Page 18 of The Dark War

“Excellent.” Osirus rolled up the map, handing it to Everett. “I hope this doesn’t put a damper on your fun, Alpha Kane.” Osirus held out his hand for me to shake. Taking him by the forearm, we shook with all our strength. How could I kill an innocent soldier? If magic was involved, my duty to my luna, my king and my queen was to bring justice to those who could not speak for themselves.

That was what my mate wanted from the beginning: to help, give second chances. This fight would be for her, for those innocent being played as pawns in the battle of a power struggle. “If they are innocent”—I stared at Osirus in the eyes—“they will live. If not, give me what you will, and Torin and I will take care of it.”

Chapter Nine

Under the Moon

Osirusstaredoveratthe map of his kingdom. It was vast, and the very few warriors who agreed to help him would hardly make a dent in the soldiers he had trained. Osirus’s nails gripped the table, ripping the corner of the map. He had nothing but farmers with pitchforks, but it was more than he thought that would come to his aid. They had been ready for a revolution for some time. Little did they know it would be him revolting against his own kingdom. Osirus would take any help he could get. He was at a significant disadvantage and was desperate to take back the crown. He could not fathom how his entire army would turn against him in such a short amount of time.

Clara sighed, putting her hand over his, patting it lightly.

“We will get through this.” Her power had made him succumb to her calmness. Osirus sighed heavily, now thinking of his mate that had safely landed on the Isle of Dragons. He had only had her for such a short time, and she had broken down her walls to let him in. If he had just a few more days, he could have marked her if he didn’t have to deal with this mess.

Pulling out his sword, causing the room to stand back, he held his back rigid as his head, General Finley, stood close. “Awaiting your orders, Your Majesty.” Holding the handle to his sword, Finley bowed with his arm across his chest.

Osirus fumbled with the parchment before him, circling areas with a red root that bled on the map in just the right areas. Clara and Kane looked on, watching where they were to ‘dispose’ of the soldiers once they were knocked out or had surrendered.

Kane was more than ready for the challenge, not that he was ready to take orders from a fae, but that of his mate. His mate concentrated heavily on the red marks scattered across the map, taking her time to memorize the entire area. Kane’s hand wrapped around her waist, feeling her heart beat heavily in her chest. His mate was more than ready for this, all the preparing and learning strategic planning from Kane on nights when their daughter could not sleep. He could feel her unease through their bond while he tried to concentrate on her.

Torin growled lowly in his mind, upset that he would not see blood today from that of the enemy. Kane continued to calm him using his mate’s calming aura, which seemed to sate him just a little.

“Remember, enough to maim, but not kill,” Osirus reiterated. The fae in the tent looked at Kane, who only nodded his head in recognition. Kane’s knuckles cracked, fisting one at his side. Kane was never one with words, but when he spoke, everyone listened. Everett and Braxton looked on in worry, wondering if the blood-thirsty alpha would even heed the king’s words, but with one quick kiss to his mate, they all let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding.

The future royals of the Cerulean Moon Kingdom left the tent, hand in hand. Kane’s mind-link was going a mile a minute. Taking the two platoons he had brought would not be enough, but during the journey, he and Clara had requested any shifters in the pride lands to come to help. They were a few hours behind them to pack and ready themselves for war. Slowly, they came into the camp, panthers, lions, and cheetahs. Clara gripped Kane’s hand tighter, watching them shift and enter the camp.

All the shifters gathered the enormous crowd now at the beckoning call of Alpha Kane and his luna. Standing on the small platform, Clara stood by her mate’s side, looking at him with such warmth and love. Would she still feel the same once he sees him in his beastly form fighting against an enemy? Even if it was just to maim them?

“Listen up!” Kane growled out to the crowd. The once murmuring shifters silenced, no longer speaking of the excitement. Kane gripped his hands again, causing them to crack, holding Torin at bay just a few minutes longer. “There will be no killing today,” his voice spoke deeply with conviction. His luna had agreed to Osirus, and Kane would follow her every word. “You are to maim and capture. These soldiers will be put back into the fae society. There is something amiss, and we will not harm the innocent.”

Shifters from the pride lands whispered to each other, their shoulders slumping and pointing their hands accusingly to Kane. Kane’s watchful eye had Torin growling out. His fangs lengthened to an abnormal length from just an ordinary wolf. “My words stand!” He roared. Kane’s warriors only bowed their heads at the sheer power that radiated over the crowd. The pride land shifters knelt, feeling the overwhelming feeling that befell them. They had witnessed nothing of this magnitude, but they had felt it today.

“My command stands. Fail to obey, and you will be taken care of. Personally. By me.” Torin’s eyes flashed yellow, even Marcus feeling the heat of his half-beast. Marcus’s worry went to that of his alpha. He knew it had been a long while since Torin had had a good fight. Since Clara came into his life, he had a different wolf, but could a mate completely sate the warrior?

Clara stood holding Kane’s hand like nothing had happened at all. Her mind was reeling at how her daughter was doing, if she was safe, and if her parents had made their rounds to the Cerulean Moon Kingdom’s small territories. Once she came to, she realized all the warriors were either on their knees or shaking in fear.

“Babe.” She nudged him. Kane shook his head, his yellow eyes retreating. “We need to get going.” Clara pointed to Osirus, mounted on his horse, gripping the reins tightly. Montu pranced unsettled. The heat of his nostrils flaring had Osirus gripping the reins higher to control his battle horse.

“The first wave approaches!” Osirus shouted. The first platoon had shifted in a blink while the others were mind-linked by Marcus to their respective positions. Clara stripped the light dress over her head, only for Kane to stand before her until she completed her transformation.

Kane didn’t bother to take off his shorts. He ripped them in an instant as his beast fully transformed. The blackened hair, deep golden eyes, and muscles doubled in size since his mating with his Clara had wolves taking long walks around him. His breath was heated and heavy as the steam came from his maw. “Everyone out!” His roar could be heard down the foothills. The pounding of paws hitting the bright grasses is now being scuffed and ripped by the passing claws.

The opposing fae heard the mighty roar down the foothills, the rumbling of paws hitting the ground. Many shook in fear, but they were trained soldiers of the crown. They woke up in the morning not knowing they would be in battle. Cosmo, the speaker of the Court, had said their king had lost his mind, trying to bring in a human girl to be their queen and ruining the ways of the fae. Many protested, believing that their king would never do such a thing.

Osirus trained with these same soldiers every day. He stood quiet and listened to generals, taking part as a regular soldier. All looked on with him in pride that their own king would go to war alongside them. He wasn’t what the rumors had said. He wasn’t the womanizer, the cold-hearted king. He cared, even for them.

As the fae argued in protest, their vision had hazed. They shook their heads, watching the smoke clear until they saw King Osirus in Cosmo’s place. “We must fight until the end!” The fae didn’t question. They raised their swords in honor of their king.

As they approached the small valley between the two hills, they saw King Osirus on the opposing side. “A trick!” their king spoke as he rode upon a black stallion, not that of his usual mode of transportation. His normal horse was a beautiful gold hue, hair braided down the sides of his mane. The fae looked at each other in question until a horn sounded. “Into formation!”

The fae scattered, pulling swords and bows ready to fight the animals that rushed the hill. Not once did any of them falter. Cosmo sat upon his horse, watching the rabid animals make crude noises. He snorted. “Stupid animals, not that of a fae at all.” He scratched his nose as his horse backed away. Cosmo would not fight this, just command the army that Osirus so gracefully trained himself. Snickering to himself, he watched as the front line readied themselves to charge at the unruly animals while he stood in the background.

Kane was ahead of the charge, Clara running alongside. Their paws were in sync as Kane took the first fae down. His teeth ground into the leg of one, and his claws ripped the back tendons of another. Clara growled not to the opposing enemy but at Kane. “Easy!” She growled in his mind. Kane only whimpered, trying his best to calm Torin.

Fae, one by one, fell. The fae were the ones with the numbers, but the numbers dwindled quickly, with Kane taking out ten at a time by nipping their ankles. The rest of the wolves followed, nipping at their ankles to render them helpless and low to the ground. Finally, Osirus’s unskilled fae rushed in, helping the fallen on wagons and securing them tightly to be taken to the encampment.

Cosmo faded into the background as he left the head general in charge of the battle. This was supposed to be quick, a battle that lasted only a day, but with Kane and King Osirus running in on his prized horse, Montu, Cosmo wasn’t so sure. Gritting his teeth, he pulled his horse back, traveling back to the safe walls of the palace while the battle continued.

Meanwhile, Kane and his warriors began herding groups of fae like sheep. Kane had headed the charge, running the terrified fae near a rock wall. The soldiers had no commander with the general maimed, all done by Kane. Kane sneered, growling, his back paws scraping at the dirt until more wolves surrounded the captured fae to complete the large herd. Clara howled, running after the ones getting away. Using her sharp teeth, she took one down by the ankle. The female fae rolled on her back, looking back in fear. Not seeing the beautiful colors that the eyes of fae held, she saw a murky mist over them.

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