Chapter 103 Bad Intentions pt 1
King Mikhail
The sharp clatter of my boots echoed through the courtyard, each step a deliberate drumbeat as I stalked to my office. Fabric disappeared around corners as the servants sped to escape my path, the occasional pale face flashing briefly before melting into the shadows. No one wanted to get caught in my path today. The rage I keep bottled inside is just one wrong word away from bubbling over and obliterating anyone who crosses me.
The silver whip in my hand left a trail of blood behind me, a testament to my current mood. The two idiots strung up on the punishment poles have lasted longer than I expected. They’ve been hanging from those posts for four solid days, exposed to the elements and deprived of food and water. My men have not been taking it easy on them, feeding on and beating them for sport. Even now, after using them to vent some of this infernal anger, they still clung to life.
I shoved my office door open, slamming it against the wall as I rounded my desk and snatched up the phone receiver. “What?” I demanded.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, King Mikhail, but I have some news and a situation,” Brian’s voice came through the line.
“Explain.”
“I’ll start with Blood Moon Pack. My spies inside the pack have reported that King Cian, Prince Gideon, Alpha Duncan and a group of warriors from Crescent Moon Pack have attacked and claimed Blood Moon territory. Beta George, along with most of the standing Blood Moon warriors, has been executed as of dawn this morning. From what they can tell, King Cian is currently in control.”
I’d expected this, though the confirmation that I was right didn’t carry any satisfaction with it. “Fine. Keep the intel line open there.”
“Of course. My men have orders to stay hidden and report even the slightest change back immediately.”
“And the situation then?”
He cleared his throat. “One of the warriors you sent ahead to my pack was out of our territory yesterday. He went to Oakhaven Mall in the human territory. He came across Luna Queen Gwen and Princess Seren.” I could hear him swallowing through the phone as he paused. “The man tried to abduct Seren,” he finally rushed out.
I went completely still. “Say that again,” I said, voice low, the words all but dripping with ice.
“He grabbed Seren when she was separated from the guards and her mother, then hauled her off to the woods. They followed her, of course, and Luna Queen Gwen subdued him long enough to retrieve the princess. He escaped the Queen’s vortex by leaping straight to the treetops.”
The simmering fury finally spilled over. With a guttural roar, I sent glass shattering and shelves rattling, the monitor on my desk meeting the floor with a sickening crunch. “Leaping to the treetops? A desperate, foolish move. And he escaped?” My knuckles were white as I gripped the phone. “Where is he now?”
“Dumped in the hole after receiving twenty lashes.” Another deep inhale on his end, then a muttered curse before he said, “Unfortunately, that’s not all. My contact in Crescent Moon called me. Seren saw his eyes go red before he escaped and is researching what may have caused that. She shared that phenomenon with the Queen and the rest of Crescent Moon leadership.”
I paced through the wreckage in front of my desk. This could not have come at a worse time. With the trafficking operation at risk because of James and Tobias’s errors, we needed to stay in the shadows now more than ever. And one of my men has now jeopardized our primary secret.
“Let him think he has hope and serve out his sentence in the hole. Then execute him for his stupidity.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Send me your next group. As many as you can. We need to move up our timeline thanks to this. I need to get as many converted as I can before we take the next step.”
“I checked the inventory and started that process yesterday, sire. They’ll be on their way to you within the next two days. Is there anything else you’d like me to do for you?”
“Can we recoup anything from Blood Moon? Find out. And start contacting the others in the network; have them send their stock now, too. We’ll move on the packs in two months. Be ready.”
I disconnected the call, throwing the handset across the room. I am so close to bringing this kingdom to its knees, and no one in the Royal Family has even noticed. Just a few more months and it will be mine. I can't tolerate any more mistakes. I needed to show everyone what happened when you fuck up.
I left my office, heading back to the punishment poles to deal with James and Tobias. I needed to make an example of them. Striding through the courtyard, I signaled to the guards. "Let them down."
They released the chains holding the men upright, and both fell to the ground with a thud. I moved to James first.
"Because of you, my entire operation is in jeopardy. I've built this army in the shadows for years, and you've brought enough unwanted attention to your pack in a week to risk everything. What do you have to say for yourself?"
He coughed, breath wheezing, as he tried to speak. "I…I…I" He couldn't get any words to form.
"You'll serve your penance. Death is too good for you. You and your son both."
His eyes widened. He was trembling so hard his limbs were visibly bouncing on the ground. My fangs extended, and I snapped forward, latching onto his neck. His warm, coppery blood flowed down my throat, carrying his life with it. As he hovered on the brink, I stopped. Stepping back, I shifted into my wolf form, standing over him on all fours. He was too far gone to fear me. With a growl, I bit deep into his thigh, releasing it before shifting back and slicing my wrist open. I let my blood drip over the wound on his thigh, then over his open mouth. When I was satisfied he had enough for the conversion, I moved over to Tobias and repeated the process.
I turned to the guards. "Take them to the medical wing. If they survive the transformation, place them with the vanguard. Let them die doing something useful."