Queen Of His Heart ♚ | On Galatea

♚〡TWELVE

A Few Hours Earlier

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When the scoundrels had shifted territories, Adlaric felt it, but he paid no mind to it.

Wolves moved between packs all the time. It was only when Alphas came to the King that Adlaric took matters into his own hands. The wolf realm worked very much like a government. All packs followed Lycanthrope Law and Lycanthrope Law was upheld by the Royal Enforcement. Royal Enforcement was led by Beta Dimitri. All of the realm, however, was under King Adlaric.

The King had a mental link with all wolves. He could turn off some links, at times, but nonetheless he always knew where every wolf was, how they felt, and when needed, Adlaric could access their bodies to view their surroundings.

When his wolf surfaced during a council meeting, Adlaric knew something was truly wrong.

Adlaric let out a menacing growl and stood up. The chair behind him crashed to the ground from the harshness. Dimitri immediately went to his Alpha.

"Mate," Adalric hoarsely growled as he stomped out of the council meeting. "Mate," he chanted again, his wolf fully surfacing.

Adlaric and his wolf had a rocky relationship. Adlaric absolutely loathed his possessive, dominant, and cruel counterpart. His wolf was the reason why he killed that guard, his wolf was the reason he was going to die, his wolf was the reason he had to be bound by chains for so long. To Adlaric, his wolf was nothing but a constant nuisance, scratching against his conscience, making him feel more monster than man.

But at this moment, Adlaric was more than thankful and relying on his wolf instincts more than his human instincts. Eve and Adlaric were mates which meant that they were connected through their souls. Adlaric didn't love Eve. Love didn't describe what he felt for her. Love wasn't enough.

As the cold air nipped at his skin, he took a breath before taking the steps two by two. The King's only motive was to save his Queen. Adlaric hardly shifted, he was just as strong in human form as in wolf form, unlike many other shifters. He could run just as fast in human form. He only shifted when it was absolutely necessary to stake his dominance.

He could tell by the shouts that Dimitri was following him as well as a few royal guards. Adalric's primal urge took him to where Eve was. When the woods finally faded, he was face-to-face with Eve's home. Immediately, he picked up the locations of three other shifters; one in the back and two on the sides.

Dimitri appeared beside him, slightly winded, but still in-tune with his Alpha.

"There are shifters here," Dimitri said.

"But why? What's going on-" Adlaric's voice was cut off by the blazing sound of a gunshot. The guards and the royals both acted, instinctually. They all knew the importance of saving their Luna, so coming up with a logistical plan was unimportant.

Adlaric was the first to sprint to the door of the house. The locked door fell apart with his grip. Dimitri followed his Alpha while the guards surrounded the house.

He felt Eve near him, and his instincts took him to the kitchen. Pain and absolute anger ravaged his body, but his face expressed nothing but annoyance.

They heard conversations coming from the back and both royals made their way out of the backdoor that was connected to the kitchen. The scene in front of him made his blood boil.

"Wait! No! Evey isn't a part of this! You want me. I'm the one that ran away!"

Eve was laying on the ground, blood coating the area around her, with a small pup in front of her. Eros' hands were out in front of him and Adlaric could smell the fear, protectiveness, and sadness radiating from him. When a wolf took a step toward Eve, the pup growled and bit his hand, tearing a piece of his flesh away.