**3rd Person POV**
It was all Francesca could think of from that time forward. How she was going to get rid of Major Drieden. She became so obsessed with the idea in such a short time that she thought she would implode from the idea. When she comes across Drieden at dinner with the royal family, she felt naked; like everyone could see her innermost thoughts. She was not certain of it was by design but Drieden had brought his mistress with him so it was a rather unpleasant meal. The three heirs—Harlin, Charlotte and Reginald looked like they wanted to reach out from across the table and gauge Nydia's eyes out. She could feel their hatred for the other woman from where she sat but somehow she could feel a connection with this woman.
When Francesca looked into Nydia's eyes she could see that behind the smiles she plastered on her face, there was a trapped soul who desperately wanted to be free. When their eyes met, they suddenly had an unspoken agreement of solidarity. They wanted the same thing; freedom from this evil vampire.
“Major Drieden, I hear rumours about your marriage to Prince Ashton's sister. I believe that would make us family, huh?” quipped the Vampire King with a smile. The King of Dome was a pleasant man most of the time.
“Your Majesty, I am only honoured,” the major returned with a smile. Drieden was enjoying himself rather thoroughly. He was seated beside his mistress and across from his wife.
“Major, it surprises me that you do not have any argument in favour of the werewolves seeing as you are married to one,” one thing Kristoff hated was lies. He did not like a man like Drieden who had absolutely no respect for women or other people. How could he claim to be marrying into a Royal family and here he was flaunting his mistress who had been exiled by her own people. There was also the matter of his wife whom he had kept hidden away from everyone. Meanwhile, Francesca shifted uncomfortably in her seat when she heard Kristoff say this. She wondered if the Prince knew that she was the wife in question. She was not looking forward to her secret getting exposed as that would put her in a disadvantageous position. She may not be imprisoned for having married a man whose mission was to annihilate her kind but she would certainly be shunned by society.
“I do not allow my personal business to cloud my judgement,” returned Major Drieden.
“This she-wolf? Are you going to divorce her?” The table fell quiet and all eyes turned to Drieden in anticipation of his answer. Major Drieden did not like this situation. He had always kept his marriage under wraps. He hated that Kristoff was talking about it so openly. He wondered how the man had found out about his marriage in the first place.
“I do not intend to. However, she will not pose a problem for my bride-to-be,” said Major Drieden.
“I cannot believe Prince Ashton and his father are fine with this,” replied the King of Dome.
“They are on board with the plan. My she-wolf would join our home and will help out with domestic duties,” Major Drieden's eyes burned into Francesca’s. Francesca looked away. If he was planning to make her live on vampire soil as his slave, he was grossly mistaken. There was absolutely no way she was going to allow that to happen.
“And the she-wolf by your side? Will she have a place in your new household?” questioned Prince Kristoff. Nydia smiled as though shy at the attention she was getting.
“I was thinking I would give her as a gift to you, Prince,” returned Major Drieden. Major Drieden gave Prince Kristoff a warm smile but behind that smile was a promise to end the Prince's life. He was going to make sure that one day, The Kingdom of Dome would be his to rule.
“I am not interested,” returned Prince Kristoff.
“Don't tell me just one she-wolf has your heart,” smiled Major Drieden. If Prince Kristoff was going to expose his business he was not going to hold back. He had eyes in the palace that had reported an intimate session to him. Prince Kristoff’s face turned red with anger. He was not ashamed of his clandestine affair with Charlotte but he was angry that Major Drieden would reduce it to such talk.
“Wolf? Kristoff, you have told me nothing about any woman, vampire or werewolf,” said the King of Dome looking very confused. He hated it when things slipped by his radar. He had been trying to get Kristoff interested in women for the longest time. In fact, he had begun to think that perhaps Kristoff preferred men instead and he had to admit that he had been worried about giving the throne to his only son because his son would be incapable of having children to continue the lineage. It was unfortunate that he had not been blessed with another son and his daughters cared too much about fashion and jewels and travelling to rule the nation and the few who were smart (he had several daughters from several mistresses) had no interest in doing so.
“You will allow Dome to have a she-wolf as queen? The people will rebel,” Major Drieden commented as though concerned, although if one looked closely one could see the shadow of a smile that lingered on his lips. He was thinking to himself that taking Kristoff off the throne may not be a problem. He would just allow the people to do it for him. He knew that no vampire would bow to a werewolf queen.
“How are those negotiations going? Perhaps, the people would be amenable to a she-wolf queen,” it was hard to tell from the King's tone if he was joking or being serious. Either way, Kristoff knew that he was going to get an earful from his father later on.