Chapter 273

Charles

After taking Grace home with the good news, I headed back to Blackwoods Castle. It held a strange sense of comfort now that everything was in the open. As I got to my office, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was my aunt, Elara.

"Charles," her voice was gentle. "Sorry for missing your call. Are you alright?"

I smiled. "I just arrived back at the castle."

"The castle."

"Yes. There's a lot to catch up on, and I..."

"Aunt or Elder?"

"Aunt and Elder."

"Well, let me strap in," she sighed. "This is about Alpha Wolfe."

"Some of it."

I told her everything, starting with the failed Choosing, the bond, the news and Sean. It all came out in a rush like I was a kid telling her how well I'd done in magical training or something.

I laughed at myself and the sparkling sense of joy rushing through me. There was a moment of comfortable silence, then Elara spoke, her voice softer now.

"I won't lie, Charles, I was worried." I frowned. Her voice was light, surprised, almost happy. "But... hearing you so happy... In love... I can't ask for more."

"... No reservation?"

"Who am I to question the Goddess' will?" She laughed. "Just take care of yourself. And her. I have… a bad feeling about all of this."

My smile faltered. "A bad feeling? What do you mean?"

"I can't say for sure, Charles. The future… it's murky. I'll go to the temple, commune with the spirits. Maybe they'll offer some clarity."

"Fuck."

"Sorry to burst your love bubble."

"No. I want to know. Whatever you find out and can share. Thank you for looking out for me."

"Always."

As I ended the call, a disquiet settled in my gut, a gnawing unease that Elara's cryptic words had conjured. Pushing the unease aside for the moment, I straightened my shoulders and opened the files on my desk.

A knock on the heavy oak door of the study interrupted my train of thought.

"Come in."

The door creaked open, revealing my uncle. Everything in me went stiff. Maybe he was the bad feeling she was getting.

"Well, well, well," he drawled, a wide grin splitting his face. "Surprised to see you back after that display."

"Uncle Darren," I said, a smile tugging at my lips. "What a surprise for you to come to see me. It must be dire..."

A surge of adrenaline jolted through me as the door closed behind him. I breathed through the tide of fury that rushed through me. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to attack, to unleash the fury that had simmered for years. But reason, cold and calculating, held me back. I couldn't afford to underestimate what plans he'd laid in the dark.

He sauntered further into the room, his gaze sweeping over me.

"How are you feeling after that little… incident with the Choosing ceremony?"

"Never felt better," I said, smirking. "Stronger than ever, actually."

There wasn't even a phantom ache from the break. If there was, it was buried beneath the joy of my bond with Grace. I opened my briefcase and started looking through the documents.

"Odd for you to care." I glanced up at him. "Why have you come to see me?"

Darren's eyes narrowed for a fleeting moment, but then a wide, toothy grin stretched across his face.

"About the future," he said. "The Elders, they weren't exactly pleased with the whole… rejection fiasco. Arresting an esteemed--"

"Traitor." I looked at him. "Him and his daughter."

And you.

I kept my face impassive.

"Are you here to give me information?"

Darren sighed dramatically, running a hand through his salt-and-pepper beard.

"Let's just say," he began, his voice laced with a hint of theatricality, "the vision they received during the Choosing ceremony… it wasn't what they were expecting."

My heart hammered in my chest. A vision? What could they have possibly seen?

"They're not planning another Choosing anytime soon," Darren continued, his gaze fixed on some unseen point beyond my shoulder. There was a flicker of something in his eyes – annoyance? Frustration? It was hard to tell.

"Not surprising."

Darren let out a humorless chuckle. "But do not worry," he said, his voice dripping with a false sincerity. "We'll find you a proper queen eventually. Someone strong, someone with the right… lineage."

With that, he left. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving me alone in the echoing silence of the study. My mind raced, dissecting Darren's words. He knew about Grace, and that meant she was in danger.

I saw red. I jumped to my feet and started to pace. Fury, hot and potent, surged through me. The Elders might have abandoned their Choosing charade for now, but their intentions remained as clear as mud.

"Proper queen," I spat, the words bitter on my tongue.

They wanted a puppet, a pawn in their twisted game of power. Someone they could manipulate and control, someone who wouldn't dare stand by my side as I challenged them.

I should have killed him and his stooges years ago, but I wasn't a kin-killer.

The thought of them trying to separate us, of manipulating her or using her as leverage against me, filled me with a cold dread. I wouldn't allow it. Not as long as I had a breath left in my body.

But how short of killing them all? Reason, usually my strongest asset, deserted me. I dug my nails into my palms, letting the bite of my lengthening claws ground me.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, I forced myself to calm down. Fury would be reckless and wouldn't solve anything. I needed a plan, a strategy. One that would protect Grace and the Clans once and for all.

I strode to the window, the ancient glass offering a panoramic view of the sprawling Blackwood lands bathed in the golden hues of dusk. One day, I'd take her out there. She might not be able to run with me, but a walk would be enough, to show her where I'd grown up.

But that couldn't happen until I got rid of Darren and his stooges. A frustrated growl escaped my lips, the sound echoed .Just then, the heavy oak door creaked open, revealing Astarte sauntering in with an amused smirk playing on her lips.

"Well, well, well," she drawled, her voice dripping with feigned innocence. "Looks like someone just had a rather unpleasant encounter."

"You could say that," I muttered, forcing myself to relax my grip on the desk. "I just had the distinct pleasure of reacquainting myself with my esteemed uncle."

Astarte's smile faltered for a fleeting moment, replaced by a flicker of concern. "Darren, you say? I passed him on my way in. The man practically reeked of conniving... not much changed there."

Isolde strode behind her, eyes blazing with a familiar ferocity. "

Did someone say Darren?" she growled, her voice laced with barely contained violence. "Because I left my knives at home."

"Isolde," I chuckled. "Good to see you. I'll deal with Darren later. Right now, I need both of you to sit down. This might take a while."

Astarte cast a privacy spell, and I cocked an eyebrow at her. I closed the window, letting the spell encapsulate the room.

"Fill us in."

I told them about Darren. Isolde already knew about the rejection.

"He's gotten bold," Isolde muttered, her voice a low growl. "I can get my knives. Really, no problem."

I chuckled, a dry humor lacing my voice. "I appreciate the sentiment, Isolde, but brute force won't solve this problem. Darren's not stupid. He'll tread carefully, especially after the Elders' vision during the Choosing."

Isolde leaned forward, her eyes glinting with an unsettling brilliance.

"Speaking of the vision," she said, her voice laced with curiosity. "What did they see?... More importantly, what did you see?"

"I don't see and tell."

She scoffed. "Fine. But you know your fiance is in danger. Tessa they could control... She had protection, too. Those vipers will stop at nothing to separate you and she doesn't have nearly as much protection as she should in the States." She turned to me, her gaze unwavering. "I still haven't had the pleasure of meeting her, but if anyone lays a finger on her…" The unspoken threat hung heavy in the air.

"I appreciate your concern, Isolde," I replied, touched by her fierce loyalty. "But right now, subtlety is key. We need to protect Grace without alerting Darren or the Elders that we know they're onto us."

An idea began to take shape in my mind.

"We need help. Discreet help. Among your forces, are there any witches you'd lend me?"

"You can have whoever you want." Astarte's lips curved into a knowing smile. "But I have a few, truly gifted and vicious people in mind."

I blinked at her. "Your sisters?"

"Indeed."

"I'm touched." Astarte was scary, but her sisters were outright dastardly. "Just one."

She pointed to Isolde. "I'll trade you Athena so Charles can have Neith."

Isolde nodded. "Take them both if you want. I'll add my own to the Mooncrest detail. They'll like playing dress up."

Gratitude swelled within me.

Then, I looked at Astarte. "I actually called you here to ask about where these rumors about Moonlight Phoenix came from."

She conjured a folder with a smile. "And I have delivered."