****Hey everyone, this is the last chapter of SFTAK, however it ends in a cliffhanger leading into my next book (Hades) so if you enjoyed the book but don't wish to continue on I would recommend stopping here! It's been a slice and I appreciate all of your support and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!****

"This better be good," I grumbled, one hand on my swollen belly. My eyes were still half shut despite the urgency that had been in Noah's voice. I didn't care that there was a royal emergency, all I was concerned with was how much energy it took to be pregnant. 

"It's worth your time," Noah assured. "Ajax just landed at the airport. I sent a messenger for him, but it will still be about fifteen minutes before they can get here." As he rambled his eyes moved over my form. "Are you alright, Queen Keiko?" The concern in his voice bounced off the empty halls in my mountain home.

"Fine. I'm just wondering why I thought it was a good idea to formally take over the royal duties while making another human being."

"You're one of the strongest women I know," Noah praised. 

He rubbed a single circle on my back in an act of brotherly affection. Since Ajax flew around so often, trying to resolve conflicts, I was left with his right hand man and we had become quite close. Having him here in moments like this was a great comfort. Even though I was wearing flannel pajamas and fuzzy slippers, looking like the exact opposite of a queen.

"So, should you tell me what's going on before I see it?" I wondered, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand as we neared the conference room. The walk here had perked me up a bit, but not much.

"I think it'll be a little shocking if I just throw you in there, but I'm not sure if a few words will really prepare you for what you're about to see. This is beyond anything I've ever seen." Noah scraped a hand over his face, looking almost as exhausted as I felt. I knew that he would've tried to contain the situation as best as he could and would only wake me if he absolutely couldn't wait for Ajax.

"Alright, I'm ready, lay it on me."

"I think you'll just need to use your royal tone, but we have a livid alpha on our hands. I don't know where he came from or how he got here, but he's looking for someone named Sampson. He said he needs to kill them," Noah explained. 

"This sounds like a normal werewolf dispute to me," I replied, absently running my hand over my stomach. For a human, this would certainly be a reason of concern. But, through my time with this community, I learned that alphas always wanted to settle their debts with blood. Damn egos always got in the way.

"It's beyond that. Remember how I told you about that unknown wolf that has been prowling around, killing random people with no motive?" Noah asked. I nodded. "I think this is him, Keiko. He just reeks of power and rage."

"What evidence do you have?" I pressed, feeling the queen in me wake up. Maybe this was worth waking up in the middle of the night after all.

"Well, he fits the physical description. He is a completely black wolf and outstandingly large. It's been a long time since I've seen a wolf that big. To be frank he's quite intimating."

"So we are going to arrest all the big, black wolves out there?"

"No. Witnesses also all said that his most distinctive feature was his eyes. Bright red, blood red. Some even said that they almost glow in the dark. I've never heard of any wolf having red eyes, Keiko. It's unnatural. Fuck, it's ungodly just to even think about."

At that I took a deep breath. So this wasn't some random wolf that they had become suspicious of.  Ajax had been hunting this murderer down for months. We couldn't understand why he was randomly killing all these seemingly good people. Wolves had tried to stop him, but they said it was like he was invincible. He was this hulking wolf who couldn't be stopped no matter how many times they bit and clawed. There could've been thousands opposing him, it didn't matter.

He always won.

"Right, this is just a matter of royal tone. I just need to order him into submission until we decide how to move forward," I mused to myself. But when I reached for the door handle my fingers were quivering. I never had to handle anything like this by myself.

"There's one more thing," Noah said, stopping me. I peered at him with wide eyes, scared that this could somehow be worse than it already was.  "People say that he is so deranged it's like he's possessed. He's violent and vicious. And, quite frankly, crazy. My men have him contained, but be ready. This isn't going to be an easy thing to look at. if it gets to be too much let me know. I'll get more guards to hold him down until Ajax shows up."

At first I didn't like the way he assumed I wouldn't be able to handle this after telling me that I was oh so strong. But the second the door open I understood why.

The first thing that struck me was the sound. Heavy chains being slammed repeatedly against my beautiful hardwood floors. And beneath the loud metallic crash there was the desperate grunts of men, my men, trying to hold on. Furious snarls and angry shouts rose above it all, like they had captured a villain. 

The second thing was the smell. And God, it was vile. It was the scent of burning flesh, like the silver had sizzled through layers of skin. With my stronger sense of smell now and an upset stomach I felt like I was on the verge of vomiting. 

"Are you okay?" Noah asked, staying by my side. He took hold of my elbow, keeping me steady as we progressed into the room.

I only nodded, worried that if I opened my mouth I would throw up all over myself.

But when I saw the man, the one that was accused of killing all of these innocent wolves all over the country, I was stunned. I had never seen anything like it.

I prayed I would never have to see it again.

Six men were holding him down. Six of my finest men wearing leather gloves were clinging onto heavy silver chains that were twisted around this man's wrists and legs, trying to keep him still as he thrashed. And though the scent of his flesh being burned away was potent in the room he seemed oblivious to it, yanking against the metal as hard as he could. I could see the rawness and the redness of his flesh from here. But the skin that wasn't wrapped in silver was covered in scars and wounds as well, his shirt destroyed. 

My men struggled. This man was more beast than human despite the fact that the silver wasn't allowing him to shift into his wolf form. He was tall, at least six four. When I first met Ajax I thought he was ripped, but this man was all rippling muscle and not a pinch of fat. Each time he yanked one of his arms the guards would grunt with the effort of holding him back. It was inhuman, but beyond anything a normal werewolf was capable of. 

And his blood red eyes flashed to me.

"Stand down," I said, but my voice was impossibly weak. I had never seen anything like this. Horror pulsed through me.

"Louder, stronger," Noah instructed from beside me. 

I had only been using the royal tone for a couple weeks and it hadn't been going terribly smoothly. It was a lot more complex than natural royals like Ajax and Adeline would have you believe. But in a case like this it was my only weapon. It was the only way to contain the situation that was on the brink of exploding. 

"Stand down!" I boomed.

The guards flinched, feeling the shock of my hard words. I felt the beginnings of a smile pulling at the corner of my mouth. That was it. I could go back to sleep and Ajax and I could sort all of this out in the morning.

But the man only smirked, his bloody irises rolling back in amusement.

"Did it not work?" I whispered, glancing at Noah. "How could it not work?"

"I-I felt it," Noah sputtered. "Your mother denounced the werewolf community and wouldn't be able to shift, but he is a member of the community. He shouldn't be impervious."

"Stand down!" I shrieked, my voice rising with hysteria.

Now, the beast laughed. His voice thundered through the conference room. 

"What's happening?" I whimpered, grabbing onto the sleeve of Noah's uniform. "Noah, I don't know what to do."

"I don't know either, but don't panic. The men have him secured and more are on their way," he assured, but I could see the way his eyes flashed around to his men, all sweaty and panting. They weren't going to last much longer by the looks of it.

"Do we have a cell that would be strong enough to hold him?" 

"I don't know, Keiko."

"Keiko!" Ajax shouted.

I should've rushed to him. I should've begged him to handle this. 

But I just stared at the monster. It felt like I was in a nightmare. This couldn't be real. 

Ajax's hands were on my shoulders first. A quick squeeze to make sure that I was okay, then his hands were on my belly, making sure that the baby was okay. Then, he moved on to the situation around him. 

"Dear God," he gasped, "It's him. It's Hades." He grabbed my shoulders again, this time steering me away from the scene, pushing me towards Noah. "Get her out of here. We don't want to expose the baby to this kind of stress," he ordered.

But his instructions didn't matter because the room quieted down. There was the sound of the chains settling. Then a thump as the beast fell to the hardwood floor like dead weight. His eyes were shut, covering the grotesque redness and his limbs were limp, sprawled out on all sides.

"Is he dead?" I gasped.

"No, he's still breathing," Ajax said to me. Then he whispered to himself, "I had heard of him, but I didn't believe it. I knew he was dangerous and strong, but this... this isn't possible. He's a fucking animal."

I sucked in a shaky breath. "You called him Hades, do you know him?" 

At that Ajax stiffened behind me and I wondered how that question could've made this terrifying situation any worse.

"I wouldn't say that I know him. I didn't realize that he was the one committing the crimes. It doesn't make sense. He's an upstanding alpha with a pack to take care of. How did this even happen?"

"Who is he, Ajax?" I repeated through clenched teeth.

"Keiko, this is your half brother."

~~~Distraction Section~~~

Hey everyone, that's the end of Keiko's and Ajax's love story! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it! It was wonderful to see my characters develop and to read all your comments. Thank you for all the love, support, and motivation you have offered me. If you liked this book and are curious about Hades I have started another book called, you guessed it, Hades! Pop over and give it a chance!

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