Nature is not a place to visit 43

Chapter 43
*“True loyalty doesn’t come from fear, but from admiration.”*
*Unknown*
Two weeks later, the dilapidated castle we’d first found was almost unrecognizable. Most of that was thanks to
Ambrose’s magic, of course. Just as his magic could knit flesh back together, it could turn crumbling columns brand new
or fix the cracks in the stone floor.
And when we weren’t renovating his – our home, I should say, as weird as that still sounds – we were living in our own
bubble of love. I’d never known what people meant when they said relationships had a honeymoon phase…until now.
I couldn’t keep my hands off Ambrose, and my wolf had never been this content in my life. It really was like our own little
bubble, but even so, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t moments where I felt lonely.
There were moments when I missed my pack. It wasn’t even that I just missed Hudson or Rae – I did – but it was the
chaos that I missed. Maybe it was because I’d grown up surrounded by people, but at times, the quiet of the castle felt
almost stifling.
It probably didn’t help that I hadn’t heard from Hudson or Rae in nearly a week. I’d send messages through the mind
link, but it was radio silence on their end.
*They’re probably just busy*, I told myself. After all, they’d moved to the Blood Moon territory, and they’d need to get
settled there.
They were moving on just like I was.
I’d like to say that thought didn’t bother me, but I can’t.
Then, two weeks into the renovation, things changed. Ambrose had been using his magic to fix some old shelves in the
castle library – which could’ve put the Smithsonian to shame – when he suddenly froze. His entire body went tense and
rigid, and the shelf he’d been fixing with magic suddenly crashed to the floor, splintering to pieces.
“Ambrose?” I asked. I set down one of the ancient tombs I’d been perusing to stare at him.
He turned to look at me, his eyes narrowed. “Someone is here,” he growled. “Multiple people.”
“Here?” I repeated, “As in here, the castle?” I strained to hear or smell anyone else, but I couldn’t. Whoever it was, they were still far enough away that my supernatural senses couldn’t detect them.
But Ambrose could.
“Stay behind me,” he ordered, grabbing onto my hand to make sure I did as he said. I might’ve protested being ordered
around any other time, but I could tell Ambrose wasn’t in the mood to argue – and I wasn’t the one with a bunch of
magical firepower at my fingertips.
It wasn’t until we’d almost made it outside that I finally sensed the unfamiliar presence. There were several strange scents
– more than I could count – and the quiet buzz of voices.
I could only pick up bits and pieces of what they said.
“You’re sure he’s here?”
“…I can’t believe we’re going to…”
“…feels unreal…”
“…think…pass out…”
As soon as we’d walked into the main courtyard, Ambrose flung the large blue metal gate open with the flick of his
wrists, keeping me firmly planted behind him.
There was a myriad of gasps and new whispers as the gate flung open with a loud whine, and I peeked my head around
Ambrose’s shoulder to get a good look at these strangers.
Maybe that wasn’t my smartest move – considering they could’ve been hostile – but I was curious. And also hiding
behind the most powerful creature I knew to exist, which had to count for something.
From what I could tell, there was a crowd of people gathered in front of the now-open blue gate, but it was hard to make
out faces.
“Who are you?” Ambrose growled viciously.
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complete story. Head over there to dive into the next chapter—it’s all free! Now that we were closer, I was able to smell them more clearly and one thing became abundantly clear: they were werewolves.
One man separated from the rest, an older man with dark eyes, long salt-and-pepper hair, and bronze skin. When he
caught sight of Ambrose, his eyes became as wide as saucers and he literally stumbled.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he muttered, “It’s true. You’re *real*. You’ve returned to this world. You’re *him.*”
“Yes,” Ambrose said flatly, and I could tell he hadn’t let his guard down for a second.
“I’ve heard the stories,” the man rambled, “But to see you in the flesh…” His eyes were still impossibly wide, and he
looked like he might just faint from surprise.
“And you are?” Ambrose asked.
That question seemed to catch him off guard. “Oh! Yes, of course! It must seem very odd that we’ve just shown up like
this,” he said, chuckling nervously, “My name is Akeem, and this is my pack.”
“And what is your business here, Akeem?”
Akeem’s eyes were filled with what I could only identify as admiration. “Several weeks ago,” he started, “My pack heard
rumors of a blue light that shot into the sky. They said it came from the Moon God’s crypt, although many didn’t believe
it. Thought it must’ve been a comet or some kind of falling star.”
*I probably wouldn’t have believed it had I not been there.*
“I’ll admit that I was a bit of a skeptic myself,” Akeem continued, and he looked a little bashful as he said it, “But then…
the Blood Moons. The strongest pack in the country – stomped out like they were ants on the sidewalk. None of us could
deny your return then. We knew you’d been awakened.”
Maybe it was a bit of an oversight, but in all the chaos of the past few weeks, I hadn’t thought of much about the rest of
the werewolf world. I hadn’t considered that they might hear of Ambrose’s existence or even what they might think.
Sure, in the back of my mind, I knew it was inevitable. After all, Ambrose had told me himself that he wanted rule over werewolves again. So, I knew that it would happen at some point.
*I just hadn’t realized it’d happen so soon.*
*And maybe I just wanted to keep him all to myself. Just for a little bit.*
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“My pack has traveled across the country to come here,” Akeem said, gesturing to the crowd behind him.
“And how is it that you and your pack found this place?” Ambrose asked.
Akeem eyes lit up like he’d been waiting for this question. “Long ago, when you ruled this world before,” he explained,
“Members of my own family served as advisors on your council. They’ve passed down journals of their time here,
including notes about this castle. I was able to discern its location from those.” Akeem paused before adding, “It was a
bit of a lucky guess that you’d be here, but I figured if you had truly returned to rule this world, you’d also return to your
home.”
Then, in a display of submission I’d only seen once before, Akeem and every member of his pack dropped to their knees
and bowed their heads. “We’ve come to serve you,” he said, “And not just you, but the one who’s awakened you.” He
kept his head bowed, but Akeem’s gaze flickered to mine momentarily.
I took this as my cue to completely step out from behind Ambrose.
“We recognize you as the one true ruler of werewolves. And as our King,” Akeem said, “And as such, a king needs
warriors, servants, advisors. We may not be able to provide all that you need, but I hope you’ll allow us to be the start. It would be an honor.”
There was a long beat of silence before Ambrose said, “You may rise.”
Akeem and his pack did so without hesitation, shuffling back into standing positions. I watched the scene unfold with
awe – this had not been on the agenda when I woke up this morning.
“You and your pack have traveled a long way to be here,” Ambrose said, and his voice didn’t give anything away.
“Yes, Your Majesties.” It took me a minute to realize that Akeem had made that plural. He wasn’t just addressing
Ambrose – he was addressing me too.
*Your Majesties? That’s new. And will probably take some getting used to.*
“You said it would be your honor to serve me,” Ambrose said, “But it is not your honor –”
Akeem’s eyes flickered with surprise, and I whirled around to look at Ambrose. Was he about to turn these people away?
“ – it is my honor,” Ambrose finished, “If you choose to stay, you will have a place in this castle as well as my protection.
Those who give their loyalty to me gain mine in return.”