Chapter 53

Arthur woke up with a little smile. They’d spent most of the night tangled together and in the throes of pleasure, whispering sweet things to each other. Daphne had passed out sometime in the middle. As far as he could tell, she would remain asleep well into the afternoon if he left her undisturbed.

Arthur had stayed up for several hours after Daphne had passed out, thinking it over. The thought that maybe if someone had stepped up to unite the werewolf kingdom, or if they could have agreed to remain united, he and Alma would not have grown up the way they had burned him.

If even the most remote packs could receive aid specific to their issues instead of whatever they could trade for, it would be worth a bit of discomfort. He dressed for the day, finding his hands steady as he looked over at Daphne.

If the werewolf kingdom was unified, those creatures and whatever other threats that could come into the territory could be stopped.

He could protect Daphne and his life with her far more effectively with the werewolf kingdom on their side than he ever had alone. His strength hadn’t been enough against those creatures. If those rogues hadn’t come at his call, they would have taken Daphne from him.

He clenched his jaw and went to the lockbox. He opened it and picked up the ring and the letter before opening it to read it.

Dear Son,

If you are reading this, it means that I have failed to stop Osborn’s plot. Likely, your mother and I are dead and to you has the throne been left. I do not know how old you will be when you read this, but I hope you are old enough to understand why we made the decisions we made.

My father told me once that what separates a good man from a great man is the choice to lend aid when asked or lending aid when it is needed, and the difference between a good leader and a great leader is that one chooses to lead because he sees a need and the other is called to his position.

Knowing what I know as I write this, I know you will be called just as your namesake was once our enemies have risen again. I leave his seal with you so that you can remember how much we loved you and to encourage you to find the path to peace that we could not.

With All My Love,

Your Father

Adolph frowned, looking at the letter. Were the enemies those creatures they encountered in the forest? He rolled the scroll back up and left their room to walk the castle’s halls as he had taken to doing since the party.

The head maid and Tom had been clear that his parents had high hopes for him and when he would take the throne, but his father’s letter seemed to say he didn’t want him to take the throne though he knew he would be called to do so.

If he knew that, why hadn’t he made sure to survive Osborn’s plans? Why not just give Osborn the throne and live to see him and Alma grow up?

He came to a stop and looked up at a door he remembered as if from a dream. He frowned and pushed the door open gently. It groaned and opened to a large room full of portraits. Light streamed in through the windows as he looked around the room. There were a lot of men and women portrayed around the room. He passed by a portrait of his parents with a newborn baby and a young boy seated with them.

He turned away from the sight and continued into the hall until he reached the very back of the hall where a young woman was dusting a large portrait high up on the wall. She squeaked as he approached and bowed.

“Your Majesty,” she murmured as he looked up at the portrait she was dusting.

It was the largest portrait in the room though the man wasn’t dressed with all the regal splendor the other portraits had been. His eyes were fierce in his stern face. He stood with his hands resting on the pommel of a sword. A furred cloak rest on his shoulder and he stood on bloodstained ground looking victorious.

“Who is he?”

She seemed confused before looking up at the portrait and back at him.

“His name was Arthur; he was the first Royal of your line, Your Majesty.”

His namesake. Arthur wet his lips.

“What can you tell me about him?”

“King Arthur I united the werewolf kingdoms under his banner to fight the vampires… my grandmother said he didn’t want to be king. He only wanted peace.”

“Was he successful?”

“They say that the time of King Arthur I was one of the most peaceful times of the werewolf kingdom… followed closely by your grandfather’s reign.”

He thanked her for the information and left.

“Your Majesty?” He stopped and looked back at her. “If you are interested in learning more about King Arthur I, his office is in the north wing on the first floor.”

Arthur nodded and thanked her again before leaving. He asked for directions to the north wing from three different servants before he found the path to the north wing.

It was the first wing of the castle and the least used, even in the time of his father’s reign. The servants spoke about it as if it were more a memorial than a wing of the castle. The air was stale and acrid like smoke was lingering in the air, and he understood.

The north wing had been where the rebellion had ended in blood and fire. He walked cautiously, a bit nervous as if he would run into one of his parents’ corpses. He walked on, checking each door he passed hoping that one stood out to him until he reached a room set up like his father’s office.

It was mostly intact and orderly. The books on the shelves were much older and the empty spaces were stuffed with scrolls. The map on the far wall was a much older version of the map in his father’s office. Instead of letters about the needs and issues of packs, there were lists of names with pack names written beside them. Another sheet of parchment slipped from the stack as he looked through the journals that had been on the desk.

He expected a letter, but what he found was a plan for Arthur I to avoid the throne and become general of the unified werewolf army.

Arthur read on and realized that his namesake hadn’t wanted to be king, but he had taken on the duties of a king in unifying and organizing the werewolf kingdom’s forces. The gifts he had been given by the moon goddess had led him to leading them, but his namesake didn’t seem to believe that he was meant to reign over them.

Arthur considered it, folded the parchment, and tucked it into his pocket before leaving the office and heading towards the hall where the alphas held meetings. If the werewolf kingdom and the werewolf race were still in danger, there would always be a call for a king.

Whatever path to peace his father saw, he wanted to find it for the sake of the people he’d grown to care about, for Daphne and their future together, and ultimately for himself.

He opened the door to the hall with his head held high. Rex and the other alphas looked up at him, part surprised and part curious.

“I’ve considered it,” Arthur began and closed the door behind him. “And I agree to take the throne.”

Tom’s eyes widened. He was out of his seat and crying out with joy before he realized it. He’d praise the moon goddess for Daphne and whatever she’d said to him to get him to agree for the rest of his life. When he died, he’d be able to meet Arthur’s parents with some measure of grace and peace.

“That’s fantastic, Your Majesty—“

“But,” Tom drew short, his mouth closed with a click. “I have demands. If you refuse, you will never bring this back up and Daphne and I will return to Sharp Armor to live out our lives as we planned.”

Tom glanced at Rex who seemed frozen stiff in shock. No one moved. It didn’t seem as though anyone breathed as Arthur looked across the table.

“Though I may be king, all alphas will maintain management of their packs. My primary job will be to resolve arguments between packs and other issues you encounter.”

Arthur watched the alphas at the end of the table relax.

“Second, Daphne has agreed to marry me, so our marriage ceremony will also be our coronation.”

Arthur waited,watching them turn over his demands. He knew they had some reservations about having Daphne as their royal luna, he didn’t say anything. If they couldn’t accept her place in his life and respect her accordingly, then there would be no reason to accept the position of king.

“We can meet those demands with ease, Your Majesty,” an alpha near the back of the room said with a nod.

Others nodded and turned to him with relieved smiles.

“Long live King Arthur!” Tom cried. “Long live the king!”

The chorus resonated through the hall, “Long live the king!”