Sins Among Royals

Noah walked alongside Wade. His temper was foul, his mood was black but as they grew further from his room his mind strayed from Indie and towards the task at hand.

“What is she doing?” He questioned Wade quickly as he concentrated on the steps he took so that he wasn’t thinking of the boner in his pants. Luckily for Noah his sweat pants gave him plenty of room to move around.

“She has him in the top part of the prison and is threatening to kill him unless you listen to her demands.” Noah didn’t time the sound of the words coming from Wade’s lips.

“Knowing my sister, Fletcher is going to die anyway if I make it or not. Have Christiansen and his men blend into the tree line and up in the hills. Tell Nathaniel and Andrew to be ready. If she wants to challenge me for the crown and the throne so be it. I’m sick of her.” He sighed in frustration. “Where is my father? Have him taken care of. Make sure he’s safe.”

Noah knew something was wrong when the look on Wade’s face was marred with sadness. “Has no one told you Master?”

Noah’s heart broke all over again before Wade had even confirmed what he was thinking.

“Your father went to visit her and she....Andrew said she was muttering some kind of spell and took his life force.....or something like that.” Wade then took a breath and muttered his apologies.

“It isn’t your fault Wade. No one was to know what my father was going to do.” Part of Noah felt like his father had been down to see Ebony purposefully to meet his death but he couldn’t be sure. It was often said that if one mate died the other would find them shortly after so that they could travel into the afterlife together. If that was the case then there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent Victor’s death. He would have found a way to join Grace regardless but Noah was more than annoyed at Ebony. If she could do that to the man that gave her life what would she do to him?

The pair walked out towards the prison, “I will leave you here Master Noah and find Alpha Christiansen and Master Nathaniel. Amber is down near the dungeons.” Wade was uncertain of what his boss had planned but he knew there would be some kind of a plan.

“Thank you Wade,” Noah nodded quickly and watched as he dashed off towards the trees. He sighed heavily. After everything was done all Noah wanted to do was take a nice, long holiday.

He turned his attention back to where he was going and continued walking. It was time to finish what his bitch of a sister had started. Noah was glad that she was still erratic, still unpredictable and out of control, it meant that he would go into it expecting the worst of her,expecting her to use any means necessary to gain an upper hand. He was ready.

Noah reached the crowded guard booth where everyone had retreated to, in the darkness of night he saw only the outlines of their bodies against the dark landscape behind them. As he drew closer the group realised it was him and soon he was met with Amber who looked concerned to say the least.

Noah understood. His team of guards were highly trained and tight knit and many of them did everything together. They had already lost two to Astrid and there was now a risk that Fletcher would also be added to the list of casualties. Noah hoped his sister wasn’t so cold and callous but he wasn’t hopeful. There was a chance Fletcher was already dead.

“Master Noah,” Amber muttered quickly. Noah observed her closely and he saw her tear stained cheeks, the redness around her eyes and the slouch of her shoulders. Was he too late?

“Get everyone to spread out around the grounds. I’m going to release her,” Noah ordered her quickly and watched her nod to every word. “If she tries to run then kill her. Make sure she’s dead.”

“Why are you letting her out Master?” Amber couldn’t help but question him as her brow furrowed in confusion. She didn’t understand what he was doing.

“My sister will challenge me for the throne. I will allow her but I can’t fight her in a confined space so I will allow her access to the grounds. If she runs or pulls a dirty move then kill her. Simple.” There was no more messing around, there were no more second chances for Ebony.

Most of the security team dispersed as Noah reached the top of the stairs that descended into the prison. It had become too common. He hated visiting the dungeons and since returning from his journey with Indie he had visited more in the last few days than he ever had in the rest of his life.

It was a dark depressing place and now he had many negative memories attached to it. With each step he took towards the metal gate Noah felt his nerves spike as he tried to remain calm and stay positive.

There were a couple of guards standing just off of the entrance and he stopped and held his hand out, “lend me your weapon.” He demanded gently as the man obliged and placed his gun into Noah’s open palm. He then addressed all of them then, “go up to the booth and wait. I’ll be fine.” He needed to have words with his sister. He needed to ask her things and he needed to do that in the absence of others.

The three men nodded and quickly disappeared up passed their leader.

It was then that he heard her calling to him. ” Brother dearest is that you?!” Her voice was shrill, very similar to how he remembered Astrid sounding and as he took the last few steps to stand in front of the door. In the distance he saw her, she held Fletcher by the scruff of his neck but by the look of it he was struggling. His face was bruised and one of his eyes was half closed. His weapon lay scattered across the floor shattered into a thousand pieces.

“Release him,” Noah demanded sternly and he watched as she released her grip. Fletcher fell to the floor and gasped for breath. “You’ll not kill anyone else or I will bury a bullet between your eyes. Do you understand?” There was very little emotion to his voice, he had nothing to spare for her. She had ceased being his sister when he found out what she had done to Lori. “Fletcher hurry. Get over here and head on up to Nathaniel. He’ll be able to treat you.” Noah found it useful with Nathaniel being around and wondered if the vampire would agree to stick around. There was so much they could learn from him and so much that could be of use to their world that he had been giving it serious thought.

He watched as Fletcher scurried along the floor and landed against the gate, “Master,” Fletcher choked out as Noah saw the angry red marks on the man’s neck, “thank you,” Noah pulled the gate open enough for Fletcher to squeeze through and he did so gratefully.

Fletcher scrambled up the stairs as Noah shut the gate and looked blankly at his sister. The metal of the gun handle growing warm in his grasp. “Rogan survived.” Noah muttered as he saw a look of shock on his sister’s face, “he told me everything.” Part of Noah was having trouble accepting everything Rogan had accused her of but as he stood there in front of her he realised that she did not give a shit.

Her shock turned to a wicked sneer in the blink of an eye, “I knew I should have finished the bastard before I left. He knew too much.” She dragged her words and put emphasis on them which sounded strange to Noah’s ears.

“What of Raif?” He pressed her for answers. “What have you done to him?” Noah was hopeful that nothing bad had befallen him but with the dark look in his sister’s eyes that hope quickly faded.

“That worthless piece of shit,” she mumbled almost incoherently. “You can probably find his rotting corpse where I left it. In the hunting cabin in the forest behind our home.” To Noah’s dismay she cackled and laughed with amusement. How could anyone be so cold, so heartless.

“And father? Why did he deserve to die?” Though Noah knew his father would have found any way possible to join their mother it still saddened him that Ebony had so little respect for him that she would kill him in such a cold, dark place.

Again she cackled, the noise reverberating through the stone around her. “He gave everything to you and Lori when it should have been mine! I’m the oldest! It was my right to challenge him for the throne.” She screamed at him as she answered his question, it was clear to Noah that Ebony was very much deluded.

“If you wanted it so badly you could have just asked.” Noah responded in all seriousness. “I don’t particularly enjoy all the attention and pomp that comes with the throne and the crown.” It was the truth. There was far too much to worry about, too many packs to keep in line and Noah realised he hated it.

“You wouldn’t have given it to me. Don’t tease me little brother!” She screamed again.

“If you want this castle and the throne then challenge me for it. We will fight to the death. Winner takes all.” Ebony was instantly confident of her chances of winning but she didn’t know what her little brother was capable of. In her mind she would win because she had taken their father’s life force and his knowledge and experience. In her mind there was no way for him to win.

He turned from the gate and headed back up the stairs and towards the grounds. His sister followed him shortly after. They stood just staring at each other as tension filled the air around them.

“Just know that if you kill me there is a kill order anyway so you will die regardless.” Noah smirked as Ebony growled.

“I challenge you Noah to a fight of our beasts! May the best wolf win!” Ebony began shifting and noticed her brother just stood watching her. Noah wanted to make sure her shift was well underway before he began.

He thought that perhaps he would still be tired from chasing India around the castle but the deep desire he felt to tear something to shreds left him feeling differently. A darkness began seeping into his mind as anger and rage took hold. He saw his sister’s human skin begin to fall away, thick tufts of fur began sprouting all over her body as she knelt on all fours.

Noah waited a moment longer before releasing his anger in the form of a long, low howl. His sisters wolf tried looking up to watch Noah transform but it was clear that her beast was inflicting pain on itself any time it tried. Noah’s shoulders bunched and the muscles in his legs tightened. It felt as though his body was pulsing with a new found energy and when a bipedal lupine form appeared from his human form he knew it was different. It felt different.

Ebony shift finished shortly after and Noah’s beast knew instantly that the little wolf was scared.

It snarled and snapped it’s jaws almost hysterically as if in warning to stay away.

Noah would do anything but. It was time to end things.