Chapter 70

Feeling the heat rise in my cheeks, I walked over to the window and peered down. Many feet below me was a large procession of horses, soldiers, and the Royal Carriage that undoubtedly held my husband-to-be. Without hesitation, the door swung open, revealing a massive man who immediately looked up at my tower. Despite being many feet apart, the moment our eyes met, I felt a familiar buzz of electric energy coursing through my body. It set every nerve on fire, leaving me tingling with anticipation for what was to come. Kieran marched abruptly across the courtyard, entering our Palace and disappearing from view. I knew it would only be moments before he would appear in this room.

As fate would have it, the door to my apartment swung open, and Kieren stood silently in the doorway, his eyes scanning the room hungrily. Brooke, Rosa, and Hollie looked at me knowingly before making their way out of the room.

"We'll leave you two to have some alone time!" Brooke chimed quietly. "We'll see you later, I'm sure!"

Nodding silently as I watched my friends retreat out of sight, Kieren slammed the door shut with such force that I thought the door would come off its hinges.

"Mate! My one true love!" Kieren growled affectionately, his eyes lowering to gaze at my bump. "And my pup! How they have grown! How I have missed you both!"

"We have missed you too, my lord," I gushed, walking delicately over the man I loved. "You came back. And tomorrow I shall be your wife. It's really happening!"

"Yes, it really is happening," Kieren said, nodding slowly. "I can see you've been busy. The palace looks beautiful. You and Nerissa have done a great job."

"Brooke and Hollie have helped too!" I exclaimed. "Without their assistance, there would still be so much to do!"

"I can imagine!" Kieren chuckled. "I heard that we had some intruders the other night?"

"Nothing that the guards and your mom couldn't handle," I scoffed while shaking my head. "Your brother really needs to try better to get anywhere near me. They didn't stand a chance."

“Did he see Nerissa?” Kieren asked worriedly, looking concerned. 

"Yes. He seemed shocked, apparently," I replied. "But he should have guessed it was Nerissa; her wolf isn't hard to confuse with any other. This will only encourage him to try harder to kill us all, and he doesn't have much time left!"

"He has lost. He knows it," Kieren replied gruffly, slowly removing his armor and letting it fall to the floor with a loud bang. "He won't try anything now; he knows he is out of time. I'll deal with him once the wedding is over, once and for all."

"And what about Davina?" I asked coolly. "We know she was the one who bought the poison that killed my grandmother. She also killed her own mother to throw us off the scent. She's just as deeply involved in this as Carlton is."

“Oh, she will get her comeuppance, don’t you worry,” Kieren said softly, pulling me into a reassuring hug. “Hey! Why do you look so worried? You know what biting that lip does to me.”

"There's something else you should know," I muttered quietly. "We only just found out yesterday."

“What? What is it?” Kieren asked worriedly. “Why are you going to tell me something that I'm not going to like?” 

"I thought they were a myth. Turns out they are very real," I stammered nervously in fear of angering my Mate. "Carlton has a secret weapon. He has a vaewolfe in his army!"

"How has he got a hybrid in his army?" Kieren thundered angrily. "That's an abomination! It's an outrage."

"What’s worse is that he kept it hidden in secret at this very palace and trained it into what it is today," I revealed sheepishly. "Nerissa only found out yesterday."

"Well, this complicates things," Kieren sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Will that jerk stop at nothing?"

"Well, we do have a plan if an attack were to occur," I revealed, sitting gingerly on the bed beside Kieren. "Hollie, Nerissa and I have studied the vaewolfe. We know how to destroy it!"

"Go on?"

"The Vaewolfe is known for its speed and strength; however, it lacks stamina. We have the numbers to outnumber the Vaewolfe, but we need something to confuse it so we can weaken it."

"Continue; I am listening."

"We attack it head-on with our strongest shapeshifters, then, we use a willing sacrifice that is willing to make a cut to allow some blood to seep, which in turn will attract the vampire side of their breed. Vampires can't deny themselves fresh blood, not one that is mixed with adrenaline anyway."

"Once the vaewolfe is preoccupied with the blood trap, we will have someone come from behind and stab a silver sword right into the nape of its neck, effectively rendering the vaewolfe semi-paralysed. Once he hits the floor, we will have a team of human warriors waiting with silver chains ready to bind the body, weakening his werewolf side. Finally, fire will kill the vampire side and eventually turn him to ash!"

Kieren sat there thoughtfully, stroking his beard as he listened to my plan, nodding every so often. I noticed the corners of his mouth curl into a smile as he looked up at me, his face filled with awe. Silently, he pulled me over and hugged me tightly while burying his head into my chest and sighing deeply. Slowly, he looked down at my bump and kissed it gently before looking up at me.

"You certainly have the brains. I hope my child is as clever as you, combined with my strength! That is a very good plan—one that cannot go wrong, surely?"

"I wouldn't have thought so if executed properly," I shrugged. "Nerissa is currently sharing our plan with the armies in case they come across the Vaewolfe. Once that beast is dead, Carlton and his whore will be nothing."

"Of course," Kieren smiled and exhaled loudly. "Anyway, enough talking about those two and their hybrid monster. I think it's time I showed you a little love," as he pulled me up onto the bed and the room began filling with the sweet sounds of my flirtatious giggles and Kieren's moans of appreciation.