Chapter 149- The Prince’s Gambit
King Andras was watching the press conference when his son stormed in, blood dripping from his claws. When Damon entered, the conference was winding down, with Sinclair thanking the press for their support and apologizing again for their deception. He called for action against the Prince, stating that the fate of the united packs was at risk if the Alpha Council did not act.
‘You idiot.” He growled at his son, clicking off the television. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I took the wrong advice, but I’ve dealt with that now.” Damon answered snidely, “I got rid of that no-good bitch once and for all.”
‘That’s what you get for taking the advice of a woman.” The King groused.” And if that weren’t bad enough, your incompetence has just cost our family the crown!”
“Me!” Damon exclaimed in outrage, ‘You’re the one who’s being removed from the throne, the only reason I’m in this position in the first place is that you were too weak to fight the council and instead expected me to save your ass and the family legacy! You weren’t even going to let me rule if I won! You expected me to be your fucking puppet!”
“Because you don’t have what it takes to lead!” King Andras shouted. “You do shit like this! Thinking violence can solve all your problems, acting without thinking, taking strategy from a traitorous whore with more cunning than common sense!”
“Oh like you’re so different!” The Prince scoffed cruelly. ‘You stole the crown exactly the same way I tried to, so if you want to blame anyone for my mistakes, look in the damned mirror!”
He charged towards his heir, rage coloring his face bright red. “I had the wisdom to know when to strike and who to target. I didn’t go after an innocent she-wolf, I went after my enemy himself and I pulled it off because I planned and accounted for every last contingency. I didn’t just take it into my head to kill Henry Sinclair and start lashing out at him any way I could, regardless of the collateral damage! I didn’t risk the lives of the citizens I rule or align myself with extremists! I didn’t commit treason! I made a single, strategic strike and took out the competition. It’s not about morality or nobility, it’s about using your bloody head, Damon!”
“WeiI if you’re so smart, tell me how we’re supposed to get out of this without taking extreme action!” Damon shouted, livid that his father wasn’t taking his side.
King Andras shook his head in disbelief. “There is no getting out of this, boy. The damage is done and if you think the council will overlook your traitorous plots you are out of your mind. The only option you have now is to run before they can take you into custody.”
“Run, go into exile?” Damon spat, “that’s your grand plan? Don’t you care that Sinclair will become King? That our family will lose everything?”
“Of course I care, you insolent pup.” Andras snarled. “But a good Alpha has to know when they’re beaten, and trust me when I tell you that we are.”
“Not if we gather the royal army.” Damon insisted petulantly, stomping his foot. “If we act quickly we could overthrow the Alpha council, Sinclair, all of them. Without their interference and regulations, our power could be limitless. No more quibbling diplomacy, everyone shouting over one another in order to be heard and get their own way. Total authority.”
‘You mean total tyranny.” King Andras replied, so shocked by the Prince’s suggestion that he had to sit down. ‘You’re suggesting we undo years of peace, throw out the constitution and reform the united packs as an
empire ruled by nothing but your own greed.” The horror in his eyes was obvious to his son, and he made no effort to hide it. “In all my years I never … where did I go so wrong with you?”
“So you would rather give up, tuck in our tails and accept defeat? That’s pathetic.” Damon derided. “Clearly the council was right to unseat you if this is how you respond to a challenge. You don’t even have the will to fight, to defend what’s rightfully yours!”
“Maybe you’re right.” Andras grimaced, feeling overwhelmed with the depth of his failure as a father. “Because Goddess help me, but right now I can’t help rooting for Sinclair. If the only alternative to my rule is yours or his, then I would gladly choose him.”
“No!” Damon roared, his adrenaline spiking. “You can’t do this! It isn’t fair! I’m your heir! The throne is supposed to be mine! He can’t have it and I will not run scared!”
“You don’t have another choice. You made this bed and you are the one who has to lie in it.” Andras declared firmly, “I won’t protect you from the consequences, Damon. As far as I’m concerned, you are no longer my son.”
The king sat back in his chair, mind reeling, still at a loss to process the shock of this conversation. He’d known Damon was not fit to be King for some time now, but he didn’t realize the boy was so unhinged. He thought he could control him, teach him, and it had just become painfully obvious that neither would ever be possible.
Still, he didn’t expect what was coming next. He never would have imagined his only son might turn his violence onto him, but that’s exactly what he did. While the King was still sitting there, a grim expression on his face, Damon pounced. He shifted in a flash, sinking his fangs into his father’s exposed throat before the King even knew what was happening.
The king was dead in an instant, and unable to defend himself or conceptualize this new betrayal. When Damon shifted back into human form, spitting out his father’s blood and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he looked down at the older man with smug triumph. “Now you are no longer my father, what do you think of that, Dad?”
Moving quickly he swept out of the room and found a fresh change of clothes, before going to his beta with the news of the King’s demise.” Announce to everyone that Sinclair invaded the palace and killed the king, and get rid of the body so they can’t analyze the crime scene.” He ordered. “Whatever you do, don’t make the announcement until the scene has been swept.”
‘Then mobilize the Royal Army, if they question my authority then tell them that I’m my father’s heir and the United Packs are under attack, that I’m King for all intents and purposes until the Alpha Council can choose another. You can also tell them that the sentence for insubordination will be death… I also need poison” Damon decided, thinking that as cowardly as Lydia’s tactics were, there was no doubting they were effective. The average soldier wouldn’t be any match for the Alphas on the council, but the overblown leaders wouldn’t ever anticipate a poisoning.
“We have to get rid of the Alpha Council if we’re going to pull this off. Find the most potent poison you can and send a team to the council chambers – they’re bound to be meeting in order to determine what to do about Sinclair’s accusations. If we act quickly we can take them all out at once. Slip the poison into the coffee service before the servants take it up.”
“But if we’re poisoning the council, why do we need the army?” His beta interrupted, seeming overwhelmed by everything that was happening, but clearly not feeling brave enough to push back at his Alpha.
“Because the army is for Sinclair.” Damon explained through gritted teeth, not having any patience for being questioned.
“I thought… isn’t Sinclair on the council?” The beta questioned.
‘Yes but he won’t be present if they’re debating his accusations – he has a conflict of interest. We’re going to have to go after him on his own terf, and it’s going to take as many soldiers as we can summon.’’ the Prince
snapped. “And once he’s out of the way it’s going to take the full force of the army to squash any unrest in the united packs.”
“Damon, are you sure about all this?” His beta questioned hesitantly.” You’re talking about a full on coup.”
The Prince rolled his eyes. “I just killed my own father, do you really think I care about the alpha council or a load of peasants?” He demanded severely. “We’ve got a huge task ahead of us and I need to know that you’re with me, because if you aren’t. I’ll find someone who is.”
“No – no I’m with you.” The beta promised, fear dilating his pupils.
“Good. By this time tomorrow we’ll be the most powerful men on the continent. We’ll have the entire world at our feet.” He turned to the window, looking out on Moon Valley with a cold, rapacious gaze. “First the Alpha Council, then Sinclair.”
