Chapter Sixteen

[P.O.V. King Jared Woods]

It has been three years since the day of my mother's death. That night was the night all the kingdoms saw darkness after so many years of peace. That night, Evanora barely escaped my father. My Father has gone completely rogue and nobody can find him. I have always heard stories about how great my father's skills were, but I never thought his skills were this great. By skills, I mean he knows how to cover his tracks very well.

Another thing that happened that night. Riley and I went to my father's office. Pulling out every file we found the one he was talking about in a secret apartment. It was a prophecy about Riley and me, and all my father's research on this prophecy was incredible. This prophecy speaks of another war and the Twins of the Purple Moon. It says they will either destroy their enemy, and thousands of years of peace will spread through the lands. Or they will join their enemy and destroy the lands, and the supernatural world will live in darkness for thousands of years. It also speaks of how the father of the twins will either become the next darkness. Or he will become the savior of this war and will have to kill both children. After Riley and read this, we both had different opinions, and it turned into a big fight. That fight broke our bond with Riley. We closed them off completely to one another.

The next morning of that awful night. Everyone around the kingdom came to pay their respect to the old higher queen as we buried her in the tomb of the higher kings and queens. There was no one inside the tomb because my mother was the first to be buried in it. When the day comes, we will bury my father next to her. After my mother's burial, Riley left without a word, and I have heard nothing from him to this very day.

In the last three years, darkness has spread threw out the lands. Towns and cities being burned, thousands of people and creatures being killed. Hunger flooded across the lands along with fear and other darknesses. The other five kings and I are doing everything we can for our people, but it isn't enough. For every day, the darkness gets a little stronger and harder to keep control of. I wished my father was here to give me guidance, for I was a little lost in what to do about all the situations happening.

Sitting in my father's old office, which has become my office. Signing and reading papers on matters to help my kingdom and other kingdoms. When I wasn't singing and reading those papers, I researched everything my father had saved in all his files. The files I have been reading up on the most are what happened all those years ago before father took the throne. Understanding who this Evanora was, who my mother's killer was. I need to understand completely what happened all those years ago.

Father has left a journal behind it has all his thought and encounters with certain people. He even has file numbers written in the journal on these people and creatures. There were also different key codes and key puzzles in his journal to help find and unlock father's secrets throughout the castle. The way father organized everything was incredible.

Interrupting my thoughts, a knock on the door pulls my attention away from my research.

"Enter!" Giving them my permission. My Beta enters the room and bows to me, then stands up again.

"I bring you significant news." He says with a smile on his face. "We found him, Jared."

"Who?.." Asking him. There were two men I was looking for, my brother and my father.

"Your brother we finally found him." I couldn't believe what I was hearing a year after Riley left I knew I needed my brother to help me get this kingdom back on its feet again. So I have sent scouts to find him and has taken two years but we finally found him.

"Where is he?"

"We found him in a small town on the very outskirts of the Moon Goddess Kingdom." He was in my cousin's kingdom this whole time? Knowing this information, I knew I wanted to be the one to bring him back. Even though we ended things badly, I knew we had to fix them.

"I want to be the one to bring him back. Will take care of things while I'm gone?"

"Yes, of course."

"Alright, let's get things in order for I want to leave in the morning." Nodding his head, he leaves my office with me right behind him.

After getting everything in order for my absence, I stroll through the gardens with my mate and child. Few months after my mother died Karen, and I conceived a child the next heir to the throne was a queen. She looked exactly like her mother, but with my eyes. We named our little princess Francisca Adriana Woods. Francisca runs ahead of us, laughing and having fun.

"Francisca baby, watch where you 're running!" Karen shouts out to her.

"She's fine, just relax." Telling her as we walked hand in hand.

"I just don't want her to get hurt."

"She a kid, a few scratches and bruises won't kill her." Stopping in my tracks pulling her gently to me. She places her other hand on my chest as our eyes get caught with one another. "Besides, you are not to be stressing doctor orders, remember?"

Placing my hand on her swollen stomach where our second child is. She only has a couple more months before her due date. She takes her hand off my chest and places it on my hand that was on her stomach.

"I remember," she says with a sigh. About to continue our walk, we couldn't see Francisca anywhere. "Where Francisca?"

Both of us walking a little faster where we saw her last we found her sitting in the garden talking to a woman. The woman wasn't an ordinary woman it was Princess Venessa of the Dawn Goddess Kingdom. Venessa has been here for the last three years. When I tried to send her away back home all those years ago, she wouldn't leave. She confessed she was Riley's rejected mate and what had happened between them. She wanted to stay here until Riley came home so she could fix their mate bond. After she confessed I couldn't send her away, I know how important the mate bond is.

Karen was about to scold her before she could I pressed my finger against my lips to silence her. I wanted to hear what they were talking about. Francisca has rather grown attached to Venessa, and I wanted to know how close.

"What is your painting this time?" Francisca asks.

"I am painting the moon and stars. Right there on the rock is a wolf howling at the moon." Venessa answers.

"Why are you painting that?"

"I saw this wolf, and I wanted to paint him." I knew who the wolf was for Venessa, has been monitoring my brother through visions. Though her visions didn't tell her where he was.

"Why did you paint him howling?"

"Because in my vision he was letting the moon goddess how he was feeling," Venessa says with a sad sigh.

"You sound sad is he sad too?"

"He is very sad and very lonely." I could hear the hurt in her tone.

"Why?.."

"How about I ask you a question?" Venessa changes the subject.

"Okay."

"Why are you not with your parents?"

"Because they are boring and like talking to you." I couldn't help a light chuckle. Karen smacks me lightly on the shoulder.

"Well, I enjoy talking to you too, but you really shouldn't be out this late. How about we go find your parents?"

"Okay, only if we have to." Both of them stand up while they did Karen and I walk out of the bushes.

"There you are," Karens says, as if we didn't know where she was.

"Your highnesses" Venessa greets us and bows to us. Where Karen and I are the higher king and queen, we outrank the regular king and queens, so they bow to us as well as the people of the kingdom.

"Venessa, I told you didn't have to bow to us."

"I want to my Queen."

"Jared, I'm going to put our daughter to bed." Karen looks at me as she held our daughter's hand.

"Alright, I need to talk to Venessa first." Telling my queen.

"Alright." Karen takes Francisca back to the castle.

"What is it wanted to talk about?" Venessa asks me.

"It's about Riley." Telling her bluntly. Her expression change to curiosity.

"What about him?"

"We finally found him I am going to get him. I'm leaving the castle tomorrow to do so."

"May I come with you?" She asks with desperation.

"No, I must do this alone." I could see the disappointment. The last thing I need was to rub salt into my brother's wound of losing his mate. On top of the salt, I was about to rub into the wound between me and him.

"I understand... How are you going to get him here?"

"I'm going to convenience him if that doesn't work then I guess I will have to force him."

"I see... Well, good luck to you, your highness, and please bring him back home."

"Thanks and I will." She nods her head with disappointment and sadness and leaves. Taking a deep breath, I head back to the castle.