The fox king

King Cole’s POV

I stared at my phone, watching the call disconnect with a sharp, infuriating click.

My fist clenched around the device, and I resisted the urge to smash it against the wall.

Greg had escaped my grasp again, slipping through my fingers like water. My brother was smart, too smart for his own good. He’d evaded every trap I’d set, outsmarted every assassin, and now he was out there, somewhere, with that fox spy who had turned him against me.

I turned to Raxon, who stood beside me, waiting for instructions. His face was calm, but I could see the frustration simmering beneath his composed exterior. “Should I call more spies?” he asked, his voice low and respectful.

I shook my head, my mind already churning with other plans. “No, don’t bother. Greg’s too smart. He’ll see them coming a mile away.”

Raxon frowned, uncertain. “Then what do you plan to do, Your Majesty?”

I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I turned and made my way down the long hallway of my broken palace. The place was in shambles, walls crumbled, windows shattered—evidence of the chaos Greg and I had unleashed during our last fight with the rogues. Wolves moved around us at super speed, working tirelessly to rebuild what we had destroyed. I barely paid them any attention, my thoughts focused on the one card I had left to play.

We walked in silence, the sound of our footsteps echoing through the halls, until we reached the outskirts of the pack.

I led Raxon down a narrow path that cut through the dense forest and eventually brought us to the old prisons.

These were not the usual holding cells but a place reserved for the worst of the worst, deep beneath the earth where sunlight never touched.

As I descended into the cold, dark depths of the prison, I could feel the heavy air pressing against my skin, filled with the scent of damp stone and old blood.

The guards parted as I approached, their eyes widening in recognition. No one spoke as I passed; they knew better than to question why the king was down here.

Finally, I reached the lowest chamber—a place where even the bravest wolves hesitated to go.

There, sitting cross-legged on the grimy floor, was the prisoner I had come to see: the fox king, Anna’s brother.

His once-proud posture was hunched now, his clothes tattered and stained, but his eyes still burned with a fierce defiance. He looked up at me with a sneer, his lips curling in disdain.

“What do you want, Cole?” he spat, his voice rough from disuse. “Come to gloat? To remind me of my failures?”

I stepped forward, unbothered by his hostility. “I’ve come to offer you an alliance.”

He laughed, a harsh, bitter sound that echoed off the stone walls. “An alliance? With you? After everything you’ve done? You’ve destroyed my people, locked me away like a caged animal. Why the hell would I ever agree to work with you?”

I glanced down at the spit on my shoe but chose to ignore it, keeping my gaze locked on his. “Because, like it or not, we have a common enemy. My brother and your sister have run off together. They’re out there, plotting against us. And if you want to regain control of your kingdom, if you want to go home and see your sister alive, you’re going to help me take down Greg.”

He froze at the mention of Anna, his face going pale. I could see the gears turning in his mind, the conflicting emotions battling for control. He despised me, that much was clear, but his loyalty to his sister was greater than his hatred for me.

“What do you know about Anna?” he demanded, his voice cracking with the weight of his concern. “What did you do? I thought she was safe.”

I took a slow, measured breath, making sure to sound as sincere as possible. “She was safe, but I wouldn’t call hiding her in a dark chamber safe from my army. Either way she’s safe, for now. But as long as she’s with Greg, she’s in constant danger. He’s reckless, and he’s made enemies all over. If you want to protect her, if you want to bring her home, you’ll need my help.”

He stared at me, his expression hardening. “And what’s in it for you, Cole? You don’t care about Anna’s safety. You’re using her as leverage.”

I smirked, not bothering to deny it. “True. But my interests align with yours, at least for now. Greg is a threat to both of us, and together, we stand a better chance of bringing him down. You help me capture him, and I’ll release you. You’ll go back to your people as king. And your sister? She’ll be free to return home with you.”

He studied me for a long moment, weighing his options. I could see the battle waging in his eyes, the push and pull between his pride and his desire to protect his sister. Finally, he rose to his feet, standing tall despite the grime and the chains that had weighed him down for so long.

“What’s your plan?” he asked, his voice low but firm. “How do we take him down?”

I smiled, pleased that he was finally coming around. “We lure him out. Greg won’t be able to resist coming back if he thinks you’re in danger. We stage a trap, and when he comes running to save his dear Anna, we strike. Quick, clean, and final.”

He nodded, though the tension in his body didn’t ease. “And what about Anna? She’s not a part of this. She walks away unharmed, or the deal’s off.”

I stepped closer, meeting his gaze head-on. “Anna’s not my target. As long as she stays out of the way, she has nothing to fear from me. But if she tries to protect Greg—if she becomes a problem—then I won’t hesitate. Do we have an understanding?”

He clenched his jaw, struggling with the decision, but eventually he extended his hand. I took it, gripping firmly as we struck our agreement. This was a gamble, a risky alliance born out of desperation and shared enmity, but it was our best shot at finally ending this feud.

“Deal,” he said, his voice filled with a mix of resolve and reluctant trust. “But if you betray me, Cole, I swear I’ll tear down everything you’ve built. You’ll wish you’d never crossed paths with a fox.”

I released his hand, feeling the weight of our pact settle over me like a shroud. “I don’t make deals lightly. You help me end this, and you’ll have your kingdom back. But cross me, and I’ll show you why the wolves are the rulers of these lands.”

With that, I turned and left the cell, the heavy iron door slamming shut behind me. I walked back through the dark corridors, my mind racing with the implications of our alliance. This was my final play, my last chance to bring Greg to heel. If this didn’t work, then there would be no turning back.

Raxon met me at the entrance, his eyes searching mine for answers. “Did he agree?”

I nodded, a grim smile playing on my lips. “He did. Now we wait. Greg won’t be able to resist a trap this good. He’ll come running, and when he does, we’ll be ready.”

Raxon bowed his head, a flicker of doubt crossing his features. “Are you sure this is the right move, Your Majesty? Trusting the fox king... it’s dangerous.”

I looked back toward the prison, the echo of the deal I’d just made still fresh in my ears. “I don’t need to trust him. I just need him to hate Greg more than he hates me. And right now, that’s exactly what he does.”