Chapter Forty-nine
Point of View: Jacob
I felt the strings holding me together snapping as Edward stoically ushered Ryan toward the king. "Ugly little thing, aren't you?" The king hissed as my son came to stand in front of him. My vampire who still stood at the kings side smirked as if what the king had said was funny. Riley, on the other paw, who stood on Edward's right, frowned as he watched my son sadly with shimmering golden eyes.
My pup shrugged as he clasped his little hands in front of him. "I guess." He mumbled softly.
The king leaned forward in his thrown, his face only a foot or so from my puppy's. "Do you know who I am, mutt?" He asked in a low and rumbling growl.
Ryan gave a faint shiver. "The king."
"Yes." My father nodded. "And that means we're family."
My son stared at him blankly. "No, I have a family already." He insisted.
The king cocked his head. "Oh, and who's your family if I am not?"
"Umm, my daddy." Ryan darted his eyes away from the king to gaze over his shoulder at me and I gave him the best little smile I fucking could. "Uncle Emmy." He pointed to Emmett with his small finger. My son then brought his face back to the kings. "There's auntie Rosie, but she's not here right now, and," He looked to his left and up at my vampire smiling lightly. "my other daddy."
The kings eyes squinted as he leaned back in his chair. "That's disgusting." He spat. "Get it out of my sight!" The king lifted a leg and my breath caught in my throat as my father slammed his foot into my son's chest.
I wrenched myself forward, but was held back by the leeches who had my arms in their grasp. "Ryan!" I screamed as I helplessly watched his little body fly back in the air.
Edward burst forward, the vampire moving so fast my eyes couldn't focus on him until he stilled in a crouch with his hand under my puppy's bottom and another under his shoulder and cradling his head but an inch from the marble floor. "My king," He breathed as he gazed down at a wide-eyed and stunned Ryan. "the last thing you want is a bloody mess in a room full of vampires."
"Just kill it and get it over with!" The king snarled while angrily gripping at his armrests.
With his back to the king, Edward nodded and flicked his eyes to mine. "As you wish." He monotonously replied with a bob of his throat as he swallowed. "Riley?"
The boy perked. "Sire?"
"Run." He whispered. I forced myself not to blink as the vampire bolted down down the steps – Edward standing and swinging his two arms that held my son in time with Riley's strides. Ryan left my vampire's grasp and once again my heart just about fell from my chest as I saw my pup in the air.
Riley leapt, his arms outstretched and catching Ryan. He pulled my puppy tightly to him as he took off in blur past me while setting off a chain reaction. The red-eyed leeches behind the throne and along the walls sprang forward.
"Now!" Edward shrieked. The leeches around me scattered, along with those holding onto Jasper and Emmett. In a quick effort to gauge the situation I flung around, and was relieved to see that Riley was long gone through the main entrance, yet what I saw next had my mouth hanging open and my eyes unblinking.
Amber eyed vampires flooded in the doorway, but what really had my heart in a gallop was the dozens of snarling and snapping wolves mixed with them. Without so much as a stray thought crossing my mind I joined my brothers - my clothes shredded, fur sprouted, fangs grew, and claws formed.
Once on four paws with my tail dipped low a piercing cry of a howl ripped from my throat which was followed perfectly by yips, yaps, and howls of acknowledgment of me as the wolves' superior.
Abruptly a cold body tackled me from the side, rolling us across the marble floor, though landing me on top. I didn't let a moment pass before I sunk my teeth into the stone-fleshed neck of the red-eyed leech and severing the head from it's body.
I wasn't able to even move an inch before a leech latched onto me from either side, both squeezing their arms around my neck as they sunk their sharp teeth into each side of it. I yelped at the intrusion and swung my head to the side to grab one by the shoulder. I ripped her grip from me and tossed her with all my might while recognizing her as Irina. Two wolves jumped from the chaos, each digging their teeth in her ribs and pulling her in half – a tormented scream echoing from her lips until she had none at all.
I wrenched my head to the side to seize the other one, but he was suddenly snagged by the back of his neck. His cherry-red eyes widened as the jaws of a sandy colored little wolf snapped his head from his body. The body fell away from me yet his teeth were firmly in my skin – I shook my coat and the leech's head came unattached.
'Seth!' I happily bellowed in my mind. Yet, sadly, I received no response which was a depressing reminder that I wasn't part of the pack anymore. The wolf gave my bloody, though healing neck a quick lick before taking off after a leech that ran by.
I turned in my spot to do a quick survey of the room. Pale pieces of leech littered the floor like a bomb of confetti had gone off at a party, yet still in his fucking throne sat my father looking utterly petrified – as he should be, the leeches that fought for him were fighting and falling or tucking themselves back behind his chair as he screamed for them to attack.
Narrowing my eyes in on him, I stalked forward through the mess and I lowered my head as I raised my hackles. My lips lifted on their own accord to bare my teeth while a snarl rolled past my tongue. My father's eyes snapped to mine as he caught sight of me closing in on him.
"Jacob." He gasped, the wrinkles around his eyes stretching as they widened. "No need to be like that." He warily laughed as if trying to say this was all one big joke. Fuck him.
In one swift bound I launched myself in front of the king only to immediately clamp my teeth around his leg just below the knee. With little pressure his bone broke and his skin tore and I ripped my head to the side and yanked the king from his throne with a shriek of his voice.
Like my son had, he flung through the air, but unlike my pup, no one was their to catch him besides the marble floor and the bits of leech. His old body bounced and little cracks were heard. Yet suddenly the room completely stilled and silenced with the removal of my father from his throne.
I swallowed and took a few steps back as hundreds of eyes gazed startlingly expectantly at me, but among them there was one pair that stood at to me the most in the far back – my imprint's.
'Edward, come here...' I thought to him. Maybe I was a little bit of coward - I couldn't stand the thought of facing all those questioning faces by myself. Yes, I needed my vampire, and no I didn't care who knew. The thought of him by my side made me feel strong – I didn't think there was anything wrong with that.
Edward weaved his way through the mass of people, good and bad. He past the king who was moaning in pain with a bloody leg on the floor. I was pleased that the vampire's hadn't jumped him because of it, although I wouldn't have stopped them had they.
With one of my sides to the hoard of red eyed leeches and the other to the crowd of all sorts my imprint made his way up the stairs to stand in front of me. In a comforting gesture my imprint raised a pale hand and pressed it into my thick fur below my ear. My wolf came to life inside of me and purred in satisfaction as I leaned my head in to his touch for all to see.
Letting the moment last for only a moment or two I let out a sigh and took a step back. I let thoughts of my human form take priority and before I knew it I was in a crouch by the throne with two flat palms on the cool marble floor.
I gazed up at my vampire and he gave me reassuring nod. "What now, your majesty?" He asked with a beautiful smile playing on his pink lips. As I stood, hyper-aware of my nudity, I looked around. Was I really king?
