Page 147 of Claimed By Prince Daddy

A wicked grin curled his lips, his eyes bright, tinged in bloodlust. “I warned those fools that you’d return to smite us. Which is why I sent a werebear to end you, but those plans were all for naught—for here you stand.”

“Why kill the humans?” I lifted my chin, glaring at him. “Couldn’t you just coexist like the Werekind do—the wolves and the bears and others? We all live in plain sight, hiding our beasts and natures from the humans. Fae could do the same.”

“What foolishness you speak of!”

I scowled at him.

He gave a long-suffering sigh. “An eviction must take place.” His eyes narrowed to thin slits. “The humans have desecrated their home, their earth has suffered under their hands. And our realm, our planet, is dying. Why? Because humans don’t worship us.” He scoffed, then set about pacing the length of the room. My eyes tracked his every movement. “The Council decided the humans don’t deserve their home. That the fae would take over and evict the humans by killing them. Why would we want to share a dying planet with them when we could restore it—make it grander than it ever was?”

“You monster!”

He tsked. “I dare say I am not. Only the fittest survive. It’s the same law of nature that exists in our realm. So, for the strongest to survive in this realm, they must take over yours.”

My light wolf snarled. “Why involve the werebears and werewolves?”

“Ah… them. Because I’d have you destroy each other. By having the Werekind’s mind possessed to kill the humans, they would retaliate. Thus killing Werekind, and Werekind thus forced to wage war on the humans. It would eliminate both of you, and the fae need not worry about the weres starting a war with us.” He chuckled, a dark, dangerous sound. “They would be at war with the humans.”

I swallowed hard. His plans were heinous. My stomach dropped at how well thought out and diligent the plans were for domination of our planet, for our very extermination. I couldn’t—wouldn’t let this happen.

“You killed my pack mate. Chelsea was a child, and you murdered her.” A vicious snarl tore from my lips. “For that, I’ll rip your throat out, you piece of shit!”

My wolf crouched in a defensive position, lips peeled back to expose wicked fangs.

“We shall see.” The Dark Lord wagged his brows, grinning.

He clapped his hands together and a sound akin to thunder rumbled the walls, lifting the fine hairs on the nape of my neck. Spreading his hands apart, dark shadows gathered between his palms, and within the shadows a glint of steel. A sword materialized from the darkness, its blade haloed in an ethereal dark flame. The Dark Fae Lord grabbed the hilt and brandished the sword. His lips twisted in a wicked smirk.

I unleashed my wolf with a battle cry, sending it charging toward him. He had no time to parry my attack before we were on him. The Dark Lord thrusted the sword in front of his face, shielding himself. My wolf clamped her jaws on the sword, attempting to wrench it from his grasp. Dark shadows rippled from his other palm. He shot his hand forward and a ball of energy slammed into our side. I cried out as it sent us airborne. I slammed to the ground on my hip, my head connecting with the ground. Stars burst before my eyes. The wind above me hissed. My vision cleared in time to see a shining blade swinging down. I rolled, the sword piercing the ground, two feet deep. With a sudden burst of energy, I spun and landed a roundhouse kick on his side. He grunted as it sent him flying backward.

I leaped onto my light wolf’s back, and we charged the Dark Lord. He shot to his feet and swung his sword. We barreled into him. Yet, instead of the weapon passing through the light wolf’s body, it consumed her in an arc of dark energy. She yelped and sprang away. The pain funneled into me. I cried out, fisting my side.

The Dark Lord chuckled. “Wonderful, isn’t it?” He whipped his sword about, the blade slicing through the very air itself. “A Light Fae that went rogue and worked as a blacksmith for the Dark Fae forged this beauty. It is the only known weapon to neutralize Light Fae power.” He grinned.

My light wolf shook her pelt off, snarling at him.

“We have to be more careful,” I warned her. We couldn’t rush in anymore like the battle in the barren desert. My light wolf soared into the air, fangs flashing. The Dark Lord thrusted his sword forward. I felt my hand tingle with white light, licking my palm. With instinct, I threw my palm forward, and a brilliant beam ignited the surrounding air. It shot forward like a missile, slamming into the Dark Lord. He screamed as the bolt shot through him, the smell of singed flesh wafting into my nostrils. With a sudden pounce, we landed on the fallen Dark Lord, the impact reverberating through the ground. He twisted to avoid her deadly fangs. The kill bite delivered sank into his shoulder. He snarled in agony. As he opened his mouth, a sinister plume of energy erupted, swirling out from his throat and colliding with the wolf.

She reared back, an agonized howl piercing the air. I cried for my light wolf. Then her pain bowled into me like a freight train bearing down. My mouth parted in a silent scream as I dropped to the ground.

The Dark Lord panted, with his singed robes and ash particles encircling him on the ground. Though his skin looked scorched in some areas, he still stood—still lived. His eyes glowed a dark violet. “You’ll pay for that,” he hissed.

I pushed myself to my feet and clamped my jaw against the pain. I swung onto the light wolf’s back once more. She surged forward, lunging for the fae, fangs bared.

He shot an arm forward, and a funnel of dark flames blasted from his palm. Before we could evade, the flames hit us, consuming our bodies in a black inferno. I cried out, my inner wolf howling in agony as the flames reached deep inside us. It was no ordinary flame. My skin was unsigned. But my organs… they bled from the inside, shredded, ripped apart.

I fell off my wolf and hit the ground with a solid thud. My claws dug into the floor, body spamming as I whimpered against the pain. Tears pricked my eyes. Beside me, my wolf collapsed onto her belly.

The Dark Lord tsked. “Such a shame. I was hoping for a real challenge.” He chuckled and stepped toward us, his movements eased and unhurried. “Though you have fae abilities, you are new in your power—still coming into it. You are a fledgling.” He scoffed. “No rival for me.”

I fought to push myself to my hands and knees, but I couldn’t move. The pain lanced through my limbs like acid. I swallowed past the misery, my mind racing for some way out of this.

Fae, especially Light Fae, had a reputation for their healing capabilities…

I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I dug deep within myself, searching for the same essence that had beckoned the light wolf.

There!

Deep within my core was a flicker of pure light. It shimmered and glistened like the rays of the sun. Vibrant and awe-inspiring in its power. I reached out a mental hand and grasped for that power.

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