Candy: Book 5 of the Lord Emperor Vampire Saga

AN: Oops. Britta would never call her litter “Saitou”. It should be Azrael Dennings. My apologies.

OMG: thank the stars whoever invented OCR. I lost half my file but I had printed the whole thing out because I keep a bound first draft for reference purposes so I was able to scan it back in. My heart was beating a mile a minute there. I definitely need a pocky fix right now. Gack!

Please forgive me. My update schedule is all wonky. No more every two days. Part of it is finding work and the other part is trying to create a LYCAN NATION. Never thought I’d have the vampy boyes running around in a totally different culture and building it is taking me a bit of thinking. (I know, not my strong point.) Any how…enjoy….but savor it….it’s taking me a while to get things down…cya

Chapter 198: The Pack that Britta Built

I walked with the grace of a drunk at last call. Walk is a generous word for was I did. I fell on my face. While I was bare assed naked lying in the corridor just before Britta’s bedchambers, Manu and Potyr began to pull my clothes back on me. Manu jerked my pants up and my boxers at the same time. Holy moly, that was uncomfortable. I shoved them away to finish dressing myself but, damn, I was disoriented. It felt like I had just done five minutes in a twirling giant teacup as a trucker with big burly arms twisted us around and around. I was going to hurl.

/More blood, High Alpha?/

I shook my head. Mistake. Mistake, big mistake. I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing and keeping breakfast down. Somehow I ended up propped against Sang Kyu as Manu buttoned my shirt up.

Bruce had finally figured out that we weren’t behind him and came storming back. Whatever he was going to blast us with dried up in his throat. I must have looked as good as I felt. “What’s wrong?”
Vlad shook his head. “High Alpha has just done his first change. How many pups have you seen turn into human form and start running right away. The fact that he was upright even for a few moments is a testament to his strength.”

Bruce could give a rat about my strength or lack thereof. He turned and looked down the hall. “Time is of the essence.”

“What the hell is going on?” My voice was little more than a whisper.

“Surely, you aren’t that much of a lunkheaded?”

Lunkhead? He called me a lunkhead. What the hell is a lunkhead? It didn’t matter, I just knew it wasn’t flattering. “Vampire here. All I know that is that there are levels of werewolves, because I kill them. There are Alphas and regular Lycan…”

Bruce’s eyes narrowed and a golden gleam flared out at me. “Because you kill them.”

“You bite me, I bite back and as you’ve found out my bite is a fiery one.”

There was a squeak of leather as Bruce tightened his fist. Yeah, he remembered Sexy’s little flareup of temper.

Bruce nodded his head to me in acquiesce. “Britta the Elder is dead. While there has been a proclamation of an Heir, a High Alpha, that proclamation is just as binding as the breath that spoke it, or the parchment it is recorded on. Those of the bloodline will be vying for the throne even if Prince Haley had been here.”

I winced as my arm pulse burned from Britta the Elder’s bite. “Then why the hell did she bite me?”

“Only the bloodline can vie for the throne.” Bruce repeated that as if I were a slow child. Vlad got up in his face right away snarling out a warming and basically defending my honor. I got shoed by the red headed Russian and his life partner, the exotic looking Maori, then there was a single yelp that came from the bedroom. Manu and Potyr looked at each other solemnly then returned to tying up my shoes. There was a shuffling noise behind us and a bloodstained woman reached out with both arms and closed the bedroom doors. What? Manu caught my eye and shook his head negatively. What the hell was going on and why was I a central part of it?

The corridor had stopped its hall of mirrors transformation or at least my eyes were back in my sockets. “Enough! Treat me like a puppy if you have to Bruce, but just tell me what the hell so urgent about getting to the damned throne room.”

“For the lack of a better explanation - king of the mountain.”

Huh?

Bruce rolled his eyes but kept from saying anything as Vlad growled at him again. “The first one to the throne has claim on it until the trials are completed. They wait and rest while everyone else with claims havs to fight their way up to challenge him. If there was an eligible female, this would have been a mute. Princess Arashi is the closest thing but….because of Britta disowning Haley so publicly, the throne is up for grabs.”

Bruce needed to cut to the chase a hell of a lot more quickly. I tried to get up and my nose ended up a scant inch away from the carpet as I toppled over. My body wasn’t listening to me. It felt all numb yet tingly, as if you had slept on your arm and now it was waking up. Just an arm could hurt when it was pins and needles. I was an entire pin cushion. Manu had kept me from kissing the floor.

“I have High Alpha. Secure the throne.” Sang Kyu shifted up to his knees and took me away from the shorter Lycan. He swept me up in bridal pose and Manu swung my hanging arm around Kyu’s neck. Kyu has nothing shy of Armor’s Emperor slinging abilities; I was just so glad that Marcus wasn’t a slinger, well, not as much of one. /I have you High Alpha./

Bruce and Vlad tore off down the hall followed by Manu and Pytor. Boajia keep rear point as Sang Kyu jostled me around like a new born pup. Technically that was what I was- a forty-five year old werewolf puppy. Wait. Werewolves don’t even get the opportunity to turn into Alphas, so…I really wasn’t a pup. Right? Then why did Britta call me Prince Puppy?

/Brother?/

/Yah, Skell./

/You’ve been bit before. I mean after Eliza Dennings and before Britta the Elder. Why weren’t you turning into a werewolf then? I don’t understand?/

/Hold on, let me ask./ Little Deadly didn’t understand. I was the one with the pulsing agony that used to be my upper left arm and I really didn’t get it. Of course there had to be other things involved with making the next generation, I mean, look at everyone us boys have nibbled on. We weren’t leaving a trail of yummy sweet tasting essenced vampires behind us. You had to ‘birth’ a new vampire and from what I got from X it was bloody and painful and no one in their right frame of mind would go for it. Then again, we didn’t have a choice. Just like Britta and her fangs now. “Kyu, Ping bit me. Kyoshi bit me. How come they didn’t make me their first generation werewolf?”

“Who in their right mind would want to make you their first generation? You got so much baggage.” Humor was not appreciated at this moment but it showed me more of the personality of the big quiet Lycan.

I looked up into his face. He was staring forward following the rest of the pack towards the fabled throne room. I gathered nuts to me. Correction, “We” gathered nuts.

“Look, High Alpha.” Sang Kyu didn’t stop walking but he opened his mouth wide. All I saw were Lycan fangs and the remains of breakfast. Then…another set of fangs extended past his original bite from the front canines. I turned my head and looked up at them. A set of fangs within fangs. “You ‘will’ the creation of a new generation. These do not come down on their own.”

“Don’t tell me, they hurt like hell.”

“You learn fast.”

“Baggage?”

“Four vampires, a seer and a Lycan alpha. You are just too busy.”

“I AM a joke then.”

“I will kill anyone who calls you thus. You are a strong and loving partner and mate. You have shown your dedication to your family, be it vampire, human or Lycan. Those that call you that do not know you and do not deserve the privilege of knowing you. You were OUR Lord Alpha, before you became you became High Alpha.” I blinked. I think this was the most that Sang Kyu has ever spoken verbally to me at one time. I felt his rumble of warning in his chest more than heard it and I realized that we had come to the dreaded throne room.

Considering that Britta wasn’t even cool yet, the place was packed – and it wasn’t with women and children…er females and puppies. There were wall to wall Alphas and Lycans of every shape, size and color. Bruce was glaring up at the front of the hall. I turned and let my gaze follow his. Now that I had hackles, I could feel them actually rise up off the back of my neck. Frowny Lycan face was sitting on an ornate wooden throne that was decorated with wolves doing everything wolves would do. Cavorting, playing, hunting, tearing a deer to shreds. The blood theme that poured down into the silk and satin pillows, that would have comforted ancient and agonizing bones, were the color of the fresh kill. I knew that color. That was the color that had stained the sidewalk outside of the Golden Phoenix. That was the color of Haley Dennings Saitou’s blood that was split not so long ago. That was the color his assassin had been painted when he was finally allowed to leave this world. It was a color reserved for Richard Hennessey. I felt a growl in my throat.

Sang Kyu dropped me back to my feet but discreetly kept a hand on my shoulder to keep me from falling over on my face. Why the hell was I so weak? I’d be getting killed here if I didn’t start feeling like my normal vampiric self. Skell was paying attention. I really liked that kid. He began healing me, just the way he had burnt off Orel Wessel’s poison cocktail thirteen years ago. He set our heart on healing flame and let our blood circulate normally. No one would know that a little bit of Blue line vampire was here in the last place on earth a vampire would want to be caught alive. It felt like I was going to die of heartburn. What was that called? Acid reflux. I held a hand to my chest. It didn’t help.

/What are you doing?/ I called out to my inner brother.

/Your blood is…odd./

/Define odd?/

/I think it might be the She Lycan’s bite. The Healing Light isn’t cleaning out the infection, but it seems to be calming it. Let me work on you, brother…I will try and stabilize our new condition./

/What about X and Sex?/

/I have moved to the Darkness. They were more intertwined with Prince Haley than either of us. Grief is a healer as well, Azrael. I say that when they are ready, they will find us and probably kick my ass for keeping this from them. I have a feeling that you will not be needing any distractions. Oh, and eat someone. Not the Imperials…they are going to need all their strength./

“High Alpha?” Bruce stood in front of me with a concerned look on his face. Vlad stood at behind Bruce’s shoulder off to his right but his eyes were glued up to our target. Thirty feet away and based on what I got from the big black Lycan in front of me, I couldn’t touch him until I had kicked everyone else’s tail that was assembled here. I could flambé the arrogant…

Slap.

Sonofabitch.

“Pay attention.”

Baojia pushed in front of me and slammed at Bruce with his chest. They were basically nose to nose. “Touch, Lord Alpha again, and you will not need to wear that glove because you will not have an arm.”

“Is he always like this?” Bruce hissed back

I was getting tired of getting yanked around. “You’ve seen me at my best, Bruce. Alpha packs don’t come back. Right now, I need to feed. Give me your neck.”

There was a slight hesitation but then he stepped past Baojia and wrapped me in a hard hug.

/Circle./ Vlad called out and all my Imperials were pressing against us to hide my Vampire fangs from the prying eyes of the Lycan assembly as I bit into Bruce. Caviar? He tasted like salty fish eggs but he was filling. Mixing Lycan essence with Healing Light actually steadied my knees. I took a better purchase on his neck and began to drink by pooling his essence in my mouth until it had reached it maximum potency then swallowed it down. I felt good at three but I was a little miffed so I took five. I retracted my fangs but laved the dual punctures. I felt Bruce tense with each sweep of my tongue.

/I take it my saliva doesn’t heal?/

/It heals, High Alpha./

/But…/

I let him go. “It stings.”

“Thank you, Bruce.”

“Can you stand up without making a spectacle of yourself?”

/Break, guys./ The Imperials moved back out into a loose ranging group but this was anything but casual. I had a feeling that everyone in this room knew exactly I was sucking on Bruce’s neck. I was the White Demon of Death. Even if I wasn’t Lycan, I was known throughout the Blood. As it was pointed out, how many Vampires look like a glass of milk. Even Lex had a tannish skin tone. “Intell would be nice right about now.”

“That is what I was trying to tell you. There are seven contenders here not including Hennessy the Traitor. Because we were late getting here, he has taken the throne and basically has immunity from previous crimes until the challenges are over and a High Alpha is chosen.”

“You say chosen, but it’s really a battle royale. Kind of a last man in the ring?”

Bruce thought about it for a second then shook his head. “No. I said king of the mountain, but to get to the king, you have to do the bear pit. This is why ranking within your pack is so important.”

“Wet behind the ears pup here. I have no clue what you are trying to tell me.”

Bruce sighed. “Only those of Britta’s bloodline can try for the head of the pack – the High Alpha.”

“Got that.”

“Since Hennessey has got the throne now, we will have to battle each claimant to get the honor and right to fight Hennessey and his Alpha pack. How the claimant fights is litter ranking; pack against pack – rank against rank.”

Rumblings and growls and yips were rising around us and unfortunately, I was the topic of discussion. “Prince Azrael…”

I turned my attention back to Bruce. “Hennessy used a combination of humans, silver and magic to advance his claim. You were and are still a direct descendent of Britta’s bloodline. You can use nothing foreign to gain the Lycan Nation. No knives. No guns. You can only use your body.”

I blinked at that. I was a staggering mess as a wolf. I had only heard that Hennessey wasn’t an Alpha. There were seven others I would have to get by and you want to bet at least one of them was an Alpha male? I’d never taken out a Lycan barehanded before.

Vlad grinned madly at me. What? “The Blue Line rests within your body, High Alpha. No one can claim that it an outside influence.”

Oooh. Lightblub moment.

The mood in the throne room was moving from sadness and anticipation to verbal threats and growls. If I had X’s pop bottle glasses, I would have sworn I just returned to high school gym class. There was shoving going on in the corner but that was broken up pretty quickly. I noticed attention was starting to get turned from the pale interloper to the former major domo of the Pack that Britta built.

“Bruce, when are the trials going to start!”

“What’s the hold up!”

“What’s he doing here?!”

In a blatant display, my Imperials closed ranks around me and glared out at the assembly. I don’t know if they were as out of their element as I was but then again, when the hell does the Eastern Pack need to fight for Leadership?

“Disgraceful. You can tell that this pack is young.” Baojia muttered and snarled at a blonde alpha male that came to close to our proclaimed space.

“Bruce!”

He turned his back on the calls and not so subtly joined in with the Imperials. That little act was not lost on the assembly. I could feel the lets-kick-the-pale-white-vampire’s-ass sentiment just jump up on the F-scale of possible destruction.

/Pardon me Bruce, but what is the hold up? This place is going to start tearing itself apart if someone doesn’t step up and provide some order./ I turned my gaze back up to the throne. Hennessy was enjoying this. The more who challenged and fell from Britta’s bloodline would secure his position. That was his plan anyway.

I attempted a tentative mindfuck, but the amount of Lycan in the small space left me reeling. Yes, Lycan had shields, strong frontal shields and right now most were staring at me so it was like running into a brick wall, metaphysically. Crap.

/I was Britta’s advisor. I am nothing now, just an Alpha./

/I think you just declared something./

/I am her witness to the birthing of her final litter. You are her legacy, whether I like it or not. I will see her will carried out./ There is something actually admirable about loyalty. X got it in spades. Sex…well, he just charmed you. Skell…there was something about him that projected strength that appealed to the Loyal of Von Drachenfeld. Me. For the most part I was a solo act. I had my Marcus and I thought that was all I needed. I was born to hand out industrial sized cans of whoop ass. It didn’t matter who’s ass I whooped, as long as I got the jump done. This outpouring from the Imperials and Bruce Almighty here was actually touching the musician in me. I was getting a little flustered.

/Even though you got nothing but milk teeth./

Okay, flustered feeling was gone now.

“It begins.” Vladimir gestured to the open alcove behind the throne. I was privately horrified. I tried to keep it off my face. I must have been doing a crappy job of it because Sang Kyu took my braid out so my hair was falling all over the face. I did a shampoo commercial shake and hid my features. What freaked me so bad?

Lycan pelts were being brought out, draped over standards, and carried by huge honking female Alphas. I had a sneaking suspicion that these were the same pelts that were blanketing Britta the Elders bed…that I sat my ass on. /Explanation….anyone?/

Manu gestured with his nose. /This is the history of the pack…the bloodline./

I watched as the first Pelt was set into a pre-made flag pole holder. The pole was about ten feet high and was shaped like the letter “t”. The pelt was hanging from the front paws off of the crossbar. Another female came out carrying another pelt. The Hall had drawn silent. Even the puppies in attendance were still and solemn.

/These are the First born of the litters of our Den Mother who have fallen. The first pelt brought out was Helena. The second is Eva./ Bruce continued his narration as pelt after pelt was brought out. I remembered the blood stained female who shut the doors on us just as a low cry began to fill the hall.

Oh. Dear. God.

The blood stained Female Lycan came forward carrying a grey and white bundle of fur. They had cut off the skin of their Den Mother. The female came forward and lifted the bloody pack up over her head. A single pack cry rose up from all the voices except the Imperials and myself. “Mother.”

You would think that bringing out the warm and blood dripping pelt would have caused some sort of frenzy. It was the addition of an empty standard at the end of the 10th litter First’s carcass that just jacked everyone’s hackles into the air. I only took slight satisfaction in the obvious distress Frowny had as it was publicly proclaimed that Britta had an 11th Litter. I figure you have to smart to plan regicide, or at least be ambitious enough to take advantage of a situation no matter who was in the way. I could see the little check mark go off above his head as he spied where Bruce was standing.

Hatred flared up in his feral gold eyes as he realized that Britta made me a legitimate member of the Dennings’ bloodline and a contender. I had no doubt that he had some argument all prepared if I showed up as Eliza Denning’s werewolf kid, but Britta squashed that option.

I showed him my fangs. His lips flared in a growl. I couldn’t hear him from across the crowded room but I knew the sentiment. Right back at ya, Frowny.

The Britta’s hand chosen Female Alpha Pack took up a v-shaped wedge in front of the throne. It was not lost on me that Frowny was behind them. I understood the importance of the Female in the pack. They effectively kept the Imperials at bay when Britta did her birthing trick. I wouldn’t be getting past them unless I and my pack were the last wolves standing.

"Azrael Dennings!” The bloodied female called out verbally and with the Pack Call. I staggered back from the sheer force of the silent command. I might have been able to Pack Call but not with this intensity. The Lycan sea parted exposing my motley crew to the five Female Lycan who basically ran the show now until we all beat ourselves stupid for that wooden throne.

"Approach and be presented to the Pack.”

My Imperials faded back behind me. I was ever so grateful now that Skell had taken the time to give me a clean bill of health and that Bruce had recharged my batteries. While I have never been called to walk the runway of supermodeldorn. I knew the feeling that one wrong step would leave me laying in a heap — and it wouldn’t be a recoverable one like falling off the end of a shortened catwalk. Confidence was key in this place. I took a cue from Sexy and stalked the newly opened corridor from the back of the room. I kept my eyes straight to the prize and moved with enough speed to get my hair bouncing and flowing behind me. I knew my eyes were burning slightly. I kept the blue flame in check as I stopped about five paces from the Leader of the Pack.

The Leader was a tall Amazonian who looked like a tough biker chick. I had a feeling that if she wanted me as her bitch... I was going to have a hell of a time keeping her paws out of my pants if at all. I really couldn’t examine her features that well because the scent of Britta’s blood was emanating from her every pore as she was almost covered head to foot in it; and, she was still holding Britta’s pelt.

"Bow before the throne. pup.”

I firmed my jaw as I stood my ground.

Her nostrils flared out.

“You challenge for the throne but you will not honor the memory of an ancestor?”

"I honor the memory of Britta the Elder. I won’t bow to the throne while a traitor sits on it.”

That announcement sent the assembly into a howling growling mess behind me. I could feel every hair on the back of my neck stand on end. The next thing I knew I was flat on my ass with the back of my head ringing from connecting with the floor. Ooowww. I sat up slowly and realized that everyone in the throne room was flat out on the floor—except for the Female Alpha Pack and Frowny and his cronies.

Shira and her gal pals just kicked everyone’s ass.

The Imperials had spoken about how the Females could be used as a weapon. I had seen them hold males at bay before but I knew now that I hadn’t seen an inkling of what they were capable of I was the only one sitting up right how. The closest thing I could compare this to would be an EMP for Lycan. Not that I was denying it, I had changed into a white wolf, but this was proof now that I was part of the Northern Pack.

“Stand up Pup.”

The bloody woman was standing there glaring out across the room but the feral gold of the Huntress faded as she looked down at me. “Stand and show the Nation that you are 11th Litter of
Britta, our Mother, our Beloved Founder.”

Frowny jumped to his feet. “Kay, I protest this presentation. There are no witnesses to this 11th Litter birth!”

Frowny’s Alpha Male leader reached forward and dropped a paw on his shoulder to keep him from doing something more stupid. “There is no 11th litter. He is a Vampire! A dormant werewolf at best.”

I wish I could say I rolled to my feet, stood tall and showed the Lycan Nation just what I was made of. I said, I wished. I creaked my way to my knees and tried to keep the Lycan Nation from seeing my breakfast and blood nibblies. My heart was still burning from Skell’s continued assistance and I gathered strength from that. I got to my feet and rose up. I was far from steady but I locked my knees and looked up into Kay’s face. “Good boy.”

I’d let that one go.

“Let it be known that before Britta’s death, she has proclaimed Richard Hennessy and his Alpha Males traitor to the Lycan Nation. Blood Proof has been given showing that Hennessy set the
plot into motion that killed the chosen High Alpha, Haley Saitou this morning. Once the trials are completed, if Kay paused and let her eyes run across the slowly rousing Lycan horde.

“If Hennessy and his Pack survive, they will be hunted as per the most Sacred Laws.”

Frowny paled.

Without even turning to look at him, the Female Alpha Pack, Britta’s handpicked best of the best had just dismissed his claim to the throne; thrown in their lot with me; and declared him a renegade to be killed when he lost. Not a lot of Lycan love for the would be usurper in the throne room.

The two end Females from the "V" stepped forward and came at me. “You need to presented to Nation, Pup. Undress and show them your wolf form.”

As if I had a choice. While Kay was speaking out loud the two other females were starting to undress me.
Kay’s voice sounded in my head, /Alpha if you can, Prince Azrael./

/What makes you think I can Alpha? I couldn’t walk as a wolf/

/You were back in this form in less than ten minutes. Pups take years to learn how to transform. Britta was not a fool when she chose you as her Heir and instrument of destruction. Every one of her First borns were an Alpha. I do not see this trend changing. Will it. Show those that would change our Northern Pack from a noble heritage into a free-for-all. Show them that you are the last pup of Britta the Elder./

The females were just as adept as Sex in getting naked in a flash. I knew what I looked like. I was five foot nine inches tall with weight varying between one hundred and thirty and one hundred and thirty-five. My body was thin but was hard defined. I was what could be referred to as whip cord lean. I started as the females reached for my pebbly nipples. Their fingers pulled at the nipple shield and the push button start.

/Let them, brother./ Skell’s voice stilled my instinct to knock them away.

“This will be ripped out in a match fight, My Prince. These will be returned once the trials are over.”

I had left the Golden Phoenix this morning so quickly that I didn’t put on my finger armor. I needed my hands to do my avenging angel gig. I understood the importance of that piece of metal that Father had placed on Sex’s finger, that Armor and X had, even Claudia and X but the nipple shield was mine. I laid a hand over the female’s paw. She glanced down at me then pulled her hand back. Marcus. My violin loving artistic Mastiff marked me as his with this little piece of metal. Truthfully, he had branded his name on me when I came to life. I came forward because of him. I had wanted to own him...instead, he owned me. As it should be. I closed my eyes and just remembered the way his brown eyes had flared his scarlet flame when he hauled me into the dressing room at Joker’s Wilde while he was wearing nothing but an over priced scrap of leather. The joy and pain we have given each other over the decades was symbolized in this matched set of surgical steel. 1 pulled the pin out of my fang punctured sensitive piece of flesh and worked the nipple shield free. Marcus was stamped on my soul. This was just a marking on my body...that was pulsing like crazy and giving me an erection.

Thank God, my hair was so frickin’ long.

I worked the other ring free and handed them over to the females.

/Nice./ The dark haired one pat my stomach as she eyed my groin. She sighed then returned back to her position as, I think, number four rank.

/Will it, My Prince./ Kay’s words of encouragement didn’t really help.

/Skell, any idea how this works?/

/Your guess is as good as mine. All I can say is do it fast. . .I’ll pull everything back now to get out of your way./

I’d seen Haley change into a wolf. Vladimir has changed, it seemed, just by shivering but that was into a wolf. How had he looked when he went all Alpha? He was upright. I closed my eyes. The lingering effectives of Skell’s healing heartburn made my throat tight. I swallowed and searched for. . . what? Something foreign I guess. Something that wasn’t there before. My wings wanted to come out. I brushed that aside.. .there. . .in the pit of my stomach, it was a hot steady pulse. That was what I wanted. I let my will and desire sweep over it. It flared up like a bonfire after gasoline had been sprinkled into it. Agony hit my midsection. Oh, yeah. .this was it.

Even if I couldn’t be an Alpha.. .which I really doubted because... what? I didn’t want to be? It was established, we were creatures no Blood could call their own. Human. Vampire. Lycan. Alpha. It simply was. I took a deep and steady breath and...

Red hot agony. Too many things happened at once. Bones thickened and grew. My face deformed again. My back. . .1 let out a groan. . . it came out as a growl, a deep dangerous growl. Breathe. My body was burning. My skin.. .it stung like I had fallen into a patch of nettles. I staggered forward and slammed one arm forward to keep from kissing the floor. My heart beat was so fast. It sounded like a kettle drum bouncing off my skull. It felt like I had taken a lead pipe across my lower back and thighs. I gasped as another roll of agony washed over me then. . . there was silence.

Just the sound of me panting. My body felt hypersensitive. I opened my mouth and my tongue lolled out testing the air. I flicked my ears. There was nothing around me. Aside from breathing there was no sound at all. I opened my eyes. I was a hell of a distance from the floor considering was I leaning heavily on my arm — which was white fur and ended in a massive paw. I ducked my head forward and felt my hair cascade over my shoulders and pool on the floor below me. I twitched. My tail brushed the back of my leg.

“Prince Azrael, 11th Litter; First. Alpha, Britta's chosen High Alpha.” Kay’s voice rang out. Her pack call sent out the same message.

I stood up.

I was massive. I couldn’t say I towered over Kay but I had to be at least six foot four. The Lycan assembly was still gathering their feet under them. How long had this taken? Bruce stood back with the Imperials and his face was absolutely dumbstruck.

Vladimir and the rest of the crew dropped down into Reverence pose then lifted his head and began to howl out my name. His call was caught up by the rest of the Imperials.

"Azrael. Azrael, Azrael."

I turned and looked down at Kay. "Honor the throne which you will claim, Prince Azrael.”

I glanced past her and saw that the five and fourth Female Pack members had moved Frowny and his pack off of the wooden throne. They stood behind it. Frowny’s pack was looking at me with, I wouldn’t call it dismay, but with more respect than when I was carried into the throne room. Frowny was livid. His face was red with his fury. All his plans and machinations were unraveling.

As gracefully as possible, I lowered myself to my knees in front of Kay. She stepped back and left me an unobstructed view of the red silk and satin padded chair. It was easier to do that Lycan bow when your shoulders were humped up like a grizzly’s. I lowered my head and honestly did honor the memory of the Lycan leader. She was the great-grandmother to my puppy wards after all. I was Haley’s Benedek.

A heavy, smelly and icky blanket was draped over my shoulders and down my back.

Oh. My. God. Get it off. Get it off. Offoffoff.

Kay wrapped me in Britta’s skin. Don’t throw up. Don’t hurl. “Rise, Prince Azrael.”

The drying blood of the pelt stuck to my pale white fur. “As there are no direct female descendents of Britta Dennings. the position of High Alpha must be claimed as per the ancient trials of our origins the Eastern Pack.”

I tried not to wince as Kay pulled Britta’ s pelt off me, taking clumps of hair from my sensitive skin as well. She handed the pelt to ranks two and three and the whole of the assembly watched as Britta took the throne a final time. The white grey pelt was spread out across the large back and smoothed down to the seat and arms.

“Those that make a claim to the position of High Alpha come forward and join with Prince Azrael before the Seat of Leadership.”

Six Lycan came forward. Bruce had said that there were seven not including Frowny nor me. Someone must have changed their mind in view of what just happened. Meaning me. Frowny was reluctant to leave his position behind the throne but Kay was running the show and she struck me as someone who enforced protocol. In front of the assembly, each candidate was questioned about their claim and lineage. All I listened for was the word Alpha. Five of the six were. I already knew Frowny wasn’t. All the other candidates were three to four times removed. Frowny and I had the best claims and therefore the strongest blood ties to Britta.

“The candidates will assembly in the arena in one hour.” Kay made the announcement and the whole of the place began to move.

Frowny turned from his place at the end of the line of candidates and stalked up to me. He had to look up. Way up. “This changes nothing, werewolf. My claim is legitimate. I was born and raised within the Northern Pack. The naming of a disinherited pup as High Alpha only showed that Britta was incapable of leadership.”

I was feeling weak again but the anger that flared up within me as I glared down at the little Lycan. “You know, I was there when Haley reached his age of change. I shared the liver of his first kill. I will taste yours today.” I was an Alpha Lycan but I could feel the familiar burn of my phoenix flame in my eyes.

Whatever Frowny was going to say was lost as his Alpha pack descended and swept him out of the room. Bruce and the Imperials came up surrounding me. “You are massive, High Alpha.”

“Bruce, you got a quiet place nearby we can head to?”

"Of course, my Prince. Why?”

“Cause I’m going to faint.” Actually, I didn’t make it to the nice quiet place. I think I made it into Sang Kyu’s arms and that was all she wrote for this hellish morning.


* * *