*Maddox*
The sound of hammering resonates even though I’m inside looking out at the gallows that are being constructed in the courtyard. It’s been years since the last time I’ve heard that sound, and this is the first time I’ve ever ordered it myself
But I don’t feel bad about it.
This is something that has to be done, something I know will accomplish several goals all at once. It will get rid of these people who have committed horrific crimes against the crown and the citizens of my kingdom. It will show that I mean what I say when I decree that all of the packs are meant to work together toward a specific end. And finally, it will send a message to anyone out there who is thinking perhaps I am making a bad decision or that I am weak that they shouldn’t fuck with me.
That’s really the biggest message I am hoping to send, and I hope that my enemies both far and wide hear that message and ingrain it into their brains for the rest of their miserable lives.
Seth is quiet beside me, and I know he has plenty of thoughts he’d like to spew out to me, but I don’t want to hear them. He’s expressed himself already. He has concerns about the prisoners I’m not killing more than anything else.
And he has concerns about the bitch who started all of this.
“It’s just… her mother is ill,” he says, and I can’t help but reach up and rub the bridge of my nose. I have a headache. It settled into my forehead about an hour ago, and now it seems to be sinking into the rest of my head.
The storm that’s rolling in is either the cause or pure aggravation of the sharp, shooting pains. Thunder rolls in the distance, and the men with the hammers speed things up. We’ve had to erect the gallows from scratch because it’s been so long since we’ve had a hanging. They’re making good progress, though, probably because they don’t want the lightning in the west to make them the first victims of the structure meant to bring instant death.
“I understand about her illness,” I say, putting my hand behind my back and interlacing my fingers. I am trying to use this stance to appear calm but inside, I am ready to strangle my own Beta and best friend. “I don’t care. Even if she was well enough to come here to petition me the way that the families of the others have come, I wouldn’t change my mind. I’ve got three other mothers, two wives, and a granddaughter in the waiting area demanding to speak with me, and if Alpha Jordan’s Luna was here, I would tell her the same thing I told Cody to tell the others. My decision has been made. I will not be swayed. This will happen. They can choose to stay and watch as part of the crowd, or they can go home. If they’d like to have the bodies returned to them, then they can pay for that to be done. Otherwise, they will be buried in a mass grave in the traitor’s cemetery in the forest.” I shrug and refocus my attention on the hammering as thunder shakes the ground and the wind begins to blow the leaves off the trees in the distance.
Seth says nothing, only inhales deeply a few times. I understand his concern. He thinks I should consider being more lenient, but I’m not here to make everyone like me.
“Sir?”
I hear Cody’s voice behind me and pull my eyes off of the men who are nearly done but might need to retire early to make sure they don’t get struck by lightning. I silently curse their leader and send him a mind-link message that if they have to wait until the storm passes, that’s understandable.
To the young man standing behind me, I turn and say, “Yes?”
He clears his throat, a sign I will not like what he has to say. “I spoke to the families, and they all insisted on seeing you, but I told them that wasn’t possible. Eventually, I had to call the other guards to transport them out, and when they started getting rowdy, we threatened to arrest them.”
I wait a moment to see if he’s going to say more, but that seems to be everything. “Thank you for doing exactly what I asked you to do and then coming to give me the details about doing everything that I asked you to do.”
I’m finding it hard to keep my sarcasm to myself. It seems like there’s not much of a point to what he’s telling me.
Cody’s gaze shifts as he says, “There’s another woman here to see you. She has a baby. She says her husband is in the prison, and he shouldn’t be.”
Cocking my head to the side, I stare at him for a moment, thinking that he must be kidding me. Since when do I let people just show up and question my decisions about who belongs in the prison?
But then I realize who it has to be, and I can’t help but chuckle. It mixes with the rumble of the thunder and for a moment, both Cody and Seth seem confused as to whether or not I have laughed or growled.
“Does her name happen to be Nancy Weaver?” I ask.
With his eyes wide, Cody stares at me, probably wondering how the hell I knew that. He nods. “That’s right.”
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, and gesturing at the hallway that leads back the way he came, I say, “Take me to her.”
He nods and turns around, heading back down the hallway, and I know the question in Seth’s mind before he even asks it. He’s making sputtering noises, and that’s enough for me to say, “I’ll see her. I’m not killing her husband tomorrow.” Then I add, “Unless she pisses me off.”
We traipse down the winding hallways to the front office of the castle. I have two offices; one is where I conduct most of my business, the transactions and discussions that are a little more personal or private than others. My other office is at the front of the castle. That’s where I conduct all of my more public business and where I see general members of the public. It’s near the throne room, but I haven’t actually sat on the throne to dictate my decisions ever.
When we reach the front of the castle, where I’ve instructed Cody to handle today’s business, I see a woman who might reach my shoulder in height. She has dark curly hair that she clearly hasn’t had a chance to tame today, and she’s so rail thin, I think there’s a good chance the child she holds in her arms–who is chubby and lively–might weigh more than she does.
Her large blue eyes focus in on me, and even before I execute the full turn into the hallway, she is marching at me, like the little one is light as air.
She is quick, and if I truly thought she was a threat, I might be irritated at Cody and Seth for not stepping between us, but I know she will only attack me with words.
“Your Majesty,” she says, tipping her head a bit in what I can assume is meant to be a sign of respect. “I’m Nancy Weaver.”
“I know,” I say. “And I'm sorry that you’ve come all this way to speak to me when you could’ve been told over the phone. Your husband has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the massacre in Duster pack. He will be able to call you in a few days, but no one is going down into the prison until after the prisoners who are set to be executed have had their sentences carried out.”
“But King Maddox, please,” Nancy says, and I can tell every word I just said has already been spoken to her ten times at least. “It’s not fair to give my husband the same sentence as everyone else, not when he’s the one who spoke the truth! He’s the one that let you know what really happened in our pack. Please, take some time off of his sentence for being an informant!”
The woman has gumption, and I appreciate that. But I’m not about to let her talk me into anything. “Many of the prisoners were willing to talk when they realized they were all going to be executed otherwise. I know it’s difficult to accept this sentence, Mrs. Weaver, but trust me, I’ve already been lenient. I had initially decided the sentence would be ten years.” I turn and stare at Seth for a moment, but he doesn’t meet my eyes. I shake my head slightly and return my attention to the woman.
I see tears glistening in her eyes. “Please, sir, what Mike didn’t tell you is that… he’s very sick. He was diagnosed last year with a form of cancer. The doctors say he only has a few years left. Even if he has treatment, he might not live seven years.” She swipes at her eyes. “I’m begging you to reconsider.”
Seeing her cry does have some effect on me; I’m not a monster. But I’m also not ready to be swayed. “I’m sorry. I have the best physicians in the kingdom here. We’ll do everything we can for him. I’m afraid there’s nothing else I can do, Mrs. Weaver.” Thunder rumbles outside. “You can spend the night here at the castle if you’d like so that you and your child don’t have to go back to Hill Country pack tonight in the storm.”
Her mouth opens, but she closes it quickly, and I’m a little surprised. I expected her to continue to argue with me.
Cody takes her by the shoulder. “Let me show you to a room.” He steers her toward the hall in the castle where we let citizens stay from time to time in situations like this, and as she begins to walk away, I see Nancy Weaver drop her head and begin to cry.
“That went well,” Seth mumbles.
I turn and glare at him, and he flinches slightly. “Do you have a fork?” I ask him.
His eyebrows crease. “Uhm, a fork? No. Why?”
“Because…” I say, shaking my head. “I’m done.”
A chuckle escapes his lips, and as much as I was trying to lighten the tension in the air, I was also being completely serious.
Turning around, I head back toward my room. Seth rushes to keep up with me. “Where are you going?”
“I just told you,” I say. “I’m done. I’m going to my room.”
“But–”
“Seth?” I turn and glare at him.
He raises both hands and backs up, and I know I’ll have at least a few hours of peace.
I’ve lied to him, though. I’m not going to my room.
I walk swiftly through the building, ignoring everyone I pass, even the few people who say my name as if they think they are going to be able to speak to me. I growl at one of them.
When I reach Isla’s room, I hear her heartbeat from behind the door, and a smile comes to my face. I recognize that she’s not alone because there’s a second heartbeat, but I assume it’s Poppy. I also notice that the vase that used to sit outside of her door is gone and think that’s strange, but it always was an ugly thing, even if it was worth a hundred thousand dollars.
Without even knocking, I open the door, trot through the antechamber, and throw open her bedroom door.
The smile falls from my face as I see her wide eyes focused on me as she stares, stunned.
Her arms are around a man I’ve never seen before, and she’s embracing him in a tight hug.
All I can think to say is, “Who the fuck are you?” as my wolf lunges to the surface.