The Tribrid War

Chapter 8

Her alarm blared in her ear at 7 am; after she rolled over to shut it off, she threw off her blankets and jumped out of bed. She headed to her closet and picked out a pair of torn black jeans and a red V-neck T-shirt. "I may as well smell good when Dad banishes me," she sarcastically said to herself as she turned on the shower. Once she finished her shower and dressed, she completed her outfit with black combat boots and her new leather jacket. Looking herself over, she took a deep breath and headed downstairs. As Ravenna walked downstairs, her heart was beating so hard that she felt like it would jump out of her chest. Finally, she reached the kitchen, where her parents, David, Rose, Serena, Patrick, and Serena's new bodyguard Maurice were seated. They were eating breakfast and conversing among themselves.

Ravenna looked at Maurice and evaluated him; she couldn't help but think he would be a good bodyguard for Serena. He's close to 5′9" and full of muscles. His brown skin was flawless except for one scar running down his cheek. As she watched his brown eyes light up in interest at the conversation, she couldn't help but miss Kevin. She took a deep breath to help calm her nerves, walked up to the table, and sat down next to Serena. "Good morning, everyone," she said with faked enthusiasm. Everyone in the room returned her greeting, but she didn't miss the sadness in Patrick's eyes. "Dad, I need to talk to you..." The door opening as Marcus entered the room interrupted Ravenna's statement.

"Your Majesty, I am sorry for interrupting your breakfast, but I have some urgent news."

"No problem, Marcus; what is it?" The King asked as he looked up from his paper.

Marcus stepped into the room and bowed to the family. Then, he stood back up and turned towards the King. "It was just brought to my attention that the Vampire Prince Alias was murdered a few days ago by Hunters."

A slight gasp was heard at the other end of the table, which caused everyone in the room to turn to look at the source. To divert their curiousness, Ravenna pretended to drop her napkin and bent down to pick it up.

"Let's discuss this in my office, the king stated as he stood to leave the room." Then, turning to Ravenna, he looked at her with concern. "You needed to discuss something with me?"

"It can wait; go to your meeting; I'm going for a walk."

He nodded at her as she quickly stood up and hurried out of the room before the tears started falling. She managed to run to the clearing where they met, collapsed, and cried. She cried for Kevin, she cried for her border guards who lost their lives at the ball, and she cried for Alias. As she kneeled there, lost in her thoughts and tears, an arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Raven; I know he meant a lot to you," Patrick said as he tightened the hug.

"I loved him, Patrick; we knew we couldn't keep going. Of course, we would eventually find our mates, but he didn't deserve that."

"I know, Kevin didn't deserve it, and neither did the border guards. But, unfortunately, it's a result of war, no matter how bad it sucks," he replied as he held her close and let her cry. Finally, her tears stopped as she adjusted herself to sit next to him, put her arm around him, and just enjoyed the comfort he provided.

"It's my fault, you know; if I didn't ask him to meet me here to discuss the Vampire who killed Kevin, he'd still be alive."

"It's no one's fault but the Hunters who killed him," Patrick said as he looked her straight in the eye.

She nodded uncertainly, took a deep breath, and wiped her eyes. "I guess I had better get back; this day is getting more complicated."

Ravenna stood to her feet and turned towards Patrick; she offered her hand to help him to his feet. He accepted it with a smile, stood up, and wiped off his jeans. He took a deep breath and turned to look at her. Then, as Patrick ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair sheepishly, he took her hand.

"I owe you an apology; I was a total ass last night, and I didn't mean to take it out on you. A lot was going on, and I was drunk and impatient. You are my best friend, and I don't want that ruined because of my big mouth."

"You are angry and grieving; of course, I'd forgive you, Dork." She smiled at him and put her arm around his shoulder. "I guess it's time to have that conversation with my father. Want to go with me to tell Dad about my tavern fighting?"

"Why do you have to tell him?" He answered in an equal mixture of disbelief and curiosity.

"I heard something last night that could be an issue in the future, and Dad needs to know."

"Of course, I'll go," he said with a smile as he grabbed her hand.

They walked hand in hand across the castle grounds and watched the cars of the Alphas pulling in for the funeral Alpha Mitchell and Kevin's funeral. Ravenna looked down sadly as she continued to lead Patrick to her Dad's office.

As she stood at the door and mentally prepared herself, she heard that her father and Marcus were still there talking. Finally, she knew she was ready; she took a deep breath and knocked sheepishly on the door.

"Come in, Ravenna."

She took a deep breath, opened the door, and entered the room. "Dad, I need to talk to you and Marcus," she said as Patrick closed the door behind them. "But, before I start, I need you to listen and not interrupt or yell at me." She said as she sat in a chair across from his desk next to Marcus.

King Alistair leaned back in his chair with concern etched on his face as he stared at his daughter.

"Ok, I won't yell. What is it?"

"About three years ago, I started sneaking out of my room at night and fighting in the Midnight Tavern under the alias of Raven." She replied, looking at her hands.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Marcus yelled.

"You do know you could have been killed, Ravenna. Do they know who you are?" The King asked her with concern evident in his voice as he stared at her curiously.

Grateful her Dad kept his word, Ravenna relaxed a bit. "No, they don't know who I am. I have always worn a mask, and most don't even know I'm a wolf. Regarding getting killed, I need to lose; first, I'm 36 and 2."

The King turned to Marcus and smirked. "I think you need a raise."

Marcus snickered and looked at Ravenna. "Ok, so what is the point of telling us this?"

"Well, I went last night; due to an all-fighters meeting, The announcer informed us that the human Queen was murdered, and all shifters are now barred from entering The Rose or Alaria."

"A standard precautionary measure with the Queen being killed; what does this have to do with us?" The King asked her as he leaned back further in his chair, looking at his daughter.

She shuffled nervously as she tried to find the words; finally, she took a deep breath. "Well, it seems that the queen was ripped apart by a Werewolf." Three gasps were heard, and Marcus finally broke the silence.

"Well.... shit."