CHAPTER 2
Rozan felt his heart race, as though he were experiencing a sense of deja vu. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew that it couldn't be any good. He could feel his heart racing against his chest as he made his way out of the throne room.
He headed towards the meeting room, where his generals were standing already waiting for him. They only needed his go-ahead.
He timed his gaze to the side, noticing the eerie silence that befell the people. "What is it? Speak." He said it in a demanding tone. He watched as they gulped before his general of the Northern Packs made his way forward.
He had four generals, to be exact: one for the northern packs and one for the east, west, and south. While he remained in charge of the capital.
"Sir. We have just received word that the darkness has seeped through the woods and is taking over the northern pack." Seban said, and Rozan felt dread come over him.
He knew that seeing Ares was a bad thing and that he was, in fact, up to no good. "What? That is impossible. The darkness was defeated years ago. The king made sure of that himself." Rohsn spoke.
He was silent for a moment because he knew the truth of the matter and that the darkness was far from gone. "He is not lying. The darkness has returned. I saw Ares tonight. He left a warning." He spoke with a sense of dread in his words.
Soon enough, several loud gasps rang out through the room as people began to whisper around him. "How could this be? You assured us that you had taken care of it. That was why we allowed you to become king and why we allowed you to take that woman as your wife." Serban spat.
He felt anger grow instantly at the sight of the blatant disrespect that he received from the people.
He let out a loud, venomous growl as his eyes flashed a bright yellow color. "Don't mention the queen again. She has proven herself loyal to our kingdom multiple times." He spoke.
He watched as they didn't seem to be entirely convinced by him, and the one thing that he had feared for so long seemed to be coming true at that point. He was losing control over his people.
"Well, he has gotten the north. And it will only get better if he makes it into his strong hold." Senan spoke.
He gritted his teeth because he knew that the words that he had spoken were indeed the truth. He hated the fact that he was not in control. He had thought he was done with the darkness, and yet it seemed he was being forced to face it once more.
He could feel his chest tightening as the urge to get away came over him. He let out one last venomous growl as he turned towards the people with a deep glare.
"Everybody get out!" He spat. He couldn't find a way for him to get a hold of the situation. He didn't want to be seen as a weak ruler, judging by the way that the people looked at him and the whispers. He could tell that they were already beginning to think that way.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a hand being gently placed on his shoulder. He let out a sigh from his lips as he turned to the side to find his wife.
"It's going to be okay; I am sure that it will all work out." She said to him. He wanted to answer her with a yes and agree with her so badly, but that was what had happened last time. He had let his guard down and had gone against his gut.
"What about if I speak to Ranar?" He whispered into her ears, and he watched as her body tensed up at her words. He knew that she didn't like him. She didn't like involving the witches in such matters.
But he wasn’t just a witch; he was a man of science. "Don't. You will only make things worse, and it will make you regret it. You don't want to do something that you are going to end up regretting." She said to him firmly.
She watched as he stared at her intently, not saying anything to her at first, but after a moment he lowered his head and let out a sigh.
"Fine. I will not make use of his services now, but if something goes wrong, I will have no choice but to call him in," he said to her. "
He would do what was needed to keep her content, but he hoped that he found the right thing. But he only hoped that they would be able to contain the matter without it getting too out of hand.
…
Rozan tossed and turned in his bed. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he found himself struggling to breathe.
He shot his eyes open and found Luna convulsing beside him. He reached out to hold her, but he found her body hot to the touch. He widened his eyes at the sight.
He lifted her into his arms as he tried to cool her down. She only whimpered at him in response. He knew all too well what was going on, and he knew it couldn't be good.
He pulled her close as he began to pepper kisses along her keck. He heard her moan, and he was relieved to see that she was still in there. She tightened her grip on him when he found her sweet spit, and without warning, he burst down into her skin, causing her to cry out as he marked her once more.
She slowly began to calm down, and eventually she was able to pull her eyes open as she looked towards him with furrowed eyebrows.
"What happened?" she asked shakily as she clutched her stomach protectively. He couldn't answer her as he shook his head at her.
"You had an episode." He whispered. She looked towards him, and he couldn't help but notice the chilling fear that was in her eyes. Her lip wobbled, and he knew he had to calm her down.
So many things had been going on as of late, and he didn't know how to explain any of them. He had thought that the darkness could be pulled back with the same energy that they had used on him the last time, but it was clear that that wasn't the case. There was something very different about it this time. It seemed a lot stronger than the last time.
It had managed to take over the east, and with the stronghold being the south, the west was soon to fall. He didn't know then what that would mean for him. And he was waiting for the pin to drop as soon as it came to the capital. They have already lost too many of their men.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a loud echoing sound in the back of his head.
"The west is down."
He felt his blood run cold at the thought of it. He knew that it was now or never, and he had to take action before it was too late.