Chapter 1:
The castle was practically buzzing with anticipation. The workers moved anxiously around, trying to ensure perfection for the King's arrival. The smell of fear was palpable, especially after the last incident. Blood had been shed that day.
The workers never used to fear the King. Respect him, sure. But never fear. He used to be a King that they could admire. He was strict, but fair, with a calm demeanor about him. He may have appeared as slightly rough around the edges, even cold at times, but he was anything but that. Deep down, he had a good heart.
That heart shattered and died when she did.
The Royal Beta Female looked in pity at the fearful workers as she strode through the halls of the medieval style castle. She smiled kindly at anyone who was brave enough to glance in her direction.
She had been a relief to them. She helped them in a lot of dire situations. Partially because she and her mate, the Royal Beta, showed them compassion anytime they needed anything. And half because she was the only one who could get through to the King.
Where everyone else walked on eggshells around him, she spoke her mind. If she feared him, she never let it show. Not that anyone believed that she did.
The funny thing was, if anyone else spoke to King Finnian the way she sometimes did, they would have their heart ripped out before they could blink. She was different though. She was special.
She was the late Queen's sister.
"How was he today, Vivian?" Selena questioned her nanny once she reached the nursery.
"He was a little fussy; I think he can sense the trepidation in the castle today."
"I wouldn't doubt it. My little monkey is a smart one. Don't tell Tyler, but he gets that from me." She chuckled.
She walked over to the crib that her four month old baby boy was lying in. He had a toy key in his mouth, gnawing on it furiously as he cut his very first tooth. He grinned up at her, a giggle of delight passing from his lips. It warmed her heart.
It felt bittersweet to her every time she looked at her son. He looked just like Kendall. He had her wild dark curly hair, the thickest head of hair she had ever seen on a baby that young. He was born with big blue eyes, but they were starting to turn a light jade color just like her's. It was a beautiful reminder of her, but it also caused an ache in her heart that would never ease.
"Did he eat already?" Selena inquired after she picked him up from his crib and settled him on her hip.
"About an hour ago, Beta Selena."
"Okay, thanks again. You can leave for the day. King Finnian will be home soon; I'm sure you want to be long gone before then." She snickered, although it was more out of irony than humor.
"Are you sure you don't need me to watch him tonight? I figured you'd be busy speaking with the King."
"I will, but Lili and Brody agreed to watch him tonight. Thanks anyways Vivian; I appreciate it."
"Not a problem at all, Beta Selena. Goodnight." She wrapped her scarf around her neck, protecting her from the bitter cold front that had blown through. "Goodnight, little Kenny." She cooed as she lightly pinched his cheeks.
She smiled once more, then walked out of the room, leaving Selena and baby Kenny alone.
She sighed deeply, exhaustion weighing heavily on her shoulders.
It was crazy how much her life had changed in such a short span of time. She had to grow up from the immature child she was into the strong woman she had become. Her family needed her.
Her parents had been distraught at the loss of their baby. Brody hadn't been around much. Brody and Lili had been a surprising pair to say the least; no one had seen their mating coming. They met at the funeral and Brody knew the minute he saw her who she was to him. It had been the one decent thing to come out of the whole horrendous ordeal.
Lili had taken a while to come around to him. She pretty much shut down after losing Niki. She had to be sedated when she had found out and once she woke up, she didn't speak for weeks. Selena thought what really did it for her was that Niki died by Emiliya's hands.
Brody stayed though. He refused to leave until she was ready. After a few months, she finally opened up. They had been inseparable ever since. She moved back home with him, although they visited frequently.
Selena stepped up and carried her family through the grief.
Sometimes, she felt like she didn't have a chance to grieve herself.
She lost people too. Her best friend, one of her most trusted advisors, and of course, her baby sister. She missed them every day. She could only hope that time really did heal all wounds.
But for some reason, that seemed like false hope.
After all, it had been a year and it still hurt like it was yesterday.
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The time had finally come.
But, unfortunately, the buildup was for nothing.
Finnian wasn't in a raging mood. He was in the mood to shut everyone and everything out. Originally, he was supposed to meet the other royal's at dinner. Instead, as soon as he got home from his business trip, he went straight to his room. He didn't even inform anyone he wasn't going. He just didn't show up.
Matt and Kat, the Royal Gamma's, had been there, as were Tyler and Selena. Brody and Lili opted to babysit instead.
At the loss of Kendall, Dalton, Niki, Nathan, and Emiliya, the table had shrunk considerably.
They all waited around for an extra fifteen minutes, waiting to see if he would grace them with his presence. They all knew he was home. His power was easily sensed by any werewolf.
When he still didn't show, Selena stood up abruptly, her chair clanging to the floor at the speed she used.
"Baby, don't. It's not worth it." Tyler grabbed her hand before she could make her exit.
"No, if I don't do it no one else will. Kendall would want him to move on. She would have kicked my ass if I don't kick his." She informed through gritted teeth.
Tyler hesitated, but finally nodded and released her. Matt and Kat stayed quiet, just watching as she stormed from the room.
She made her way from the dining room to the stairs and she stomped up them, her anger growing as she went.
She was able to walk onto the sixth floor without any problems. The spell Niki had cast to keep people out had long since worn off. Kat recast it, since she had taken the position as Royal Witch upon Niki's passing, but she excluded herself, Selena, Tyler, and Matt. Although Selena was the only person who dared go up there.
She took a sharp turn at the top of the stairs, heading towards Finnian's room. She didn't bother to knock when she made it there. She just threw open the door and clomped inside.
It wasn't his original bedroom, not the one he shared with Kendall. He had left that one untouched. No one had entered it since her death.
Finnian had moved to the complete opposite side of the castle. A side that was still covered in a thick layer of dust from the years that it had been left untouched. Finnian wasn't there that often anyways.
He didn't even turn to look at her. He just sat there, staring into an unlit fireplace. He refused to ever light them anymore. That was something he did for her.
"You could have at least had the decency to cancel on us." Selena complained, crossing her arms over her chest. She subtly rubbed her arms with her hands, trying to create friction in the bitter cold of his room.
He hadn't even bothered to turn on the lights. He was just sitting in the dark, a tumbler of bourbon in his hand. He absentmindedly downed it in one swallow. He still didn't speak.
"0I'm talking to you." She snapped, exasperation bubbling in her chest.
Kendall wouldn't have wanted this. She would have wanted her mate to move on, to be happy again. Selena knew that if it had been Tyler left alone, she would have wanted Kendall to do everything she could to make that happen. So she tried, for her sister.
But she was running out of ideas.
She started off being kind about it. She tried to support him and she backed off when he took his anger and grief out on her. But enough was enough. He had seen her kind side and it didn't get through to him. She started to play bad cop after that. She was pretty much now just yelling at him and throwing insults at him. She was at a loss for what to do; frustration was driving her actions now.
"Finnian, snap out of it!" She yelled. She grabbed the nearest thing to her, a vase, and hurled it across the room. It missed his head by inches and smashed against the wall he had been staring at. Glass rained down from the impact.
Immediately, he was out of his seat and had her pinned to the wall by her throat, although he wasn't squeezing hard. He snarled at her, showing his canines. She gnashed her teeth together and maintained eye contact, refusing to submit to him.
After a tense few seconds, he released her and turned to walk away. "Just go Selena." He demanded, his voice raw and gritty.
"No." She deadpanned.
He stopped and clenched his fists, the muscles in his arms coiling up tightly. "What do you want from me?"
"I want you to be yourself, again. Your annoying, yet still pretty decent guy, self. Not this completely despondent, detached, furious shell of a man that you are now."
He turned his head towards her slightly, but she still couldn't see his eyes. "I lost the only person I lived for. What do you expect?" He asked, his voice turning cold.
"We all lost her, Finnian!" She countered her voice breaking in anguish.
"It doesn't even compare. You lost your sister. I lost the other half of my soul."
"That doesn't minimize everyone else's pain, you douche bag."
He sighed heavily. "Just leave me alone, Selena. I'm really not in the mood for your shit." He walked over to the table in the corner and refilled his glass with the dark amber substance.
"I came here for a reason, Finn."
"I would just ignore you, but I know you're going to inform me of that reason anyways." He stated as he downed the liquid.
"The anniversary is coming up soon. Everyone is expecting a memorial."
"And what do you want me to do about that?"
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe plan it?" She drawled sarcastically.
"Do what you want." He stated emotionlessly.
It was her turn to sigh. "Fine. I'll plan the whole thing. The least you could do though is show up."
She turned and walked towards the hall, only to pause in the doorway.
"She wouldn't want you to live like this, Finn. I can't even imagine how you feel, but I do know that my sister loved you and would want you to be happy. You have to try and move on eventually, for her."
He looked over at her, his blue eyes cold and dead, more so than usual.
"She doesn't want anything; she's dead."
They stared at each other, Selena trying to decide how to respond. She finally decided to leave it for the time being. She just nodded at him and left him alone to stew in his own misery.
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"Where are you going?" Matt asked Kat after he saw her slipping her shoes back on.
They had just finished mating, which was something that didn't happen very often anymore. She had been drained more often than not lately. She' d been working on a new spell, but she had yet to tell her mate what it was for. He was concerned for her health, both mentally and physically.
"I have a little work to do. I won't have time tomorrow, so I need to start tonight."
"Don't work too hard, okay? I worry about you these days. I've missed you." He told her as he wrapped her in a hug.
She melted into his touch as guilt filled her. It was true that she had been neglecting him recently, but her work was the most important she had ever done. She needed to fully commit herself to it.
"I'm sorry, babe. I know I haven't been myself lately. I'm trying to accomplish the new spell. It's just taking some time."
"What spell anyways?" He questioned.
"I can't tell you yet." She smiled nervously at him. "I promise I will as soon as I know how it turns out. Just give me a little more time? I promise I'm okay."
He sighed, but smiled at her anyways. He pulled her in for one last kiss. "Okay, I can live with that."
"You're the best. How about we have a date night Saturday night? Just you and me."
"Deal. I love you."
"I love you too." She kissed his cheek, then walked out.
Their room had been moved to the fifth floor after Matt had been named Royal Gamma and Kat had been appointed as Royal Witch. It was nice, but she still occasionally snuck down to the guest wing and sat in Kendall's old room. She would meditate in there. It was always quiet and somehow she could still feel her presence lingering in the air.
She made her way down the hall, making several twists and turns. Eventually, she made it to her workroom. It was at the end of an abandoned hall, one that no one ever went down. She had spelled it similar to Niki's. No one could hear what was said inside and no one could enter without her permission.
After Niki died, she and Lili had eventually gone through her belongings together. Lili had taken some with her to the Keating Pack, and Kat kept the rest. They never had any issues sharing, Lili choosing to leave the majority of Niki's spell books with Kat.
She entered without pause. The room was spacious, with plenty of room for her books and tools. There were shelves on all three walls, minus the wall with the door. There was a giant table in the center of the room and Selena was already sitting at it, flipping through a spell book.
"Do you even know what you're looking for?" Kat raised an amused brow.
"Not really. How do you read these?"
"It's a language only witches understand. You can look through the translated ones."
She nodded and Kat handed her a spell book she could understand. They worked mostly in silence, only talking occasionally to make a joke or to ask each other questions. Neither girl knew exactly what they were searching for, but they figured they would know it when they saw it.
It was the hard way to find something for witches. Normally, they would have a particular spell in mind and they would search for it. But in this situation, they were so desperate. They were searching for anything that might help.
After almost a year of looking though, they were starting to lose hope.
After several hours, Selena exhaled heavily through her nose and dropped the book with a thud onto the table. She propped her elbows up and dug the heels of her palm into her eyes, rubbing the sleep away.
"I can't look anymore tonight. Kenny had me up until two in the morning last night crying. I need sleep. We'll look some more tomorrow."
"You go ahead. I'm going to look a little longer." Kat told her, smiling weakly.
Selena squeezed her shoulder as she walked by. "We'll find it. We just need to stay patient."
Kat chuckled ironically. "Funny how I used to be the patient one and you used to be the one who would cut into someone's birthday cake hours before the party because you couldn't wait that long."
Now it was Selena's turn to laugh, wholeheartedly for once. "Kendall was so mad at me. She ignored me for a week after that. Especially because I take the piece with the K from her name."
"She'd be proud of you, you know. For how much you've grown this year."
"Thanks, Kat. That means everything coming from you." She leaned down and hugged her best friend. "I'll see you tomorrow. Love you, girl."
"I love you, too. Good night."
At that, Kat was left alone. She stayed until the early hours of the morning. She stayed until her eyes ached and burned and she couldn't keep them open any longer.
She searched and searched for hours trying to prove her and Selena's suspicions. No one else believed them when they mentioned it months ago. Finnian would have killed Selena when she brought it up had she not been carrying his nephew. But they had a gut feeling. They wouldn't stop until they proved it.
They wouldn't stop until they proved what happened to Kendall.
They wouldn't stop until they proved that Kendall, their best friend and sister, never died. That she was out there somewhere, still alive and breathing.
Everyone else may have given up on her, but they never would. They would never stop until they found her and found the truth. No matter what.
Thoughts or comments?