“You look stunning,” Russel said, his eyes traveling the entire length of Lola and then coming to rest back at her eyes.

Lola blushed deeply and smiled a wide, beautiful one that made her already pretty face even more so.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said, which was an understatement. He was handsome, she knew that, but she had never seen him looking quite so…distinguished. His hair and beard had even been professionally styled and trimmed. He looked less haggard and worn out too. The last few times he’d come to visit her, he looked like he hadn’t been sleeping very well.

She could definitely relate to that. Despite feeling gradually more like herself over the past two weeks, she still had nightmares. They plagued her almost every night, making her wake with cold sweat clinging to her skin.

Russel stepped closer to her, took her hand and brought it to her his lips, kissing the back of it gently before looking back at her.

“I would be honored if you would accompany me to the throne room.”

She laughed lightly again, finding his overly dramatic, comical mannerisms amusing. It always reminded her of when they first met. That felt so long ago now but in reality it couldn’t have been more than four months ago.

She bowed in overdramatic fashion just like he did.

“Why of course, Your Majesty. It would be my pleasure to be the guest of such a glorious king.” She shot him a sly smirk.

“My word, the two of you going on like that. It’s indecent, Your Majesty,” Greta said, her face alive with such horror at having to witness their atrocities.

Russell let out a hearty laugh at that, which immediately made Lola laugh too. It did the both of them a lot of good to just have fun again. To let loose the burdens they carried if only for a few measly seconds.

“It’s okay, Greta. You don’t have to worry. We’ll go back to being right and proper now.” Russel said but discreetly, he gave Lola a look that meant he most certainly would not stop with his antics.

“Well, try to at least behave yourself in front of others outside this room. It wouldn’t do to have our king looking and acting such as you are doing now,” Greta told him.

“You mean like a fool?” Russel asked, a sly smile on his face.

“I didn’t say that,” Greta responded. She paused, looking thoughtfully. Then said, “But yes. That is what I meant.”

Russel laughed at that and after he stopped, he simply gave her a nod of his head in acquiescence. Then he propped his elbow out for Lola to take.

“Allow me,” he told her.

Lola bowed politely and then hooked her arm through his elbow. As soon as she did, they started walking. It was, she realized, the first time she’d left the room Russel gave her in the entire two weeks she’d been in there. The walls around her suddenly felt oppressive, like they were going to close in on her, but she knew that was just her own fear again trying to resurface. She shoved it back down. It was hard at first but the longer she was with Russel, the easier it became.

“Where are we going?” she asked him, although she already had a pretty good idea. Russel probably wanted her in the room when the envoy from Alcroft came in. She just wanted to see if he would tell her everything.

“Our first stop will be the throne room,” he told her, his eyes focusing forward. “We have some…uninvited but welcome guests coming. They’re from Alcroft. I want you there in case things devolve into decidedly undiplomatic territory. I have a feeling I know what this is about and it would be good for you to be seen, alive and unharmed.``

“You think they’ve come to discuss what happened in my village?” she asked.

“That and perhaps one other thing,” he remarked.

“What’s the other thing?” she asked, curious. Was he talking about the letter she left? All sorts of fears started assailing her at the thought. Had writing it been a mistake? Was it going to cause problems now? She suddenly wished she had ignored her instinct and hadn’t written the damn thing at all.

“I may have allegedly sent one of my wolves into Alcroft to gather intel.” Russel saw Lola’s eyes widen in surprise but pretended like he didn’t. “They were massing their forces all along the border which is a clear sign of aggression. I needed to find out why and what their motives were, or are.”

“And you think they caught him, which means they caught an Oclan spy. Naturally they’ve drawn some conclusions,” Lola replied, feeling relieved that it had nothing to do with the letter. She didn’t think it was a big deal but with all the uncertainty of whether or not she did the right thing, she elected not to mention it for the time being. Once things calmed down and the human envoy was gone, she vowed to tell him about the letter and see what he thought.

“Let’s hope I’m wrong.”

Russel and Lola finished their trek to the throne room and went inside. The lavish room was filled with people, including his brothers, some advisors, military officers, other Oclan nobles, and servants. Russel showed Lola to one of the galleries closest to the throne and she sat down. Five of the guards that had accompanied them on their walk from her room peeled off from the others and positioned themselves around Lola. Once she was settled in, he went over to his throne and sat down.

The door to the throne room suddenly opened wide and a procession of people started to file inside, led by an Oclan human dressed in the livery of a court announcer. She led the line of people, which included a stately man dressed in a maroon suit with silver accents, some less well-dressed humans that seemed to be his underlings, and about a dozen knights. Lola looked at them and felt her heart sink.

She recognized one immediately.

It was Sir Thomas Oliver.

“Presenting His Majesty, King Russel Polver, the twenty-fourth king of Oclan,” the announcer shouted, her voice booming throughout the entire throne room.

Russel continued to sit on his throne, as unmoving as a statue with an unreadable face as he stared down at the humans. They simply looked back at him, not one of them saying or doing anything.

“Bow before our king, as is proper!” The announcer’s face went bright red with how loud she screamed.

Russel, however, waved a hand dismissively.

“State your name and explain to me why an envoy from Alcroft seeks an audience with me,” Russel ordered, his voice calm and measured.

The stately gentleman turned to one of his associates and held out a hand. Then he waited as the end of a thick chain was given to him. He turned around as if this was all normal so he could look at Russel directly again.

“My name is Mr. Hank Palsvig, ambassador and messenger for the great King Harrison Weber of Alcroft. I have been sent here to make sure that your property was returned to you.” Hank jerked on the chain and as he did, a frail and withered person came with it.

It was a man, that much Lola could tell, but he was thin almost to the point of emaciation. Around his grime-covered throat was a collar of shiny, unmarred silver. The skin underneath had blistered and gone almost black, as if it had been burned by intense heat.

“According to him, he belongs to you. Once we found him lurking about, my king, in all his glorious wisdom and grace, thought it only proper we return him in person.” The sickening and clearly fake smile Hank offered suddenly dropped off his face, leaving only disdain and hatred there. He spit on the wolf at his feet.

“You will release my subject and you will do so now,” Russel said, getting up from the throne and stalking over to them. “I find it hard to believe that King Harrison would stoop so low as to imprison one of my people.”

“You find it hard?” Hank said with a scoffing laugh. He kicked the wolf and the man let out a pitiful moan of pain as the collar rubbed against his skin. There were faint, disheartening sizzle sounds coming from it. “You send a spy into our lands and you fail to understand why our king would be mad?”

He handed the chain off to one of his people and then strutted right up to Russel, unafraid and getting right up in the Oclan king’s face. Although maybe a foot shorter than Russel, Hank had no intention of backing down. In fact, he didn’t look scared at all.

“We have put up with your kind for long enough. You’re no better than animals.”

Lola saw Russel’s jaw clench and his body stiffen. It was taking everything to not slug the arrogant bastard right in the face. Or so Lola assumed based on his body language.

“Watch your tone. I have extended my hospitality to you and your party but make no mistake, address me in such a manner again and I will have all of you forcibly removed from my kingdom. Now release my man, right now.” His eyes locked onto the envoy and didn’t relent.

For several long and drawn-out minutes, the two stood there, not budging. Finally, it was the human that backed down. He took three steps back from Russel but didn’t lose the attitude he had.

“We have come here to address an inconceivable transgression perpetrated on the Kingdom of Alcroft.” He turned away from Russel and addressed the crowds of people instead. “And while the spy did not help matters, that is not the transgression I refer to.”

He paused, emphasizing that hesitation by looking around the room.

“Almost four months ago, a small farming village in Alcroft named Gloucester was burned to the ground.”

Again, he took another pause for dramatic effect. Despite anger and irritation rising inside him, Russel had to admit the stupid envoy was an effective speaker.

“My king has compelling evidence that the crime was committed by a werewolf. And now…”

Yet another pause.

“He is furious.”