Page 32 of Widow

Chapter 8

Alaric

Ihad it bad and hadn't had such intense thoughts about a woman in a long time.

I was not the type that yearned for women. I had taken an oath to serve my king and queen above all else, including a mate.

When an alpha joins the King's Guard, he gives up a piece of himself to serve the crown. That piece of himself is the ability to find his mate and start his own pack family.

My heartstrings tugged as I thought back to the day when I was sworn into the Royal Guard to protect the Prince of Inferna.

"Alaric Rowsan of Black Forest, do you hereby swear to protect the crown at all costs, even if that cost means your life?" The head of the Royal Guard read from a large, leather-bound book.

"I do." My voice was sure, powerful, protective.

"Do you swear to never take a mate or reproduce while serving the crown?"

"I do."

The king sliced open his palm with a knife and held it out to me. I took it carefully and sliced my palm. We gripped each other's hands.

The magic from the knife and in the king's blood swirled into my system, binding me in a contract.

Protect.

My wolf stood proudly inside of me, his chest out and his ears at attention.

"It is with royal decree that I declare Alaric Rowsan of Black Forest, guard and protector of the crown. Your time served will bring honor to your pack."

As the blood in our palms mixed, my heartstrings reached out to Prince Reve and tied myself to him. I knew the stakes were high.

"Let us celebrate Alaric Rowsan of Black Forest!"

I snapped out of my memory as Lucifer landed behind a building near the Santa Monica Pier. I had only flown with him a few times, and I couldn't say I was sold on flying.

I liked my four paws firmly on the ground, thank you very much.

"Are you okay?" Lucifer adjusted his suit jacket and took off at a brisk pace towards the screaming.

Just another day in the life of the devil and his sidekick. Not that we'd seen any action since I'd been on Earth. Lucifer had been called several times to help with the rogue demons still hiding out in the city, but up until tonight, he hadn't been ready.

I couldn't say I blamed him for not being ready. He had almost died, and it was damn near impossible to kill an archangel.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about Lia." In a way, my thoughts had been about her.

As far as I knew, I was still bound by my oath to the crown. Reve was still alive, and even though he renounced himself as king, I was still connected to him. My feelings for Lia would go nowhere fast. She wouldn't just be a hookup, she would be a mate.

Lucifer made a grunting sound. He hid his feelings well, but I was starting to be able to read his tells. Like when his irises seemed to swirl with smoke, or the vein in his neck twitched as blood rushed through it.

Both of which he was displaying as we strode towards the bright lights of the Ferris wheel. As we got closer, it became clear that we were up against an organized group of demons. More than just a few.

The thing about angels was that they fought with swords, which was great hundreds of years ago, but now humans had guns, which meant demons had access to them.

My wolf was pacing inside of me, anxious to burst free and rip the throats out of the demons causing such chaos.

A standoff of sorts had formed between the angels and the demons. Seven demons stood at the base of the Ferris wheel, bodies of innocent humans scattered around them. They were holding a small family with two children hostage.

I let out a growl, my wolf pushing to the surface. I didn't shift. I wouldn't want the other angels to accidentally take off my head if things got violent.

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