Page 16 of The Dark War

“No racing today,” Kane mentioned in my head. “We have to keep everyone safe, travel as a unit.” Torin’s body knelt down before me, putting his enormous claws next to my cheek.

“I would never.” I giggled. “But maybe you all should work on your conditioning.” Torin stood up, howling for the warriors to follow as we began our long journey to the northern area of the Golden Light Kingdom.

With the impending battle pushed back into my mind, I enjoyed the scenery while it was to last. Many did the same.

The pounding of paws against the dirt, and the clouds rushing by as the wind parted our fur, brought all of our animals to the surface. There were yips of joy at feeling the soil between the pads of our paws, the leaves touching our fur, keeping us close to the ground instead of flying toward the sky with our speed. The entire pack’s hearts beat as one, one unit, one pack.

When going from one region to the next, the terrain shifted quickly. The pride lands reminded me of the African plains, brown grasses, sparse trees, and the few lakes and ponds where many colorful and different animals not familiar to Earth gathered. The prides of shifter felines had taken root back closer to their homes, no longer wandering about as they usually do. Mother and Father had planned to visit each one and invite them to stay at the palace. My worry was that many would try to fend off rogues themselves.

Once we left the pride lands, we stayed north, avoiding any areas that could lurk with vampire rogues. Further south held dense trees, perfect places for vampires to hide and slink in the dark. The mountains to the north kept the cool wind blowing in our fur, keeping us from getting too hot with the constant running.

Passing by the divide of the kingdoms, the elven colonies sat at the mountain’s base. Reading about their culture intrigued me by how they kept the area of their tribes safe from enemies and the weather. Taking the leaves of the forests above them, they etched them together using a string of magic-like thread, sewing them together, turning the leaves into a giant glass piece that would bring in the sun but keep out the rain and snow. Each day, they took the time to water all the plants that surrounded them in their hive-like living area, homing in on their passion for nature.

Further up the mountains, dragon tribes settled. They liked their privacy; few records in the palace or our pack house had information regarding their history. Most of my information came from Kane, who has befriended the current alpha of the largest dragon shifter tribe. Adam met us the first day I walked through the portal and had visited us several times over the past months.

Moving forward, we entered the Golden Light Kingdom territory. The suns—or ‘light sources’—here shone brighter than that of the Cerulean Moon Kingdom. My eyes took minutes to adjust, only for Giana to groan in my head, trying to filter the rays.

“This is terrible.” Kane blinked his eyes. “Why is it so fucking bright?”

“Duh, because it is the ‘Golden Light Kingdom,’“ Marcus replied sarcastically. “I brought some shades with me just in case. You guys want a pair?” Giana laughed, her yip sounding like a howl.

“I just didn’t expect it to be this bright,” I replied. “I just thought it was sunny all the time.”

“Think of Vermillion. The light sources are weak there to help house the vampires. The Cerulean Moon Kingdom has light, sure, but it is comparable to Earth. That is why the shifters tend to stay closer to our side of the continent. The light isn’t as bright. Our eyes are sensitive, so we may see in the dark. Our bodies have to accommodate the light, but it takes time for our wolves to adjust.” Marcus’s feet pounded the dirt as we ran. The heavy pack on his back did not cause him any difficulty as he ran beside us.

“Look at you being all smart and shit,” Kane replied through the link. “Maybe you will make a strong alpha once it’s handed over to you.” Marcus snorted, shaking his head.

“Well, I had to make sure I upped my game since there are some horny fairies over here. I would not be blinded by their beauty and make my wolf use all concentration to adjust to light when we could adjust something else.” Marcus howled as Kane shook his head in annoyance.

We trotted toward Sallee. It was a tiny encampment of fae families that preferred the quiet life away from its capital. The hordes of wolves approaching startled children playing on the dirt path and ran back toward their homes. Kane and the rest of the warriors took this time for us to shift and be able to speak with our fae comrades.

Once the last bit of clothing was put on my body, a fae with a long red beard approached. He looked much older than a fae should look with his bushy eyebrows and unruly hair. “I am Everett, Your Highness and Alpha.” Everett bowed with one arm across his chest. “I will take you to King Osirus’s tent. He should arrive within the hour. He had to get the future-queen Melina away for her safety.”

I smiled outwardly at Kane. It had only been a few weeks since introducing Melina and Osirus, and I was happy to see that progress was being made. Osirus had waited for his mate for so long, and once I saw her, my mind went straight to him. My gifts had helped me place the two together because that night when I slept, I saw them together again, this time both bearing each other’s marks.

“Where will she be going?” I asked as we walked inside the enormous leather tent. It had been set up with a rudimentary table, a map of the entire palace grounds, with pins sticking in various places. My hand brushed over it, feeling the cool, smooth texture of the parchment.

“Land of Dragons.” Everett adjusted his sword on his belt. “Horus took her. The seas are too rough for any boat, and the wind is too harsh for any fae or fairy.” I hummed, agreeing with Osirus’s plan. Osirus had told me of Horus, the mighty dragon still living on the mainland. Osirus had protected him when he was just a hatchling, and now the dragon sees him as his master or parental figure, no matter how many times Osirus told him to leave and be with his own kind.

“When do we fight?” Kane grunted. His hands sprouted claws, scratching the worn table. Ribbons of wood fell to the floor as his eyes glared at Everett.

Giana soothed Torin for the entire run. Thoughts of blood spraying from enemies made his heart pound faster, the excitement of how his claws would pull the skin of those who dare try to hurt this pack or me. This was his first battle involving me by his side, and along with Torin’s rage to protect, I could feel Kane’s inner turmoil. He was worried I would look at him differently and not the big puppy I saw in our bedroom.

Everett chuckled but dared not pat Kane on the back. “Soon, Alpha. There is a small militia of fae enemy soldiers under the power of the Court Speaker Cosmo just south of here, but His Majesty has a request before we take the charge.”

Kane lifted a brow, waiting for an answer. Everett stood back, holding his hands out in front of him. “I am but a messenger. Please understand.” Kane growled in irritation, shaking the posts of the tent. He wasn’t in the mood to prance off into another land, risking our warriors after just signing a treaty several weeks ago.

“His Majesty wants the least amount of casualties possible. In fact, not killing any of the opposing soldiers would be preferable.”

Chapter Eight

Kane

Myfistcamedownbrutally on the wooden table in front of me, ripping the map and splitting the wood into tiny splinters. Those stupid little pins scattered to the floor. Clara jumped back, putting both hands to her mouth to hold in a squeak. My head darted to her, hoping the pieces of wood didn’t hurt her perfect skin. Her eyes glanced at the table and back at me. This was the most anger she had seen come from Torin and me. Anytime she was around, she made me melt, but the request sent by King Osirus was ludicrous.

Clara’s eyes softened, her tiny steps coming up closer to me by putting her arms around my bicep. The shirt I was previously wearing was now ripped to shreds by the hair trying to sprout on my back as Torin tried to force a shift. “Are you fucking kidding me!?” I roared, the tent flapping because of my monstrous voice rather than the swift winds of the Golden Light Kingdom.

My mate lovingly tugged at my arm, not harsh like some dick would do to get my attention during a rage. No, she gently tapped it, causing my pussy self to look down at her lovingly. She blinked those lashes at me, giving me the sweetest look of adoration. “Baby.” I growled, my other hand flying out to look at the monstrosity of King Osirus’s bodyguard. Why the fuck did he need a bodyguard anyway? He was a fucking fae king. Didn’t he have some deep powers or some shit?

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