Page 14 of The Wolf King's Demand

Addison shuddered inwardly at the thought of the toddlers around her now literally crying for food.

“Well, tonight, we shall have a celebratory meal. A huge feast. There’s cold roast duck, and we can boil the tubers. Look at the parsnips and the red potatoes. I can whip up some mashed potatoes and applesauce for the children. We will have a glorious meal.”

The women clapped and cheered. All hands came on deck to peel, slice, boil, and bake. Not one of the females complained a whit. Everyone worked in harmony, grateful for a safe place to call home.

Once most of the preparation was done, the three women and Addison sat around the butcher block kitchen table for a steeped tea and chitchat. And although it started out light, about recipes and tips for cooking over an open flame, the conversation soon turned dour.

“Addison, you have no idea the amount of abuse and torture we lived through each day. A hit with a fist or a club, and for the littlest of things,” one woman, Jacinda, said.

Letitia spoke next. “Yes, and God help us if we women did not make a bed properly or burned a flank of beef. It would mean being lashed on the back, twenty, forty, or more strikes.”

Kinley joined in. “We were so grateful when your king and his pack arrived, Addison. We knew to keep straight faces and stay quiet while you were there, but our hearts sang when you took us with you. I’ve never known joy and relief like that in all my born days.”

The women chorused in agreement, murmuring their gratitude.

Jacinda stood from the table and raised her teacup in a toast. “On behalf of all of us here, I pledge our fealty unto death to Tyler and Addison, our new and great king and queen!”

“Hip, hip, hooray!” all of them chorused, clinking their teacups together.

Addison stood next. “You have taken the words right out of my mouth. I was about to ask for your pledge. The Somberglen pack is a devoted one. We demand utter loyalty from cradle to grave. Tyler and I will expect nothing less if you mean to stay with us. If you stray, if you commit a treasonous act, you will be dealt with in the harshest terms. The realm is a fierce place. Your new king must know he can count on you, trust you, even with his own life. I’m sure you can appreciate my words.”

“Wholeheartedly, My Queen,” Jacinda said once more.

All echoed the same.

Kinley said, “We will easily do as you wish, for we all want a better life than the torturous one we just fled. We were taken against our will and made to submit to a terrible existence. You and your king are giving us a second chance at life. We owe you more than you ask. We owe you our lives.”

“Hear, hear!” the women sang again.

Addison smiled. Tyler would have nothing to fear from his new subjects.

Just then, the front door swung open, and in the doorframe stood Tyler. Her wolf.

Immediately, the women huddled close. They kept still and said not a word.

Addison looked around the table, and she recognized the trauma. No more stories would be needed. She could tell abuse had been inflicted on these poor souls by a man’s hand. The sight of Tyler, their king no less, still ignited the awful physical and mental response.

Tyler looked quizzically at the women, and Addison let the reaction go for now. It would be for another private chat with her alpha to describe this frightful effect. He would need to learn how not to be so overbearing in his greetings.

Tyler pulled Addison to the threshold and kept his voice low, not wanting to frighten the women any further. With a hand to his face, he leaned down to confide in his mate.

“I came here to let you know we got what we needed from the prisoners. Or as much as they knew, anyhow. They told us the member who attacked you was hired by someone else, but they’ve told us where we can find that person.”

“And what have you done with those rogues now?”

“It’s best you don’t know, Addison. I came here to inform you that Louis and I and a squad of enforcers will be going to the location they gave to see if they’re correct.”

“And if they are?”

“Then we will know we have the upper hand. We will find the person behind this, learn their reasons, and eliminate the problem. Nobody attacks the queen or my people and gets away with it, Addison. Nobody.”

Addison was afraid to ask any more questions, fearing Tyler’s answers would be too grim. He did not become an alpha by shirking responsibilities or distasteful actions. The less she knew about those things, the better.

“While I’m gone, there will be a contingent of guards in a circular perimeter around the cottage, two enforcers outside the door, and one on the ground floor front room you can call out to at any time for anything.”

Addison nodded and smiled.

“Do you have everything you need until I get back home?”

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