I'm very grateful to those of you who have followed this from the start, and for those who have given your input. Your feedback is taken to heart at Jst4fun2nyt@gmail.com.

 

The sex isn't a major part of it, nor is it graphic. If you're looking for masturbation fodder, look elsewhere. There will be many slow times in this story, just like there are in life. Other times, things will fly at you too fast. There will be boring days, and exciting days. It's just how it's flowing.

 

Text copyright ©Justin Forfun 2020-2021 All rights reserved.

 

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Chapter 62

 

Joshua handed Igor's ring to me as Joan knelt at my feet. When George, Sam, and Hasim had appeared at my wedding and made me a prince, part of me felt disappointed at the lack of ceremony, and I wanted to make this special. I thought for a few moments, then spoke.

 

"Joan, I ask that you forgive me for interrupting this moment, but I've just had a thought, and I would like the Council's input."

Joan looked up and nodded as he stood and stepped back.

 

"This goes against my constant complaining about you all calling me `Sire' and `Majesty' and such, but when I became a prince, George said that we don't stand on ceremony and just handed me my ring. If I'm honest, that disappointed me in a way, and I'd like to start things off by making our own traditions. Please, tell me if this sounds silly, but I'd like all the princes to remove their rings and allow me to invest you as Princes of the Council."

 

The princes all stood and handed their rings to me. Hiroki smiled at me as he pulled another ring from his pocket. He had told me there were 9, with mine being the unique 10th ring, only for the King. I stepped back and called Joan to step forward.

 

When he knelt at my feet, I said "Pau Joan Fabre, do you swear to serve the vampires of the world with honor? To put your personal needs, comfort, and very life at risk to protect those in danger? To forsake personal gain, concerning yourself only with improving the lives of vampires around the world?"

 

He bowed his head and firmly said "I do so swear, Sire."

I reached for his hand, and slipped a Prince's ring of office on his finger as I said "Stand and be counted as a defender of the pack, Prince Fabre."

 

He stood, and I embraced him, then turned him to face the room as the assembled Council applauded.

 

Then I called George forward and did the same. When I embraced him, he whispered "Very nice, Sire."

I called the others, saving Joshua for last. When he knelt, I said "Joshua Thomas Warnick, do you swear to serve the vampires of the world with honor? To put your personal needs, comfort, and very life at risk to protect those in danger? To forsake personal gain, concerning yourself only with improving the lives of vampires around the world?"

 

"I do so swear, Sire." He said, and lifted his hand.

 

"And do you swear to serve in my place as King if I become unable to serve? To take my throne upon my death, and to continue to serve in my place, until your own death?"

He looked up at me with tears in his eyes as he said "I do so swear, Sire."

I slipped his ring of office on his finger and said "Stand and be counted as a defender of the pack, leader of the Council of Nine, and Crown Prince of the Pack, Prince Warnick."

 

He stood and as we embraced, I kissed his cheek. He whispered in my ear "I will die defending you, Father."

There were tears in my eyes as I turned him to face the Council. They all stood and applauded my son, their Prince. I noticed the Council member that had challenged Joshua earlier clapping the loudest. I now understood why my dad would often have tears in his eyes when I won a wrestling match. There is no greater feeling than that of pride in your sons or daughters.

 

We had stayed in the dining room after lunch, since the table had room for everyone, and lost track of time. I was reminded of this when Andrew came in to ask if he should serve our dinner. Several of the Council members asked to be excused, as they had not planned on being here this late, and dinner ended up being myself, my mates, my pups, my parents, the Nine Princes, and a small handful of Council members.

 

I knew something was up as Andrew approached my chair with my plate "Your dinner, your Majesty." He said, with an evil grin.

 

I growled at him, but smiled and thanked him as he set it down, then Scott leaned over and said "I remember a day in a treehouse when I said I was the King of the world, now you've gone and stolen my title."

I punched his shoulder and said "You'll have to settle for Queen Scotty. Should I make that your royal title?"

He paled as Mom and Dad burst out laughing. I was happy that my family didn't let my being King change things between us. Derrick and Eric were once again talking about motorcycles and I noticed Morgan looking at Derrick with a confused expression. I decided to ask him about it later. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what he'd seen.

 

Dad turned to me and said "I know you don't like business at the table, Greg, so can we talk after dinner?"

I agreed, then turned to George and said "I'm asking as a friend, so please be honest. I felt, I don't know, almost corny, with what I said when I swore you all in as princes. Did it sound stupid?"

He smiled as he said "It fit things quite well Greg. As you've said, many times, you're not big on formality, but you were right, there should be some type of ceremony for that. As the years go on, you might adjust the wording a bit, make it more colorful, but what you said definitely made it clear that we are servants of the vampires, not their rulers."

Hiroki spoke up "I should make a different ring for Joshua. One that signifies his rank."

Before I could speak, Joshua said "I like the fact that mine is the same as yours. I'm no better than you, and most of the time, I want to be looked upon as your equal. Personally, I think you could just add a gemstone to Dad's, maybe an amethyst, you know, royal purple, to signify the King, but the ring is the same to show he's not much different than us?"

I nodded and said "Whatever the Council thinks is appropriate, I'll agree to." Then I thought about it and added "Until you go overboard and bring me a crown and scepter. I like the concept that the founding fathers of the United States had, of a leader that was `of the people'. I don't want anything that makes me seem like I'm a ruler."

 

Hiroki's grin told me I was in trouble as he said "As you wish, your Majesty."

I shook my head and waved my finger at him as I said "Next time we're in Hawaii, I'm throwing you in the pool!"

 

He laughed and said "You say that like I'd object. But seriously, I do like the idea of adding a stone. If the Council agrees?" as he looked to the other princes. Everyone nodded so he said "I'll find a shop locally tomorrow that will allow me to do the work myself, Greg. You'll have it back by nightfall."

"That will be fine. Tomorrow morning I'll have a young changeling to take hunting, if he still wants changed tonight?" I said, looking at Derrick.

 

He looked up and I could tell he was unsure, but he said "Yeah Dad, I still want it."

Sensing there was something off, Yuan asked "If I may be so personal, can I ask why you are hesitant, young man?"

Derrick looked to me and I looked around the room, considering who was here. The fate of the world depended on everyone that wasn't family, so I decided it was safe.

 

"If he doesn't mind, I'll explain." I said, looking at Derrick. He smiled and nodded, relieved that he didn't have to say "Derrick has been studying magic with Frederick, you've known him as Lucien for centuries, but here, he's Frederick. Anyway, my son has discovered that he has magic, as a human. We're concerned that there will be issues with changing him. Either his magic will weaken, or vanish."

 

Yuan smiled and said "Nothing to fear, young man. Your magic will still be there. It may change forms a bit, or you may need to retrain some, but all will be well. Magic among humans is rare, but those who have it and are changed, always retain their abilities."

Derrick's face lit up with relief and he smiled and thanked Yuan for easing his fears. I was extremely relieved. I hadn't voiced my greatest fear, as I didn't want to scare Derrick, but I was worried that his having magic would make it impossible to change him, and he would die in the attempt. Knowing I wouldn't lose my son let me enjoy his looking forward to his changing.

 

Sam looked up and said "Greg, back to the ring thing. You say you don't like all the formality and such, and I understand that. We're fine calling you by your name, when it's appropriate, but you are the King."

I nodded and waited. He was headed somewhere and I wasn't sure I was going to like it.

 

"The look on your face says it all, but I'm sorry, being a King comes with a responsibility to act like a King, when it's called for." I nodded again, so he went on "The changes in the Councils, and your being King, is a new concept to everyone, and we need to do something to show the vampires of the world that we're behind you. What happened today will help that, but we really should do something for you, like you did for us. You called it an investiture, and that's appropriate, for us."

I realized where he was going and I also realized I had already lost this argument. I waited for him to say it.

 

He smiled as he went on "You know where I'm going with this, and you know I'm right."

Dimas spoke up "He's right, Sire. Oh, sorry, but he is. You have to let us have a ceremony and coronate you as our King. It validates your reign, and it's what people expect when there's a new King."

Joan said "I do hate to make you sad, Greg, but they're right. When Elizabeth dies, England will have months of mourning, and then there will be celebrations around the land as they coronate Charles as the new King. He'll even change his name, well, maybe he will. There is precedence for a King Charles, but anyway, you have to allow us to do this, as you say, for those you serve."

Hasim added "Of course, we can't televise it, but we could record it and distribute it to Alphas around the world, to share with their packs. In your speech you can tell the world of your vision. It really would be a good way to get your message out."

 

Yuan prevented me from arguing when he said "Sire, if you need to see my vision again, you may feed, but you saw for yourself. I saw you with your purple eyes and a circlet of gold. You can certainly ignore the vision, but..."

 

He had warned me against trying to change things seen in a vision, and the way he left that last part hanging left no doubt where he stood on this issue. I was defeated by the prophecy, once again. I sighed and thought for a minute. Then I took a deep breath and sighed again, louder. The whole room smiled, and George laughed.

 

"It's not funny George. Didn't I just say I didn't want a crown and scepter?"

George had an evil grin as he said "We won't make you carry a scepter."

Derrick and Eric had been looking at their phones and whispering while this was going on. Eric looked up and said "What about something like this?" as he handed me his phone.

 

It was a simple gold band about an inch wide, with a gemstone mounted in the center, every three inches around it. The top and bottom edges had what looked like silver lace the entire way around, and there was a leather band on the inside that just showed beneath the circlet.

 

I passed the phone to Joshua and he shared it with the other princes as I said "Alright, I surrender. I do see what you're saying about it helping vampires adjust to the changes. And yes, I can accept something like that, as long as I don't have to wear it all of the time."

"Of course you won't wear it all the time, Greg." Reinhardt said, then smiled and added "We can't have the humans wondering about your sanity. But you will have to wear it when you're in large gatherings of vampires, especially any formal occasion."

 

I tried to give them all an evil glare, but my heart wasn't in it, as I said "Next you'll have me wearing fur lined robes."

"Oh no Dad, royals now don't do that stuff, well, maybe for your coronation, but daily the men wear suits, like you always wear for business." Joshua said, trying to help "They usually have their coat of arms on the breast though. Do you have a coat of arms?" He tried to hide his grin, but failed.

 

That actually intrigued me, so I turned and asked "I don't know, do we Dad?"

"We do, but I don't know where it got put when you remodeled. Probably in one of the libraries. I'll look for it tomorrow while you and Derrick are hunting."

Derrick was on his phone again and he said "I can't find one for Warnick? Are you sure there's one?"

Dad laughed "I changed my last name when I moved to England. My father is the Baron of Zell, look for Zell." He said as he leaned over to look at Derrick's phone. "There, that's it."

Derrick handed me the phone and I looked at the image. The official description was `Azure with a flying silver dove in a band holding in its beak an olive branch Vert Crowned helmet Crest a gold star between a flight of silver Lambrequin of silver and azure'

 

"For once, I actually like something. I would be ok with that on the left breast of my suits. Just the crest I mean, not the banner with the name, of course. Dad, you'll need to tell me more about the family history sometime."

"Well, let's do that tomorrow evening. I've got a surprise I think you're going to like."

I saw Scott look at him and Dad just nodded. Scott broke into a huge grin, and promptly blocked the bond. I stared at him, trying to guess what he was up to. He just smiled, letting me know he wasn't going to break under pressure. I gave up.

 

"Well, if there is nothing else? Do I have to buy some fluffy dogs to carry around? Or get a walking stick? Maybe a powdered wig?"

Everyone laughed and Hiroki said "If I may, Greg, I will start on the circlet tomorrow as well. If you'll allow it, I'll use amethyst to match your ring, and put your crest in the front center? I would also like to enchant it, like your ring, if I may?"

 

George looked at him but didn't ask. Before I could answer, Joshua said "I'll take your suits to Tyler and ask her to put the crest on them, unless that's Papa's job as Beta?"

Billy answered "The suits will have to wait, you're forgetting tomorrow's Sunday? And honestly, he should go for a new fitting, and step up to the best suits if he's dressed as King."

 

I said "Do what you like Hiroki, I trust you to not make me look too overdone. And yes, I think enchanting it is a good idea. You can explain it to George and the others, I think they're lost. If there's nothing else, I'm taking my pups and mates to bed, I have a young man that is anxious to fully join our world."

I looked around the table and when no one had anything else I needed to address, I got up and picked up Charlie. Scott grabbed Davie and threw the giggling boy over his shoulder as Billy and Bea grabbed the girls and we led our pups to our room.

 

I put Charlie on the loveseat and Scott put Davie beside him. I asked Chipper to sit with them, and Jesse and Jeremy joined their brothers. Morgan, Brandon, and Josh were standing to one side with Tanya, and the girls were in their cradles, silent, but wide awake. Derrick was sitting on the edge of our bed with Eric beside him, his arm around his brother, telling him that it would be ok.

 

I sat on Derrick's other side and put my arm around him as I said "Are you scared? Do you want to wait?"

He looked into my eyes as he said "I'm not scared, Dad. I know I'm safe, you're here. I just..." He blushed and looked at Eric, then turned back to me and said "Will you make love to me? It sounds silly, but I want my last memory of being human to be special. Once I'm changed we won't..."

"Once you're changed, nothing will change between us. But yes, once you're changed you might have two mates. You won't need me to do that for you, but I'll always be here if you do. And yes, if you want me to, I'll do that before the change."

He smiled and leaned in and kissed me. I returned his kiss, and slowly let my hands roam over his body. When we broke our kiss, I stood and pulled him to his feet. Scott started to undress me as Eric turned Derrick to face him, gave him a passionate kiss, and slowly undressed his brother. Everyone else was undressing as we did this, and when Eric was done I gently laid Derrick down on the bed then laid down beside him.

 

I caressed his chest and stomach as I leaned down and kissed him again. Eric was on his other side, gently caressing his hair while Billy, Scott, and Bea caressed his hips, thighs and legs. Joshua got the lube and gently used his fingers to relax Derrick while Brandon put some on me. I moved to between his knees and lifted his legs, then slowly entered him. Derrick's eyes rolled back and he moaned when I was fully seated inside him. I paused and let him adjust, then when he nodded, I moved slowly inside him as my mates and his siblings caressed his body. I knew he wanted this to be special, so I took my time and willed myself to wait. Eric's hand quickly carried his little brother over the edge the first time then Brandon's mouth brought him to a second, whimpering orgasm as I continued my slow motion inside him. When I felt him building to his third, with no one touching his erection, I increased my pace and I brought him to his final orgasm as a human, hands free as I filled his insides. His smile told me he had the memory he was looking for, so I pulled out of him and cleaned him with the cloth Billy handed me.

 

I leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips, then gently turned his head and buried my fangs into his jugular vein. He didn't flinch as I fed, and through his blood I saw his love for his brothers, his sisters, my mates and me. I saw the things he had done to provide for himself and Morgan while they were on their own. I saw his love for Jamie and Stephanie and his hopes for a future with them. I tasted his sweet, loving heart, and something else. I was surprised, but smiled to myself as I understood. I felt his heart slow, then it skipped a beat, two more slow beats, then it beat no more. Derrick was dead.

 

I caressed his hair, wiping it away from his eyes as I pulled away from his neck and put my wrist to my fang, opening my vein. I held my wrist to his mouth, leaned down and whispered in his ear "Come back to me, my son. Come back to those who love you."

 

Nothing happened. As my blood dripped onto his lips, nothing happened. I didn't panic. I just turned to Joshua and nodded for him to try. He leaned down and whispered into his brother's ear, and still nothing. I looked at my mates and heard Scott's voice in my head saying `Eric', so I nodded for Eric to try. He leaned down and I heard him say "Come back to me little brother. My son's going to need his uncle."

 

Still, Derrick lay there, not moving, not feeding. I turned to my mates and urged each of them to try. One by one, they whispered their love to Derrick, begging him to feed and come back to us. One by one, he ignored them. Tears were forming in my eyes as I tried again, softly saying "Come on buddy, I need you at my side. Jamie needs you. Steph needs you." Still, he refused to feed.

 

Everyone tried. Chipper crawled up and begged him to feed. Brandon kissed his cheeks and told him how he needed him to teach him tricks on the motorcycles. Jesse and Jeremy even tried, saying they finally had a big brother and needed him to feed. Through all of this, Derrick refused to feed. Morgan stood frozen with shock and fear as he stared at his brother's pale, lifeless body. I couldn't imagine what was going through his mind as his hero lay there, dead.

 

Panic started to set in as my blood continued to drip onto his lips, running down the side of his face and soaking his hair. I looked around in terror as I screamed "Somebody do something, please. Somebody say something so he'll feed." No one moved, Derrick didn't feed. I was sobbing now as I looked at his lifeless body. My Derrick was dead.

 

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Sorry, this one's a bit longer than recent chapters, but there's a lot of issues to resolve with Greg publicly announcing that he's King, and I wanted to get to Derrick's death before I moved on. Sorry for the cliffhanger... Ok, not sorry. 😉

 

Should I take a month off?