Page 53 of The Forbidden Wolf King
Axil lunged forward and finished the wolf, ripping his throat out in one clean bite but my heart leapt into my own throat when he looked back at me with one closed eye.
He’d lost his sight in one eye.
No.
No.
No.
It was a death sentence. Especially going up against Brutus next. I looked over at Ivanna’s old alpha and he was grinning ear to ear.
“Alright, final fight of the day. Let’s do this.” Brutus stepped into the ring and I did as well, a growl rising in my throat. He was completely ignoring the fact that a dragon had just landed on the lawn and that Axil had an injured eye. It was a weak move, one I needed to protect my man from.
“The king needs water and to hold council with his training coaches,” I called out, stalling for time.
Training coaches? Technically he didn’t even have one. But Dorian and Cyrus could pretend to give him tactical advice so that we could check his eye and give him a chance to catch his breath. If we stalled long enough, maybe his eye could naturally heal. Maybe it wasn’t that bad. Maybe—
“What’s going on here?” a commanding voice boomed from behind me. I’d forgotten about the dragon king. He’d come at the wrong time if he wanted us to roll out the pleasantries.
Dorian and Cyrus moved into the center of the fighting ring to check on Axil while I turned to face Arwen’s husband.
He was a mountain of a man, built much more like us wolven than the skinny fae and elvin. He was staring wide-eyed at Axil’s bleeding wolf in the center of the fighting ring, clearly shocked to see his old friend, the king, in such a state.
One of the red-robed advisors stepped closer to the dragon king and extended his hand. “King Drae Valdren? You’ve come at an inopportune time—”
“Whatis going on here?” the dragon king commanded again, holding the stare of the wolven advisor like an alpha would. I liked that he was creating a scene, because it was buying time for Cyrus and Dorian to tend to Axil so I said nothing.
The advisor cleared his throat. “There must be two heirs of royal blood or the king has to enter into a challenge fight with whomever challenges him,” he said. “Last night, Ansel Moon was killed and, therefore, King Axil must fight to keep his place as our leader.”
Drae looked upset at that news that his old friend was having to fight to keep his birthright and I instantly felt guilty for putting him in that position by killing Ansel. Maybe we should have just locked him up …
A tall and slender blond male elf stepped up beside the dragon king and rubbed his chin, staring at me. He was the man who’d been riding on the dragon king’s back. Kailani wandered over to him and kissed his cheek.
Ahh, the elvin king.
“Therearetwo heirs,” the elf king stated.
The advisor rolled his eyes. “What do you know, elf? You just got here. Like I said, master Ansel was killed last night, therefore only one wolven carries the Moon bloodline—”
The elf king stepped closer to the advisor and tipped his head up high and his power charged the air, caressing my skin like a tangible thing. “Therearetwo if you include the one growing in her belly.” He pointed to me and the breath was stolen from my lungs.
“Impossible!” the advisor commanded. “It is forbidden for the king to have any relationship with a candidate in the Queen Trials.”
Oops. I was going to have to let that truth come out.
Was this a ruse? He couldn’t possibly know I was pregnant this early.WasI pregnant? My monthly bleeding wasn’t due for over a week and we’d only bedded twice. My heart hammered in my chest like a terrified elkin but hope also grew inside of me. Even if this were a lie, it was a good one. Axil’s friend was cunning and this could keep him from having to fight.
“We have bedded since I arrived here last week,” I blurted out to the shocked gasps around me. Not exactly queenly behavior but I didn’t care – whatever kept this ruse going.
Whatever saved Axil from having to fight Brutus with one eye.
“Lies!” someone from Crestline pack called out. “He’s trying to get out of fighting Brutus.”
The elf king looked at the man who’d yelled. “I am Raife Lightstone, king of the elves and the greatest healer to ever be known. I can detect life in a woman’s belly before even she knows.” His voice was strong but held a threat to it.
Chills ran the length of my entire body then.Washe telling the truth? Could I really be with child? Tears filled my eyes because I wanted it to be true so badly.
The surrounding wolves gasped and some clapped excitedly. Axil was beloved among his people and I knew they wanted him to carry on his reign if possible.
