Chapter 31

Adira was sitting in the King’s chambers, she was reading at first, but now she stared into the fire. The King was having nightmares, so Adira, Duncan, and the King's butler would take turns staying while he slept. The King's doctor gave him sleeping pills, but sometimes they didn't work.
The King's butler was an odd fellow; he was certainly old. She found out from Duncan that his name was Alfred. He wouldn't speak directly to her. Duncan reassured her that he was just old school. This meant he would not engage with her unless Duncan was with her and gave his permission.
He took good care of his master, though; he gave Adira the creeps sometimes. He always had this ability to just show up out of nowhere. She supposed it was just his servant training, to be there when needed and unseen when not.
She fell asleep while on watch two nights ago, and when she awoke, she was covered by a soft blanket. She thought it was Duncan, but he'd checked on her earlier when she was still awake; he hadn't come back yet because he was on patrol with Jack.
So it had to be Alfred that had done it, so he was friendly, just quiet, and took his job very seriously. On the other hand, the King’s maid was nothing like the butler; she always had all the gossip about what babies were born and to whom. Death's, family drama. She was a what's what information center of the kingdom.
She was loyal to her king; she saw one of the prince’s servants talking down about the king; she was on him in seconds, repeatedly hitting him with a broom till he ran off. She never saw that servant again.
Artemis was restless lately. At. First, she thought it was just the pregnancy and everything that had happened; Artemis, though denied it, said she was disturbed because she could feel something lurking about lately but couldn't pinpoint its smell or presence.
She heard the door click, and there stood Duncan; they only talked through mind linking when the King was sleeping.
"Are you alright, little wolf?"
"Yes, all is well here, though I am getting tired and might risk falling asleep."
"It seems the bigger my middle grows, the more tired I become."
"Would you like me to stay here while you go to bed and get some much-needed rest?"
"Don't you have other duties tonight?"
"Nope, Jack has some buddies out and about now, so I am free to stay here tonight or call for Alfred to come to sit with him while you and I go to bed."
"Do you think Alfred would mind?"
"No, he has been asking about taking more shifts so you could get more rest."
"Alright then, call Alfred, and then you can take me to our room. It will be great to sleep in your arms again."
"Alfred came into the room as if on cue, doing his servant creepy thing again."
Duncan nodded to Alfred and picked up his mate, carrying her to their room. Once they were safely locked inside, Duncan ran a bath for them.
When he came back for her, he had already undressed. She started to undress, but he stopped her. No, my little wolf, I want that privilege myself. He slowly began to undress her. He was starting with her shoes and socks. Then her shirt one button at a time.
Till finally, she was standing before him, naked as the day he was born.
"It has been a while since we had any real-time for just the two of us. Jack has given me the day off tomorrow, and you will be with me the entire day and night."
He carried her to the oversized bathtub and sat down with her in his arms; he sat her between his legs and lathered her up with soap; he took his time to make sure he got everything clean. He paused both hands over her tummy, lightly doing circles repeatedly with his hands.
She could feel his erection going up along her back; she decided that she wanted more than just a bath; with a devilish grin; she started to move her butt slowly up and down against his erection as he began to moan.
He whispered in her ear, "You are a naughty little wolf. Would you like me to show what happens to naughty wolves?"
He grabbed her by her hips and lifted her so he was positioned at her entrance, feeling that she was already wet, and pushed her in one swift thrust. He let out a low growl of pleasure.
"You feel so good; I can never get enough. You drive me crazy; the more of you I have, the more I want. Apollo goes nuts even if he smells your naked skin, even when your scent just lingers in a room. Your perfect in every way."
After that, he stopped talking and began moving her slowly, then faster, as both of them enjoyed that naked slide. He moved his knees upward, spreading her wider, holding her wet, soapy breasts.
Both were being driven mad with pleasure; water was sloshing and splashing everywhere. Till they both reached their peak, screaming each other’s names. They stayed that way for a little while until they got their senses back. Duncan started to laugh. Adria looked at him, "What?"
"I was just thinking, now I have to wash you all over again."
"Well, at least we are in an enclosed room this time, so the whole castle and half the kingdom can't hear us."
"I don't know, my little wolf; I like everyone knowing that you are mine."
With those words, he entered her again; she let out a gasp; how was it possible for him to feel bigger. Then he settled himself deep within her; it wasn't long before they were both mindless.
Adira and Duncan didn't get much sleep that night.
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The King woke up in a pool of sweat after yet another nightmare. It was the same one; he was holding his son’s head as he looked up at him with empty eyes and cried out to him; he was still in his executioner's garb, still holding the sword.
"Why, father?"
Over and over, his son cried to him; he could do nothing; he couldn't speak nor could he move. He could stare at his son's headless body while holding his head as his son would cry to his father.
After the first nightmare, he ordered forget-me-not seeds to plant over his son’s grave for the spring. He didn’t give a shit about his son not having a marker of any kind, it was his garden, and if he wanted to plant flowers, he would do so wherever he wished.
Why was his son so evil? Was it something he did or didn't do? The thoughts ran around his head like a tornado, spinning out of control.
He sat up and looked around the room; Alfred, his loyal butler, was sitting in the chair. He was initially his father’s butler, and now he was his. His silent rock was always waiting and willing to serve.
"Alfred?"
"Yes, your highness?"
"You can go now to your room and get some sleep; I am not going back to bed anymore tonight. I will stay up and read or go through some of the invitations for the Christmas ball."
"As you wish, my King." Giving the King a bow, he left the room.
The King went through many papers at his desk and the invitations. He couldn't concentrate on anything, though. He sat down by the fire with a sigh and went through a photo album. Pictures of his mate and sons filled his vision as tears ran down his face like diamonds as his wolf Arthur wrapped himself around him in solace.
“Arthur, where did it all go wrong?”
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Jack was up on the wall with other guards; the moonlight was out tonight. It was giving everything a silver shine. To Jack's eye, it was almost blinding. Snow was falling, but there wasn't any natural accumulation.
That was coming tomorrow or the next day; they predicted a blizzard for their region. It will be a difficult time; it would be an excellent time for an attack; it would be a 50/50 gamble. Great for cover, bad for getting away.
Jack was hoping that whatever shit show was about to start would get its ass going already. This waiting is a pain in the ass. Still, he felt that there was something out there. He was lingering in the shadows, waiting to pounce.
One of Jack's warriors reported that he had moved and checked it out. When he linked to Jack again, he said he was bringing him an early Christmas present. He went happily to meet him. He so loved getting Christmas presents.
Jack met his warrior at the back gardens along the wall. His warrior was there waiting for him, and he did indeed have a present for Jack, in the form of a rogue.