Chapter 19

Her pov ~ one week ago

I walk past the withering flowers and dying trees, my boots clicking against the cobblestone. I look around at the endless expanse of weeds and poison ivy. Cassidy would've never let the gardens get this bad. I sigh, Cassidy isn't here though and I shouldn't be either. I walk up the black stairs towards the black door leading to a black throne room. I roll my eyes at the color scheme, always black with this guy. He senses me approaching and his eyes light up in pure malicious delight. My body shakes with anger and I'm tempted to attack but I take a deep breath and compose myself, remembering what happened the last time I acted out, remembering what they did to him. I bow in front of his throne and he nods his approval, "The tribrid has found her mate, your highness. They both live in the city." he gestures for me to continue. I curse under my breath, "He's a human and he's not aware of supernaturals as far as I know, although I could be wrong in that aspect. It's clear that their bond is strong but they haven't mated and neither are marked yet you're majesty." I bite my tongue to stop the string of insults running through my head.

He claps his hands slowly and grins, no doubt happy with the information and how he could use it," You have served me well my little spy. None of this would've been possible without you." I wish I could've slapped the smirk off his face and knock out a few fangs in the process. I grit my teeth and glare at him with every bit of hate I feel towards this sinister man, this disgusting vampire. Perched on his black stone throne sat the most arrogant, egotistical, vile creature I've ever met in my entire life, the bastard, the infamous vampire King. Bile rises in my throat at the sight of his red eyes shimmering with delight, or malice, it honestly hard to tell with him. "you have served your purpose, I no longer need you anymore but I will be keeping your precious mate here, just in case." my eyes grow dark as his smirk widens.

I growl at him and take a threatening step forward, "This isn't part of the deal. Let my mate go now!" this man was demented if he thought I'd leave without my mate. The guards start coming closer but he waves them off.

He leans forward and stares me down, "Fine, because I'm in such a good mood today, I'll let you and that pathetic mate of yours go. As I've said you've served your purpose and I no longer need you but if you tell anyone of this I will personally hunt you down and I won't stop until I drive a stake through your mate's heart." The evil glint in his eyes tells me just how true that is. This sick bastard approached me almost a year ago, trying to recruit me for his cause through one of his little lackeys. I made sure he got the message that I wasn't interested when I sent that guy's head back in a box. Months later I found my mate and I couldn't have been happier but it was clear this psycho never gave up. He watched me from the shadows and attacked my only weakness, my mate, kidnapping him and torturing him until I did exactly what the king said.

He snaps his pale fingers and a guard rushes down a hallway, coming back with my mate moments later. My heart breaks at the sight of him and I have to force back the tears threatening to escape. His hair and clothes are matted with blood and dirt and he looks like he hasn't slept properly in days. I rush to him and help him stand, his touch calming me down slightly. I look back towards the bastard, "So what happens now?" he gives me a wicked smile that makes my skin crawl.

"That, my dear mut, is none of your concern."

Camille ~ the present

I stare through the windshield as Jackson and I drive back to Richmond. This would be my last time here before permanently moving back home, back to the pack to become the next queen beta of the werewolves. Jackson sits next to me in tense silence, neither of us willing to break it. I sigh as we pass the WELCOME TO RICHMOND sign marking the town entrance. "You know she's crazy to do this right?" Jackson speaks up for the first time since we got in the car.

I give him a nod but keep my eyes on the road ahead, "She is but I understand her point. Her mate betrayed her and cheated on her behind her back. I was there, Jackson, I saw him kissing that girl in front of her and he didn't even bat an eyelash when she screamed out in pain. You saw the marks around her stomach, that's what happens when your mate cheats on you. Her poor wolf must be devastated."

"If you saw him do it, why didn't you kill him right then and there?" his eyes start glowing and I can feel the anger rolling off him in waves. He grips the consol and it starts cracking under the force of his grip. Lia made us promise not to do anything if we saw Lucas, we were here for one thing and that's it.

"I didn't think of it at the time. I wanted to get her out of there fast. She was hurting and the last thing on my mind was getting revenge on him." I pull into the parking lot of the school and we both get out in, once again, a tense silence.

My heeled boots click against the hardwood floors, making this place seem even more deserted. Walking past the endless red lockers and classroom doors, I realize that this may be the very last time I set foot into this building and the very last time I get to make memories here. I smile, remembering how Lia, Maddie, and I would sneak away during classes to meet up in our "secret garden" if we had gossip we needed to spill or all the times we'd laugh our asses off at Henry and Adam when they got rejected. I scowl and clench my fists, if only Lia wasn't so hasty we could've stayed for a few more weeks.

I stop and mentally shake the thoughts away. It was her decision and as queen, her word goes. I turn to Jackson and tell him to go get the files we need in the office while I go find Henry. His royal snob wasn't at home when we tried to find him so the school is the next best thing. I walk through the hallways alone, collecting my thoughts and composing myself. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for all the questions. I'm sure Henry will be more than happy to return home early but even though he's an idiot, he's not stupid. He'll know something is up and he'll want answers and obviously try and use his alpha command to get them. I chuckle at the thought, he's not even an alpha yet which means until that day as the queen beta, I outrank him.

Henry doesn't seem to be here and from the looks of it, neither are his beta or delta. I roll my eyes at the thought of the three stooges probably out drinking or at a club somewhere, only getting in because they're wolves. I check almost every classroom and hallway and soon the bell rings, signaling the end of the school day. Students all file into the hallways, making it hard to locate any specific smell between them. I do recognize one though, and it makes me force back my wolf trying to take command and rip him apart. Lucas is here somewhere and his scent alone is wearing my patience thin. I storm through the students, trying to get away from him. Some of them throw attitude while the wolves all back away, knowing what I could do if they tempted me to snap.

I lean against my car and wait for Jackson. How long does it take to get some files from an old receptionist? "Camille!" I turn towards the sound of my name being called and instantly regret it. Lucas comes stalking towards me, a scowl of determination on his face. My wolf growls at the sight of him, wanting nothing more than to taste his blood dripping down her canines. "Camille, where is Lia, I haven't been able to reach her in over a week. Maddie doesn't know and I can't find Jackson so I'm guessing you have to have some idea where she is!" I growl at his disrespect, catching him off guard. My claws and canines elongate and I can see the look of fear in his eyes. I smirk at the sight. I lunge at him, fully intent on ripping his head clean off his shoulders. My nails barely scrape his jacket when I'm tackled to the ground. I growl and look into the glowing red eyes of Jackson.

"What is wrong with you? You know Lia forbade you from hurting him!" I struggle against his grip but I know he's right, my queen forbade me and I have no choice.

"Did you say Lia? Where the heck is she?" Jackson is off me in an instant and has Lucas pinned to the wall behind him. He lets out a hiss and bares his fangs. Lucas looks scared but he doesn't seem surprised. It hit me. Lia must have told him what we are that's why he wasn't surprised when he saw my claws either.

"Listen here you little shit! Just because she can't hurt you doesn't mean I can't! The only reason you're still breathing is because I care about Lia more than your cheating ass ever will!" Lucas looks shocked and pushes Jackson off of him. The three of us stand there, tense.

Lucas shakes his head and gives us an incredulous look," What do you mean cheating? I would never cheat on Lia, I love her more than anything." A loud growl erupts from my chest and I go to lunge at him again but Jackson stops me with a thoughtful look on his face.

" He's telling the truth." I give him a look that says I SAW HIM CHEATING WITH MY OWN EYES. He shakes his head and focuses back on Lucas. Both their eyes glaze over and I realize that Jackson is reading his mind. This doesn't make sense, only the original vampires had that power unless... my eyes go wide as I gape at Jackson, realization setting in. He's a part of the royal family, that's how he's reading Luc's mind, that's how he knows Lia. Jackson is the dark prince! Both of them snap out of it and Jackson laughs but it's void of any humor, "Well not exactly. The Vampire king never had children with Cassidy, his beloved, before she died. The reason I have these powers is because when my parents died, my sister and I were taken in by the king. He trained us and made us part of the royal family, hoping that we'd rule the kingdom after him but really all he wanted were lackeys to do his dirty work, that's why I left and joined another clan after I met Amelia. She was my first love and the one who showed me what it meant to be free." his speech shocks both Lucas and I and we stand there dumbfounded at the news. " He has no memory of what happened as if the moment in time was wiped from his mind."