getting rid of them entirely since it seemed like every time he got comfortable he had to take them off—and shifted into were-form. She palpated his belly again.
“Oh, much better, thank you. Looks like we have one...two...hmm. At least two pups, possibly three. When did you get pregnant?”
“About six weeks ago,” he told her.
“Six weeks? Goodness. Alright, that’s fine, nothing to worry about. Uriel, we should get these people back to Astris City. Your Forest is going to need a place to raise his pups before too long.”
“How long?” Forest asked, panicking.
“Four months, maybe five. It’s a small litter, but that isn’t unusual for a first pregnancy. The pups are developing quickly, though, which is what makes it a litter rather than a multiple birth. Does that make sense?”
“No,” Forest blurted out.
Nessie laughed. “Oh poor boy, so many strange things are happening to you, aren’t they? Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of things. But we really should get you back to town. You’ll be feeling the weight of it soon enough.”
“Astris City?” Forest asked Uriel after they’d thanked Nessie and left. “You never told me you guys had a city.”
“I told you we were prosperous for a hundred years,” Uriel pointed out. “What did you think we were doing that whole time?”
“I don’t know...werewolf things?”
Uriel laughed. “Wait till we get back, I’ll show you all the werewolf things you could ever hope to see.”
FOREST WASN’T DISAPPOINTED. The city, really more of a town, was set up in a circle divided into five wedges. Small houses and shops lined the streets, and each section came together with the others at a wide town square. At the back of each section, a large house stood on high ground overlooking the town below. Shifters scattered as the tribe made it to town, everyone scurrying back to their abandoned homes and shops, thrilled to be home. Uriel led Forest through the streets to the largest of the houses, perched atop a rolling green hill dotted with small yellow flowers. Forest could feel his excitement and was swept away with it.
A set of wide steps led up to a massive double door that held an etching of a wolf’s head in gold on one side. Uriel pulled the door open and led Forest inside. Forest’s senses were overwhelmed by the richness hidden within; wood and clay wound together with raw precious metals and rough, sparkling stones, as though the entire mansion had sprouted spontaneously from the earth. Winding staircases twisted away to the left and right, built with boulders and clay and the branches of the living trees which served as columns, supporting the floor above. It was a cave, but a palace; it was magical.
Fountains burst from the walls, filling pools that never overflowed. Colorful fish swam in the pools, and flowers grew around them. Vines decorated the walls inside and out, creating a secondary structure, holding the earth in place. Forest wandered through the magnificent house in awe, taking it all in.
> “I seem to remember you asking about a shower,” Uriel said, opening a door. Forest walked through. A steaming waterfall burst from the wall, filling a bubbling pool. “Hot springs,” Uriel explained with a grin. “I built my house around them.”
Forest put a toe over the edge hesitantly. The water was hot but not too hot, and he slid into the pool liquidly, reveling in the feeling. It was even better than it had been in his comatose dream. Uriel slid in beside him, swimming around, letting the hot water wash through his fur.
“I knew you were gonna do that,” Forest laughed.
“Oh? Did you know I was going to do this, too?”
Uriel swam to Forest and pressed his body against Forest, morphing into his human form. He kissed Forest hard, grinding his hips against him. Forest moaned, floating on the layers of pleasure cradling him.
“We’re here,” Uriel whispered. “We’re safe. We could spend the rest of our lives right here, in this pool, just like this. We never have to leave the house if we don’t want to. Is this enough, Forest? This house? This town? Me? Is it enough to keep you?”
“Uriel,” Forest whispered. “The house is amazing. The town is adorable. You...you’re everything. It’s more than enough.”
“Will you promise to always ask me the hard questions?”
“Always,” Forest promised. “As long as you promise to forgive yourself afterwards.”
“I promise.”
As they made love there in the hot springs, the months and years of unsatisfying, brutal existence rolled away in the bubbles, leaving room for hope. Forest saw his future clearly for the first time in his life, just as Uriel had a clear vision of his past. Together, they knew, they could build a present worth living for.
Regal Bloodlines
Preston Walker
© 2017
Disclaimer
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and events are all fictitious for the reader’s pleasure. Any similarities to real people, places, events, living or dead are all coincidental.
This book contains sexually explicit content that is intended for ADULTS ONLY (+18).
Chapter 1
"Prince Alfred, please hear me out..."
"Just a second. Look at this. Would you look at this? The humans are building right on our borders. Their machines took out three of our cameras already. We need a tactical advance. I'm thinking here, and... here."
"Your highness, if you'd just listen for a moment..."
"To what, Burges? Your incessant whining? I'm busy."
"Your brother has—"
"My brother! What's he up to now? Didn't he just get married? He should be, I don't know, making love to his wife or whatever."
"He was married a year ago, highness, and has produced an heir. He is using that—"
"Oh, right! The nephew. What'd they call him?"
"He is using that," Burges pressed on firmly, "to assert rightful alphaship of the pack."
"Bucky? Becky? No, that would have been a niece, let me think... wait, what?"
"Your brother has put forward a motion to overthrow you as alpha since you have yet to produce an heir."
"I'm busy! The humans are encroaching on our territory; weren't you listening?"
"Certainly, sire, but the fact remains that if you are killed in the line of your alpha duties, your throne will go to Brennan."
"If that happens, he's welcome to it. What's the problem?"
"He asserts that your refusal to breed is indicative of a fundamental disregard for the safety and well-being of the pack."
"Ludicrous!"
"Your pack doesn't think so. He has a significant amount of support already."
"Imprison them!"
"All of them? Sire, that would immobilize sixty percent of your pack, and infuriate the remaining forty. You will be overthrown rather quickly."
"Sixty percent?" Alfred repeated, visibly deflating.
"Yes, sire. Family is rather important to our species, as I'm sure you're aware, and without an heir..."
"Not doing my alpha duty, right. Damn it. Well, what do you suggest?"
"Your brother has given you one month to secure a mate. After that, he will declare alphaship and you will be forced to defend your title."
"Against my own brother," Alfred said, shaking his head. "No, we can't have that. I couldn't live with myself if I killed him."
"Not to mention the threat to your own life," Burges pointed out.
Alfred blinked at him, then laughed uproariously.
"Thank you, Burges, I needed that. Right, well, down to business. How would one secure a mate in less than a month?"
"We could take a page out of the human lore," Burges suggested. "We'll hold a festival, ensuring that we invite every omega in the pack."
"Does it have to be an omega?"
"If you are serious about breeding, it would be best. Betas are generally weaker breeders."
"Omegas annoy me."
"Be annoyed on the throne, or be comfortably dead."
"Fair point. Alright, make the arrangements. Full moon begins in three days, may as well hold it then."
"As you wish."
Burges scuttled away to do whatever it was he did, and Alfred was left alone to gaze over the model of his kingdom. The massive twelve-by-twenty table filled the center of the room, each foot representing five miles of his kingdom. The map had been used by Alfred's father, and his father before him; each time the real world changed, the map was altered to reflect that. Tiny models of homes, farms, hills and trees were kept precisely identical to their real-world counterparts with a team of dedicated researchers and artists. It was costly and time-consuming but, to Alfred's mind, it was worth every bit of expense. Though he'd recently upgraded the kingdom with security cameras around its borders, he found it difficult to see the big picture with grainy, two-dimensional images. He paced the room, running his fingers over the little figures.
The humans had broken ground on a new multiplex in his east corner, and some sort of massive warehouse at his south. It was only a matter of time before their cars and guns and xenophobia trickled into his territory. He would have to make a stand, and soon. This whole heir problem was a distraction from the business of keeping his pack safely hidden away from human civilization, and he couldn't abide distractions.
High also on the list of things he couldn't abide were female omegas. His pack would expect him to choose a bride, and the idea made him twitch. Women were fine and dandy if you needed a hunting partner, but as a mate? Alfred shuddered. He had always preferred males, but the success rate of mating with a male was far less than that of mating with a female, and he would need to prove that he was serious.
"Damn you, Brennan," he muttered.
He moved pieces around the board, animating an altercation between the humans and forty percent of his pack. The humans would win. There was no way to stop the coup and beat the humans without acquiescing to his brother's demands, and there was no way to do that without overcoming his own primal drives and desires. He wasn't accustomed to denying his own wishes, and to commit to doing so for the rest of his life... well, in a weaker moment, he might choose death instead. But with the humans pressing on his borders, he couldn't afford to be selfish; not now.
"I'll take lovers," he decided. "I'll breed the omega woman and keep lovers. That should make everyone happy. Well, except the woman, of course. Can't win them all. An understanding omega female, that's what I need. A good breeder who won't mind sharing."
He shook his head at himself. A non-territorial werewolf? Now he really was dreaming. There had to be some way to keep
himself sated while still meeting the needs of his pack. He was confident that he would find a way. He just couldn't quite see it. Not yet.
"OSCAR! OCTAVIA! COME quickly!"
Oscar sighed and closed his book. That woman and her busy work. Oscar's aunt was plagued with the idea that, if her charges weren't doing something, their brains would rot and leak out of their ears. She was constantly fluttering and worrying around the house, flapping her wrists and wringing her hands over a speck of dust here or a bit of condensation there. She was utterly impossible. Oscar took her anxious worrying with good humor; he did owe her his life, after all. He ducked his head to crawl out of the little alcove which held his narrow bed, clambering over piles of books, rolling as he fell on the floor. His attic room was cluttered and dusty, but it was as warm and inviting as his aunt. The antique furniture and dusty sunbeams cradled his broken heart, slowly knitting him back together.
He dodged around an old desk and ducked his head under a beam, a fluid motion he'd perfected over the last year, and opened the attic door.
"Coming, Aunt Gina!"
His cousin Octavia nearly ran into him on the landing, and they took the last flight together. She could have been his sister; they had the same fine-boned features and the same big green eyes, but where her curls were raven black and tumbled down to her waist, his were flaming red and fell like a heavy shawl over his shoulders.
"What do you think she wants this time?" Octavia asked.
"Who knows? Probably found a bug," Oscar said, rolling his eyes.
Octavia giggled, flashing her dimples, which matched his own. Their visual similarity was as strong as their bond, and Oscar thanked the gods that he had such a good family to catch him when he fell. They reached the first floor to find Gina pacing and flapping, her cheeks pink and her eyes bright, waving a bit of paper in one hand.
"Oh! My children, my beautiful, beautiful omegas, so blessed am I with such a wonderful nephew, such a beautiful niece! Our time has come my darlings!"
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