CAIN

TWENTY

tehhehehe we made it to 10k

My nose scrunched up at the smell of the butcher's,  the leg of a pig now sitting in a bag hung from my shoulder. I had left Damarian's office a few days prior with more uncertainty than I had entered with. The rune, I had decided, was the closest thing I had to keeping both Alice and Cain safe.

I was out the door, and about to walk home when I suddenly felt unnerved. I didn't need to look up to know who the figure was standing beside the little shop. "Your Majesty, this is...unexpected."

He looked at the bag , his scent of smell most likely twice as sensitive as mine. His eyes seemed to be saying, aren't you supposed be a vegetarian?

"I'm working on a spell," I explained, cursing myself for the way the words left my mouth before I had time to regain my nerves. "Bit gory..."

Cain paused, "-I'm not sure I even want to know."

I shrugged, walking away from him. He followed, silent for a while, despite his seeming unwillingness to leave me alone. "Just in the area?" I asked him, full well knowing a butcher's on the edge of town wasn't the place one would run into royalty.

When he didn't reply, I stopped to face him. "A social call, then?" I smiled, not certain it reached my eyes.

His voice was coarse, "Business."

"Ah, of course, business." Reason seemed to have a funny habit of eluding me when faced with this lycan. I couldn't shake the budding resentment that he wasn't here because he had missed me after almost two weeks of ever-growing silence.

"We have arrested Alpha Denver. He has denied all charges, but I suppose that was expected," the king considered his next words. "Denver, he's asking for you."

"I thought our deal was done" I replied, rather curtly, "I assume this isn't you requesting I speak with him."

"Morgana," he seemed as if he was losing patience, "first I hear you're meeting with an Elder of the High Court, and now you're walking home with a foul-smelling bag of blood. Is this..."

I frowned, "Your Majesty, whatever it is I get up to in my free time, I must insist it really isn't any of your business."

Very mature, Morgana, very mature. I was cursing myself internally, until the man growled at me. It seemed despite the fact that both of us were far older than we looked, neither one of us could muster up any more maturity than a child. My eyebrows raised, "Did you just..."

"You don't believe that," he told me, eyes darkening which caused me to roll my own.

I scoffed, "Believe what? That I am entitled to a life without the crown reprimanding me for doing a little shopping?"

He turned away, laughing as if I was being ridiculous. The blood really wasn't helping my case. "As if your actions wouldn't raise suspicions."

"Well, I can assure you, Your Majesty, if I wanted you dead, I wouldn't take such a long-winded route of getting the job done."

Cain was unbothered by my blatant aggression. "If you're going to insist on using proper decorum, you could at least commit to sounding respectful," he drained.

I looked at him, only assuming my own eyes were now golden with magic. "The impertinence-"

"I didn't come here to argue wi-"

"Oh, because your civility is just overwhelming. I mean - how could I assume otherwise?"

He ignored me, "I am here because you are my mate, Ana. I don't want you to see me as an extension of the crown reprimanding you. I want you to see me as..."

I kissed my teeth, "I thought you were here on business."

He studied me for a moment, as if he was considering his next words. There was a moment when I thought he was going to fight be about the reasons why he was here, before me, but he only stood very still before letting out a short exhale.

"Alice - she's distraught. And she can't reach you," Cain told me, suddenly solemn, "Hell, I can't reach you. Your wards..."

"Improvements had to be made. You wouldn't believe this, but some lycans are inclined to enter uninvited."

When he smiled, I didn't miss the flash of his pearly white canines. "You wouldn't believe this either, but some witches like to turn up in unassuming innocent's offices."

I shook my head, as if disgraced by this behaviour, "If I were them, I would file a formal complaint."

"Unfortunately," he begun, mimicking my disappointment , "I've heard formal complaints aren't the most assured way to win someone's favour."

"Neither is breaking perfectly good wards."

He smirked - the devil. "I thought improvements had to be made?"

Suddenly aware we were getting off topic, I hid my smile and any snarky response that was brewing.
"How is Alice? Apart from distraught because her father is going to prison for a very long time..."

"It's not just that. She'll need to assume the position of alpha."

I frowned, "Don't you have to be a macho type man to do that?"

The look on Cain's face made me feel ancient, "By the goddess, what century are you living in Morgana?"

"Clearly not this one," I muttered.

"She is the rightful heir, by blood," he explained, "But there's talk of challenge."

"Challenge," I said, nodding my head but having no clue what it refers to.

Cain was patient. "Though positions in pack are usually claimed by birthright, if the alpha is deemed to be...unsuited in any way, a duel ensues," he explained.

"Can't you just say, thanks but no thanks?"

"No, Morgana, she will need to fight to the death."

I thought of Alice - kind, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, but tall and strong. Her eyes were like Cain's - the colour of honey. Surely as an alpha she could fight to ensure her claim over others?

"And will she?" I found myself saying.

Cain stilled, "You don't know?"

I looked at him, as if to say know what? Was I missing something vital about these pack rituals? But when the king spoke, it seemed it wasn't information about werewolves I lacked, but Alice herself.

"Morgana, Alice can't shift."