Ivory Snow

King Alexander had a hard time sleeping that night. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

The party had run smoothly. As per usual, his mate and pup were fawned over.

Alex had struck gold the night he found out Maria was his mate. There had been a few doubters in the beginning - mainly from the females who had been hoping for the spot themselves - regarding Maria’s worthiness to be the next Queen.

Within the first year, the complaints turned to murmurs, and eventually fell away completely.

Maria was a true Queen. A true Luna to her people.

She had patience and kindness for all, something Alex struggled with from time to time.

She and Alex balanced each other out. He was the firm one, she was soft. He dealt just judgements. She dealt sympathy and supported the victims. Between the two of them, not one wolf went unheard and cared for.

Even the number of rogues and rogue attacks had gone down.

That was mainly due to Maria, of course.

She insisted on donating supplies to them regularly. In fact, when they asked, she insisted on making them officially part of their pack and kingdom.

So, what was this discomfort, this worry, that was picking at Alex?

The only dark side to the evening had been the presence of his mate’s sister.

Maria wanted to believe that Ava had changed. Alex couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was his job to protect his family and his kingdom after all.

He would be remiss if he failed at that.

It had not escaped the King’s notice when Dale escorted Ava out of the party, or her reaction to the beauty of Ivory. His pup had inherited quite a bit from both her parents.

Ivory was incredibly intelligent, she was soft when the moment called for it, and firm when it was needed. From the moment she learned to stand, she was baking in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother. She still spent quite a bit of her time there.

More than once, Alex had found her in the kitchen late at night, just like her mother.

Unfortunately, tonight was not the night that she should be wandering around freely. Alex specifically told her to not leave her room tonight, and even posted a guard outside her door.

Ivory did not understand why, nor was she happy about it. But she was innately an obedient pup. She didn’t complain and she didn’t dig for more reasons. She accepted his excuse of there being extra people in the castle and wanting to keep her safe.

He couldn’t divulge to her who he was specifically worried about.

Maria was also under strict orders to stay with him or her guard. The King did not fear for himself, only for his females.

He had received many reports about the Countess and her lands over the last dozen years. More than one male had been known to go missing.

They just disappeared, not one hair left behind.

Alex had been perplexed by the news, but now that he was lying in bed, nothing but silence to welcome his thoughts, he gave more thought into Dale and Ava’s behavior.

Dale was awfully protective of Ava. Bordering on possessiveness.

Ivory had made a comment after the two had finished greeting them, asking if Dale was her aunt’s mate. Alex had brushed it off while Maria explained who Dale was.

It was rather odd that Ava had not found another mate yet. Alex’s cousin had died some time ago.

Could Dale have been her mate?

Ava was not the loyal type, nor would she be accepting of his position. Could he be getting rid of anyone he found to be competition?

The missing person reports had included rumors around her village. Some said Ava was cursed. Anyone that she paid attention to would go missing within days.

It was so far-fetched that Alex had chosen not to give it much thought. However, if he knew his mate was sleeping with other males, he would gladly get rid of them.

None of this matched Dale’s personality though. Dale was submissive, meek. He was very smart and logical. He was a good advisor.

Obviously, the two had become good friends. They both would have felt the pain of losing the Count. Dale probably did not want to go through that again. Still, it would be best, for the time being, to keep extra guards around. Maria wouldn’t be happy about it, but that would include tomorrow as well.

Every year, for Ivory’s birthday, they took her to the beach.

There was a small cove the royal family kept private for just them. They had never had too many guards nearby. That was the one thing Maria had always struggled with. She grew up being free to roam where she wished. When she wished. After she became the Queen, that could no longer be.

If Alex requested his Captain to come, that would help. Ivory adored Richard. She loved her Uncle Andrew, but the Duke lived too far away. Ivory had enjoyed her time with him and his family these last few days. She had been saddened when they left so soon.

Richard had grown up with the King. They trained together. They fought together. Richard became Captain when Alex became King. He had been there every day of Ivory’s life, throwing her in the air, tickling her, and sneaking her treats when he thought her parents weren’t looking. Ivory had him wrapped around her little fingers. Always had and probably always would.

With this new plan for protection in place, Alex finally felt relaxed enough to fall asleep.

The next morning, as expected, Maria was not happy with it.

“Why, Alex? Why do we need them?” Maria stood behind him as he dressed in front of their wardrobe.

He didn’t need to see her to know that she was standing with her fists on her waist, a frown marring her beautiful face. Even still, he found this look to be an incredible turn on.

Alex sighed and turned around to face her, reaching for her hands. Nothing calmed a wolf faster than touching their mate. Some days he wished he never had to let go of her.

“I told you, Maria. There is a dark presence in this castle. I feel it creeping in more and more by the minute. I will not be able to relax until I know that I have done all in my power to keep you both safe. That means extra guards... or... canceling our trip.”

Maria gasped.

Alex had never failed to fulfill any of Ivory’s wishes. The male was hopeless when it came to that female pup. For him to even think about canceling, he had to feel very serious about this. Maria didn’t like it, but she would accept it.

After a long kiss, which they both would have loved to build on, they stepped away. Maria turned to her wardrobe while Alex went to answer the heavy knock on the door to their suite.

“You requested to see me?” Captain Richards said by way of greeting as he bowed at the waist.

“Yes. We are making our annual trip to the beach today. I would like to take more guards with us, including yourself.”

The Captain raised an eyebrow. “Is there something I need to know, your highness?”

Alex pursed his lips and creased his eyes. “Maybe, maybe not. I just have a feeling. We need you, Richard. Really, I should be canceling this trip, but it would break Ivory’s heart. I can’t bear to do that. Will you arrange for your best males to come with us?”

Captain Richard bowed slightly again. “As you wish, my Lord. They will be ready within the hour.”

Alex sighed with relief, feeling that this would change the outcome. If he could keep guards around them at all times, up until Ava left, he would.

An hour later, the royal family was greeted with half a dozen bodyguards at the castle’s main entrance.

Ivory had packed them a lunch, including a new recipe for an apple turnover she wanted her father to try. She called them her portable apple pies.

She was more concerned about the food than she was about the extra guards. She may be mature for her age, but she still had a long way to go in understanding the ways of the world. As far as she was concerned, it was just something that happened when you were a royal.

In the castle’s entryway, the King and Queen shifted into their wolf forms, leaving Ivory to carry the bag with their clothes. She had a pack she put them in, and a basket over her arm with their lunch.

The guards had bags with large handles that allowed them to carry their own clothes as they ran. Ivory never failed to offer her help, but they would not dare to have the Princess carry the clothes they had been wearing. They were there to serve her, not the other way around.

Once ready, the King lowered his haunches to the ground and waited for Ivory to climb up. When she was still a small pup, Maria would stay human with her. Now she was big enough to hold their things and hold tight to her father.

The King was a large wolf, his head nearly even with Ivory’s. As with all true Kings, Alex’s fur was a dark purple. So dark in fact, that it was nearly black.

The purple shimmer in the light let everyone know whose presence they were in.

As for the Queen, her fur had once been a honey brown color. After Alex was crowned King, she turned white, seeing as she was mated to him.

It was told that only the true King and Queen would be these colors. The coronation ceremony changed the royal born’s fur, along with their mate’s.

One day, when Ivory took over as Queen, Maria’s fur would go back to the honey brown, while Ivory’s would become white. Just as the King would shift back to the basic black he had been before, and Ivory’s mate would become dark purple.

No one was really sure why that was. There were many myths and legends surrounding it, most claiming that it was a way Mother Nature gave to the people to ensure only those worthy of ruling would be able too. There had never been any arguments over who should rule, so this theory had never been tested, at least not in hundreds of years.

Captain Richards led the way, the rest of his guards surrounding the family, as they headed out the door and to the forest.

Dale and Ava stood toward the back, hidden in a shadow of the hall, watching the party leave. They heard enough from the murmurs of the servants, and the guards speaking to the King. They were able to put together what was happening and create a plan of their own.

Well, Dale did. He was still unaware of all the puppet strings Ava had on him.

He was under the impression that he did everything of his own free will. He had no idea that Ava was controlling him. He didn’t think she was capable of such a thing.