The Wolf’s Cub
The Wolf’s Peak Saga Book III
A Paranormal Romance Novel
by
Patricia Blackmoor
Copyright © 2017 by Patricia Blackmoor. 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.
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to business, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely incidental.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
* * *
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty–One
Chapter Twenty–Two
Chapter Twenty–Three
Chapter Twenty–Four
Chapter Twenty–Five
Chapter Twenty–Six
Chapter Twenty–Seven
Chapter Twenty–Eight
Prologue
Sneak Peek #1
Sneak Peek #2
Chapter One
I couldn’t believe that I had given birth to a werewolf.
I knew I should be sleeping while he was sleeping, but I couldn’t look away. He was utterly beautiful, nestled in my arms. His perfectly formed lips, tiny button nose, all the details of his face relaxed as he slept. Under his dark eyelashes, his eyes would open to be a shocking blue, and under his knit hat he had soft, fine brown hair. He took my breath away.
His hand rested on my arm, and I slipped my finger underneath his palm. My heart fluttered as his hand reflexively closed around it, his tiny fingers wrapping around mine. He let out a soft sigh as he nuzzled against my chest. I leaned down and kissed his forehead, inhaling the warm scent of his skin. I traced along his cheeks, gently stroking his face.
What was he dreaming about, I wondered. What sort of things does a week–old baby dream about? Food, maybe. Perhaps he was dreaming of me, or Jasper. The thought made me smile. This tiny, innocent baby, and we were his whole world. I couldn’t imagine.
He was a peaceful baby so far. He cried, of course, but he was easily pacified. Sometimes all he needed was to be held and cuddled. He loved snuggling me or Jasper. He practically lived in our arms. If I wasn’t holding him, Jasper was, and both of us were perfectly fine with that. It was a little exhausting, of course, but I didn’t mind. It was all worth it.
I still had trouble believing he was mine. Sure, I carried him for nine months, I had birthed him, I had held him in my arms for hours and hours, but I still couldn’t believe he was mine. I was his mother. I wouldn’t have to give him back to anyone. I got to keep him. He was going to grow up in this house. I was going to guide him through his first steps and his first words. I would watch him run and play in the courtyard. This little bundle would be with me for the next eighteen or so years, and I couldn’t wait.
Lowell’s eyes fluttered, and my breath hitched. As much as I adored him when he was awake, I was tired, and I needed to get some rest. I’d survived many exhausting weeks in the last year, but this one had been the most difficult of all. Midnight feedings, only sleeping a few hours at a time. Of course, there was the physical toll everything had taken as well.
Now, after a few weeks, Jasper and I had begun to fall into a routine. Lowell wanted to eat about every three hours, and so we took turns tending to him in between. Jasper had told the prince that he needed at least a month off to help me with the baby, and Prince Edward had reluctantly agreed. With Seth behind bars, Jasper’s responsibilities had dropped off a bit. He’d spent the last several months chasing after Seth, and now he could relax with the baby and me.
One morning I had woken early. I was exhausted, but Lowell was wide awake, so there was no point in trying to go back to sleep. Yawning, I slipped on my dressing gown, gathered Lowell up in my arms, and carried him downstairs.
My stomach rumbled. Ever since I’d had Lowell and was feeding him, I seemed to be constantly hungry. Rubbing at my eyes, I padded down the hallway and into the breakfast room.
During the spring and summer, this was one of my favorite rooms in the house. Floor–to–ceiling windows looked out over the garden. The tops of the windows were stained glass, and in the summer months the sun shone through and cast patterns across the jade tiled floor. In the winter, though, the clouds blocked out the sun, making the room feel dark and cold, and the view was only of the dead and snow–covered gardens. Normally we had plants hanging from the ceiling, but as long as I had been here, they hadn’t been able to survive the winter.
In the center of the room was a square table and four matching chairs. In one of them, Jasper sat, an empty plate in front of him and a newspaper in his hands. He looked up at me as I stepped inside. He was wearing his glasses as he read, and my heart fluttered. He always looked stunning in his glasses.
“Good morning,” he said, smiling broadly at me. “You’re up early.”
“Blame him,” I sighed as I sat down next to him.
He leaned over and kissed Lowell on the head, and Lowell reached up, trying to grab at Jasper’s glasses.
“Did you wake your mommy up?” Jasper asked him.
“He did.” I yawned.
Jasper sat back up. “Are you hungry?”
“Famished.”
As if on cue, Daisy came into the room to give Jasper a second cup of coffee.
“Didn’t realize you were up, ma’am,” she said. “Can I get you some breakfast?”
“That would be wonderful, Daisy.”
She nodded and left through the pantry that attached to the kitchen.
“Come here,” Jasper said, reaching over and taking Lowell from my arms. He bounced him on his lap for a bit, and the baby smiled back.
A few moments later Daisy returned with a plate for me, some bacon and eggs and crumpets, along with a cup of tea.
“Oh, this looks fantastic,” I said, voraciously digging in. “Did you make this?”
“Hannah did the bacon and eggs, but I did the crumpets,” she admitted.
“Fantastic,” I murmured again.
Jasper watched me with his eyebrow raised. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you eat so fast.”
“Being a mother is hard work,” I told him. “I’ve developed an appetite.”
He laughed. I was in the middle of taking another bite when there was a knock on the front door.
I looked up at Jasper. “Are we expecting someone today?”
He shook his head. “Not anyone that would bother knocking.”
I saw Mr. Potter, the butler, pass by the door to the breakfast room and go down the hallway to the entry. We were too far across the house
to hear what was said at the front door, so we didn’t know what it was until he came back and handed Jasper a thick envelope.
“This was delivered for you, Your Grace,” he said.
“Thank you, Harold,” Jasper said, taking the envelope from him. He shifted Lowell into his other arm and picked up a knife from the table, slicing through the thick red wax seal holding the envelope closed. His brow was furrowed as he pulled out a stack of papers and began to read. He frowned.
“What is it?” I asked.
“We’re being summoned.”
I jerked my head up from my plate. “Summoned?”
“For Seth’s trial.”
I sighed, reaching over to take Lowell back so Jasper could look through the papers. “I don’t understand why they’re giving him a trial in the first place! They saw what he did.”
“He has the right to a fair trial,” Jasper reminded me. “Even if they were witnesses, he still is given an opportunity to defend himself. Besides, this is how they’ll decide his punishment.”
“I’d like to be there for that,” I muttered. “When do you leave?”
“We. Both of us are included in this summons.”
“They want me?” I asked, surprised.
“I expect they need you to testify. After all, you’re the one he’s been focusing his attention on lately.”
I had really been hoping that I was never going to have to see Seth’s face again. “All right. When do we need to be there?”
“About a month from now.”
I glanced down at Lowell, who was looking at his father. “A month from now? That’s awfully soon. Are we bringing Lowell with us? That’s a long trip for a two–month–old.”
Jasper sighed. “I know, but we certainly can’t leave him behind. We’ll have plenty of help with us, anyway.”
I tilted my head. “How so?”
Jasper shuffled the papers. “Almost everyone who has been involved in even the most minute degree is being summoned. All my councilmen. Bridget. Christoph.”
“It’s going to be a big trip.”
“Huge. A conservative guess? We’ll probably have at least a fifteen people with us.”
“That sounds like a lot of work.”
“It will be,” he said, looking grimly at the papers. “For all of us to travel together like that…”
I could tell his mind was in a flurry behind his eyes, trying to figure out the logistics of the transportation and lodging for our trip.
“Have you ever been to court before?” I asked.
“A few times,” he said, still looking over the papers. “I’ve had to testify when wolves have caused problems.”
“What should I expect?” I was nervous at the prospect of speaking in front of all the elders.
“Well, you’ll be asked questions,” he said. “The elder’s castle has a courtroom. One of the elders will interview each of us. They’ll have us tell them what happened, and then he’ll ask a few more in–depth questions to determine the severity of Seth’s crime. Then, after the elder is done questioning you, Seth’s lawyer will get his turn.”
“Seth’s lawyer?” I asked.
“Yes, Seth will have retained a lawyer to defend him,” Jasper said.
“Defend him? How on earth could anyone defend him?”
Jasper shook his head. “Because he makes money doing it.”
I looked down at Lowell, who was watching me with wide eyes. I wondered if he could hear my rapidly beating heart. Surely Jasper could. “So, this lawyer will ask me questions?”
“He’ll want to confirm things that you said in your testimony.”
I relaxed a bit. “Is that all?”
Jasper avoided my eyes.
“That’s not all, is it?” I asked.
“Not exactly. He’ll probably try to catch you in a lie.”
“Why would I lie?”
Jasper shrugged. “He’ll make up something to make it seem like you’re trying to ruin Seth’s life. That, or he’ll just try to confuse you.”
“How so?”
“He’ll try to twist your words, make you repeat your statements, that sort of thing.”
Now I was more terrified than ever. Public speaking had never been my strong suit. Now there was the possibility of being ridiculed or embarrassed if it didn’t go well.
Jasper saw the look of fear on my face, but he misunderstood it. “They’ll have Seth in handcuffs,” he said. “He won’t be able to hurt you.”
My jaw dropped. “Seth will be there?” I asked.
Jasper frowned. “Well, yes. It’s his court case, after all.”
My heart dropped from my chest into the pit of my stomach. I had thought that once the elders took Seth away, I would never have to look into his evil, snakelike face again.
“He’s going to be there while I testify?”
“Yes.”
My chest was constricting. Not only was I going to have to share my horrifying, emotionally draining story with all the elders, but I was going to be subjected to scrutiny as well. On top of all of this, while I sat up there, nervous and sweating and terrified that I was going to say something wrong, Seth was going to be watching me from behind his black eyes. How on earth was I going to keep my voice clear and steady while he was there, skulking? How could they expect me to face my attacker without breaking down? This man had ruined my entire life, and I was just supposed to sit there and talk? My whole body felt frozen in my chair.
Concerned, Jasper took Lowell from me, and put his hand on my arm. “Christine? Are you all right?”
I nodded.
“You know I can hear your heartbeat, right?” he asked. “It’s beating awfully fast.”
“I’m fine,” I croaked.
He shifted Lowell in his arms and moved his chair so he was closer to me. “Can you talk to me? Tell me what’s wrong. Please.”
I swallowed, wishing I had more tea in my cup to cure my suddenly dry throat. “Just a little nervous, that’s all,” I said.
“About the trial?”
Of course for the trial. I took a deep breath before I snapped at him. “Yes.”
“What are you nervous about?”
“I’ve never been good at public speaking,” I said. “And I’m supposed to stand up there and testify while Seth is staring at me?” I shivered at the thought.
“Oh, Christine,” he said, pulling me in for a hug. “You’ll do just fine. I’ll even help you practice if you want.”
“That would actually be really helpful, I think. I’m still terrified. Are you sure I have to?”
He nodded. “It’s incredibly important that you’re there. Your testimony might be the only thing that puts Seth away for good.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said. “Surely your testimony should put him away just fine!”
“Christine, you’re the one that he’s gone after,” he said.
“He’s gone after you, too!”
“Not in the same way. And theoretically, his lawyer could argue that I have something to gain from Seth being punished. He could say that I wanted the competition out of the way.”
“That’s ludicrous!”
“I know, but that’s the sort of thing the lawyer might say. If you’re there, and you can tell everyone about the multitude of times that Seth has hurt you, that’s another person’s word against his. Additionally, you’re a woman and you were pregnant. As silly as it sounds, that will gain you some sympathy.”
“I don’t know that I can recount everything. It’s like living through it all over again,” I whispered.
Jasper kissed me gently on the forehead. “I know it won’t be easy,” he said. “But I promise, you’ll have my support. I’ll be there every step of the way, and so will Annabelle and Hazel and Bridget. Don’t look at Seth in the courtroom; look at us. Seth is nothing. He’s inconsequential.”
I nodded, but still couldn’t seem to speak.
Jasper gently placed Lowell back in my lap. “Do it for him
,” he said. “If you tell everyone what happened, if you can get up and face Seth and speak in front of the elders, you’ll put him behind bars for good. And if you do that, he never has a chance to hurt our baby. He can never get to him. I know it’s scary and it’s overwhelming, but if you do this, you’re securing our son’s safety.”
I looked down at Lowell as he smiled and cooed at me. I had only been holding this child in my arms for a month now, but I loved him more fiercely than I had loved anything in my life. Of course, I loved Jasper. It was a passionate love, but it didn’t have this sort of protectiveness like my love for Lowell. If Seth were to go free, Jasper could hold his own. He was strong, he was an alpha wolf. Not Lowell. He was innocent, he was helpless. He was a defenseless little baby, my little baby. If Seth came at him, Lowell would be at his mercy, unable to defend himself. There would be nothing Lowell could do.
But there was something I could do.
“Christine?” Jasper prodded.
I took a deep breath. “I’ll do it,” I said. I would stand up there in front of all those ancient, robed men with their stern faces, in front of all my friends and family, and in front of Seth and his lawyer. I would tell them exactly what Seth had done to me. I would spare no detail about my stabbing or my poisoning or my kidnapping or all the times he had attacked me. I would make sure the judge and jury knew all the wounds I had suffered, how many times Seth had made me bleed or made me sick. They would know about the constant fear, the constant worry that had loomed over our heads since he came into our lives. They would know that this little bundle in my arms almost didn’t live to take his first breath. Seth had terrorized me for months, had destroyed my life, and had nearly taken away all of the things I held dear. He was going to pay for that. I was going to be the best damn witness the elders had ever seen.
The Wolf's Cub (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 3) Page 1