"E-Excuse me?" King Volke stuttered as the fork fell from his now loose fingers, those brown eyes wide and watching me in shock.
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"I had assumed all shifters had excellent hearing. Anyways, your time as king of Eshea kingdom has come to an end. You are no longer fit to sit on the throne and wear that crown," I repeated myself, not at all bothering to cut or eat the steak that had barely been cooked. The first cut into it and blood and poured out of it as if I had been the one to slaughter the animal.
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Volke lifted his head at me with a sharp glare that had me raise an eyebrow, daring him to follow through the violence I know him capable of.
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As we had our starring contest, I could see his wife and son watching us from my peripheral vision. Queen Kyley's dark eyes moved to look down at the half-eaten meal before her, silence being her only answer.
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A smell inspection of the woman as she wore a beautiful peach-colored dress with orange undertones. Those many blonde curls of hair had been placed in a bun on the top of her head with silver jewelry wrapped around it. It was the empty look in Kyley's eyes that would've gone unnoticed if I'd actually been interested in the food or conversation.
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Unfortunately, I've been doing this for a long time and I no longer find any amusement in crushing the egos of men.
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"That isn't fair at all, my dad has been ruling this kingdom as best as he could and you're taking it away from him? You haven't even given us the reason why, you're just demanding the removal of his position and expecting it to just happen!" Prince Callum slammed his hand against the table, those brown eyes wide in anger. The young man isn't aware of the ins and outs of being the kingmaker so it made it hard not to put him in his place.
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He's uneducated and ignorant in the matter but it's his parents' fault, not Callum's.
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"Callum, please..." Queen Kyley spoke in a near whisper but there's no way it escaped the sensitive hearing wolf shifters have.
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"No! What right does she have to come into our territory to tell father that he is no longer fit for the job she gave him?!" Ah, the strength and determination Callum is showing are admirable.
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"I do apologize for my son's unsightly behavior, kingmaker, he is young... he doesn't understand the way things work. Callum is ignorant about the world," Kyley sighed as if she didn't know what to do with the poor prince. Callum looked hurt and pissed as he shoved away from the table, pacing up and down in a short pattern.
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All I could do was feel bad for the boy, being raised during a time when his parents were no longer the great people they had once been.
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"Ignorance is the right word when you've been raised by filthy rich parents who lack the capabilities of educating you. Perhaps it was your husband's ignorance that has gotten your kingdom into the pit of debt and promises it is now buried in," I let a cruel laugh leave my lips, and while I didn't wish to be cruel to the woman but it isn't in my nature to let horrible things slide.
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Like Kyley has been doing for the last few years.
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King Volke stiffened at the head of the table, those sharp eyes zeroing in on me with a menacing look.
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One that held promises he can't even hold himself to.
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Callum stopped pacing to look toward his father the hurt on his face was deep but was almost overshadowed by the disbelief.
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The young man couldn't believe his dad had ruined any chance Callum had at being the best king he could possibly be.
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A king his father had once been.
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"What is she talking about, father?" The crown prince whispered with an intense look at the king who seemed incapable of even looking his son in the eyes.
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"Callum... listen to your mother when she says there are things you don't understand. Things are complicated is all," King Volke grounded out through gritted teeth in an attempt to his temper under control.
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If society heard a king had dared to start a battle with a kingmaker, it would unbalance the world and possibly risk the lives of all wolf shifters. It isn't surprising that an alpha wolf has a strong distaste toward someone coming into their territory, demanding everything they owned.
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"Let's not keep him ignorant like the both of you have been doing since he was 10 years old. It won't be long before Callum hears that his father has been in business with horrid people and dipping your hands in blood. All in the name of greed. You've got the lives of your citizens dripping from your fingertips and you've got the guts to tell a grown man it's complicated? How complicated can it be to say that the once-great king Volke is no longer the great king he had once been?" This time I couldn't laugh but send a 'are you serious' look toward Kyley and Volke. The two of them were doing their best not to expose anything to their son.
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Unfortunately, they hadn't gotten their shit together when I had given them a warning that they had a small window of opportunity. Volke had waited too long and now his kingdom is on the brink of ruin and there's an unknown person waiting to claim what he believes to be his.
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"Kingmaker! Watch your tongue!" King Volke slammed his hand on the table, reminding me of when Callum had thrown his temper tantrum not too long along. A warning mixed with a clear threat that I'm all too happy to ignore. I haven't been underneath someone's thumb in a very long time and I won't let it happen again. Especially not for a man who believes his word to be the law to everyone in their presence.
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I could see the displeasure in Kyley's eyes at her husband's childish antics but said nothing.
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Turning a blind eye like she's been doing for a long time.
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King Volke has fallen far, no longer is he the kind king that made rational decisions for his people.
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His greed is going to get millions of people killed.
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"Kingmaker, my mother was right about my recent behavior... if you could please teach me, I don't think I can keep living in a world of shadows when I've finally been able to see light," Callum's glowing blue eyes looked toward the floor in his bow toward me before he sat down. This time it was beside me and not at his mother's side as he had once been.
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"As you know I am the kingmaker, my job is to travel the world to kingdoms in need of my help to find a king capable of bringing them to glory. That person happened to be your father, the eldest son of the Karn family, Volke. He'd been the perfect man to become king," I lifted my fork and started cutting a piece of practically uncooked meat, hiding the disgust inside.
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King Volke had never been too considerate of the guests visiting the kingdom. Not all of us enjoy raw meats.
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"That was 133 years ago and 2 decades ago your father began gambling in an attempt to escape the pressures of being king. It didn't take long for the poor wolf to empty out his personal bank account... nor for him to jump into the funds of the kingdom. Now here we all are with your father being so daring as to serve expensive steaks you shouldn't be able to afford. Dirty money he's now borrowing from a friend that will likely lead him down a more dangerous road. At some point, word began dripping into the citizens of Eshea kingdom and Volke was forced to take lives to keep his flimsy secret," While speaking to Callum, I moved the fork toward his mouth, and the boy gave a small nod before taking the bite.
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Not even Queen Kyley could entertain the food on her plate as she looked out the window. A beautiful view met her eyes, one that was no longer theirs.
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"Kingmaker, how fucking dare you to speak about me like that. I don't care if you're the reason for it, I am the king of Eshea and you will respect me!" King Volke slammed a fist onto the table which caused the sound of a loud crack to echo out right before the thing fell apart. Callum had moved fast to pull my chair back before the heavy metals of the table didn't crush my legs.
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Anger of being so disrespected by such a small man caused the rush of violence to push at me. Volke has a large physique but mentally and spiritually, the man is small. Insignificant like a lot of us.
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I could end him here and now, his army wouldn't be able to make it inside in time.
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But... in front of his own soulmate and the son they had introduced to me from the moment he was born? What will happen to my conscience? Will I be able to go on living with the knowledge that I took away someone's husband and father?
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I can't do it.
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"Would you like to have a competition? You are a mere wolf that has fallen off the tracks of being a great man. Someone as small as you cannot demand respect from someone of my stature... or did you forget that your title as king means nothing to me?" I narrowed my eyes at him, standing up on both feet as a sign that I was finished with this.
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"Callum... I hope that one day you'll realize that there's nothing great about being king. Kings... men... women... at the end of it all, our existence should be to better the future ahead of us. You don't need a worthless title to do so," As I spoke, Callum gave me a stern nod of understanding so I gave him a small bow before turning and walking away.
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The three large men dressed in golden armor were quick to fall in line behind me, ensuring a distance that would still allow them to keep me safe while giving me my space at the same time.
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"Your tongue is the enemy of men, kingmaker..." Volke spoke darkly from where he stayed seated but I refused to slow down my walk toward the large cream double doors.
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"And you are a destroyer of kingdoms, Volke Karn. I'm quite disappointed... I had higher expectations from the men within the Karn family. It seems you have proven me wrong,"
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With that, I exited the castle of Volke Karn with one thought in my head. One that I couldn't act out until I was out of the eyes and ears of my new enemies. Inigo stood by the car with the door opened, ready for a fast escape.
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I need to hurry.
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As soon as I walked out of that room, it became a race against time.
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On finding the next king of Eshea.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1EuK21qfYE
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That is... if this man even has any interest in taking the throne and saving a kingdom on the brink of ruin.
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