A Wolf's Duty (50 page)

“Of course not,” she
snapped.

“Then what
happened?”

“Tobias this might be a
little hard for you to take in, but you’ve got to believe me
because I’m telling the truth.”

“Dearest, there isn’t
anything you could tell me that I wouldn’t believe.”

“It was Sean who took me
from the estate but he wasn’t working alone. Tobias he was working
with your cousin, Elijah.”

“Elijah?” he
coughed.

“I know it’s going to be
hard to believe but I’m telling the truth I swear Tobias. Your
cousin killed Sean right in front of me, tore his heart right out
of his chest and didn’t even think twice about it. It was
horrible.”

“You’re sure it was Elijah
dearest?”

“Yes Tobias, I remember
faces very well and your cousin’s stands out. He even congratulated
me for remembering him.”

“Why would he do
this?”

She sighed deeply
preparing to tell him the worst of the news she had learnt. “He
wants your crown Tobias, he wanted me to help him get it. Your
cousin is a little bit crazy in my opinion, crazy and warped. He
thinks that the throne is his and that you stole it from him. I
think his father has been filling his head with the idea his entire
life because from what he told me, both him and his father were
waiting for the throne to be given to them even before you were
born.” His face twisted in confusion at her words. “Tobias Elijah
and his father never wanted you to be born and when you were…” She
trailed off uncertain of how to tell him the final part of her
tale.

“What Xandria? They didn’t
want me to be born and then what?”

“Travis, Tobias, he told
me about how your brother died.”

“Travis was killed by
hunters dearest. I should know, I was there. I saw them kill him
with my own eyes.”

“Yes Tobias the hunters
did kill him, but it was Elijah's father that told them where to
find you. He wanted them to kill both you and your brother so
Elijah could be King one day. Your cousin led you and your friends
right to them. I’m sorry Tobias, I wish it weren’t true, but the
fact is that your cousin wants your crown and is prepared to kill
you to get it.”

“What did he want with you
dearest?”

“He saw what I made
Lucinda do and wanted me to force others to submit to him, he said
that if he got enough people to submit then he could be given the
crown.”

Though he
didn’t want to believe that his cousin wanted him dead, the last
piece of information Alex had given him sealed Elijah’s
guilt.
No one outside of the clans would
know that.
“Did he do this to you
Xandria?”

“I didn’t want to help him
steal your crown,” she muttered, feeling increasingly
lightheaded.

“You should have given it
up, I’d have done so without hesitation rather than see you
hurt.”

“I know, you’ve
already offered to do it before, but like I told you then, you’re
going to make a great King.”
I can’t get
in the way of that.

“No Alex,”
Elijah chuckled walking out of from the trees to come into their
line of sight. “
I’ll
be a great King, not Tobias,” He stated adamantly, his dark
eyes becoming bright as amber filled his irises.

Chapter Forty
Five

“Elijah,” Tobias growled,
his wolf’s hackles rising at the sight of the man who had injured
his mate so badly and he stood, stepping away from Alex so that if
a fight broke out between him and his cousin she would be far
enough away from the melee that she wouldn’t be hurt further than
she was already.

“Cousin.” He smiled,
walking closer to the pair.

“Did you do this?” he
asked, pointing at the battered body of his mate.

“Your nose works just fine
cousin, you know she wasn’t lying. Besides are you telling me that
if I told you I didn’t that you would believe me over your mate? I
had hoped that it wouldn’t come to this you know cousin. I didn’t
want us to come to blows over the crown. I had hoped to simply use
Alex to get me the throne peacefully.”

“We’d already come to
blows the moment you first laid hands on her Elijah. You know the
law, the punishment for this crime is death even if I were to
ignore what’s clearly treason.”

“Your mate had a hand to
play in her injuries.” Tobias snarled at the comment but Elijah
continued regardless, his voice still extraordinarily calm. “She
was quite stubborn in her refusal to help me. If she’d simply
agreed to helping me force the submission of the clans then I’m
sure she wouldn’t be in such a sorry state.”

“That was your plan?”
Tobias chuckled. “You were going to have her force others to submit
to you, I hoped that I’d heard her wrong but clearly that isn’t
true.”

“What’s so
amusing?”

“You have no idea how
unpredictable that power of hers is. Even if she had agreed to help
you, I’d have found out before you had enough people forced into
submission.”

“And why exactly is
that?”

“That power of hers only
seems to work when her life is in serious danger and even when she
manages to use it, it takes a lot out of her and renders her
unconscious. By the time you had forced a few people into
submission she would be out cold and the news that you had my mate
would have gotten back to me and I’d have gone to war with you to
get her back. Elijah, your plan would never have
worked.”

He pondered the statement
for a moment before turning back to Tobias. “I can tell that you
aren’t lying which means that if I want the crown I’ll be forced to
resort to more drastic measures.”

“Elijah, I can’t
understand why you’re doing this, we’re family. The things you and
your father have done trying to get the crown are unthinkable. Stop
this now.”

“The crown is rightfully
mine as you well know. You and your father stole it from me and I
want it back,” he snapped.

“I didn’t steal your
crown. Grandfather Owen decided that my father was better suited to
be King. Why couldn’t you just accept that? It’s a lot of work
being King, I’m not sure if you were given the throne that you’d
enjoy it.”

“If it’s so much work then
why do you still do it cousin? Why haven’t you just given up the
position and handed it over to me? Is the power that comes with the
crown that addictive?”

“I do it because it’s my
duty to. I do it to help our clans and ensure that they prosper and
survive. I do it because the clans are family to me. How can I do
anything other than what’s best for them? It’s not the power I
want, otherwise I would never have even considered giving up the
crown Elijah.”

Elijah’s eyes widened at
the claim and he stepped forward agitated beyond belief that he had
missed the opportunity to prey on Tobias’ temporary weakness. “When
did you think about giving it up? When?”

His head turned and he
smiled down at his mate. “The Challenge Elijah. I thought about
giving it up when Lucinda challenged my mate. I would give my crown
up without a moment’s hesitation to ensure that Xandria would be
safe. But like you have said my mate is stubborn and she didn’t
want me to give it up, she forced me to keep the crown while she
faced Lucinda.”

“If I’d known that all it
took was to threaten your mate I’d have done that a long time ago.”
Elijah grinned, watching as Alex pulled herself up to move further
away from him.

“Anyone who truly
cherishes their mate should know that, but I think that’s beyond
your ability isn’t it cousin? You’ve never treated your mate well
and I should have done something about it a long time ago. I kept
thinking that you would eventually grow to love her and care for
her as you should have done but time continued to pass us and
nothing about your relationship changed.”

“Nothing about my
relationship with my mate needed to change Tobias, Amanda is there
to provide me with an heir when I ascend to the throne nothing
more. She’ll enjoy being Queen and that will be more than enough to
keep her satisfied.”

“You’re still under the
misguided assumption that you’ll become King,” Tobias growled, his
body tensing as it prepared for action.

“I
will
be King cousin,
father and I have sacrificed too much for me not to be.”

“Does that sacrifice
include Travis?” Tobias bellowed, as memories of his brother
flooded his mind. Though they had been identical in appearance,
their personalities couldn’t have been more different. While Tobias
had been outgoing and unafraid of anything, Travis had been shy and
reserved, more inclined to quietly pass time daydreaming in the
gardens on the estate than go adventuring with Tobias and his elder
cousin.

Elijah shrugged, “A
casualty of war.”

“Travis was no threat to
anyone. He never wanted to be King, and everyone knew it. Even you
had to know that! But you still goaded him into coming on that
damned hunting trip. I never thought much of it back then, I was
just glad that he would be spending time with all of us instead of
being alone. But you knew the hunters would be there didn’t
you?”

“Yes I did. But the fact
was that even if he didn’t want to be King, if you’d died he would
have stepped in to fill your shoes. The pair of you were raised
with too much of a sense of duty for him to simply turn away from
the crown if he were the last surviving heir.”

“Bastard,” Tobias snarled
before he lunged for his cousin, his body transforming as he leapt
through the air.

Her back
against the tree trunk, Alex watched as Tobias’ body met his
cousin’s chest throwing him to the earth floor. Elijah’s body
twisted under Tobias’ sharp claws, transforming until he had the
same deadly natural weapons at his disposal. The wolves circled
each other, searching for weaknesses before they sprung at each
other, jaws snapping as they tried to reach something vital.
I’ve got to help him,
she
concluded, reaching for the whispers at the back of her mind as she
prepared to aid her mate.

Stay out of
this dearest.
The sharp command directed
into her thoughts shocked her and she let the whispers fade to the
back of her mind.
I have to do this
alone.

Nodding dumbly, she
watched the two wolves continue to assault each other. Their deadly
claws swiped at each other leaving bloody tracks in the others fur
as they rolled in the grass searching for a momentary weakness that
would grant them victory, before they sprung apart and began
circling each other once again. The snowy wolf she knew was Tobias
rushed forward head down until his head collided with his cousin’s
side and Elijah was tossed backward. His momentum still strong,
Tobias moved quickly hoping to claw the tender under side of his
cousin’s belly but Elijah recovered quickly swiping at Tobias’
shoulder as he approached before springing back.

Howling as the pain tore
through his flesh Tobias was caught off guard as Elijah climbed
onto his back, sinking his teeth deep into his neck. Twisting and
turning as he struggled to force Elijah to release him, he could
feel the blood leaving his body in a steady drip. His head fell as
he prepared to run, before he forced his body into a sprint,
rushing headlong towards a tree. Tobias’ hectic pace dislodged
Elijah from his back and his cousin fell to the ground. Turning
swiftly, Tobias pounced and his claws connected with Elijah’s long
muzzle, raking over his eyes. Blood poured from the wound obscuring
his vision and Elijah turned frantically in circles sniffing the
air wildly as he tried to locate his cousin.

Crouching low to the
ground Tobias watched as his cousin moved, waiting for the chance
to strike. The opportunity soon presented itself and he launched
himself forward, knocking his cousin’s feet out from underneath him
to expose his underbelly. The tender skin exposed he slashed down
forcefully with his claws determined to reach the vital organs
beneath. Struggling frantically beneath his cousin as he tried to
escape, Elijah found his movement constricted by a heavy paw
against his shoulder before sharp fangs were sunk into his throat.
A low whine escaped him at the pain that blossomed within him and
he knew there was no way he was going to escape; death was all that
awaited him. Removing his bloody muzzle from Elijah's throat,
Tobias forced his cousin’s head to the side until a distinct crack
was heard.

He won’t die
from an injury like this,
His wolf reminded
him, determined to see the man that had harmed his mate
dead.

I
know.

Are you
unwilling to deliver the final blow because he’s your
cousin?

He was my
cousin,
Tobias corrected.
He’s no longer of any relation to me. His actions
led to Travis’ death and he harmed Xandria. There’s no forgiveness
in me for him.

Then don’t
hesitate,
it counselled.
Kill him.

Positioning
himself to sit directly atop Elijah's still chest, he raised his
sharp claws to Elijah's neck and slashed downward, alternating
between his two sets of claws until the neck was separated from the
body. Rolling the head away from the corpse he ensured that all
sinew and muscle had been separated.
It’s
done,
he sighed, his tone slightly
melancholy despite the fact that he claimed to have disowned his
cousin.