The Alpha King's Princess
The Alpha King’s Princess – Chapter 69

“… do away with Pandora quickly. I don’t have time to waste. Are you out yet?”

“Almost.”

I gasped, and my eyes widened, hearing Francium’s voice. Out of what? What was he doing down there? I knew he was connected to all of these attacks, but I didn’t ever think he would do something like this.

“F-Francium?” Claire asked, her voice soft and hopeful. “Francium, what’s going on? Untie me.”

“I… I can’t.”

“Wh-What do you mean you can’t?” Claire asked. “Francium, please, whatever is going on, you don’t have to do this….”

The man laughed, “And that’s where you’re wrong, Pandora. He does have to, and whatever dalliance you two have been up to, I’m sure was nice as it lasted.”

“Please,” Francium said weakly. “I don’t… I don’t think I have to kill her. Couldn’t we just erase her memory?”

“Could you?” He asked.

Francium said nothing. Did that mean he had powers, or he didn’t have powers?

“I didn’t think so. The pills do enough, but they certainly don’t make up for a poor gene pool… Don’t ask me to waste resources just because you got caught. It’s your mess. Clean it up.”

“I just think… her father’s the Secretary of State for the Full Moon Pack. I-If she goes missing, they’ll up the security, the investigation will be thorough… There will be questions.”

“Then, I suggest you get rid of the body in a way that lessens those questions and practice acting. Isn’t your pack known for its theaters?” The man laughed hard and derisive. While Francium had to answer to this man, it didn’t seem like this man respected him at all.

“The attack at the mall went well. I would suggest you head back to New Moon as soon as you dispose of her body.”

Something fell to the ground. It sounded like a container of some kind. Were they pills?

Was the vampire supplying Francium with pills? For what? How were they different than all the other substances vampires had been using? Were they giving him powers or actually helping him heal? Maybe they were just keeping him alive. I could almost sympathize with that if he hadn’t brought Claire into this.

I shook my head. What had she been thinking? I told her to stay away from him. How had she gotten caught? Had she been silly enough to ask him about the b***d in his car?

“Next time you speak to the mole, make sure to replace their main server.”

“They said that they’ve moved locations. No one knows where the main server is now.”

“With Pandora gone, there should be a reshuffling of the ranks, shouldn’t there? Someone has to know. I will check in with you when it’s time for you to refill. Though, you’ve done well to capture Pandora.”

Then, there were footsteps. I strained to hear them coming towards the painting, but I heard nothing. There wasn’t even the hint that he was heading this way, but he was definitely getting farther away.

How far did these caves go?

I thought back to what he said that night he attacked me. About Candido moving the Estate and about how he’d been in both Estates before. Was it possible that all these caverns were connected somehow? The territories were pretty big, but the only reason it was so hard to get between them was because of the terrain. The roads curved around trees and mountains.

If the caverns went under them, it would cut the time a lot.

Could Francium have made it from here to New Moon within a few hours and back using the cave system? It was possible.

Regardless, it was clear that he was connected to the attack on Moon Shadow, even a part of it, but there was the question of who was giving him information that was the problem. There were only a few people I could think of that might have enough information to be useful, but I couldn’t even imagine why they would give him any information.

It made me wonder if my guesses about vampire-werewolf hybrids were accurate. I guess I would have to see. I’d have to deal with that later. For now, I had to replace a way to save Claire.

Why did they think Claire was Pandora? That made no sense unless she had asked questions that had spooked Francium.

A wet sob came through the line. It was Francium. I heard nothing but the movement of something against the stone.

“Francium—” her voice cut off and I heard more scuffling and the sound of her struggling to breathe. “Franc—I—stop!”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I love you. I’m so sorry. I can’t… I’m so sorry.”

My heart lurched, and I scrambled to my feet as I realized what was happening. He was going to kill her. He was strangling her to death. How much time did that mean I had to replace her? To stop her? Could I resuscitate her if I needed to? I didn’t know, but none of that would matter if I couldn’t get the painting to move.

Her pleas grew weaker. His sobbing grew louder and more desperate. I pulled at the painting, gripping it tight and forcing my strength past my limit. I thought I heard something creak and maybe felt it move, but I lost my grip again and tumbled back. This time, the ground felt harder. I was probably going to be bruised up for

Panic gripped me. I had to get it open. I had to stop him. I had to save her, but how was I supposed to get it open? It was so heavy and unyielding. Was there some sort of magic word or phrase? The creature hadn’t said anything when it came out.

Could it only be opened from the other side?

If that was true, I could only hope that something or someone would come out soon. I looked up at the painting as the glint of the vampire’s eyes seemed to grow more prominent.

Maybe b***d would make it move like it made the words in the book legible?

I got up and searched for something to cut my hand with. I dragged it roughly against the metal of the frame and hissed as it cut into my flesh, and b***d began to pour out.

“I’m sorry,” Francium sobbed. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

I dragged my hand over the painting and part of the frame as the scuffling grew softer, and Francium began to sob.

The b***d seemed to soak into the frame and painting. It disappeared and revealed a message carved into the frame.

As we are brothers, let this passage connect us always.

Brothers? I shook my head. I didn’t have time to ponder that any further. I waited for the painting to move, but it didn’t even flinch. I growled, digging my fingernails into the painting, trying to tear it apart, but my fingers did nothing to the fabric. Even the smallest marks I made repaired themselves quickly as if they were never there.

Claire’s scuffling stopped. I heard a stuttered breathing sound then nothing but Francium sobbing.

“Claire,” he gasped. “Claire. Claire!”

His voice turned into an echoing howl that rattled through the vents of the school. The ground shook, and I slipped down to the ground, hopeless and furiously pounding on the painting. I felt his pain like an afterthought.

He’d killed her.

Claire was gone.

I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t even think.

My eyes burned with tears, and I felt them falling, but I couldn’t even muster up the strength to cry as I sat down against the painting and looked up at the ceiling.

My phone chimed again as I looked up at the mural of the phases of the moon.

The mural started to darken and change in the three main panels. The red moon had once been bright, almost pink, but it turned as dark and as red as b***d and cast an eery red light over me. The mural of the new moon had cracked, destroying the seamless image of a dark night. It felt oddly fitting since he was a son of the New Moon Pack.

But the thing that caught my eye and helped me disconnect from all of this for a moment was the full moon panel. The brightness hadn’t faded. The stars that seemed to twinkle around it hadn’t vanished.

But there was now a blue moon, as full and as bright as the first moon, moving into the panel and casting a soft blue light over me.

They hung in the painted sky like two eyes looking down at me.

Were the eyes of the Moon Goddess?

What was I meant to do now?

My phone chimed again.

I picked it up and read Armegeddon’s message.

If you do not answer, I will come replace you.

I sniffled and typed. She’s gone. I’m going home.