Chapter 41 - Taking Over

Before Bexley even finished her sentence, Xavier was changing into lycan form. Zeke took over and ran toward the rogue werewolves at full speed. Bexley changed into her lycan Tala and was right behind her brother.

Their lycans were huge, much bigger than the average werewolf. Zeke was covered in golden fur that shimmered in the sunlight. Tala had a dark brown glossy coat that almost looked black.

When the rogues saw the two enormous lycans running toward them, some took off. Zeke ran over to where several rogues were holding down Luci and quickly killed them all within a few seconds. They hadn't had a chance to change into their wolves, so they were no trouble for the powerful lycan.

Tala was taking care of any wolves that tried to get to Zeke and Luci. She may not be as big as Zeke, but she was fast and strong. The rogues quickly learned that they couldn't beat her in a fight.

Luci saw Xavier and Bexley run out of the forest in lycan form and into the clearing where the rogues were holding her. She felt immediate relief when she saw them. The rogues wouldn't let her go, but as soon as Zeke eliminated them, she jumped up and ran to his side. Zeke picked her up and jumped into the trees, where Tala met them.

They ran from the rogues without any issues because they were bigger and faster. Once they were far enough away, Zeke put Luci down and changed back into Xavier. Tala did the same. Bexley and Xavier's clothes had been shredded when they changed, but they didn't care; they were worried about Luci.

"Are you okay? I was so worried about you." Xavier held her against his chest, and she wrapped her arms around him, taking comfort in his strong embrace.

"I'm okay. I'm sorry I ran away. I wasn't leaving; I just needed some space to think. The rogues came out of nowhere and ambushed me." Xavier leaned down and kissed Luci's forehead. When he saw the rogues holding her down, trying to rip her clothes off, all he saw was red. He didn't even think he just acted and told Zeke to kill them all.

"Bexley told me what those idiot women said; please don't let them get to you. I promise not everyone feels the way they do." Luci pulled back and smiled up at him.

"I'm not going to let them bother me. When I was running, I thought a lot about what I wanted. All my thoughts led back to you. I don't care what some of the people in the kingdom think; I just want to be with you. If I have to be the queen to do that, then so be it. I will be the best queen I can be, and if they don't like it, too bad. I love you, Xavier, and I promise to never leave you."

"I love you too, and you'll be the best queen this kingdom has ever seen." Xavier leaned down and kissed Luci on the lips. They both started laughing when they heard Bexley groan.

"Alright, I'm done with all this mushy stuff, and I'm feeling a little exposed with no clothes on. Are you both ready to get back to the palace?" She was tapping her foot impatiently with her arms crossed.

"Yes, we're ready to go back." Xavier took Luci's hand, and they all ran back to the palace as fast as possible. When they got close, Xavier mindlinked one of the guards to bring him and Bexley some clothes. The clothes were waiting near the back gate for them.

After Xavier and Bexley put on their clothes, the three of them leaped over the fence and went into the palace. Bexley went to her room, and the couple went to theirs.

"Please don't ever run away like that again. The pain I felt when I thought you had left almost paralyzed me." Xavier pulled Luci over to the couch and sat with her across his lap.

"I won't. I felt the pain, too, but I tried to push it away. When the rogues caught me, I was on my way back to the palace. Too many of them came too fast for me to get away. I thought they were going to kill me, and I would never get to see you again."

Luci put her arms around his neck and slid her hands into his hair. She had never been so scared in her life when the rogues attacked her.

"Let's go take a shower. I want to wash the smell of those rogues and the scent-masking herbs off you." Xavier stood up and carried Luci to the bathroom.

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A few days after the rogue attack on Luci, the king and queen called the couple to their office for a meeting. Luci was worried they were going to be upset with her taking off, but Xavier told her she had nothing to worry about.

Reina and Malik smiled at the couple when they got to the office. They had been horrified when they heard Luci had been attacked by rogues, but they didn't blame her for needing space. A lot had happened to her in a very short time.

"Xavier, Luci, we have a few things we would like to discuss with you. First, Luci, we have sentenced your father to stay in the dungeons without access to blood. Similar to what you did with Nolan." Malik said. Luci nodded at them.

"Thank you for letting me know. It's better than he deserves for all the lives he ruined."

"The other thing we wanted to discuss was you two taking over as king and queen. We're ready to step down and leave the kingdom in your capable hands. Luci, we know you've been worried that some will not accept you, but please rest assured that only a few people feel that way. Once you're queen, they'll be too scared to confront you."

When Malik had heard how those women had treated Luci, he had Bexley help hunt them down. Without Luci knowing, he threatened them that they would be punished if they ever treated Luci or anyone else in the royal family like that again. The women begged him not to kill them and said they would do whatever he said.

"How soon do you want us to take the throne?" Xavier asked while looking at Luci. He was worried that she wouldn't want to do it this soon. She was still coming to terms with becoming queen.

"We would like to start the process immediately. The transition should be completed within a month. At that time we'll have the official crowning ceremony. What do you think?" Everyone was looking at Luci when Mailk finished speaking, and she felt like she was being put on the spot.

"I'm ready if Xavier's ready. I know it won't be easy, but that's okay. Nothing has been easy, and we'll just take things as they come." Luci looked up at Xavier, and he had never felt more proud of her.

"Alright, we'll plan to begin the transition. You two are going to be shadowing us for a while to get used to the day-to-day stuff that you don't already know about. It will give you a glimpse into what we do on a daily basis. Even after you take over, we'll still be here to help you in any way we can. We would like to have some grandchildren to keep us occupied, but no pressure." Reina winked at Luci, and she blushed.

"Okay, we're ready. Do you want us to start the shadowing tomorrow?" Xavier asked, taking Luci's hand in his.

"Yes, son. Get some rest tonight, and be prepared to be very busy from here on out. We'll see you bright and early in the morning." Malik dismissed them, and they went back to their room.

"I wanted to ask you something that we haven't discussed much. How soon do you want to start having kids? I know you said you wanted them, but we never talked about when." Luci was ready, but she wouldn't put that pressure on him now that they were getting ready to take over the throne.

"I've been waiting for you to ask that, and I'm ready when you are. I've thought about what it would be like to have our children running around the palace. I wonder if they'll be lycan, vampire, or hybrid. How about you?" Luci smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I'm ready, too, but I was too scared to say anything. I thought with everything else going on, it might be too much. I was supposed to take my potion this week to prevent pregnancy, but I'll skip it. I can't wait to have your children." Luci kissed Xavier softly on the lips, and he lifted her up, carrying her to the bed. He figured there was no reason they couldn't get started trying right away.