Kept Secret

Chapter 32

Lucas~

I take a step towards her but the warlock pulls me back before I can reach her. My head whips back at him and something in me wants to rip him apart for keeping me away from the love of my life, "It's a trap, that's not her." I turn back towards Lia but suddenly it's not... Lia. The woman's face morphs into a deep scowl before changing completely. Suddenly her blue eyes turn black, her blonde hair turns red and her once porcelain skin tints brown.

I reel back in disgust as she hisses at me, exposing her fangs. Camille growls lowly at whatever the hell this thing is, "Shapeshifters."

"Awe, Everard, it's been a while, is that any way to greet an old friend." I look around in confusion before realizing that Everard is the name of the warlock we're traveling with. He has a dark look on his face, his amber eyes glowing in contrast to his dark slicked-back hair. The shapeshifter smirks while the wolves surround us. We're completely outnumbered and outmatched.

"You are no friend of mine, Roxanne. Leave this place immediately! You know your sister will not take kindly to this treachery." Roxanne growls before lunging at Everard sending him flying through the snow. All hell breaks loose as the wolves lunge at us, forcing Camille to shift and fight back. Her jaw locks with the wolf closest to her while 3 more surround her. Evangeline starts fighting wolves left and right, one trying to nip at her fur while the other swipes at her face.

Something flies past my face, drawing my attention back towards the fight in front of me. A warlock is standing 3 feet away from me with a smirk on his lips and I instantly recognize the type, egotistical, self-absorbed, probably thinks he'll beat me without powers, "So this is the werewolf king Lucas. I must say I'm disappointed."

He leaps at me, tackling me to the ground. The frost bites at my back but I ignore it and send a punch to his nose, hearing a sickening crack sound. The warlock flies back and hisses in pain while clutching his broken nose in pain. I lunge at him and try to swing again but he blocks me by grabbing my arm and tossing me against a tree.

I groan at the pain, knowing that I probably broke a rib. I look up and see that I'm surrounded by witches, while Camille is pinned to the ground by two wolves holding her down, same with Evangeline. Everard is on the ground by Roxanne's feet, a sick smirk on her face while she stares down at him, laying a bit too still. The witches all glance at their leader who gives them a sly smirk before they all raise their hands, creating flaming balls of energy. I close my eyes and prepare for the blow. Flashes of Lia filter through my memory, her smile, her laugh, and that adorable little face she makes when she's trying to concentrate.

A hot wave rolls over me, but nothing like how I'd expect live fire to feel. I open my eyes and gape at the sight in front of me. Witches, hundreds of them surround us, all wearing the royal emblem on their uniforms. Their golden spears glow bright with their magic, aimed directly at the rogues.

A woman appears amidst the warriors, her presence commanding power and respect. Her dark ruby hair and blue eyes glow in the light and only now do I realize it had stopped raining sometime during the fight. She raises her hand while her lips move in silence and suddenly the rogues, both witch, and wolf drop dead where they stand, all except for Roxanne.

Roxanne's eyes are blazing fire as she tries to leap at her but the woman turns around and her hand shoots out in front of her, somehow capturing Roxanne midair. She fights against the restraints, clawing at an invisible force around her throat. The woman's eyes are cold as ice but something about her seems oddly familiar to me, "You've become weak. This is what happens when you leave your coven to join rogues sister."

"You know your sister will not take kindly to this treachery"

Everard's words suddenly make sense. This woman is an exact copy of Roxanne except for the eyes, "You're majesty, do you want her thrown in the dungeon?" the warlock sneers at Roxanne, sending her not so subtle death glares which she returns. The woman nods her head with a grimace on her face, sending one last look at her sister before turning away. It clicks that the warlock addressed this woman as Your majesty meaning that-

"You heard queen Lumeria. Take the prisoner to the dungeon and escort our guests to the palace. We'll get a healer to take a look at Everard as soon as we get back home." two warriors drag Roxanne on chains behind them while the others either tend to Everard or clean up dead bodies. We clear the forest and soon find ourselves in front of a formidable white stone wall surrounding the castle grounds.

The queen gestures for us to follow her inside and one by one they enter the grounds until I'm the only one left outside. I take a deep breath and remember what Evangeline told me, it's time to be king.

Lia~

"So how long have you been a heartless traitor?" Clarissa stares at me with an all too innocent look on her face. The chains tied to me pulse painfully as I try to reach my magic, my wolf, anything, but once again I slump down onto the bed in agony. It's been days since I've been kidnapped and I haven't heard from my wolf at all. These chains not only block my magic but every other part of me too.

"Awe don't feel so hurt. This plan had been in motion far before you were born. You see, I used to be loyal to the thrown, no matter how shitty your mother treated us, and when we found out she was pregnant with a girl I had a vision, one that showed me you'd be the tribrid of legend. I was ecstatic, to say the least, you were the key to bringing together our kingdoms. I had just found my mate but he wasn't a werewolf or a warlock, he was a rogue vampire." her eyes glaze over, like she's recalling fond, far away memories," He was a good man. We wanted to be together but it wasn't allowed under the laws your grandfather had created. We found a way through and I soon found out that I was pregnant. " her wistful smile turns dark. The light vanishes from her eyes and all at once, I'm hit with how much pain she had endured even before she says it," Your grandfather caught Alonzo sneaking onto pack grounds. He was going to propose to me and take me away so your grandfather had him killed while I had to watch." hot tears cascade down her face but she doesn't seem to care, they just add fuel to the fire," The very next day I got into an accident that killed my child. The staff member was punished of course but deep down I knew that your mother had been responsible for it. She and your grandfather shared one mind and if it weren't for your father changing her over time she would've turned into the same evil ruler he was, only worse. " she wipes away her tears but they just keep falling. It's rare for witches to have mates and even more rare for them to be from another species. Her eyes hold a blinding rage I've never seen on her before. A part of me feels threatened by it, while another part of me understands, "the vampire king approached me not long after I tried to flee the pack. His army ambushed me but I fought them off as best I could until he recognized me and stopped them. He understood my pain and made me an offer I couldn't refuse-" the malicious smile on her face sends shivers down my spine. Her eyes shoot daggers at me and for the first time since being captured do I realize just how much trouble I'm in," Revenge "