Shifter Royals 2: The Uprising Read online

  SHIFTER ROYALS 2: THE UPRISING

  LEIGH WALKER

  CMG PUBLISHING

  Contents

  1. Wolfish

  2. Light Of Day

  3. Chilly

  4. Sunshine Playdate

  5. Miffed

  6. A Wide Berth

  7. Told You So

  8. Live From The Realm

  9. Scared Straight

  10. Barely Breathing

  11. Humanities

  12. Schooled

  13. Rumors

  14. Fan Favorite

  15. Dark Horse

  16. Confidences

  17. Breach

  18. Who Goes There

  19. Vigil

  20. A Simple Plan

  21. All My Might

  22. Symptoms

  23. It’s Not Over Till It’s Over

  24. In The Midnight Hour

  Also by Leigh Walker

  Dear Reader

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2020 by Leigh Walker.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Purchase only authorized editions.

  v.1.30.2020.

  Created with Vellum

  Wolfish

  Seven werewolves were heading my way.

  It wasn’t exactly how I’d planned to end my night. Only an hour before, I’d danced in Rhys’s arms, relieved that I’d been chosen to stay on in the competition. Rhys was a werewolf I didn’t mind having close to me.

  The seven growling wolves who’d taken me captive in the forest were another matter altogether. We stood in a small clearing, the moon brightening the scene before me. Duncan, the wolf in the lead, was sinewy but clearly strong, his mane a light-gold color. The other wolves ranged from deep ebony to pure white. All of them had bright eyes that glinted in the darkness.

  I took a step back. The pack growled again, a guttural, frightening sound.

  What can I do? How can I bargain? I quickly thought of what Duncan had said: “We’ve learned that the rebels are on the move again. That’s why King and Queen Black are here—to hide. What I want to know is, what do you know of it? My sources tell me that the rebels are upset about the Realm and that they’re coming for us. What did you do? What did you tell them?”

  Nothing. I’d told them nothing—the Layne family had been loyal to the royals since they’d taken power. But Duncan hadn’t believed me. Right before he’d shifted into his wolf form, he’d said these chilling words: “You could be lying to me, human. There’s only one way to find out.”

  The lanky, golden-colored wolf in front of me growled again, its upper lip rising over its sharp white teeth. I didn’t know exactly what Duncan had planned, but my gut feeling was that I was in deep, deep trouble.

  The wolves circled me. “Please.” I was careful to keep my voice low—if it appeared that I was yelling for help, they’d attack. “I told you the truth. I have nothing to do with the rebels, and I never have. I would never betray the crown. Not King and Queen Black, and certainly not King Rhys.”

  They had me surrounded. My heart thundered in my chest. I said a silent prayer of thanks to my maid, Giuliana. It appeared I was going to die tonight, but at least I had a fabulous dress on. And I said a prayer of thanks to Rhys. Thank you for choosing me. I wish we’d had more time…

  “Get away from her!” Suddenly, footsteps rumbled through the forest, and three familiar figures crashed into the clearing. Lady Eve Whitely took out her sword and brandished it at the pack. Her aqua eyes blazed in the darkness as she pointed her sword at the nearest werewolf, a shaggy brown beast who bared his fangs. “Not only will I pierce your flesh, I will drain you dry. Perhaps I’ll turn you into a were-vampire. How about that!”

  When the beast bared its fangs, she angled her sword at its neck. “I said get away! That’s an order. Remember, I have a higher ranking than you.”

  “As do I.” Princess Blake Kensington Black stepped forward. “Not to mention my husband, the King of the North.”

  Prince Austin stepped into the clearing, and one of the wolves whined. “Yes, you should cry, you idiot. I’m about to let Lady Eve have her way with your lot. I can’t believe you’d pull something like this with my father here, not to mention all those cameras. I command you to shift back to human form this instant. You best tell me what’s going on, Duncan, or I will make an example of you and deliver your head on a spike for my father to see.”

  The wolves whined again, hesitating and looking at each other.

  “It’s a direct order that you’d best answer right now. Lady Eve? Princess Blake? If they don’t do as I ask by the count of three, be prepared to ingest the most disgusting meal of your life. They taste even worse than they smell.” Austin faced the wolves and raised his hand. “Five, four, three, two—”

  All seven of the wolves started to shake. They moved back and forth so quickly that I couldn’t see more than a blur of motion. Finally, one by one, they shifted. Fur became flesh. The forms of the wolves lengthened, growing taller. It happened slowly and then all at once.

  Then seven naked men stood before us. Eve cursed, and Blake slapped a hand over her eyes. “You could’ve warned us!” she scolded her husband.

  “I did not need to see that—any of that.” Eve shook her head violently as she stared at the ground. “But don’t think I won’t come after you with this sword if you try anything. A few flaccid appendages aren’t likely to stop me.”

  Duncan puffed his chest out. “Who’re you calling flaccid?”

  “Shut up.” Austin shook his head. “You’re lucky to be anything right now except for dead. Tell me right now what you wanted with Lady Layne.”

  The men shifted uncomfortably, waiting for Duncan to speak.

  Austin’s nostrils flared. “I mean it, Duncan. I’d just as soon shoot you full of silver as count backwards again.”

  The werewolf glared at me. “King Rhys chose to keep her on, but the rest of the pack isn’t sure that it’s safe to do so. That’s why we had her out here, Your Highness, to see about that.”

  “Explain yourself.”

  Duncan took a deep breath. “We know about the rebels. We know they’re not happy about the new werewolf kingdom.”

  “News travels fast.” Austin crossed his arms against his chest. “But what does this have to do with Lady Layne?”

  Duncan jerked his chin in my direction. “We need to protect Rhys, Your Highness. What if the lady is a traitor? What if she has rebel ties? There’s been all sorts of upheaval since The Pageant, and she was part of that, too. Who’s to say she’s not feeding the rebels information?”

  “I told them that my family has been loyal to yours since your mother and father came to the settlements”—my voice shook—“but they didn’t believe me.”

  Blake reached for my hand and squeezed it. “It doesn’t matter what they believe. We know the truth, Tamara. You’ve always been loyal to the crown.” She turned to her husband. “I don’t believe in violence of any kind, but these men have hurt my friend, and for no good reason. Their actions were based on a hunch. Who knows what they would’ve done if we hadn’t heard them out here? They should be punished. This amounts to treason, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “My lady, please.” Duncan got down on his knees so that his flaccid appendage was no longer visible as he begged. “We were never going to hurt the human. I merely wanted to see if she would confess to anything if she was scared enough. You have to understand—the Realm is everything my kind has ever wanted.
This new kingdom is the home we’ve desired for centuries. Rhys is the first royalty we’ve ever had, and it’s our duty to protect him. We know nothing of this outsider.”

  “That doesn’t make it okay for you to scare her half to death!” Blake said.

  Duncan sighed. “There is a better way, I’m sure. But the show is moving fast, too fast.”

  The show was why I was there. I was one of the contestants in The Realm: The Bachelor King. King Rhys had five young women competing to be his queen. It was down to the last three contestants, and I wanted to win, at least I thought I did before the werewolf thugs dragged me into the forest.

  “Two of the other girls went home tonight,” Duncan continued. “Now there are three left. What if it’s the wrong three? What if Rhys chooses a queen who does not have the pack’s best interests at heart? What if she’s only out for herself—or worse, her kind? What if we have a traitor among us?”

  I took a step forward. “I’ve told you, I have no love of the rebels. My family has always believed in a peaceful transition and existence with the crown. The old ways were no longer working, which is why it was so easy for the Blacks to come in and conquer the settlements. Most of us were aware that it was only a matter of time before the government changed hands. Just because the rebels haven’t given up the idea of a human autocracy doesn’t mean that all of us share their sentiment. Hardly. I believe that they’re doing more harm than good. It’s time we all learned to live together, if you ask me.”

  “That’s a pretty speech, my lady. But how can we trust that you mean it?” Duncan asked.

  “Rhys trusts me. Follow your leader. You keep saying that there is no ‘I’ in ‘pack’—you need to show your commitment in your deeds, not just your words. Are you saying that you do not trust the judgment of your king, let alone Prince Austin and Princess Blake?”

  Duncan’s jaw tightened. “Of course not, my lady.”

  “Then leave your concerns about my allegiance to them.” I turned to Austin, Blake and Eve. “Thank you for rescuing me. I’d like to get back to the castle, if I may. It’s been a rather long night.”

  Austin bowed to me. “Of course. Eve, will you see Lady Layne to her room? Blake and I will deal with the wolves.”

  Eve’s gaze flicked longingly to the handle of her sword. She loved a good fight. “Of course, Your Highness.”

  “Wait,” Duncan said, “can you order her to keep this incident to herself? I don’t want trouble with Rhys—”

  “That is something you and I will discuss.” Austin’s voice was icy. “Your concern with Lady Layne ends right now. See you back at the palace, Eve.”

  She nodded and put her hand on my back, gently leading me into the dark forest. “Come now, Tamara. We’ll get you to bed. Everything will be better after a decent night’s sleep.”

  I snorted. “You don’t really believe that, do you? They’re after me—they think I’m a traitor, a snitch. If I win this competition, I’m to be their queen. How on earth is that supposed to work?”

  “You could order them to dig ditches for all eternity, or perhaps subject them to a diet of ants and grasshoppers.” Eve’s tone was light.

  “It’s not funny.” I stayed close to her in the dark forest. “Why did they single me out? Joely and Dae are human, too. Why aren’t they being dragged into the forest?” Joely Raine and Dae Phillips were the other remaining contestants in the competition. “Why was I targeted?”

  “Maybe it wasn’t just you. I’ll speak with Austin and Blake about all this—we’ll get it sorted. Now settle down. We’ve got to get through the forest without anyone hearing us. I don’t want to draw any attention to this event. If King Black hears of this, he’ll go on a rampage.”

  “But Rhys needs to know. Promise me, Eve. He needs to know what his pack is doing behind his back.”

  She nodded as she led me through the trees. “Agreed. King Rhys is the alpha. Even if his pack is doing this to protect him, he needs to sanction it. We can’t very well have a newly crowned king who already has an insubordination problem on his hands, can we?”

  Light Of Day

  “Miss? Miss, I’m so sorry to wake you, but Mira Kinney said it’s urgent.” My young vampire maid, Giuliana, gently nudged my shoulder. “She said you need to be in the kitchen in thirty minutes, dressed for the day.”

  I buried my face in the pillow and groaned. “You vampires have no idea what drinking champagne and dancing all night does to humans. There’s no mercy.” I cracked an eye open and saw that Elsa and Beast, my pet gnomes, were still snoring blissfully in their little beds.

  Giuliana sighed. “I’m so glad you advanced in the competition—I knew the king favored you! I never doubted his affection for an instant.”

  “That makes one of us.” I sat up and frowned at the sunlight streaming through my windows. “Did the other girls already leave? What have you heard?” Two of the other contestants, Maya Briones and Thalia Atkins, had been let go from the competition the night before. Thalia had handled it with grace and integrity, but Maya had cried like a baby.

  Giuliana bustled to the wardrobe and started scrutinizing my gowns. “They left at first light, I’m afraid. Mira wanted them filmed while they were still ‘in their feelings’—that’s what she said. The other maids told me the king went and said goodbye to each of them. I heard it turned quite ugly.”

  I blinked at her. “What do you mean?”

  She pulled a pale-gray frock out and returned it to the wardrobe after examining it. “That Maya made a scene. I knew she would. Her maids said that at first, she was crying, but then she went and said all manner of horrible things about the other girls and about the Realm and the staff here. She said the show was rigged. The king was very patient with her, at first. But then she turned nasty, and he asked her to get into the car and to never return. She insulted all of us, I’m afraid.”

  “What of Lady Thalia? Was she okay?”

  “Oh yes, miss.” Giuliana pulled out a dusty-pink frock and smiled. “She was classy as usual. She had a separate car to take her back to her settlement, thank goodness. The king apologized to her for letting her go, and he even said that he hoped they could work together in the future. Wasn’t that kind of him?”

  “Yes, it was.” Thalia was very smart, even-tempered and organized, and he would be wise to maintain a professional relationship with her.

  “I think he’ll make a great ruler.” Giuliana held up the pink dress. “And I think he’ll approve of this gown.”

  “Let’s hope so.” My head pounded from both the champagne and my encounter with the wolves in the woods. “We’ll see what the day brings.” I had a feeling that it would be far from dull.

  I’d barely poured my tea when Mira Kinney bounded into the kitchen, already in full makeup. The vampire host wore a white pantsuit with a cherry-red silk blouse underneath, her hair swept back into a perfect chignon.

  “Joely, Dae, Tamara, good morning. I have to tell you, I’m thrilled that His Highness chose you three to stay on. I think you’re the perfect trifecta. Warmth and beauty”—she pointed to Joely—“edginess and heart”—she pointed to Dae—“and glamour and sophistication”—she pointed at me. “Everyone in the settlements has someone to root for. You’re a great cross-section of society. Now, all we have to do is keep the momentum going. I’ve no doubt that the three of you will make these next episodes soar in the ratings.”

  I sat down next to Joely and Dae, taking stock of the remaining competition. Joely wore a fresh yellow frock, her auburn locks arranged into an intricate crown of braids. Dae wore a royal-blue jumpsuit, her long, dark hair pulled back into an elegant low bun. I felt dowdy by comparison, even though Giuliana had worked to make my hair and makeup flawless. Perhaps the other girls weren’t as hungover as I was. Perhaps they hadn’t been accosted and dragged into the woods, either, and nearly torn limb from limb.

  “Tamara, are you listening?” Mira snapped her fingers.

  “Y-Yes, Mira. I’m
sorry. Could you repeat that?”

  “I said that His Highness is in meetings this morning with the king and queen but that he sends his regards and congratulations to the three of you.”

  “That’s kind of him.” My voice was raspy.

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “Did you have too much champagne last night?”

  I raised my chin. “Perhaps.”

  “Well, drink your tea, dear, then pour yourself another cup. We have a lot to prepare for.”

  Joely raised her hand. “What happens next? I remember you mentioning something about the Contestants’ Challenge?”

  Mira clapped her hands together. “Yes, that’s next. The crew and I are so excited for this—it’s quite an addition to the dating repertoire. The challenge is that each of you needs to pick a project that would benefit the Realm. It can be anything, but it must benefit the community as a whole. You will each work on these projects in secret over the next week. At the end of the challenge, you will present your work to King Rhys and his men. He will reward the engineers of the top two projects with an invitation to stay in the competition. The engineer of the weakest project will be sent home.”

  Mira beamed at us. “It’s crucial that the new queen of the Realm understand the nature of the citizens and what they need, what will help them flourish, what will help this new kingdom solidify its future. This particular part of the competition was the king’s idea—he wants the citizens to know they are an important part of his choice. The winner will be their queen, after all.”