The Dark Rising (The Hidden of Vrohkaria Book Two)

I make my way down the stairs after grabbing a quick shower, making sure Rhea’s scent is completely washed off. I loathe it.

Heading to the main hall where I know Charles will be waiting for me, I steel myself for his presence. Maverick came and informed me that Charles ported to Vokheim Keep with some of his guards and Maize, just moments before I went looking for Rhea. I knew he would come eventually with what he said to me when we last spoke. I just didn’t think it would be this soon.

Leo waits for me at the entrance to the hall and gives me a small nod, his jaw clenching, letting me know he’s pissed at something. No doubt Charles has run his mouth. He opens the large, double doors and moves to the side to let me pass through, following behind me. My Elites sit on the bench seats of the long tables, and their chatter quickly dies down at my entrance. I walk down the middle, my boots heavy on the stone floor with every step I take.

Keeping my mask firmly in place as their Alpha, I look over the ones who are meant to be loyal to me and me alone. Yet some meet my eyes, a swirl of defiance in them and I keep a mental note to tell my brothers the names of the ones that defy me, that disrespect me by meeting my stare. I release my dominance into the space and some sit up straighter, my strength making their focus intent on my every move as I make my way down the aisle.

Charles sits at the largest table in the hall at the end of the room. It’s raised on a small platform where my brothers and I sit when we hold meetings here or dine. I nearly snarl at him taking my seat at the center of the table, but now that I know what he has been doing to his own people, unbeknownst to them apart from those involved, it’s even harder to keep Drax in check with his possessiveness of our place.

I walk up the two small steps to my table and stop directly in front of him as he lounges back in my seat. Maize, sitting on his left, throws a flirtatious smile at me as she leans forward to give me a view of her tits that are spilling out of her top, that I have zero interest in.

“Alpha Darius,” she purrs. My back teeth grind. “I have been waiting to see you. Come, sit.” She gestures to the empty seat next to her while I just stare blankly. When she realizes I’m not moving, she pouts and slumps, crossing her arms and looking around the room.

My eyes move to Charles. “What are you doing here? If you needed to speak to me I would have come to Wolvorn Castle.”

He takes a sip of wine, my wine, swirling it in his glass as he gives me a hard look over the rim. “I have news I need to share with you immediately,” is all he says as I wait for more.

He doesn’t give me more, and I bite my tongue, drawing blood. Drax stands taller. “And what is this news?” I lean forward and take a small piece of bread, biting into it as I wait for his reply.

“Alpha Paul and his son Patrick left Wolvorn to go home to an empty house.”

I scrunch my brows. “That’s a problem because? Did Alpha Paul’s mate leave him?” I act a little interested, chewing slowly. I take another bite of the homemade bread and wait for him to continue, knowing it’s the game he plays. Only he doesn’t know that I now play it too.

Charles sighs and places his glass down on the table, hard. “His mate is there, that’s not the problem. The problem is that Patrick’s soon-to-be-mate is missing. Once again.”

“How the fuck is she missing again? We just retrieved her from Eridian a few months ago.” I throw the bread left onto the table and fold my arms, staring him down. “I cannot go on another task of hide and seek, there is too much to do.”

“You will do what I say,” Charles booms, and the room stills. You can feel the tension rising, my Elites restless while others hunger for my blood.

“Get out,” I order my Elites, barely managing to contain my fury, barely managing to not leap over this table and rip his head off with my bare hands. My Elites rise from their seats, wasting no time to remove themselves from the hall. When they’re all gone, I give Charles a warning look. “Do not come into my keep and order me to do what you say. You forget, I help you because I choose to.”

He lets out a low laugh, his dark eyes cruel. “Darius, how do you think that is true? I am the ruling authority over Vrohkaria, my word is law, you know that from our last meeting. If I tell you to do something, you will. You are beneath my heel!” He slams his hands down on the table and it cracks, the wood shattering beneath his force as he stands.

I don’t move. Not when pieces of wood slice my cheek and hit my body, or when the rest of the table crumbles to the ground, food and drink wasted. I feel Leo move close to me, his body tense as he waits for my word, but I give him none. I wipe my t-shirt down with my hands, getting bits of wood from it and raise my head at Charles.

“You may be Lord Higher, but you know I do not cater to anyone. I have helped you because my father asked it of me with his dying breath. I adhere to the Laws of Vrohkaria, but that is not you. Be careful, Charles, or you will lose the support of the Elites if you continue to try and make me your errand boy.”

His eyes flash indigo, and I narrow my own on him, feeling warmth at my neck at my markings wanting to appear at the show of power before me. “You will not have the loyalty of the Elites for long, Darius, without my help. I already have their families coming to me, concerned now that an Heir is Alpha of the Elites. Who do you think appeases their worries? I do. Without me, you would no longer be the Alpha of the Elites.

“I couldn’t give a fuck what people think. I am the Heir of Cazier, I am a Canaric wolf, and there is nothing that can change that, nor my position as Alpha.”

“We have already discussed how I could replace you,” he muses, and I bristle. He helps Maize up from her chair with a hand. She smiles up at him, biting her lip, and I want to snap her neck. “You will search for Sarah, you will bed Maize and produce offspring in the meantime while we look for Lasandrhea. When she is found, we will produce children with her as well, we will proceed as I demand it.” Over my dead fucking body. “You will do what you are told before I gather the Highers and make a call to position, and force you in the seat your father left you. Do you understand, Darius?” His dark eyes bore into mine, but mine are just as dark.

“You cannot force me into a seat.”

“I can and I will, it is bound by oath. There is no escaping it.” That’s what he thinks. “This is your last warning. I will not tolerate any more from you. A mating will settle the people, will help ease the rebellion that they seem to think will change anything. Then we can once again focus on the bigger problem. Ending the rogures.” He walks forward, leaving Maize behind the table and stopping when he’s next to me. “I will be talking to the Elites that were at the Kazari pack the day Sarah disappeared and you will do as I require straight away.” I clench my jaw. “You are pulling away, Darius, don’t think I can’t see it. I’m busy, not blind, and I will find out what has made you this way and crush it, to remind you who you adhere to.” He walks away without another word. I take a few deep breaths, feeling the rush of power that wants to escape at my feet.

“Darius,” Maize purrs. Her voice grates on me, like knives peeling my flesh. “This mating will be a blessing, you will see. I do hope we can try… a lot.” I step away and she moves closer. Leo clears his throat and my head swings his way.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Leo says, glaring at Maize before he walks down the hall.

“Go upstairs, third room on the right and no further. I’ll join you shortly.“ She smiles, all teeth, and arches her back a little.

She does nothing for me, absolutely nothing.

“Of course, Alpha Darius, I will be eagerly waiting.” She runs a finger down my arm as she passes, and I want to break them as revulsion spears through me.

I know Charles said he wanted us to mate, to create pups to put the people at ease. To make it known that I, the Heir of Cazier, have settled down and it will make the people think I’m not dangerous.

He’s wrong.

I will always be dangerous to those that hurt mine, to those that hurt the people.

And the Highers and Maize are those people.

As soon as the door to the hall closes, and Maize does as she has been told, my power explodes and the room shakes with its magic as I growl loud, staring at the floor. Black mist swirls around my ankles, rising up my entire body like a whirlwind. Bits of wood flow into the strength of it, faster and faster until a blast of power releases from me, sending those pieces of wood flying out in different directions and crashing into the walls.

“Motherfucker,” I growl, my breathing rapid. I clench my fists, squeezing and releasing. The mist surrounding me spins widely, and I let it free as it twines. Strands lash out, and all I can see is complete darkness for a second before I hear Leo.

“Darius, brother. Calm down,” he calls, and I suck in a breath as Drax growls low. I breath deep a few times before I gain control, knowing there is something I need to do. My magic comes to a stop and I recall it, letting it sink into my body as Drax growls and snarls within me. “What are you going to do?” Leo asks, tentatively coming to stand in front of me. “Do you think maybe you should go and find another mate to give us more time? We need to find those missing and where they have been hidden.”

“The last thing I want is to fucking mate another, Leo,” I tell him, looking down at my arm and the mark where Rhea’s bite is. It’s concealed to everyone else but me and her, unless I allow it. “I don’t have time to be fucking around with this shit.”

“What if we find someone and just pretend you’re going to produce an Heir?”

“That will require mating bites, I can’t do that,” I sigh, looking around at the mess of the hall. Plus, I don’t think she would survive long if my little wolf got a hold of her.

I feel Leo’s stare bore into the side of my face. “Then what do we do?”

I move toward the exit. “We find the location where he’s keeping the wolves and we end it. We’re running out of time where he is concerned.” I pause and look at him. “Come to the basement, then I will deal with the bitch upstairs.”

Leo sighs but follows me anyway.

Closing the basement door behind me, Damian rests against the wall, his eyes full of concern. I brush it off as I walk down the hallway, Damian and Leo following. I roll my shoulders as I reach the bottom of the stairs, looking up at them and taking a deep breath. Drax’s hackles rise, wanting to tear out of my skin and rip Maize apart, knowing she’s just above, waiting for me.

But she is no threat to Rhea. He doesn’t understand that as my magic pores out from my body, a mist shadowing my skin.

Calm I say to him, and he snarls so forcefully that my teeth bare.

I didn’t expect Charles to come here, or to bring Maize.

Not now, not yet.

The threat of what Charles said hangs heavy over my head when we last spoke, of what he said he would do to my men and Kade.

Stretching my neck to the side, I head up the stairs. Dread settles inside of me, and I know whatever happens in that room, it will change the course going forward.

I don’t know how fast things will change, if I can hide it, if I can make it work to where no one knows for a time until we get things sorted enough here.

But I have to try and do something to give me more time until the unknown breaks loose.

Every step I take, my shoulders stiffen in resolve.

A scream suddenly sounds from up the stairs, and my head snaps to it as Leo and Damian are instantly at my side. I’m rushing up the stairs in the next second, unsure of who that was, but worry very much at the forefront of my mind.

No one should be up there apart from Maize, and Rhea is locked in our room with my magic, far away from where I sent Maize.

We take the steps two at a time, pausing at the top as silence descends. I tilt my head, trying to listen to where that scream came from.

A gurgle reaches my ears, and I’m walking down the hallway in the next moment. Rounding a corner, the smell of blood hits me, and unease fills me.

I sense Damian and Leo tensing at my back as we move further down, following the scent of blood. I spot an open door to my left, the one where I sent Maize, and I look over my shoulder to them and nod in its direction. My blade is in my hand in the next second, wondering who the blood is from and if someone else came up here without my permission.

Another gurgle, and then nothing.

I reach the entrance to the bedroom and pull up short, my eyes taking in the scene before me.

“Fuck.”