#Chapter 66 - A True King

Xavier’s POV

After Adrian and Captain Oliver came into my study to propose the capture of the Royal City, we only spent that afternoon planning our attack. It took us a short period of time to decide because we were all able to agree on a direct and full-out assault on the city.

As a courtesy, I sent word to Douglas to let him know that I was inevitable and that I was coming to take what was rightfully mine. I knew that he didn’t have the means to stop me anyway.

After we took Gray from him and defeated more than half of his troops in Witches Land, Liam told me that Douglas was having a hard time replacing the soldiers he lost. Apparently, none of the vampire royals were willing to lend their troops.

They even went as far as to say that opposing me was a suicide mission.

Regardless, Douglas supposedly had been standing his ground and had been ensuring that his surviving soldiers were training to become better. The abled men in the Royal City were too afraid to sign up for his army.

Nightfall was fast approaching and we all decided that it would be the best time to leave for the Royal City so we’d get there in the afternoon. As I was finishing up preparations, I walked past Eloise’s bedroom and stopped outside of her door.

My heart was beating against my chest and a part of me wanted to at least kiss her before going off to battle again. I just wanted to feel Eloise’s affections even if there was no love behind them.

Still, I fought hard against my emotions and quickly walked away from the door instead. I needed to focus on taking back the throne that belonged to me as well as serving justice to Douglas.

I made my way to the stables and mounted my white horse. We rode out of the castle’s walls to a sea of men parting down the middle as I came through. Their eyes glimmered with determination.

It’s time to settle this once and for all.

———

The fire that burned in me and my men was steady, our energy never fading as we rode on. Before we knew it, the next afternoon arrived and we were just outside of the Royal City.

When I saw the large walls that surrounded the city, a wave of emotions crashed within me. Ten years ago I was forced to flee this place after a failed assassination attempt was carried out on me by my uncle Douglas.

Now, I was here once more to take all that he had built and to expose him like the true villain he was.

Once we arrived outside of the city, Liam rode up next to me on his horse. I motioned for one of my soldiers to give him a box full of letters.

Liam took the box and nodded. “I’ll be sure that the message is spread throughout the continent.”

“Be safe,” I told him.

His brown horse neighed at me as if in response to what I said and the two set off to warn the citizens of Lowell continent of Douglas’s misdeeds.

After we gook the city of Gray, I had a small battalion of soldiers stationed there to help protect the people. They would end up discovering a letter that was addressed to the royals of the Vampire Kingdom.

The letter revealed how a lot of the trading taxes Douglas collected went to the vampire royals instead. The money was supposed to be used to help the people, build infrastructure, and keep the city maintained.

Instead, Douglas was using the riches to pay off the alliance he had with them.

So, like a good nephew, I made sure to tell the entire continent of Douglas’s charity work. I had the letters duplicated so that everyone would get a copy and see the “king” they supported. If his deeds were truly good, then I’m sure he wouldn’t have minded that I shared them with the world.

We entered through the city’s gates with no opposition and found that the streets of the Royal City were empty. Not a single citizen was in sight.

As I led my men through the roads towards the center of the city, that’s when I saw Douglas and what little remained of his army. I had to stifle a laugh from how small and pathetic it looked.

Douglas wasted no time with getting straight to the point. “How dare you show your face in my city!”

His face was as red as a tomato. “You are a disgrace to this family! A rebel! A traitor to the royal crown!”

“You are not fit to be a king!” He yelled like a toddler who had spilled their milk on the table.

Under normal circumstances, I would’ve barked back. The hatred I had for him burned brighter than the sun above.

But when I looked at his soldiers, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. Many of them looked like they wanted nothing to do with the final battle between us. Their faces were worn, they avoided my gaze, and they slumped forward in defeat.

Douglas was willing to drive his men into the ground if it meant solidifying his position as ruler of the werewolf kingdom. He wasn’t realizing how exhausted they all were and how it looked like they wanted to give up.

I kept my eyes focused on Douglas as I ordered my men to bring this performance to an end. “Capture Douglas and his lieutenants–keep them alive so that they may see the world turn on them as we shed light onto the crimes and atrocities they committed.”

I sat on my horse as my men rushed forward. To be honest, it was a sad sight to watch. I supposed the grand battle happened at Witches Land and we were here to just clean up the mess left behind.

Many of the lower-leveled soldiers, who looked like they were just picked off the streets, dropped to their knees and surrendered. Fear painted their faces. No doubt Douglas promised them a future that he knew he couldn’t give them.

The rest put up a bit of a fight, however, they were extremely sloppy. They displayed no sense of courage or signs of strength. The soldiers were merely shadows of their former glory.

However, I couldn’t help but respect their determination to fight until their inevitable end. I made it a mental note to give those men a proper burial.

Captain Oliver and Adrian threw Douglas and his four lieutenants at my feet as they squirmed against the ropes that bound them.

“Take them to the courtyard and rally the citizens of the Royal City. It’s time they knew.”

The people emerged from their homes, frightened and confused. Their thoughts and rumors were confirmed when they all pooled to the massive courtyard that sat below the Royal City castle.

“What king allows for vampires to feed on their own citizens? What king steals money from the hard workers of his kingdom and uses it to pay off a dirty alliance?” My voice boomed throughout the courtyard.

“King Douglas has deceived you and used you all as fodder in a selfish war to keep his power. He cared more about the support from the vampire royals than from you!”

I had extra letters of Douglas stealing money from Gray duplicated and in my horse’s satchel. I motioned for Adrian to retrieve them and disperse them among the crowd.

I looked out into the crowd of people as their faces were soon painted with expressions of hurt, anger, and betrayal. They looked to the parchment paper and back up at Douglas.

“King Douglas is a traitor!” One yelled.

“He stole money from us! The money we worked hard for!”

“That money could’ve gone to building a new school!”

“That money could’ve helped the city of Balmet! Those poor people in the slums, what of them?!”

“And what of us veterans? Many of us were left disabled from his wars! We could’ve used the money to feed our families!”

People started to yell their frustrations with Douglas and I had to restrain myself from smiling at his humiliation. Instead of taking care of his people, Douglas neglected them and tried to get cozy with the vampire royals.

And now justice was being served.

“We denounce all support for Douglas!” A citizen yelled.

“What?!” Douglas roared. “You can’t do this!”

The crowd ignored him.

“We need a king who will care for us!”

“We need a king who will lead us!”

“We need a leader, not a tyrant!”

“And who better to be your king than the man who has come here to liberate you from Douglas’s tyrannical rule? Who better to be your king than the man who has fought day in and day out to ensure that you all see the light of Douglas’s crimes?” Adrian spoke up and placed his hand on my shoulder.

Douglas looked up at me with a mixture of horror, disgust, and hatred.

I simply smiled at him in return.

Then the crowd began to chant in unison. Cheers and whistles erupted all around us. “All hail, our new king, Xavier! All hail King Xavier!”

Eloise’s POV

Two weeks passed and news of Xavier’s ascension as King of the Werewolf Kingdom spread across the entire continent. The citizens of Noah rejoiced and celebrated for days, while also simultaneously preparing a special banquet for the new King.

A sense of happiness and ease flowed throughout my body. Douglas was no longer king and all of Lowell could finally know peace. I wanted to celebrate with them, but being so close to death while also being pregnant had me exhausted.

Despite my fatigue, however, I couldn’t bring myself to get a good night’s rest. I tossed and turned and constantly woke up in a cold sweat.

I thought about going to take a relaxing bath but then a knock came at my door. It was the middle of the night and I was apprehensive about answering the door.

However, the door swung wide open, and standing in front of me was Xavier.

My mouth fell open.

His amber eyes were glowing under the moonlight that highlighted his handsome and chiseled features. Although his expression was still and hard, there was no mistaking the glint of desire in his eyes.

I had seen them so many times before.

Before I could even get a word in, Xavier spoke in a low voice.

“To ensure that our child will rise to the throne as a true heir and not an illegitimate child, I wanted to ask you–will you be my Queen, Eloise?”

I was shocked at the question and a part of me wanted to say yes.

However, I felt a kick in my stomach that pulled me back to reality.

I need to tell him no.

“Lord Xavier, I–”

In the blink of an eye, he crossed the distance between us and crashed his lips into mine. The warmth of his tongue soon turned into a fiery and passionate kiss.