Chapter 42

W ulfric lunged to the door, yelling, "No, wait!"

She was here! His precious daughter was alive and here and—and dead.

He howled in anguish, but the hair on the back of his neck pricked in warning. He turned to see the two stuffed lynx's on either side of the stairs begin to prowl toward him. Their eyes didn't blink, taxidermied but magically animated as they were.

He tried to ignore them, turning back to the door to chase after her. One cat jumped forward to block the door, and the other flanked his back. His hands shifted into claws, and he barreled into the one in the doorway. Swiping left and right, he felt the lynx's own claws dig into his forearms as it lunged for his neck.

The lynx behind him jumped on his back, knocking him to the side. The first one bit his shoulder instead, but the teeth stabbed deep into his flesh, and he howled in anger.

His claws became razor sharp, mercilessly tearing into the creature in front of him. With a single arm, he lifted the flailing beast and tossed it aside. He tried desperately to dislodge the one clinging to his shoulder. Reaching behind with his other arm, he snatched the second one by its neck and held both up high. They clawed and scratched at his arms, but he paid them no mind as he made his way through the hallway, searching for his beloved Trix. His stomach churned at the sight that greeted him instead.

Where mounted animal heads had formerly lined the walls, they now rattled against the wallpaper as they tried to pull away. A few had already made it to the ground where they waddled on their marble base toward him. Teeth flashed and snarls clearly showed their intent to attack him. But there was utter silence coming from their eerily open mouths. Their movements were jerky and uncoordinated, a result of being separated from their bodies and attached to these macabre displays. No legs or bodies, just mounted heads, except the seven foot tall bear that now lumbered awkwardly down the hallway.

Wulfric cursed, and the lynx in his hands redoubled their efforts. One particular swipe of the claw drew enough blood to sting, and he hissed as he threw it at the bear.

Shifting for the second time that day, he tore the one remaining lynx in half. It snarled and tried to crawl toward him on two legs. The creepy little fucker didn't know when to quit.

The bear fought with the other lynx as it dug its claws in, trying to get off the enormous beast. A flash of light across the hall showed an office, dusty and decaying. With a quick glance at the bear, he knocked the closest of the mounted animal heads into the office. He shifted back, grabbing the two halves of the lynx and throwing them into the office too. He turned back to face the rest of the animated animals.

The other lynx launched off the bear and tackled him mid-air. Claws dug into his softer human flesh, and he roared as pain blinded him. His face stung and he felt the warm wet of blood pour down his cheek as he shifted and tore at the last lynx. Pain pulsed from his head, his shoulder, his torso, but he was relentless. He had to survive and find his daughter and his mate.

Finally, he tossed the shredded, limp lynx into the office with the others. They were crawling closer to the door, so he slammed it shut behind him and turned to face the bear.

It kicked a deer head as it stepped closer, and the antlers embedded in the wall. The glassy eyes were unblinking, and Wulfric waited in front of the door, swaying from blood loss.

"Come on, you hairy fucker," he muttered.

The dead beast lurched the last few steps and lifted a paw to swipe. Behind him, he turned the knob on the door and rushed around the bear. He hooked his leg around the ankle of the bear and pushed hard in the back. It stumbled through the door, and he shoved again, sending it sprawling over the animal pieces. Then he slammed the door once more.

A pair of metal knights bracketed the door, and he took the lance from one, slipping it through the door handle. The animals hit the door, but at least he didn't have to deal with screaming and roaring.

He sank against the door and wiped his brow, the sting of blood in his eyes burning as he blinked and turned to a noise down the hall.

Scarlet stumbled out of a door halfway down, her face contorted in pain and shock. When she saw him, she gasped and limped forward, her eyes roving over his face with clear worry. He raced to her, his legs shaky as he gathered her into the safety of his embrace. His entire body melted to feel her safe and sound in his arms. Not even the banging behind the library door made him tense because he knew—together—they could face anything.

"I never should've left you to put the horses up. Gods, love, are you alright?" His voice was choked with emotion, and he tightened his arms around her.

She ran her hands over his neck and upper back. "I thought... I feared..." she whispered, her voice breaking.

He pulled back and cupped her face, his thumb brushing away a smear of dirt mixed with blood on her cheek. "I know. Me too."

Their lips crashed together, desperate and hungry. The kiss tasted of salt and copper, fear and relief intermingling. His hands roamed her body, checking for injuries, needing to feel her alive and whole beneath his touch.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of dirt and earth, pine and lemongrass. The longer he held her, the more his body throbbed with the heat of desire. The post-battle need to fuck left him hard, but he needed to just hold her more than he needed to fuck her.

The banging behind the library door made her pull back and inspect his body. Her little hands ran up his back and gingerly traced over scratches to test the extent of his injuries. "Well, you'll live, but it'll be damned uncomfortable while you heal. I guess you ran into the queen too, huh?"

He stood there, letting her hands soothe his aching heart as it broke into a thousand pieces. The ghost woman—his daughter was the queen ? "The—she's the queen?"

Scarlet looked at him like he was crazy, and maybe he was. "Who else would she be?"

Wulfric opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. He closed his mouth and his eyes, then finally choked out, "My daughter."

Scarlet's hands froze on his stomach, and her nose twitched as she looked up at him. Her cheeks flushed as she shook her head. "What? I thought she died as a child."

He took a shuddering breath. "I did too. All my memories of her ended as a young child when I got them back. Eirwyn said she was alive, but I never thought—I didn't realize she was—"

"The evil queen who cursed us all?" Scarlet said, her tone hard as she clenched her jaw.

His stomach dropped to hear the bitterness and anger in her voice. She hadn't moved on from the need for revenge, but he needed her to understand. Desperately, he reached for her hands, silently begging her to let go of her stubbornness. "She's not evil, Scarlet."

She wrenched her hands out of his and stepped back down the hall to her torn clothes. "She married an evil king who taught her all kinds of magic. It twisted her, Wulfric. She's not the same little tavern owner as before."

She jerked on her pants and shirt, the tatters barely clinging to her body as he too found his pants.

His brows rose as he jerked them up over his hips. "You knew her before?"

Scarlet nodded and pulled her shirt on. "Of course. Hunters are notorious for hanging out in taverns and gathering information on their targets. And that tavern was the best in Demerel."

A flare of pride made his chest swell, and he grinned. "That was my tavern. Well, my wife's. We ran it together until she passed. Then I ran it with Trix's help."

"Don't call me that," came a voice from the stairs.

He turned at the voice, and Scarlet stepped beside him, taking his hand. He linked their fingers and drew comfort from his mate as he faced his past head on. His daughter descended the wide marble stairs, still translucent and not quite see-through.

On one hand, he was proud of how she carried herself with grace and poise, yet on the other hand, it served as a reminder of the separation between them - both in their social status and in their physical existence. The fact that he was alive and she was merely a ghost weighed heavily on his heart.

With her chin tilted up, she sniffed haughtily. "I am Queen Bella of Busparia. Trix died with you, Da."

The last she said as a whisper, stopping three steps from the ground as the knights beside the stairs saluted. He wanted to go to her, hold her and reassure them both that they were alive. But she wasn't, and it was all his fault.

He swallowed hard and nodded once. "Very well. Bella," he said reverently.

Bella took a deep breath, her nostrils flaring wide. "I apologize for the emotional outbursts earlier. I didn't mean for those things to come alive and attack either of you. I—I'm not myself these days and wasn't expecting visitors."

Scarlet snorted behind him. "No kidding."

Wulfric took a hesitant step toward his daughter. "I'm sorry I wasn't here. I'm sorry I didn't return like I promised I would."

Bella glanced away and somehow grew even paler. "It was war. I knew the likelihood of you keeping that promise."

"Still, I'm sorry I left you to run the tavern for ten years." His voice was a gentle whisper, tinged with huskiness and raw emotion. He held his breath, afraid to make any sudden movements that could trigger another outburst.

The tension in the air was palpable, like a tightly coiled spring ready to snap at any moment. Each word he spoke felt like walking on thin ice, hoping not to break through and cause even more chaos.

Her chin wobbled, then firmed as her eyes flashed. "I'm very angry about that. Why did you stay away? Is it because you're a Growler now?"

He nodded. "Mostly, yes. When I was turned, I lost all memories of my prior life. Then when the memories started to return in the past few weeks, I thought you'd died in the fevers with your mother."

The knights standing sentry along the side of the staircase landing shook along with her hands, and she fisted her skirts. The knights stopped moving as she heaved in several long, deep breaths.

"You knew I was alive when you left. Why would you agree to become a Growler? Did they trick you?" Her hands went wide as she stepped down another step on the stairs.

He held up a hand to stop her. "No, it was no trick. I lay dying on the Southern Road, and they offered me a chance at a new life."

"I see," she said softly, the banging behind the library door drawing her eyes. She waved a hand and the banging stopped, then she turned back to face him. "I can't imagine what you went through, but I know some of that feeling."

"Feeling?" As he looked into her tear-filled eyes, he could see the weight of adulthood bearing down on her young shoulders, burdening her with emotions beyond her years. He longed to take away her hurt, but knew there was little he could do to ease it.

She smiled but there was no mirth in it. "The feeling of emptiness, sorrow, and pain. The kind where it hurts so much you'll do anything to make it stop. Your brain knows the solution is a bad idea, but your body won't let you say no. So you take the offered solution…and it changes everything."

Her voice trailed off on the end, and his chest ached at the devastation he saw written on her face. She met his gaze, her own steady.

"Would you do it again? If you had to do it over, would you make the same choice again?"

He swallowed, unable to speak as he nodded. His eyes stung, whether from tears or blood, he didn't know.

She sighed and closed her eyes, a silent tear streaking down her cheek. "Me too. Borga protect me, but I would do it all again too."

Scarlet slammed her hands onto her hips. "You'd curse us all again? You still don't understand what you've done, do you?"

Wulfric pulled Scarlet into his arms, but she pushed him off and stomped down the hall to where her cloak lay crumpled on the floor. She jerked and shook it out, muttering to herself.

Bella stepped closer, wringing her hands on her skirts. "I don't understand what's going on in the world, but I know how it impacted those in the castle. I didn't do it on purpose. Surely she knows that?"

Wulfric shrugged and looked at Scarlet as she put the cloak around her shoulders to cover the tattered clothing and bared skin. Her ears twitched, and he knew she was listening. "I think she's starting to understand that, yes. But we do need you to come with us to fix the curse."

The knights on the landing at the base of the stairs rattled, and Bella stepped down another step as her eyes flashed. "I don't have to listen to you, Da. I'm the Queen and quite grown up now, or did you forget?"

The gnawing pain in the pit of his stomach twisted as he nodded, stepping forward until he was only a few feet from the stairs. "Actually, I did forget. When the Growlers turned me, I was delirious with blood loss. My mind had already twisted things, and I thought you were dead. All I knew was the pain of death and losing you and your mother."

"But you didn't lose me. I'm right here. I'm alive," Bella cried, the knights snapping to attention and turning to face them.

He shook his head, and Scarlet's hand settled in the small of his back. He reached back for her hand, needing her strength to get through this. Yet, despite her presence, the weight of his failures pressed heavily on him. As he gazed at Bella's ghostly form, conflicted emotions ripped through him. He should have been there to protect her from harm, to stop the king and prevent her death. Wulfric needed more than just Scarlet's hand to face the truth of his actions. He pulled her into his arms and held her.

Scarlet snorted and held him tight. "But you're not here. You're a ghost, Bella."

Bella's eyes flashed and the knights formed a line in front of the stairs, standing in a battle ready stance.

Wulfric squeezed Scarlet tighter and admitted his truth. "It's my fault, Bella. I should've been here to stop whatever hurt you, stop the king, stop your death."

Bella's lip quivered and the knights froze. Then her jaw tilted, and she glanced at Scarlet, then back to him.

"There was no stopping it. But the thing is… I'm not dead," she said flatly, her gaze turning to Scarlet as her lips pinched. "Come see for yourselves, and I'll explain. Scarlet knows the way, if you get lost in this big castle." The last was sarcastic and Scarlet flinched in his arms as Bella climbed the stairs.

Scarlet groaned as the knights blocking the stairs went back to their flanking positions. "Damn it, I was hoping to avoid that room."

"What room?" He kissed the side of her head and then breathed in her scent, trying to resettle his nerves and mentally prepare for whatever awaited upstairs.

"The room where the king died, the epicenter of the curses." Scarlet shook in his arms, and he buried his nose in the crook of her neck. He didn't want to let her go, needed her by his side to get through this. But he didn't want to cause his mate pain either.

He sighed and pulled back, holding her gently by the arms. "Do you want to stay down here, bunny? I'll follow her."

She scoffed and tugged him by the waist to the stairs. "You won't make it up the stairs by yourself, weak as you are. You're healing, but you're not there yet. No, I'll go. I'm not some simpering miss. I'll face it no matter how much it twists me up inside."

A thrill of relief went through him, grateful that he didn't have to do this alone. He'd left her outside the castle earlier, and it had been a disaster. If only they had stayed together, maybe they wouldn't be so badly injured now.

He held onto her tightly, his grip on her shoulder almost desperate. As they climbed the stairs side by side, she fell silent and he wiped the blood from his eyes. It was in moments like these, with her by his side, that he felt truly alive again. The mate bond between them seemed to strengthen with each step they took together, providing a glimmer of hope in the midst of chaos.