The Lycan's Queen - Christmas Special

ADONIS

I looked out over the crowd of wolves, clutching the podium tightly. I put on my best king voice, booming and confident. No matter how many times I addressed the public, I never enjoyed doing this.

“Welcome, one and all, to the first Royal Hunt of the Christmas season! It is my honor to hunt alongside you. The bounty of my woods is yours to share.” There was polite applause from the crowd.

My brother and sister were here, and I had to play host to the local alphas, lunas, betas, and whoever else the packs had elected to send for the latest dog-and-pony show.

The guests weren’t even all here yet, just the many local packs, but it was already enough to get on my nerves. I wanted to blow it off, but Aarya was playing her part. I couldn’t do less.

The Royal Forests were packed with game. With this many hunters, it wouldn’t be my preferred type of chase. Even broken down into smaller groups, the prey was likely to sense us.

At least I’d get to let loose. I held up my hand. “Let the hunt begin!” A joyous cry met my words, and the crowd broke into hunting parties. I headed into the forest, trusting my group to follow.

The shade of the trees was a relief. I took a deep breath, glad for the break. Having so many in the palace made the air thick with strange smells, perfumes, detergents, and sweat.

The scent of so many unknown people aggravated my lycan and put me on edge. Here, there was just me, the outdoors, and the five people in my hunting party. Much more to my liking.

It was strange, though. Despite the cool forest air in my lungs and the pleasing distraction of searching for boar tracks, I couldn’t relax. My lycan prowled in my chest.

I wanted to shift, to drop to all fours and run, to take full advantage of my hearing and sense of smell. I must have been feeling more cooped up than I’d realized.

I would need to give myself more chances to exercise. It wouldn’t be good to let my lycan get the better of me in the middle of the celebration.

A teasing voice pulled me from my distraction. “Thinking deep thoughts? Unusual for you.”

Damien had joined me for the hunt and was now walking alongside me. I could use this time to bond with him. I shouldn’t let the chance slip by just because I was on edge. “How is Elodie doing?”

His expression clouded. “Not too well, actually. She’s having nightmares. That piece of filth Jordon still haunts her.”

I spat on the ground. “Some filth deserve more than one death.”

He shook his head, staring off into the trees. “If killing him, again and again, would help her, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But this isn’t the kind of thing that I can fight.”

This wasn’t the kind of problem I was good at solving. I clapped him on the arm, wishing I could do more. “I’m sure having your support means a lot. When she wakes, you’re here. That’s what matters.”

“I hope so,” Damien said, eyes still distant. He shook himself and smiled at me. I hoped my advice had helped, that he wasn’t just blowing me off.

“This is all a bit grim for Christmas,” Damien said. “We should focus on the positive, like my niece’s blessing ceremony.”

I laughed, running my hand through my hair. “I wish it were positive. Aarya’s going along with it, but she’s not happy, and I can’t blame her.”

“One public event too many, eh?” he said, sympathetic. None of my family had taken to the showmanship of royalty, though I was much better than I’d used to be.

I shrugged, taking the chance to roll some tension out of my shoulders. Agitation prickled at the back of my neck. “She doesn’t have a problem with the actual ceremony. There’s not much to it.”

Damien cocked his head. “What does it entail? I don’t think we had to do this one.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s old. The council will do a reading and Devi will be anointed with blood and formally presented to the court. Shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Damien said, glancing at me curiously. He didn’t ask, just waited to see if I would speak. He was well suited to his job as a detective.

I sighed. “What’s pissing Aarya off is, if we’d had a son, no one would be demanding this. And she’s right, of course.” I rolled my shoulders again, my irritation only growing.

I couldn’t stop from turning at every snap of a twig or distant howl. I scented the air each time the wind shifted. Each time I found nothing, but my lycan refused to settle.

Damien raised his eyebrows. “You’re really going forward with naming Devi as your heir?”

“Absolutely. What good did following the traditions do for our family? I don’t want her to run away once she's old enough.” I glanced over my shoulder, frowning.

Damien stopped, lifting his nose to scent the air, too. “What are you looking at, Adonis? Do you smell something?”

I shook my head, shifting from foot to foot. “I don’t know. Something’s just bothering me. It’s probably nothing—”

A terrible groaning noise cut me off. A bear came barreling out of the bushes, trampling everything in its path. This was no black bear but a full-grown grizzly, probably nine feet on its hind legs.

Grizzlies rarely attacked humans, much less a wolf pack. The scent of the lycan alone should have caused it to give us a wide berth, but it was coming right at me. Foam flecked its muzzle.

I shoved Damien aside and braced myself. The bear hit me like a freight train. It brought its full weight down on my left leg. I felt the bone snap, felt its hot breath on my face.

Pain flooded my entire body, agony in my leg, pressure on my ribs where one huge paw covered my chest, fire in my shoulder as it clamped its jaws down. I struggled, but it only made the teeth bite deeper.

My blood roared in my ears, and my vision went white. The weight on me increased so much I couldn’t breathe, then it was removed just as suddenly. I heard Damien shouting and felt hands lifting me.

I drifted, unable to focus on anything but breathing. That seemed to take all of my concentration. The pain in my leg climbed up my spine and made a home in my chest.

Familiar scents surrounded me, soothing me. Our room. Aarya was here. She must be. I could hear her voice, a balm to my fevered body.

I wanted to rise, to comfort her, but I couldn’t even make myself speak. The darkness was closing in on me again. I struggled against it. I needed to see her, needed—

She was there, Gabe’s hands on her shoulders, hair loose around her head, face streaked with tears. My beautiful mate’s eyes filled with furious black and she roared her grief.

She broke free of Gabe. Luke and Damien jumped in, Damien wrapping his arms around her neck, trying to wrestle her to the ground.

Someone shouted in the distance. “Aarya, calm down! You must restrain yourself!”

She needed me. But I was being swept away by a terrible current, one I couldn’t resist. Soon, even her scent faded from me and I knew nothing more.