Chapter 85

It had been days since Arthur felt the shift in their bond, but the anxiety about not knowing had only worsened. The end of the two weeks was approaching. Was she okay? The woman who had returned had nothing of use to say. If his fears weren’t bad, Blade seemed to be barely holding his peace together. He wouldn’t say much more than his bond with Mamie felt different, but Arthur was keeping an eye on him. Being with his son had seemed to help, so he’d lessened Blade’s time on duty.

If only Arthur could step out of his duties until Daphne returned, maybe he wouldn’t be fantasizing about murdering every alpha in the hall for simply breathing.

“We’ve lost ten more werewolves,” one of them said with a sigh. “No notes of why or when either. We’re considering increasing the patrol to keep people in the villages.”

“They’re probably just worried about the oncoming war,” Diana said.

“A sense of stability in the kingdom would probably reassure them,” Tom said, his tone tense and insinuating.

Arthur gave him a cold and toothy smile as he felt the beginnings of fury start to swell. Lucas wanted to kill Tom first and every time they met with the alphas to discuss the state of the kingdom, Arthur lost one more reason to restrain himself.

“How is training going? When will they be ready to take the west patrol?”

Tom’s eyes narrowed, “Soon.”

“How soon?” He asked. “If people so far into the kingdom are abandoning homes, wouldn’t a stronger patrol force make them feel more at ease? The threat of war isn’t going to be dissolved without Daphne. She’s my mate.”

Another alpha looked troubled, “Perhaps then it is just fear of being under the thumb of a vampire.”

Arthur grinned, “I will gladly abdicate.”

Tom shuffled his pages, “I think they’ll be ready within a fortnight.”

“Goo. What about the village rations. Have there been more issues with getting food to the more remote villages?”

Arthur suffered through the rest of the meeting. While it wasn’t as productive as he’d hoped, no one mentioned vampires and the potential for war for the rest of the day. Arthur considered it a win. He walked to the kitchen to take an early lunch before going to find Blade. He hadn’t checked on him earlier in the day. Maybe they could go hunting together to help get Blade’s mind off of Mamie for a little or at least have a candid conversation.

With so many people in the castle, it always felt like there was someone eavesdropping or watching him from some secret place.

He couldn’t imagine how his father and mother lived in the castle with so many people but guessed they had always been used to it. He wondered if his namesake had the same antsy feeling of always being watched when he was on the throne.

From the man’s journals, it was pretty likely.

When he found Blade, he was walking briskly down a corridor away from the kitchens and towards a section of the castle Arthur hadn’t explored.

Where was he going? A moment of doubt flitted through his mind. Could Blade be the traitor? He shook his head. He trusted Blade far more than he trusted anyone else in the werewolf kingdom. It was unlikely, but still, Arthur wondered where he was going. He was heading out of the castle, it seemed. His posture was stiff and tense, his steps were quick and light as if he didn’t want to be noticed. Arthur followed him at a distance, mirroring his movements. It was telling that Blade hadn’t noticed that he was being followed yet.

He wasn’t going to do anything nefarious, that was for sure. Blade took a sharp turn, then another, and slipped through an archway and outside to a section of the garden that was completely obscured from view elsewhere. He rounded a thick tree and Arthur followed him. The path wasn’t paved and it was barely wide enough for a grown man to walk unhindered. He thought it might have been just a coincidence until he realized that the line of tall thick trees lines on one side was joined together by a thick sheet of tangled vines. The other side was made of a thick stone wall that reached up to the second floor. Even if someone was standing on top of the wall and looking down, the thick cover of the trees obscured the pathway. How had Blade found this path? Who else knew about it? He should have been consulting with Blade about his escape routes.

They slipped out of the castle before Blade shifted and Arthur called out to him.

“Wait, Blade!”

He stopped and turned, startled by Arthur’s presence. Arthur shifted and walked towards him.

“Where are you going?”

Blade looked away, nervous and caught, “I… It’s Mamie.”

Arthur’s heart lurched, “Your bond changed again?”

Blade shook his head, “It hasn’t gotten any better or worse… I just… I can’t just sit around. I thought… maybe if I was closer or something…”

Arthur narrowed his eyes, “You were… going to try to sneak into the vampire’s lands?”

Blade lifted his head, “I understand if you will order me not to–”

“I’m coming with you,” Arthur said. “No one knows I followed you. They probably think I’m wandering around the castle. We have at least until dinner to come up with something.”

Blade nodded stiffly, “Thank you, Arthur.”

He grinned and nodded ahead, “Thank me after you teach me some other secret ways out of the castle. I’m putting together an escape plan. Daphne wanted me to invite you.”

Blade chuckled, “Perhaps you will change your mind. I doubt we would be welcome in the vampire kingdom.”

Arthur chuckled, “I guess we’ll see.”

They ran through the forest, following the trail they took to the border before Arthur could feel the gusts of the air coming from the canyon. On the wind was a sweetness Arthur recognized.

“Daphne!” His heart swelled with hope as he ran forward, following her scent into the canyon. The wind howled in the distance as he ran forward, hearing Blade just behind him. There were faint impressions of the carriage farther back, but they vanished as they got further into the canyon. He stopped as Daphne’s scent faded and looked around. There were too many paths to take to try to follow it.

He stomped his paw with frustration and growled.

“She was here,” Arthur said. “Recently.”

She could have turned back, but how close was the vampire’s castle from the canyon to have made the trip? The fact that he could follow her scent no further irritated him further.

“Which way could she have gone?” Arthur asked, looking around. The map he’d found didn’t detail a path through the canyon.

“Are you the werewolf king?” A voice drifted on the wind. Arthur turned searching for the origin of the voice before looking up. High up on a ledge was the familiar man who had been carrying Daphne’s bag.

“Where’s Daphne?” Arthur growled. “I smelled her. She was here recently. Where is she?”

He slipped and skidded down from the ledge he’d been sitting on and landed several feet away from them. He was unarmed. He didn’t even look like he was prepared to fight.

“I was sent to speak with you about Daphne and deliver a message.”

“What is it?”

“Her Highness has fallen ill,” he said and Arthur’s heart lurched. “She is being treated. The general wants you to know that she is aware of Daphne being in the area recently and why. She is doing everything she can to make sure Her Highness returns to you as soon as possible.”

“That’s not good enough!”

“What about Mamie?” Blade asked, “She was a part of her escort.”

The man shook his head, “The three women who came with Daphne have not been found yet.”

“What does that even mean?” Arthur asked. “How can I trust you or anything that woman said?”

“General Steward has a closer investment in Her Highness’ well-being than you think. Her honor and integrity cannot be questioned,” his eyes turned cold. “It is known that Her Highness left the castle of her own accord with her escort, but she left a note stating she would return this morning. She was found in this canyon earlier today, unconscious.”

Arthur’s heart raced.

“As Her Highness is half-human and half-vampire, the general has taken over her treatment as she has healing knowledge.” He looked at Blade. “We are still searching for some sign of her escort, but the trails we’ve found suggest they were attacked on the way to the canyon and there is a faction at work against Her Highness.”

Arthur’s heart lurched. It sounded a lot like the situation that led to the fall of the werewolf kingdom. What did that mean that Nicole had more investment than he did? No one could be more invested in Daphne’s safety than him.