Chapter 98: The Exorcism Of Celeste Starborne

THUNDERFANG KEEP - TEN MINUTES PRIOR

Once upon a time, two titans fought, then returned to their chambers only to find that what they wanted was not what they got.

Literally. The Gods above must have decided they wanted an encore to the dinner-party show and the Goddess said, sure, why the hell not.

The lights flickered as Landon and Derek Thunderfang argued. Both stormed away from the war room to their chambers. They were unable to storm in opposite directions, because their chambers were on the same floor and wing of the Keep. So they stormed side by side, furious at one another, in the longest elevator goodbye in history that was funny for their Beta to watch and very annoying for the brothers.

One of their beds was supposed to be full. The other bed was supposed to be empty. The Gods above looked down on this, laughed, and decided to swap it.

One brother opened his chamber door and stopped.

Celeste Starborne was draped across his bed in black lace and candlelight. She was posed. One arm behind her head. One knee bent. The candles were new. The lace was new. The expression said very clearly that she knew what she was doing and was confident in her abilities.

"Come to bed, Landon."

His wolf recoiled like she was made of silver. The beast wanted out of this room, out of this keep, and possibly out of this body. It hit the brakes then floored it in reverse, so hard that his human physically stepped backwards.

"You’re in my bed."

"I am."

"Get. Out."

"I’m your future Luna, Landon. This is my bed too."

"No it’s not. You have the Luna’s quarters."

Translation: Separate floor. Separate wing. Far away. The architecture had been designed before Landon was born and Celeste was violating it.

"I think I’ll stay, actually." She patted the side of the bed. "Come play with me, Alpha."

Landon crossed to the closet, pulled a blanket from the shelf, and threw it at her. "We are not doing that tonight, or any night." He sniffed once. "I am surrounded by candles that smell like my gran."

"They’re floral."

"Get out."

"Make me." Celeste pulled off the blanket and propped herself up on all fours. "Come punish me, Alpha. I’ve been very bad."

Landon blinked down at her. "I’ve had a very long night."

"Let me make your long night better."

"You are making it longer. I don’t want you."

The statement was delivered with the warmth of a tax audit.

"Yes you do, Alpha. Everyone wants me." She crawled towards him across the mattress.

He held up one hand. She stopped.

"Reverse."

One word. Delivered with the authority of a man who had commanded armies and was now commanding a woman to un-crawl. Unfortunately, the woman did not un-crawl.

"I am trying to connect with you."

"Try during business hours. Fully clothed. From across a desk."

"Landon, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Celeste snapped. Then she began pulling off her lingerie, stripping down to her birthday suit.

This was rapidly going in the wrong direction. Landon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Celeste. What the hell are you doing?"

"Removing my clothing, Alpha."

"I can see that. Stop."

"I think I need a spanking, Alpha."

Landon’s wolf recoiled again so hard that he almost shifted on the spot.

"Leave. Now," he gritted, pushing the beast down.

"Your wolf wants me. I see it. Doesn’t he?"

"No."

"We’ll see about that, Alpha."

Celeste launched off the bed. Full commitment. Arms out. Legs leaving the mattress.

Landon sidestepped. One step. Celeste sailed past him. Hit the ottoman. Spun around. Still fully nude with zero fucks given.

"LANDON—"

He pulled a second blanket off the shelf and threw it at her. It hit her square in the face.

Bullseye. Two for two on blanket accuracy. If there were a Helix competition for throwing fabric at naked princesses, Landon Thunderfang would be nationally ranked.

The doors flew open.

Two guards burst in, weapons drawn. These men had trained for combat. For invasions. For war. Nothing in the curriculum covered a naked future Luna, a blanket-throwing Alpha, and enough floral candles to qualify as a fire hazard.

"Alpha, do you require—"

"A priest, a locksmith, and a drink. In that order," Landon said flatly.

Both guards looked at their Alpha.

"Fine, Alpha." Celeste tossed the blanket aside and squared her shoulders. Still very naked. "I don’t care if they watch."

Both guards aged five years in one sentence. One of them slowly started backing towards the door.

"Get her out," Landon ordered.

"I am not leaving this room until—"

"Escort the princess to the Luna’s quarters. She is lost," Landon cut her off and threw another blanket at her.

"I am not LOST."

"Either way, she is leaving. Gentlemen. And she does not enter my quarters ever again."

"Yes, Alpha."

"Yes I will be."

"No. She won’t be."

The guards, to their eternal credit, managed to keep their faces professionally blank as they flanked the future Luna of Thunderfang, who was completely nude. One of them handed her the blanket she had just thrown. She rolled her eyes and grabbed it.

At the doorway she stopped. Turned back.

"This isn’t over, Landon."

"There is no ’this,’ Celeste. I’ve made myself clear from day one."

"You need an heir. You and I both know it," she said. "I am very attractive and very good at—"

The door shut, cutting her off mid-word.

Then he hunched over.

✦✦✦

DEREK’S QUARTERS - ALSO NOT GOING AS PLANNED

While blankets were being thrown by one Thunderfang, down the hall, his brother’s bad night was about to get worse.

Derek Thunderfang wanted his mate. His wolf also wanted his mate. That was the only reason he was returning to his chambers instead of going for a run in the woods.

But when he pushed open the double doors, his mate was not in his bed where he left her.

His nostrils flared once.

He checked the bed, which he was looking at and could clearly see was empty, but checked it anyway by pulling back every blanket like she might be compressed between layers.

Bathing chamber. No.

The armchair. No, and also she wouldn’t fit behind it but he looked.

His wolf was growling under his ribs. Rejecting what was happening in real-time. He and his wolf were in agreement.

That’s when it hit.

Derek hunched over. Terror flooded into his chest that wasn’t his.

His wolf decided enough was enough.

The beast ripped out of him so hard that Derek couldn’t have stopped it if he tried.

In a flash, an electric blue Alpha wolf the size of a horse was standing in his human’s chambers, not being a good boy at all and completely done with his human.

Vase. Shattered. Table. Crushed. Lamp. Never met her.

The wolf sniffed, following his mate’s scent across the room, his tail knocking over a chair and an ottoman in the process.

He shoved the books off the side table with his muzzle, one at a time, sniffing each one because his mate had held them. Then his wolf eyes found what was underneath and every muscle in his body went rigid.