Flames of Fury

Magnolia

“You nervous, Love? You’re so tense.” Varian stands behind me in front of the closet mirror and gently massages my shoulders and neck.

“Nervous, no. Just anxious. I can’t help but feel like this entire situation is my fault. I’m his target, from the very beginning that’s what this has been about. My dad and Dex getting captured, Griffin dying, the attack on Shadowmoon. All because of me.”

Varian’s grip tightens around my shoulders as he pulls me back towards him so my back is flush against the front of his body. He snakes an arm around my waist and slides the other one around the side of my neck forcing me to tilt my head to the side, exposing one side of my neck to him.

He runs his lips from my shoulder up my neck and behind my ear, growling softly the entire time and leaving gooseflesh in the wake of his petal soft lips. “It’s not your fault that Illian is a power hungry psychopath. I can’t exactly blame him for wanting what’s mine,” he nips at my ear, “but he was the one who chose violence, not you.”

He tongues over his mark on my neck, gently sucking and nipping at it and driving me wild with need. I melt in his arms but he holds me upright with ease, keeping me from falling at his feet in a puddle.

Ro saunters into the walk-in closet to the sight of Varian embracing me and taunting me with his skilled tongue. “I thought I smelled something good.” Ro flashes me a shit eating grin and I flush crimson with embarrassment.

He moves to face me and holds my gaze hostage with his ebon eyes. “Princess,” he purrs, “there’s no need to be bashful. Your scent, your desire, pleases our wolves greatly.”

Ro captures my lips in his with tender affection laced with dark promises.

“Fuck the banquet, let’s stay here.” I mewl, begging them to give me more; more of their touch, more of their tongues, everything, all of it.

Ro and Varian throw their heads back, howling with unrestrained laughter. “Oh Princess, you are trouble. Ember said you needed at least one more day to heal.” Ro says.

“And that’s if you’re taking it easy. As in, not leading an army into battle against a hostile enemy.” Varian teases.

“You’re right,” I sigh with feigned resignation and just barely slip out of their grasp, “but she didn’t say I couldn’t use my mouth.” I whisper into Varian’s ear just before I bolt out of the closet away from my mates. I know their wolves can’t resist the chase, in fact I’m counting on it.

Ro catches me as I’m about to jump off the balcony and take to the skies. “Oh, Princess, when this is all over you will pay for teasing us and our wolves.” He says to me through a sinister grin. “Now let’s get downstairs, everyone will be waiting for us.”

It’s been fifty years since the last time we threw a party large enough to need this room, but my mom hasn’t lost her touch at all. The hall is sprinkled with hundreds of round dining tables, each decorated with floral centerpieces and crisp white table cloths. She strategically assigned tables so that the wolves would be interspersed throughout our colony rather than sequestered to a corner of the room like they don’t belong.

Our parents are already seated at the long, head table along with our siblings and head guardians, Malin and Xander. I’m pleased to see that Ember is also sitting with us there.

As soon as our mothers spot us they come rushing up to steal our twins from us. “Hey kiddo,” my dad kisses the top of my head, “you ready for tonight?”

“Yeah, for the most part.” I force a weak laugh. “There’s a lot that needs to be said, I worry how Shadowmoon will take everything.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine, Mags. You saved their lives. They’re bound to love you…you’re so warm, affectionate, gentle —”

“Okay, now you’re making fun of me.” I elbow my dad in the gut.

“I’m just saying to relax. You thinking of talking to them before or after dinner?”

“Before.” I respond immediately with no hesitation. “I don’t think anyone will be able to stomach dinner with the amount of anxiety pulsing through the palace if I wait.”

My dad smiles at me warmly, in the way a father looks at his adult daughter but still sees that little girl that needed his help for everything. “Sounds good, Mags. Well, the room is yours whenever you’re ready.” He gives me another peck on the head and moves to join my mother who is shamelessly fawning over Calla.

“Come on, Princess,” Ro slaps me playfully on the ass, “let’s get this over with, like ripping out a spine.”

“I don’t think that’s the expression.” I say flatly but his grin only widens.

I lead us up the arboreal double staircase that frames one side of the room. From the top of the landing you can see the entire ballroom.

Everyone is already seated and are starting to shift in their seats anxious for our announcements.

Ro and Varian stand on either side of me, and with one final nod of encouragement from Varian I begin.

“Good evening everyone. Thank you all for being here tonight and to those of you who made this happen on such short notice.” I pause while the colony claps and cheers on the kitchen and palace staff that have been working double time to prepare today.

“As you look around the crowd tonight you’ll probably notice some new faces, but you may not be fully aware of the circumstances that lead to their presence here tonight. This story begins nearly six months ago when we received a letter from a self-proclaimed dragon king, King Illian of Drow Hollow, demanding my hand in marriage.”

The colony begins to murmur and whisper, my mates growl slightly from next to me, there isn’t a single soul in this room that wants me to marry outside of the colony.

“When my father, King Bastian, and uncle Dex went to decline his offer they were taken prisoner. This was the catalyst behind our new alliance with the wolves of Shadowmoon, they unreservedly answered our call for aid.”

Varian nearly chokes on a laugh beside me, he knows that there were reservations about having us on pack lands but those were quickly dispelled so I felt like I could just gloss over that minor detail.

“It turns out that Shadowmoon holds more significance than just allies.” I look towards Ro at this point because I think this next part should come from them, but he shakes his head and nudges me to continue.

“Alpha Ro and Alpha Varian have claimed me as their mate, as I have claimed them. Five months ago we were preparing to announce our union to all of you, but when I learned of my father’s and uncle’s whereabouts, instead of turning to my colony and to my mates, I attempted to solo the mission.”

I pause, waiting for outrage, waiting for them to be angry with me and demand answers and apologies. But the room remains silent and everyone remains focused on what I have to say.

“My arrival in Drow Hollow set my father and uncle free, but I was trapped in the process and spent five months looking for a way out.”

I could feel the heat in the room increasing, not from fire or flames, but from the energy the wolves generate when trying to shift – or prevent themselves from shifting.

They’re not angry at you, Princess. As always, Ro can read me like a book, reassuring me when he sensed my nerves beginning to grow.

They think we hid the truth from them while you were gone, denying them of their Luna.

Well that would explain the wolves’ behavior. My colony would be just as upset if I had intentionally lied to their faces for that long. But Ro and Varian are not at fault here.

“Shadowmoon, your Alphas did not lie to you nor did they abandon me. Circumstances beyond their control caused them to lose their memory of our bond until we were reunited a few days ago. We have confirmation now that today’s attack on Shadowmoon was a consequence of my escape from Drow Hollow. I’m truly sorry that he used you to get to me. I learned in Drow Hollow that Illian wanted more than marriage, he wanted to use me as a broodmare to increase his power and his status. I don’t tell you this to upset you, I don’t tell you this to excuse the culpability I feel over today’s attack…I tell you this so that when we rain hellfire on them tomorrow you’ll know exactly what kind of monster we’re taking down and why.”

The hall erupts in cheers from the guards and warriors both Twilight Grove and Shadowmoon alike causing a rush of warmth and electricity to crackle through my veins and across my skin.

“I will not stand by and allow the likes of Ian to take me from my home. I will not stand by and allow him to take you from yours. And after his filth has been cleansed and flushed from the hole in which they hide we will return to celebrate our safety and prosperity, we will mourn and honor our fallen, and we will officially welcome mine, Ro’s, and Varian’s flesh and blood, the newest heirs to Twilight Grove and Shadowmoon.”

The room breathes for a moment, silently waiting for me to continue my speech when a voice from near the back of the room thunders across the hall. “For our Luna!” The man bellows.

This sets off a chain reaction of other warriors, many of whom I trained with personally, chanting “Luna” and declaring themselves to fight in tomorrow’s war. The guardians of the grove join in, and soon men, women, and children alike are cheering and clapping, wide smiles on their faces as they hoot and holler.

Ro is the first to grab me by the neck and slam his lips to mine in front of everyone, followed greedily by Varian. The people go even crazier than before, thrilled by our union and feeling confident about Ian’s demise.

“That went well I think,” I smile against Varian’s lips.

“Come, Princess, the pack wants their Luna.” Ro beams at me, flooding our bond with overwhelming pride and adoration.

Just as before, I lead us down the stairs with Ro and Varian behind and on either side of me. The colony and pack tuck into their dinners as the three of us visit every table, shaking hands, soothing nerves, comforting those who have already experienced loss today, reassuring everyone that we will come out of this victoriously.

Every twenty minutes Varian steals a tray from a passing waiter and spoon feeds me on the go.

“I can feed myself you know,” I tease him the first time he attempts to feed me.

“You worry about taking care of everyone, let me take care of you.” He purrs and I want nothing more than to walk out of this room and curl myself into him and fall into oblivion.

By the end of the night I feel relieved that the pack seems accepting of me and were kind and understanding as I explained the events of the last six months. But any relief I felt left a vacuum for trepidation and anxiety to swoop in and fill.

I vowed that we would eradicate Ian and anyone who enables him — and tomorrow is the day I deliver on that promise.