The Demon Princess and Her Powerful Alpha

Demon Blood

Ardenti    

    The loveliness of the pack house surprised me. I assumed the dwelling of wolves would be much more rugged. It felt like a palatial and luxurious cabin. The warm beautiful wood, and artful architecture were something to behold. Valerian told me about four hundred of the five hundred or so wolves lived in the main building. The rest all lived in quaint houses dotted along the property. Valerian recognized rank, like all wolves, but he had an egalitarian approach to ruling with duties distributed fairly. 

    Many packs treated the Omegas as servants, but not here. All pack members had a choice of living communally in the pack house or in one of the many houses. Whenever they needed a new one, the pack would come together and build it in a matter of days. I waved my hand creating the illusion of a house, and he laughed. "You'll be a handy Luna." I laughed with him and sent the image away. 

    Valerian said when you live in isolation all parts need to be as important as the whole. My heart warmed at him trying to credit his success and fair handed leadership to the fact they lived in the middle of nowhere. Truthfully, he epitomized what a wonderful alpha should be, fair, kind, well suited to lead. He was tough when he needed to be, and intensely loyal. The world would be a better place with more men like him. 

    He led me through the foyer which managed to be grandiose and homey all at the same time. A wild part of me I didn't understand, saw herself here. I would be dreading the reaction of the pack, but old habits die hard. I wasn't the type to give a damn what anyone thought of me. It would be better for Valerian if they accepted me, but I didn't think I would spend much of my time here. 

    An incredible number of things needed doing. The largest and most frightening of which was destroying my father and freeing the innocent souls still stuck in hell. I didn't want to be insulting, but the affection of these wolves did not compare to that weight. I never lived in proximity with any being, not that I remembered at least. 

    I may have emotions now, my lust for bloodshed and pain in innocents lost, but that didn't mean I became a soft and cuddly person. The expectation of Lunas was kindness and warmth. They were the heart of their Alpha's, the feather bed that reminded them to be gentle and warm. If anything, my Alpha did that for me. I couldn't offer him peace and council. The tumult within me raged too hard. 

    I counted myself lucky Valerian did not require fanfare as Alpha. Only a few people milled around. No one greeted him at the door and fawned over him. Of course, he knew all the wolves by name and introduced me briefly to the ones we came across. 

    He called me by my title, without giving any explanation. Their reception was friendly enough because they trusted the judgement of their alpha. The fear and doubt remained evident in their eyes. Guilt flooded me at the sight of them. I had spent a lot of time inflicting pain on innocent people like them. 

    We made our way to his office without much conversation. No one wanted to chat too much in the presence of a demon. "Is this why you're in such fantastic shape?" I gestured toward the stairs. If I counted correctly, we neared the twelfth floor. 

    "It certainly doesn't hurt." There was no hint of tiring in his voice. 

    "You're partial to transport magic, I'm surprised you can keep up." He chuckled at his own joke. 

    "Do not test me, wolf." I replied with a smile in my voice. "How many floors are there? 

    "Fifteen, my office is at the top, so I can supervise the gates in the distance." 

    "You can see the Moon Gates from your office?" I asked with a touch of excitement. 

    "You've never seen them?" His surprise grated on me. 

    "No, my father told me our kind could not go near them. If I did I risked blasting the realms apart, killing myself in the process." I realized I parroted another of his many lies. 

    "If he wanted to keep you from them so badly, you'll need to take a visit soon." I made a noncommittal noise of agreement. The hall ended with his office. He quickly unlocked the door. Before stepping over the threshold, the view knocked the breath out of my lungs. 

    The room dominated the corner of the pack house, the two exterior walls had panes of floor to ceiling glass between the windows. His desk sat in front of them facing the tall stone moon gates. The shimmer reflecting off the pale white stone remained visible from this distance. I couldn't tell from here if the stone sparkled or if magic interrupted the air. 

    I walked to the wall and pressed my hand against the glass without realizing I had moved. They called to me as I stared too stunned to speak. His warmth flooded the space between us before he wrapped his arms around me. "Are you ready to meet my father?" 

    "Father's and I don't mix well." His lips pulled into a smile against my neck. 

    "My father is not the king of hell, just a grumpy old wolf. He will love you once he gets to know you." 

    "And before?" 

    "Well, let's find out first hand." His tone reassured me, but his words left a lot to be desired. "I mind linked him. He's on his way up now." 

    "You make an old wolf climb those stairs?" I accused. 

    "He's not that old, only sixty. Plus, we have an elevator." My brow wrinkled in the reflection. 

    "Then why did you make me walk?" 

    "Testing your endurance, love." He winked at me. 

    "I think you did that quite well enough this morning." I chastised him. 

    "Perhaps I have more interesting plans for you." A sharp knock on the door interrupted us. "Come in." He called. The door flew open and an older version of my mate stepped through. His curly brown hair shot through with streaks of gray, and he wore a full beard, but overall, the similarity was eerie. His mother must have been pleased to birth a pup so much like her mate. I smiled at him in greeting, appreciating the fact Valerian would stay gorgeous as he aged. 

    "Father" He opened his arms to embrace him. The old wolf hugged him and clapped him on the back. He stepped away from his son and gave me a cold, hard look. 

    "What is the meaning of this?" He waved a hand toward me in dismissal, accusation raging in his eyes. 

    "Father, allow me to formally introduce you to my mate and our next Luna, Princess Ardenti. Ardenti, this is my father and former Alpha, Aldrich." The old wolf let out a sound somewhere between a grunt and a laugh. 

    "What exactly are you the princess of, girl?" Valerian's face twisted in disapproval, and he opened his mouth to defend me, but I cut him off. 

    "I am the Princess of Hell, and I'm far too old to be considered a girl." My broad smile challenged him, the barest hint of a threat in the gesture. Old habits die hard after all. 

    "My son did not mate with a demon." He flapped his arms hoping to make me disappear. "You bewitched him. I know what wicked tricks your kind are capable of." He turned to Valerian. "Have you lost your mind, son? She might be the same beast that killed your mother!" He bellowed. "Have you no shame?" 

    "Father!" Valerian roared back, but I would not allow my mate to fight my battles. 

    "I'm more than a demon, Aldrich. Our wolves recognize each other." I let the significance of my words sink in for a moment. Even at three thousand years old I never heard of a wolf breeding with anything other than wolves or humans. In that case the child was simply a wolf or not. My pedigree was more twisted. 

    "Further, I did not kill your wife or your son. I am sorry for their loss and both of your pain." He scoffed at my words, unable to believe a creature such as me could feel. 

    "Lies! What other hell beast would return for my eldest son?" I said nothing for a moment allowing him a chance to catch his breath. 

    "I swear to you upon my life and title, I mean your son no harm, and I did not take the life of your mate or child." I sliced my hand with my sharpened nail and used the blood to draw an ancient seal over my heart. It still surprised me, even though I knew blood would now seep from the incision. He stared in shock. "You were a powerful Alpha, Aldrich. Surely, you understand the significance of this seal." 

    "Yes." Some of the fire died out of him. "Breaking that vow would kill you. You would be dead if you did not speak the truth." 

    "I am in a unique position. Whether you accept me or not, Valerian and I marked one another and completed the mate bond. It's not up to you to decide whether the moon Goddess is mistaken or not. A wolf such as you would not place yourself above Selene." He grunted his displeasure at the insulting suggestion. "I am a demon as well as a wolf, and the Princess of hell." I touched the mark on my chest reigniting the magic. "I will find the one responsible for the death of your wife and son and I will bring you their head, or heads, on a platter." 

    "No." he answered. "You will bring them to me alive, and I will remove their heads myself. 

    "It will be done." I agreed, still touching the sigil.