Beyond A King

Mr West

Present…

( Lucas pov)

It was all I could do to hold in the growl trying to break free. I pushed my wolf Ace down while we watched from the tree line just outside the palace entrance as the leaders of the kingdom entered the grand halls of werewolf royalty.

Some were new alphas and this was their first time seeing the palace grounds, they looked around in awe of the beautiful decor, while some strode in with purpose but held respect at least for the fact they were entering their king's domain, others as if they owned the damn place.

Ace hated these alpha summits as much as I did. We found them boring and pointless, at least during my fathers reign when I had been forced to sit through some.

The issues raised were never really solved and the kingdom always seemed to be teetering on the verge of some kind of war. The only reason some of the leaders even attended was to dine in the lavish luxury his home would offer to them.

A vacation if you will, that was certainly the case judging by the way some of the Luna’s had packed.

It wasn’t helping that the palace elders had rolled the red carpet out like it was the goddamn Oscar’s, they had even ordered the palace staff to line up and greet everyone as they pulled up. It was ludicrous.

An entire week of fine dining and lavish attention, catering to their every need to the highest of quality. Rapping up the weekend by throwing an all out extravagant masked ball just to show off how much grandeur they could throw at the leaders as if it was to show them the treatment they should become accustomed to with the new king.

It was disgusting the money that was being thrown at this week to entertain the other leaders. When the elders had first told me the plans I had flat out refused the whole thing, even trying to host the alpha sumit at a local hotel in the nearby city. The only reason I had eventually caved was when elder Brian had compromised saying there would be no need for a grand coronation that would spend more pack funds unnecessarily.

Which suited me fine, I never wanted a grand ceremony that had been an excuse for others to get drunk, plus I had made sure to sweeten the deal by saying I would match the pot for the expenses from this week for donations towards the new pack orphanage.

That had curbed the spending slightly.

The pups were using the old pack house for housing which was barely standing and way over capacity. With the current inflammation of attacks on packs the amount of orphaned pups we were being sent was climbing.

The pups didn’t even have a playground but now with this compromise with the elders I would have the new housing done in no time if the champagne being thrown around was anything to go by.

I watched as one of the older alphas - Trent I think his name was - and his Luna , a young female half his age that had no business being a Luna, strolled up to the palace ordering several omegas to get their bags from the car.

I had to hold my tongue and watch silently from the shadows out front. Even though I was crowned king of the entire kingdom my face was not yet known by these people and I wanted to keep it that way as long as possible.

They knew they would get to meet the new king today and then my face would be everywhere but for now I could still remain an enigma to them. I only wished I could stay hidden longer.

I laughed to myself. There was a time when you despised living in the shadows. Ace chuckled in my mind. He was right about that. The secrets were what drove me out ten years ago. Heartbreak had brought me back the first time and my fathers intervention drove me away a second time. Now the idea of spending my life in the darkness was more appealing than walking back into those grand halls and introducing myself to every leader in that palace.

I knew who’s doing this was. This whole elaborate show was all for the leader's benefit. Elder Stephan, my fathers most trusted advisor and most senior of the royal elders, he thought fanning all over our fellow leaders would show them they would be taken care of by their new king but this was not how I planned to look after the people. Not by throwing lavish parties and stocking up on booze or kissing ass but by making a difference to the real issues hiding beneath everyone's outward civil exterior.

As if to prove my point in that moment another car pulled up and the door was opened to reveal a female I only ever hoped to see in my nightmares.

Her tall elegant figure and hair black as night held together in an elaborate updo made her look every bit the authoritative leader she had portrayed to be, she was beautiful I’ll admit, even now she was well into her fifties, the facial resemblance to my mother was staggering even though they couldn’t be less alike, the power that radiated off her was like no other but still her outer beauty only solidified the shell of this woman was a complete contrast to the evil that lay within.

High priestess Juliana, former leader of the midnight circle coven, my mothers mother, the woman that started a war in order to prevent her own grandson's existence.

The story of my parents was well known throughout the world of supernaturals. My father, the king of werewolves and my mother the future leader of her coven. Their love story had shocked the world, a witch and a werewolf being fated by the goddess herself.

Natural born enemies stretched for thousands of years but after my fathers ancestors had done despicable acts against the witch covens by trying to breed them with werewolves against their will, the hate had only grown, until my parents met.

Instead of seeing the mateship as a chance to mend the bad blood between the two species and put the past behind us to strive for a better future for our people, Juliana gave my mother an ultimatum.

Reject her fated mate or be banished from her home and family forever. When my mother chose to be with my father Juliana waged war on our kingdom, costing the lives of not just our people but also her own. My father lost his family including his younger sister during the fight the night I was born. The only way the fighting stopped was when my father fooled Juliana into believing my mother had perished in childbirth along with me. That was the kind of mother she was, one who was happy to see her own people die in order to rid the world of a half breed like me.

The fact she had the balls to set foot into my kingdom after the awful war she had caused to my pack was a disgrace but the fact that she didn’t seem the slightest bit phased by all the death stares she was getting from the warriors and other staff of my pack was entirely different.

She turned back towards the car just as a younger woman around my mothers age stepped up beside her. The woman didn’t hold herself with as much ease as Juliana and there was a definite tension to her posture. I didn’t need to see her face to know she was not comfortable being here.

Without my mother at her side, Julianna had passed down her title years ago to her prodigy Gwen, the woman at her side who in no way showed the same authority as Juliana, but when my mother left the coven she took with her all her leadership skills and Juliana made the best with what stock she had left in her coven. Not that Gwen had been her first choice, rumour had it Juliana had another but drove her insane with the pressure of her high standards. I was actually grateful for gwens arrival. I had a debt to settle with her evil daughter nerva and she could be sure she was going to pay.

However there was no one that held my hate more than Juliana. I despised this woman with every ounce of my being, she was the reason my mother and I had been forced to live a life in the shadows yet here she was having the audacity to walk into my pack with her head held high as if nothing ever happened. Ace was ready to draw blood; it was taking everything in us not to rip her apart where she stood.

“ trying to burn a hole in her head” I heard an all too familiar voice behind me “ or just enjoying being incognito for another couple of hours? Because if it’s the former it won’t happen” Ronaldo, general of my fathers army, well my army now, came to stand beside me, he pulled the hood off my head with a grunt like I was still a teenager. I know it’s stupid, why hide when no one knows me but old habits die hard. “ she has the death glare of every pack member on her right now, if she didn’t spontaneously combust from the hate already it isn’t going to happen”

Ignoring his incognito comment I slowly burn an imaginary hole in the back of the old bitches head, if only she would burst into flames, I smiled at the thought of her writhing on the floor in agony. “how does she have the f*****g nerve to walk into this pack after what she did?” I gritted out, she wasn’t even the leader of her coven any more she was known as the crowne now, it’s the same role as pack elder is to us. Usually they stay in their covens and never leave. Julianna clearly didn’t get the memo. It was a total power move on her part.

“ Politics for you” Ronoldo answered, looking in the same direction, a bored expression on his face. Alpha summits were just another Thursday for Ronaldo. The man had done this routine so many times it was all old news to him “ she wants to size you up” I scoffed that was true of all of the leaders here today. The entire kingdom was watching my every move as of this afternoon, waiting for me to fail. It hadn’t escaped my notice that more leaders than usual were here. Of course I had made sure the invites hadn’t just extended to werewolves.

Juliana was here to see who the new heir was. Since she thought I was dead her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

of course rumours were circulating as to who this mysterious heir was. one of the rumours being that I was a distant cousin to the king, one was that I had challenged the king for his title and won- I hated that one, especially since we still had no leads on my parents but the rumour that the elders had been circulating was that I was the king's heir out of wedlock. I hated that one most but it was too late to stop it now and there were concerns if the truth came out it would start another fewd with Juliana and her coven. Even without her running the coven officially everyone knew she held a lot of pull over Gwen.

That was blatantly obvious as I watched the tall dark haired female obediently follow Juliana up the steps into the palace.

I turned away, unable to watch anymore self righteous pricks enter my home like they were owed something, let them enjoy themselves, in a couple of hours things were going to change “ Where are you sneaking off to anyway?” Ronoldo asked to change the subject.

“ I’ll be back before anyone misses me” I had no interest in doing the pre summit ass kissing. What these leaders didn’t know was that I had the advantage of knowing most of them pre title. I knew all the ones that would bullshit and the ones that genuinely wanted to lead with their people's best interest in mind.

“ I’ll come with you if you're going off territory” he began to follow me.

“ NO!” I said firmly, still not looking at him. He couldn’t come where I was heading. He was too well known throughout the kingdom.

Ronaldo signed clearly frustrated “ why do you make my job harder, I can’t protect my king if I don’t know where he is” I knew he had better things to be doing. With the amount of leaders here today security was on high alert and more supernaturals would be arriving mid week for the kings ball. Ronoldo would be extremely busy right now and had obviously left his duties to come find me since I’d given the security detail he’d put on me the slip an hour ago.

“ You can’t come, you'll blow my cover, your ugly mug is too well known in the kingdom” I chuckled, I knew he didn’t like it but he also knew I was right I couldn’t take him with me where I was going. Hell with my current celebrity status pending it was a huge risk going myself but it was necessary.

He huffed before saying “ I’ll be waiting at the border, you have one hour to get your s**t done and then I’m sending the trackers after you” he glanced at his watch I knew the son of a b***h would time me to the second too, Ronaldo was a great general, he commanded the greatest army of warriors in the kingdom, he was a well oiled machine and he expected him men to be the same, he was a military man through and through and there was no room for error, everything was precise. If he said he was timing me it would be to the second, I needed to hurry if I was going to make it there and back.

Once I am clear of Ronaldo I change out of my clothes. I don’t really care about nudity but if he knew I was heading out in wolf form he’d see an opening to join me, I’m surprised he didn’t suggest coming in his wolf Silas, to be honest but I wasn’t about to help him follow.

I shift into Ace and he grabs the clothes in his jaws before he begins to run, after crossing the territory we run until we come to a clearing in the middle of nowhere. To an outsider it looks like wild foliage and nothing more but the closer I get a huge male comes into view. I shift back and get dressed.

“ Hello Giles,” I nodded. The huge beefy guy in front of me was a terrifying sight to anyone he came into contact with, as a bear shifter they were built even more solid than werewolves. Giles was actually average size for his species and a nice guy. Thankfully he was the silent type which made his job easier as a guard to the supernatural market.

“ hello mr west” he nodded but otherwise didn’t move, Lucas west had been my alias in the underground world for a while, though I’ll admit when I first came up with it I’d only been eighteen and not given it much thought, my kingdom was in the west so it seemed like a good play on words but now it feels a tad stupid however once it was out there it wasn’t the kind of thing you could just change.

“ You look good, you lost some weight?” Giles had always had the body of three linebackers combined, huge size but a little too much puppy fat for a werewolf not that you’d want to pick a fight with him. The guy was a beast.

Giles nodded “ 43 lbs Mr west” he confirmed.

I nodded, “ impressive” and about as much as Giles ever spoke, so I handed him my token and a few seconds later he waved his hand chanting and a portal appeared allowing me to step through into Heathwood market.

I’m immediately hit with the noise and the hustle of the crowds, along with the stench of combined supernatural scents including rogue werewolves. I looked around at the surrounding chaos and felt like I was coming home.

Heathwood market was one of the most coveted supernatural trading villages on the face of the earth. It was home to every type of supernatural trader you could find. Nothing high end thankfully they didn’t deal in slave trade, mostly exchange of knowlege, weapons and everything a supernatural could desire.

There were only two rules, no bloodshed on market grounds and two, every trader has the right to refuse service. It was a neutral zone, all supers were welcome- if you knew how to find it that was but no business could be conducted outside of trading and by business they mean killing, so any and all conflict between species was left at the portal. If you got kicked out you were banned for life and no one would risk that, not with the resources you would lose. Almost all high end traders lived here. There were other markets of course but none like heathwood.

As I walked through the cobbled streets marvelling at the accent artwork on the stone buildings around me I was reminded of a place I had seen before. Now that I think of it, this place reminded me of diagonally in the movie Harry Potter. I wondered if maybe some supernaturals had taken this place as inspiration. The likeness was uncanny.

I rolled my eyes at myself remembering that movie, man little Mina had a lot to answer for especially when I heard Ace laughing in my head.

You love that pup. Don’t pretend you don’t miss her.

It was true Mina was my friend Mitchell's pup and the time I’d stayed with him in the silvermoon pack I’d grown close to his little girl. She was an adorable but fierce little thing and if it wasn’t princess movies it was Harry Potter. Needless to say I became well acquainted with both during my time at silver moon pack.

That being said, heathwood was not the place to bring the family for a day out, the problem with it being a neutral zone means that you attract a lot of bad eggs along with the good. As if to prove my point I passed a bar with several vampires sitting drinking outside harassing a beautiful siren with lightning blue hair. I wasn't worried though, sirens could influence the mind with their song, if things got out of hand she could easily subdue them.

A few buildings up the street I saw a troll selling something steaming from small jars outside. I assumed beverages but I wasn’t advertourius enough to find out. Trolls eat the slimy green algae that grows off rocks. I highly doubt they knew a good drink when they tasted it.

I passed an elderly woman with a cane who was bartering over some bats with a Fae. A young girl pickpocketed a rogue that was following an older female, my guess the females were working as a duo.

I knew some of the people here and nodded subtelly when they did the same to me. Honestly I was enjoying the feeling of normality, for the longest time I’d worked hard to integrate myself within these people, created contacts and done side jobs with them yet after today I’d likely never be able to walk through these streets like this again- hell they may even revoke my clearance, not everything here was exactly legal but I’d never seen anything like the slave camps I’d decommissioned in malaysia a few months prior but if they knew the king of werewolves not only came through here but was a regular and had strong dealings with most of the traders , I can’t imagine it going down well and after today my face and name would be everywhere.

It was a huge weight on my shoulders that I still didn’t feel ready for. Not that I had much choice in the matter now. With my parents assumed dead still the council had allowed me to prevent this day for as long as possible. My people had been without a leader for too long already.

I reached the door I was aiming for and knocked once, when no reply came I growled. I swear if that little s**t is stoned again. Not one to be kept waiting. I kicked the door open allowing it to slam on the wall. The room was almost pitch black and the artificial light wasn’t aiding much, not that I needed it. I could see perfectly into the tiny hut that looked like Shrek’s place.

Man you really are an expert now. Ace chuckled at my Disney reference.

Shut it. I growled back at him, blocking his continued laughing. At the same time I tried my best not to gag on the smell of weed permitting the small space.

Inside the tiny house were three figures standing round a fourth who was sitting in a lounge chair at the table next to the stone fireplace.

I knew the male sitting to be octavious, a well known sheer that wasnt picky about who his clientele was or what they wanted as long as they paid well.

I’d first met him while working for the council and he’d gotten mixed up with a vampire drug ring. We raided one of the covens and found octavious chained in the basement, almost drained and fighting for his last breath. Since then he had taken to being stoned out of his mind, a necessity for his gifts he claimed but I honestly think it was to deal with his demons.

“ My man !!!” He cheered barley holding his bloodshot eyes open and I knew he was in deep already, yet the i***t was still smoking. His dark unkempt hair reached his shoulders like a tatty curtain that hadn’t been tamed in forever. He wore only a thin robe to cover himself and when I say cover it barely did that as he hadn’t noticed it was gaping open.

Octavious was the only one smiling as I took in the figures all dressed in black and shining with enough weapons they could pass for action men. Only one type of warrior would be packing weapons like that and be in the market. Hunters.

Human soldiers that believe the entire supernatural world was an abomination in itself. You’d think the humans wouldn’t stand a chance against supernaturals like us yet they had adapted over the centuries in order to hunt us. They had very sophisticated weaponry and they never seemed to be lacking recruits. It was like a religious cult. Hunters dedicated their lives to serving the cause. Which was to eradicate every last one of us.

Of course Octavius was in with them. Like I said the guy only cared about one thing and he was currently inhaling it but what was more interesting was whatever they needed had to be big if they would risk coming here to get it. Hunters were about the only thing that was fair game in a supernatural market since their sole goal was to destroy this place and everyone in it.

They all glared at me trying to intimidate but it did nothing. The biggest of the three and closest to me was currently itching towards the knife strapped to his thigh. I gave a slight smirk daring him to do it. I wasn’t into killing humans but for them I would happily make an exception. I’d seen enough bloodshed and aftermath of their handy work over the years to know I could kill every one of them right now and never feel an ounce of remorse for it.

Their kind were the worst; they wanted us all dead purely because we were different. Their kind were despicable, leaving bodies in their wake and justifying it because we weren't human and they called us the monsters. I wanted to tear their heads from their bodies right now. I could easily argue after that it was self defence and octavius wouldn’t say any different, I doubt he even knew where he was right now.

One of the big guy's buddies reached for him to stop whatever was about to happen but the big guy shrugged them away in anger though the warning was enough for him to find his head again because he didn’t reach for the knife.

Cowards. They only liked the kill when it was easy prey like women and children. I noted they all had patches on their right shoulders, they all wore them like badges of honour but we all knew they were handed out and strapped on their uniforms as a symbol of their kill rate. The two smaller guys only had a few so they were still wet behind the ears but the big guy’s patches led all down the one side of his uniform. In my eyes it was a foolish display because we all knew what the patches meant and it showed us how violent a death we needed to give them for the pain and suffering they had caused to our world.

“ dudes” octavious stood a little too quickly stumbling from his chair but thankfully the table stopped his descent. “I will meditate on your request and get back to your boss when the answer reveals itself to me” octavious slurred, obviously realising the tense situation.

The big guy didn’t take his eyes off me, still looking like he wanted to protest octavious pushing them out but my face dared him to say anything and clearly he was more intelligent than I thought because he stayed quiet. After a few more moments of tense stares the smaller two shoved the big goon towards the door. I made sure they were gone before turning back to octavious who was already engrossed in a bong he had pulled from somewhere.

“ What are you dealing with hunters for?” I asked but he waved me away with a cough and splutter. Frustrated I went over towards him yanking the bong out of his hand causing him to whine.

He sighed glaring at me like a toddler having his candy taken away from him. “ Business is slow and weed is expensive” he scowled like it was an answer as he clawed at the air like a child for me to hand the bong back to him.

“ What did they want?” I held the bong back daring him not to answer. I would smash the damn thing if he didn’t give me answers and he knew it. They were here because of him and whatever service he was offering, that was no small thing.

Octavious leaned back in his chair breathless knowing he wasn’t getting his bong back till he told me “ Just passing through my friend, just passing through. they were looking for information on a white witch but last time there was a power spike as big anything as they described it was in England” he chuckled like it was the funniest thing in the world. “ I told them England's that way bro” he points across the room still laughing.

“ There hasn’t been a power spike like that since Juliana’s reign” I said wondering why the hunters would be here if the power was elsewhere.

A power spike was an echo of magic which can be detected by other supernaturals. The more powerful the magic the louder the spike which means the hunters were working with other supernaturals. Humans couldn’t detect a power spike.

Octavious shrugged unbothered “ well this is the great witch capital, maybe they thought she hailed from these parts but there are no reports of a witch travelling across the pond recently” that made me feel better. Hopefully this witch knew well enough to keep her magic hidden. It still didn’t answer as to why the hunters were actively looking for this one though.

“ Keep me posted, ” Octavious nodded. If the hunters were looking for a witch it couldn’t mean anything good for her so I would make it my business to keep her hidden.

I handed Octavious back the bong and he greedily took it like it was the air he needed “ so what brings you here my man” he said between puffs.

“ haven't you ever heard of vaping?” I asked, watching him, he pulled a vape from the pocket of his robe and I rolled my eyes wondering why I’d asked, of course he had it all.

“ I need to know if you’ve seen anything regarding blood witches” octavious began coughing uncontrollably smacking his chest.

He began laughing once he stopped coughing “ you’ve been in my home too long and inhaled too much of this” he waved his bong at me, he wasn’t wrong, a person could get high just off the second hand smoke in this place “ blood witches are extinct my friend” he continued to laugh.

“ I saw three” I confirmed and watched as octavius stopped.