Chapter Twenty-Five

We no longer had the advantage of an inward distraction at a party, so instead, a fire would be set in the fort and West courtyard drawing the attention of the guards. Then a ground force would attack the North gate while myself and the arma with the hunter's force came in through the underground network.

"Moving onto the fort," Carlos checked in.

"Fire is set," Tommy informed a few seconds later.

Alarm bells and shouts could be overheard on the comms. We were far in the tunnels headed into the keep to hear them. All forces were instructed to defend themselves, but any civilians within the city were to be given full quarter if they surrendered. If they did not offer violence, secure them and confiscate any weapon and move forward. It was the best we could do for the families living there. I feared what may happen to them, but the other options were too dangerous for our people.

It was the last set of doors before we would be within the service tunnels of the castle. Lucas turned the last dial on the ancient combination and rocks and debris poured out in front of us. It looked like the door had been discovered and they collapsed the tunnel to prevent our entry.

"Damn." Victor cursed beside me.

"Where's the back up entry point?" I asked, we need to get into position so that when they sound the attack on the North gate we are ready to enter. They couldn't have found all of them"

"Split up, if you find a gate that hasn't been blocked alert us," Lucas commanded his guards and they took off to find a new entry point.

"Carlos," Stefan spoke into the comms. "We are still not in position to enter, entry point 1 was blocked and we are scouting a new entry"

"Do you want me to send Tommy and Dean?"

"Standby, we want to see if we can still make a silent entry," I stated.

"You got it" Carlos replied.

Stefan looked at me with a questioning look.

"Tommy and Dean are effective, but they will blow our way in, and it will be loud."

Stefan just nodded and started shaking his head with a smile.

We waited for fifteen minutes before the guard returned and confirmed our fears, the tunnels were blocked. If we wanted to make a silent entry we would have to find a new way.

"New plan," I said, thinking. "We need a new plan" I paced back and forth.

"Send Tommy and Dean," Stefan stated into the comms.

"You got it," Carlos replied.

It took Tommy and Dean ten minutes to get there.

"Status update" I requested.

The vampire Luc came over the comms and let me know the fire in the Fort was in full blaze and they were still in a frenzy putting it out, but now all the city guards that were not already on duty were outside of the barracks half clothed, some not even armed.

"Send in the attack on the North gate," It was prime time and regardless of if we could get in the next fifteen minutes wasn't going to change the fact that I had to give them their best chance. If they could fight their way into the city they would have a better chance of survival to hold it while we broke into the castle.

I held my breath as Tommy and Dean finished their assessment and turned to me.

"I hope you all brought ear protection." Dean grinned. "It's about to get loud." He immediately set to work bringing out bundles of plastique and what I recognized to be an ignition relay. Tommy and Dean worked in tandem, silently, and in 5 minutes they instructed all of us to move down the tunnel to get as far from it as we could.

"Alright everyone cover your ears and open up your mouth as wide as you can," Dean said, covering his ears with a set of muffs. I faintly hear him say "Get ready to run"

Then he pressed the button and the concussive wave blew us back a foot. Like a single unit we moved, racing down the tunnel to get through.

When we got onto the other side, the blast had blown straight through the walls into the inner courtyard entrance of the throne room. Guards waited poised with weapons trained on us. The Ulfric, my grandfather, was standing behind them laughing.

"Did you really think I didn't know?" He cackled. "You are a bastard child, you have no claim to my rule!" he shouted at us. "Now you will all die,"

"Then shift and accept my challenge!" I called out.

The castle guards all started to lower their weapons. It was the law. A challenge had been laid.

"Kill them," Ulfric roared.

"You forget the laws of our kind!" I accused. "You are challenged, grandfather, either accept the challenge, shift, and fight me with fur and claw, or stand down!"

"I am Ulfric! I don't have to do anything you say, you must submit to your ruler, Rogue!"

"Shift now," I commanded, using every drop of power I possessed in my soul. The ruling Alpha within me snarled out of my human throat leaving it feeling raw and spittle had sprayed from my lips onto my chin. I wiped it with the back of my hand and the power hit him like a wave. I kept my focus on him and he went down on his knees.

The castle guards began to recede and put their backs to the walls. They were compelled to obey the true Alpha, and their inner wolves recognized it.

The old Ulfric roared in frustration before charging at me. Like I had done so many times before, I changed rapidly. The ancient armor changed with me and formed to my wolf's shape perfectly. The new armor had been spelled so that it moved with the old. Reinforcing itself with the chest piece, bracers.

He hit me solidly in the side like a battering ram, I slid backwards but he did not knock me over. I thought surely my shoulder was crushed from the force. I bit down hard on something soft and twisted. Pieces of his arm shredded in my mouth and I heard him wail. I held on and shook as hard as I could. I shook so even my tail shook and all four feet were in the air. I shook until I free fell, his arm ripped completely off. I pranced around him as he hunched over the bloody stump where his arm used to hang. I dropped the limb in front of him and growled lowly before I began stalking around him.

My grandfather saw his death and defeat in my eyes. He could have surrendered, and I could have toyed with him, but instead I lunged and tore out his throat. I shifted back, bathed in his blood like a bloody baptism. I had started a rogue and shifted back a conqueror. My shoulder was already healed. I could feel the tissue healing itself and the working of magic under my skin. I didn't know if it was the armor or the amulet but either way, he had no chance when this began.

A howl started behind me, and it was Lucas. Lucas had howled in victory and kneeled to me and Stefan. He was announcing our victory to the troops.

"Tell the rest of the court guards to stand down," I commanded the leader in front of me. His weapon was at his back and he kneeled before me, head bowed. "Ceremonies and loyalty will be professed later, for now, we need to make sure no one else dies for this man."

"Yes, Luna" the commander of the guard said and sent half of his force into the city toward the North gate.

"Carlos, it's done, stand down, but don't get yourselves killed. Sound the victory cannons," I quipped.

Tommy and Dean let out a great big loud shout and each pulled out a flare gun and fired it over our heads. The courtyard lit up for a moment and in time, the sounds and shouts died down to a single chant.

"Rezzori, Rezzori, Rezzori," the family name of a family I had never known was taken up by the troops, the guard, the band of rogues.

It was then that my mother came out into the courtyard and wailed like a banshee. She wept over her father and looked at me in a mixture of awe and horror.

"Is this how it had to be? Was there no other option but to slaughter him?" She cried as the blood seeped into her dress.

"He was formally challenged and when he could not shift, he attacked, we are the bearers of wolves, he was given a quick death." Lucas said to her.

Her gaze shot up and took him in.

"I thought you were dead" my mother whispered.

I stepped away from the courtyard and Stefan followed me into the empty throne room.

The obvious thing would be to sit on the empty throne, but the entire thing felt wrong. The castle, the room, all of it looked and felt too…Human. That's what this was, it was a human man displaying his power. Wolves didn't do this, they didn't need to, the leaders protected, guided, and served their wolves, they didn't need to display their wealth like this.

I picked up the throne, it was heavy, but I managed. If I hadn't been a shifter, I would have not been able to do it. I walked out to the courtyard and threw the throne over the edge of the wall and down the cliffside into the river below.

"It's a new era, enough of the protocol and pompous crap. We are wolves, not man." I said aloud. "It's time to clean house, this should be a haven for our people, not a cage. Arrange a funeral for the deceased, and all are to be given full ceremony for burial based on their beliefs. Find Sye, see if she can assist in making sure everyone gets fed tonight. I think a good hearty meal for all is well deserved."

"It is customary when a new Alpha takes over a pack to go on a hunt together at the next full moon, I'm not sure what a new ruler is supposed to do," Stefan said.

"It is the same," Lucas answered. "We are all one pack, connected and one people united through our wolves."

"Lucas, take over security until you have identified someone loyal to take over" Stefan requested.

"As my Alpha commands." Lucas nodded.

Some of the guards began cleaning up the courtyard and moved the old Ulfric's body and severed limb down to the city's main courtyard on the busted door from where we entered through the tunnels. I hoped they were taking him down to be placed on a funeral pyre as I requested. Time would tell.

Lucas had picked up my mother and was carrying her out of the courtyard, I could only assume to get her cleaned up and allow her to weep in private. Tommy and Dean were shaking hands with Brignoff and his people. I nodded at them and went back into the room previously holding the throne. That's when I looked at it again and knew this room was meant to be a dining hall. Its purpose was for the community, not for displaying power.

Eyes were peaking around the corners at me and I nodded at them. They stepped out of the corner and into the light. Two women in plain dresses. They looked like staff with matching uniforms.

"Is it true? Is the old bastard dead?" one asked.

"He's dead," I confirmed.

"Good," she nodded at me.

The chanting continued outside and deep in my soul I weeped, because Jason wasn't here. He prepared me for so much, and wasn't here for this part. This was the important part, uniting all of us, rogue and packs together. Taking all of the corruption and rot we had endured to get to this point.

"Luna, do you require any assistance from us?" the second woman asked.

"I want this room to be a banquet hall, I want our people to be able to come here and be able to eat with their family and not be burdened with anything so silly as etiquette. Can you help me with that?' I asked them.

"Yes ma'am," they smiled at me and bowed their heads quickly and set out of the room, I was guessing to gather people to assist.

"Jez," Stefan came up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

I placed my hand over his and looked at him like it was the first time I had seen him. Things were changing rapidly, but I knew this love was constant and unwavering.

"Stefan," I answered.

"We need to get you cleaned up. Sye is setting up a banquet for everyone tonight where we can address everyone. The news will break later and the other Alphas that aren't already here will be asked to make their way here." he finished. He really was perfectly suited for this.

"Only if we can go hunting tomorrow night," I smiled.

"Whatever you like," Stefan smiled back and guided me through the castle to the Royal family's quarters. "It will take time, but we will make this our home."

"No," I protested. "The woods is home, the forest and mountains full of deer and rabbits to eat, rivers to swim in, that's home as long as you are with me. This is just a place to sleep and clean up, but if I have my way about it, it will start to feel more like the forest and mountains with you by my side."

Stefan smiled broadly at me "I love you," he said.

"And I you," I replied.

Stefan kissed me passionately then. In a whirlwind of tangled tongues and pants we removed our armor and stepped into an already warm shower. I think Stefan must have sent someone ahead to set up before us. We showered each other, getting ourselves clean, and caressing each part of each others bodies with lips, hands, and tongues. When we were drying each other off, we couldn't wait any more.

With a frustrated growl, Stefan wrapped my legs around his waist and laid me down on the rug in front of the fireplace. I moaned as he entered me and he buried his face in my neck. Together we moved, driving each other closer and closer to orgasm. Stefan drew close before I was ready to come and snarled before tearing away from me to flip me over and drove into me from behind. He snaked a hand around to tease my clit as he began a brutal rhythm I could no longer keep up with. I began to pant and moan low in the back of my throat as my shoulders drooped down and my forehead touched the soft rug as my fingers gripped the edge of the stiff material. With his other hand Stefan tangled his fingers into my hair and pulled me up so I was seated onto him at the exact angle he wanted and his other hand never faltered its stimulation. It wasn't long before I came apart. He rode it out with me as my body began to go limp. He flipped me back over and entered me again.

"I'm not through with you, yet, my love." Stefan grunted and picked up a hard and fast pace. He slammed into me over and over. All I could manage was to cant my hips to give him better access. My back bowed as he forced a second orgasm from me and never slowed his pace.

"Please!" I begged, "I want you to come!" I moaned. I wanted to feel him come apart the way he did for me.

With a grunted shout Stefan came, and his hips twitched against me when he did it sent me back over the edge with another orgasm, a small one, but enough to milk his cock thoroughly. Stefan panted for a moment then picked us both up before setting us in a warm bath. I hadn't even noticed the tub earlier or that he had started filling the massive thing when we got out of the shower. He turned on hidden jets and I sighed in contentment.

"I could get used to this," I marveled as he picked up one of my feet and started to massage it.

Stefan just nodded at me and closed his eyes. I knew we only had a few hours before we needed to be ready to greet our people. I didn't want to ruin the moment by obsessing over it.

No one needed to know all of the answers right away. I had gotten by on instinct so far.

I relaxed into the tub and enjoyed the next few minutes of well earned comforts. The spoils of war as it turns out was a Jacuzzi in a castle.