The Forbidden Wolf King: Kings of Avalier, Book 4(49)

This was war and when you were at war, it was a case of anything goes.

Raife clasped Axil on the back in gratitude and Axil nodded. It was one of the darkest things I’d ever seen. To make someone end their own life … but they’d chosen their side and we had to see it through now. Until the end.

After taking care of the necromerians, Drae flew us higher and into Thorngate where the temperature plunged. Thick chunks of snow fell from the sky as I pulled my furs tighter around me.

In no time at all we were landing before a giant white castle, blanketed in snow.

This was the famed Winter Court.

Madelynn leapt off of Arwen and bolted inside, seemingly in search of her husband. I followed Raife who led Axil and I past front steps filled with soldiers, and inside.

The moment we crossed the threshold, I was blasted with the warmth of a fire, and was grateful for it. Madelynn was there hugging a handsome-looking very tall fae with ink-black hair. They pulled away when they saw us and Lucien Thorne took one look at Axil and me, and grinned. “You came.”

I wasn’t sure if I were imagining it but the pupils in Lucien’s eyes looked clouded like snow. Whatever storm was happening outside, he was somehow controlling it in here.

Axil stepped forward and embraced his friend. “Of course I came: you sent the box. I had no choice.”

Lucien chuckled and by now Arwen, Drae and Kailani had joined us.

“The necromerians have joined the fight?” Raife said beside us.

Lucien looked stressed, reaching up to rub at his temples. “Right after you flew away, we got the first wave of them. Didn’t understand what I was seeing for a second.”

The dragon king let out a low whistle. “I wonder how Zaphira got the necros to agree to fight against us.”

“Who cares: how do we defeat them?” Arwen asked and went to stand next to her husband.

Everyone turned to look at Axil, myself included.

“Can you control them all?” Lucien asked.

Axil shook his head. “An entire army? I’m not sure my mind can do that alone.”

“I understand,” Lucien said but he appeared distraught.

“Alone?” I asked, noticing that Axil had used specific wording.

He stared warily at me, almost as if he didn’t want me to pick up on that. “I could, for a short period of time, share the king’s power with another dominant wolf.”

Another dominant wolf. Me.

“Let’s do it,” I said immediately.

He shook his head. “What if you get hurt or …” He peered at my stomach. I had wanted to pull Raife aside and ask if it was really true, if I was really pregnant but I didn’t have a chance. Maybe it was all just a ruse.

“I’m strong, you said so yourself, and any child we make will be the same,” I told him.

He sighed and then inclined his head. “Are you sure you can handle this?”

“Completely sure.”

Raife rubbed his hands together in excitement. “If you can share the burden of holding back the necros, it could save thousands of lives. Just long enough for us to break through and kill the queen.” He looked at Axil hopefully.

Axil glanced at me again as if he needed more confirmation that I truly desired to do this. I reached out and squeezed his hand, an idea forming in my mind. “I’ll bet we could get some horse saddles modified to fit on our wolven backs.” We were smaller than horses but not by much.

Lucien’s eyes lit up. “What are you suggesting?”

I gave everyone in our little meeting a sly grin. “Axil and I ride as a team with one of you on our wolven backs. We use our power to hold off any attacks and walk you right into the queen’s inner camp.”

Drae gasped slightly. “It’s brilliant. Yes! And Arwen and I can circle above trying to keep any air assault away from you.”

“I want to do it,” Raife said suddenly and everyone turned to look at him.

“Do what?” Lucien asked his friend.

The normally peaceful healer fisted his hands. “I want to be the one to slit her throat and whisper the names of my family in her ear before she burns in Hades.”

Whoa. It was a well-known rumor that the Nightfall queen had taken out his entire family, though it was one I hadn’t believed until right now.

Axil placed a hand on Raife’s shoulder and squeezed. “You can ride with me.”

“I’ll manage the troops at the front line with Madelynn. Freeze anyone who gets through,” Lucien said.

Madelynn nodded, stepping up next to her husband.

“And I will ride on Zara,” Kailani said and peered over at me. “If that’s okay? I know the Nightfall realm the best. I grew up there,” she added, a little shamefacedly.

I gave her an easy smile. “That’s perfect.” I’d given wolf-back rides to Oslo and his friends all the time, sometimes three of them at once. My wolf was ten times stronger than I was. I’d be slower than normal but that was okay: it was my mental acuity that would need to be up to the task if I were going to … control people against their will.

A nursemaid suddenly came over then holding two infants, one in each arm and I gasped.

They were so perfect and tiny.

With bright grins, Drae and Arwen each reached for a baby and pulled them to their chests, peppering their faces with kisses.