Chapter 62

“I really fucked that up, didn’t I?”

Ansel fell into his seat in the car. He closed his eyes and covered his face with his hand to try and cope with the pulsing headache. His chest hurt and he still felt like he couldn’t get a good breath in.

Jeff whimpered. Fear began to tug at him. What he felt with his breathing was the scary part. Two old devils had come to visit today, it seemed. This one took him right back to his sanitorium past.

Henry climbed in and shut the door. “The Full Moon Pack will always spell trouble. We’ll deal with her later. It’s you I’m worried about.”

“Don’t be.” Ansel, still with closed eyes, addressed the gammas up front. “I need to talk to my brother. I’m sure he’s skulking around the royal estate. That’s where I need to go next.’

The gamma shifted the car into ‘drive’ and they began to leave the Full Moon Headquarters behind them.

“You can’t be serious,” Henry said. “Surely this can wait.”

“Your opinion wasn’t asked for,” Ansel snapped. “And it can’t.”

It wasn’t just a show of force, Ansel felt more urgency than ever to make things clear to Edwin before…

Before what? He was down for a few days?

The devils rattled around in his brain, rummaged through, and pulled out all the most painful bits.

More could be wrong with him than just catching sick. Maybe his good health had been just a lucky few years.

On top of needing to drill into Edwin, as quickly as he could, to stay away from Karin, there was something else eating at him, too. He could have just imagined it, but he thought he’d smelled an unfamiliar wolf at the manor last night.

Ansel hadn’t been open with Karin about it, but he’d received constant death threats, and even a few close calls over the years. Assassination was how he’d figured he would go someday. He’d pissed off too many people in his work trying to clean up the trafficking and corruption.

Wolfsbane.

It wasn’t Jeff’s voice, it was his own, fed by the two devils, dancing around inside his feverish head. It clicked like truth. That’s why he felt sick.

Just like Mother.

It could have been anyone at the ball last night. He’d had a good time, let his guard down. Everyone had. It would have been easy to slip something into his glass.

Don’t be absurd.

This time, it was Aron. Ansel imagined sitting in his office. They’d run around the edges of this fear before.

“What happened to your mother was tragic. And traumatizing. But Ansel, we’ve been over this, and you cannot live your life waiting for the same fate to fall upon you.

Ansel tried to take a breath and remember Aron’s words. ‘It wouldn’t happen like this anyway,’ Ansel reasoned with himself. ‘She had different symptoms before she...’ He pushed away the memory.

He slept the rest of the car ride, dreaming of devils and poison. Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“We’re here, sir,” Henry said, not hiding the look of concern. “You want the full Ansel crew, or just me, or -“

“No,” Ansel said, unbuckling. “This one’s just me.”

Still groggy, Ansel steadied himself, and then he barged his way through the guards at the entrance.

Fueled by anger, he stormed down to Edwin’s private office, and yanked open the door, but his brother was nowhere in sight.

Thanks to the small ruckus Ansel caused, he was quickly flanked by servants.

“Excuse me, Sir Ansel? Are you -“

“Where is he? Prince Edwin?”

“He’s with King David right now, sir. They’re upstairs in the library.”

Ansel groaned out loud before he could stop himself. “Of fucking course they are.” He hesitated for a moment, eyeing the staircase before he began to ascend it.

His body felt wrecked with exhaustion before climbing just a few steps. But it wasn’t just the fatigue, it was his lungs. He struggled to breathe, almost panting to get enough air.

He had the sense he was being watched by the staff, but it was all he could do not to sit down and rest.

Instead, he gripped his hand against the rail, practically pulling himself up those goddamned stairs.

Ansel had planned to talk to Edwin privately. He didn’t want to scare him. He wanted to hurt him. He didn’t know what was going to happen, but now he didn’t care what his father saw. He’d rip Edwin’s throat out in front of him. He’d…

If only he could just get some air.

Ansel kept moving. He didn’t let himself stop. He trudged his way to the library and almost tumbled through the door.

“What in God’s name - Ansel?”

King David’s own health had continued to deteriorate. He struggled to get up.

“I’m alright, Father,” Ansel said, waving his hands at him to sit back down. His eyes flickered yellow. “I’m here for Edwin.” Jeff growled, ready to spring to action.

Edwin was standing near King David, a large, ancient-looking book in his hands. “I’m flattered,” Edwin said. “But we’re attending to some important work just now.”

“Whatever it is, it can wait. I won’t be long,” Ansel said in Jeff’s snarl.

Edwin sat the book down, and boldly crossed the room over to Ansel. “You don’t look so well, Brother. I hope you’re not ill.” Edwin didn’t try to hide his look of disgust.

With a burst of strength from Jeff that surprised even Ansel, he lunged at Edwin and wrapped his hands around his throat.

“Guards! Eric!” King David’s voice trembled.

Ansel barely heard him. “Don’t you - ever - threaten - Karin,” Ansel seethed, squeezing tighter with each word. “Again.”

King David’s voice was a raspy muffle in the background. Jeff’s heart pounded in time with his own. Their rage, completely in sync.

Ansel watched as the lights began to dim in Edwin’s eyes.

And then he let go.

Edwin gasped, and nearly fell to the floor, still clutching his throat.

The door burst open with five guards.

“You’re a little late,” King David bellowed, pointing to Ansel.

The men surrounded Ansel. He didn’t try to fight back. Three of them grabbed hold of him luckily, just before his legs could give out. If they were bewildered about being charged with seizing control of the King Alpha’s son, they didn’t show it.

Ansel’s entire body felt shaky from adrenaline. He stared down at his hands. They were trembling.

Edwin grabbed hold of a nearby table and pulled himself up.

King David’s face was lobster red. “You don’t know what you’ve just done,” he said with gritted teeth.

Behind him, Edwin smirked at Ansel while rubbing his throat.

“You fly in here like a madman, ready to kill your brother for that girl? And by the way,” King David said. “Don’t think I didn’t hear that you brought her out into public display with you last night, flaunting a relationship when you’re supposed to be engaged to Lady Cherry.”

Ansel might have screamed in frustration at this well-worn argument were it not for the spinning room in front of him.

King David took a breath. “You’re falling apart over this girl - disobeying me, behaving like some deranged animal! I was proud of you and the work you’ve done for the pack, but this is too much. It’s come at a cost.”

King David suddenly looked saddened. “You won’t inherit the throne, Ansel. You’re no longer the right man for it.” His mood shot back to exasperated, to disgust. “Look at what you’ve become. A pathetic, moon-eyed boy.”

Ansel didn’t have to look at Edwin to know he was probably crying tears of happiness. But he was surprised by his own reaction. He didn’t feel upset or scared. Instead, something inside of him was broken free.

He smiled. “Father, the election will go on, or you’ll threaten an uprising. And there’s no doubt who will win. It won’t be Edwin.”

King David’s face reddened to a deep purple. “We shall see, son. At the end of the day, I am still King, and you will still have to prove to me you can lead the pack. I won’t have you - or anyone else - undo my legacy. I’ve given my life’s blood to this.” He leaned in to stare directly into Ansel’s eyes. “Think very carefully about what you do next. And what you’re willing to lose. Right now, you stand to lose it all.”