Wyatt

“Please, I didn’t kill,” the middle-aged, half-turned woman pled in front of the council and me. I can’t help her, and I doubt she killed the vampire, she is accused of. She’s lucky she’s even in front of the council and wasn’t killed straight away. The only reason she isn’t dead already is that she’s beautiful and half-turned. The sun shines through the red glass and makes the woman seem like she’s glowing red. The whole morning has been filled with petty things like this, I wonder how my father can just sit here and do nothing like I am. The vampires have become selfish and cared only about things that don’t matter instead of things that do, like a human’s life. The last vampire in here was accusing her next-door-neighbour of stealing a necklace made of diamonds. I'll have to get Atti to check out Jewel’s hiding places for it before the two vampires try to murder each other.

“Don’t listen to her, you were caught with the sword in your room. Humans are not allowed to kill vampires, you know the rules and the punishment,” Talen says, an evil gleam in his eyes. I bet the fucker put the sword in her room, the vampire that was killed was one of Talen’s cousins, yet he apparently doesn’t feel sorrow for his loss. No, this is all a game, and he will kill that woman. I’m sure he’s wanted an excuse to kill her for a while. If I knew about this meeting before now, I could have made Atti take her to the human world, she doesn’t deserve to have the death she will have. No one does.

“Take her to my suite. I’ll deal with the punishment and her death,” he says, and the rest of the council nods their heads. Disgust fills me when I see the two guards drag the poor, screaming woman away. I turn to stare at the empty, golden throne. The weight of the responsibility I will one day have is crushing. Winter was right when she called my kind heartless monsters because that is what most have become. They stay in this castle, separated from the human world and feeding off the humans that are born and bred here. They don’t treat them any better than dogs.

“Your mate fits in well with the vampire life, must be a difficult transition for a human who knew nothing of us,” Harold says as he comes to stand next to me. The rest of the council are walking out.

“It is. Winter deals well with changes,” I remark. That’s a little understatement, Winter has fit into my world like she always belonged in it. Maybe she always has.

“Have you spoken to the king?” he asks once the throne room is empty. The words echo around the room, a room that has only ever given me pain as I grew up. I look at the cold, wooden floor in front of the throne. Demi’s ruined body is still fresh in my mind, as the last time I saw her was on that floor. Talen had removed her heart and drained her of all her blood. I doubt he made her death natural. I never did get to bury her, I just took her body back to Jaxson’s pack and stayed near until a guard found her. “No, his defenders say he is busy,” I reply. I’ve been working with the council for the last two weeks, and I only get to see Winter for a few hours a day. It’s not ideal, but with my father refusing to come to the meetings, I have to be there.

“He isn’t here,” Harold says.

“Where is he then?” I ask. I didn’t know he had left, not that he would tell me.

“With the witches and the dark queen,” Harold says, and I know it’s a risk for him to tell me. I trust Harold, out of all the council and most vampires, he is more human. Harold is who I get my blood bags from because he and his family don’t use the servants. I know his family half live here and in the human world.

“What does he want? I know he visited the angel council and the light queen,” I say, remembering my previous conversations with Atti and Dabriel.

“I’m unsure, but it doesn’t bode well for us. I respect your father, but I believe in the goddess,” he says and bows at me. I watch as he walks out the room. It’s a risk for anyone to hear him say that, no one talks of the goddess in the castle. I didn’t know he believed in her, I thought my mother was the last one who did in this place. They all thought she was crazy when she spoke of the goddess and a time of change coming. At least from the way people talk about the last queen.

I walk out the throne room and search the castle for Winter. I find her training with Leigha and Alex. At least she hasn’t fallen in the water pond today, she must have figured out how to balance. It was a little funny to see her coming back for the first week looking like she’d been swimming in her clothes. Winter’s long hair is up in a ponytail, but it’s so long that it hits her lower back. The tight yoga trousers and vest top are showing her more toned body. Winter is more toned since becoming a vampire, but the training is making her curves look more seductive than I’m used to. She’s always been a temptation, but now it’s impossible to resist her. Drake is leaning against the wall by the door when I come in.

“Prince Wyatt, are you done with the council meeting already?” Drake asks, pulling my gaze away from my mate. I never wanted to force a mating with her, not the way it happened. I remember holding her body in my arms as I gave her my blood, pleading with the goddess to let it work. I couldn’t lose her. She came back wearing my mark. The mark looks so sexy on her lower back, I only get to see it when she wears those small shorts and a vest top in bed.

“Yes. How is she doing?” I ask. I watch as Winter jumps over a medium- sized wall. I wonder if she can jump the highest yet, I jumped it when I was ten after one year of training in here.

“Better. Leigha is good for her, doesn’t give in to any whining that she can’t do this. She’s training Alex as well, although I don’t believe it is helping them bond,” Drake says.

“Leigha has said no to every vampire the council has suggested, it’s now twelve she has refused,” I tell Drake.

“I don’t believe she needs a mate,” he says.

“The king hasn’t heard what she’s doing yet, I can’t defend her for long. Talen has never taken a mate, and I’ve seen how he talks about her,” I say.

“He is not touching my sister,” Drake warns.

“I won’t let him, but taking one mate would save us a lot of trouble. Not all the guys are bad. Easton, for example, is from an influential family, and is a good man.” I say referring to one of Harold’s children, a good guy but a little-laid back.

“She would eat him alive,” Drake laughs. Winter stops to chat with Alex before the massive wall.

“Yes, she would,” I chuckle.

I listen in on Alex and Winter's conversation because I don’t want to interrupt their training.

“Do you miss Jaxson?” Alex asks. I know she does.

“Yes, and Freddy. God, I miss Freddy, I love him, and it’s difficult that I can’t tell Wyatt about him,” Winter says with a sigh. Who the fuck is Freddy? I know our relationship is based on sharing, but not with another guy I don’t know. Why would she have hidden a massive secret like she is in love with someone else, from me? She hasn’t told me she loves me, but I feel it in our bond. I don’t know if she can feel my emotions yet, it might not happen until we finish the mating because of how different she is. The warmth she feels when she talks about this Freddy is hard to believe.

“It’s hard not to be honest with him, I don’t like keeping secrets from my mate.”

“You should tell Wyatt soon, but I agree it’s difficult. Its weird hearing you call Wyatt your mate,” Alex replies, and I turn to walk out the door before I hear the response.

I don’t know who Freddy is, but I won’t share Winter with anyone other than my brothers. I just can’t.