Chapter 44

"Those people aren't worthy of the title!"

Adolph sat on his throne, impatiently. The nobles had been bickering for the better part of the meeting about what should and shouldn't be done, who did, and who didn't deserve to be noblemen.

Adolph had a list of brave soldiers, alive and dead, and alphas of packs who had contributed to the war efforts. All of them, he planned to make noblemen, but the ministers refused. They were nobles, and they did not want more people to share their honor and power.

Gavin lifted his nose with the little superior sneer Adolph had seen far too often, "How could we allow those uncouth people to become nobles? Imagine all those hicks pouring into our city... What a mess!"

"I need useful courtiers, Gavin," Adolph gave him a pointed look. "If you and the rest of you were adequate, maybe I wouldn't need to look for others."

Gavin was speechless. The other ministers trembled and quaked with shock, looking to Gavin to say something in retort, but Adolph had endured enough their ridiculousness.

"Y-Your Majesty-"

"Enough," Adolph growled, silencing them. "I have made the decision. Chasel will select the new noble candidates. As for you all"

He glared at each of them as he stood from his throne, "Maybe you'll find something worthy of your titles to do. Otherwise, these people will replace you."

They stammered and stuttered as he left the chamber. He wanted to get all of the nobles out of the ministerial positions as soon as possible and regretted not doing it before the war began. They had helped manage the internal affairs of the kingdom for more than ten years. Not all of them had been terrible before he left, but they had grown complacent in their positions, comfortable in his absence.

Now that he'd returned, it was time to get rid of the worst of them and replace them with people who would support the kingdom the way nobles were meant to do. He'd tolerated their idiocy long enough. The war was over, but the danger wasn't and his people needed help from the throne more than ever.

The vampires would not be able to attack their borders again in the short term, but he knew the vampire queen was still alive. Until that cunning, evil, cruel woman was dead, he had to be vigilant. She had been behind the attempt to poison him. Who knew what else she was plotting in the shadows.

He stopped in an empty corridor, looking out the window into the oncoming twilight with a little sigh. Golden orange light spilled over the lands around the castle, setting the area in a warm glow.

He was tired somewhere deep down in his spirit and had been for a while. He'd been able to ignore it while on the front line, but now, back in the Imperial City, there was no way he could ignore it.

He was a werewolf in his prime. He shouldn't be tired, but he was. Chasel said that perhaps he had been without a mate for too long and had rejoiced when Adolph told him about Laurel. No werewolf could get to be over forty without a mate and expect to maintain his sanity and strength. Marrying Olivia had been a short-term solution to stabilize him during the war, but after her death, he'd been constantly fighting the fatigue and degradation of his stability.

Then Laurel had been balanced in a tree overlooking the parade and had changed everything.

*Laurel.* The thought of her brought a smile to his face. *My mate.*

She was a gift to him from the moon goddess. He had almost given up hope of finding his fated mate when Laurel appeared: beautiful, spirited, and the embodiment of almost every virtue. Adolph knew his power would increase when she became his luna formally. Under their rule, the werewolf kingdom would flourish. He did not doubt their potential.

How to reach that potential was the problem.

He didn't know how to please women. He had so little experience doing so and he knew it. It was why he struggled with how to treat Laurel. He'd picked up most of what he thought was the proper way to do so from observing others, but it wasn't enough.

He still felt as though Laurel was seated on some perilous height, close enough to see, but too far to grasp. If he pushed too hard, she would jump and be ferried away into the distance on the wind never to be seen again.

After so many years as the revered and feared King Adolph, he wondered for the first time if he had any charms beyond that. Sure, he was powerful and respected, but maybe he was too old to hold her attention. Their age difference was indeed a problem, but they were mates. Fated mates, he could feel it. If the moon goddess had seen fit to bring them together then their age difference couldn't be an insurmountable challenge, right?

Laurel was young, but there was something about her that had always struck him as odd for her age, a suspicion he hadn't been able to shake.

There was a story in Laurel beyond being Jack's daughter. Maybe she had been hurt in a past relationship, but there was no way he could imagine what great hurt a seventeen-year-old girl growing up in a border pack could have experienced. Why was she so reluctant to trust people, let alone her mate?

It didn't make much sense.

Maybe he should look into it, but how?

He turned from the window and walked down the corridors of the castle. Night was falling over the city. He headed towards Laurel's office to invite her to dinner

"Believe me! I saw it! She cried and followed a man away." A woman's shrill voice caught his attention and stopped him in the hallway. He didn't recognize the voice, but it annoyed him. "I told you she was a whore who only seduced people! How dare she seduce another man in the castle beside the king! I'm sorry I didn't get to see who the man was..."

Adolph frowned, listening to the tale. It didn't seem like something Laurel would do. It had to be a mistake or a misunderstanding.

"How dare she!" Adolph recognized this voice as his son's. Didn't he know better than to stand around gossiping? How long had he had all these strange hobbies? "She was still crying in my mother's office when I found her, saying that it wasn't her request, that my father had made her move there. I believed her for a moment, but it seemed she was just lying to me! That damn woman is exactly like Laura and always pissing me off-"

"Don't mention her in front of me!" The first woman cried and Adolph realized that the woman had to be Delia, his wife. "Do you still love her-"

Adolph pushed the door open and walked in to glare at them both. Delia sucked in a fearful breath as Basil looked up at him. She stepped back as Adolph felt himself starting to shake with fury. He glared at Delia then at Basil as his son crossed the room to him with such a happy expression he wanted to call him an idiot.

If Basil wasn't his son, he would have punched him in the face!

"Father-"

"Care to explain what you were discussing?" Adolph asked, his voice cold.

Basil rushed towards him, "We were talking about Laurel! Father, how can you tolerate her stealing my wife's job and taking over my mother's office? She always pretends to be pathetic, but she is a-"

"You're an idiot," Adolph said glaring at him. Basil drew back and shut his mouth. The sight of his shock only anger him further and Adolph growled, "I gave her that room! The luna's room belongs only to the luna of the kingdom."

Basil frowned, looking back at Delia who had retreated several more steps.

"But Delia-"

"What about her?" Adolph sneered. "You think your wicked wife can serve as the luna of this kingdom? How could you be so stupid?"

"B-But father-"

"And you," Adolph growled looking at Delia who flinched and let out a fearful sound as he growled at her. "Where is Laurel? Where did she go?"

Delia's legs were shaking and she whispered, "I-I saw her leave the castle with a man..."

Adolph scoffed and left them to their idiocy and fear. If she wanted to gossip, the least she could do was have useful information. Adolph headed to the entrance of the castle and rushed out into the night and down the steps. His heart was burning with fear that Laurel had left the city already. He remembered the strange human man. She'd called him Eden. The only humans in the city were merchants. There was no telling if he'd left the city. Had Laurel followed him? How long had they been gone?

He cursed himself. He should have killed him when he'd had the chance!

Where was Laurel? He skidded to a stop at the entrance of the city, racking his mind for an idea. He sniffed the sweet scent of sun-warmed milk and honey, just as strong and sweet as it had been the day they'd met.

Follow it! His wolf urged and Adolf followed the scent. It was the best chance they had.

He followed it on a straight path to the back door of a small inn. A little relief went through him at the realization that she hadn't left the city. Slowly, he walked up the hill towards the nearest second-floor window of the little inn and peered in. Laurel lay curled up on her side, clutching something to her chest in a pool of moonlight.

Her face was stained with tears, her hair sprawled messily across the pillow. Still, she was impossibly beautiful and his. Who was it that she'd followed out of the castle? Where was he? More and more questions and doubts were building up. Laurel wouldn't do that to him. They were mates, weren't they?

He knocked on the window before he could think better of it and waited as she stirred. Her eyes were still red and a little hazy as she looked up at him.

She froze before frowning and her eyes widened in shock. Her eyes were seemed puffy. How long had she been crying? Why was she crying and what was she holding? Had the man left her here? Was he coming back?

"Adolph?" Laurel asked softly. He smiled at her, leaning against the wall and pressing his head to the glass as relief rushed through him. Her eyes didn't seem guilty. His instincts said it was all a misunderstanding, but he wanted to hear it from her.

He needed to hear it from her.

"Yes, my love," he whispered, meeting her gaze. "It's me."