Rejected, Broken And Forgotten
Chapter 75

Mikhail’s POV

“What do you mean it is all gone? How did that happen in less than a week? All the hard work we put in and the dogmen and labs are destroyed and gone!” I shout at the generals.

“We do not know how it happened, Duke. Everything was going according to plan. Humans do not want us to build walls around the cities as they do not need them, and the few dogmen stories out there are not bothering them. They say there is no such thing as werewolves and that we are crazy,” One general says.

“Yeah, they will think so, as you have failed me! How can the dogmen and the labs disappear overnight? Our biggest labs were destroyed in one night, and the werewolves and dogmen are gone! I bet you that the werewolves are responsible for this. How did they find out about our plan? I am so pissed off now and want to kill all of you!” I shout at the general.

“Maybe we should try to start it in Europe. People there believe more in werewolves, vampires, and creatures than,” One general says.

“We have no choice but to start it there. If we can show the world they exist, they will believe us and come to our cities. Once we have enough dogmen there, we can send them worldwide,” Another general says.

“We will first have to find the werewolf Kingdom and its King and Queen and destroy them, so the wolves have no hope and will stop fighting us. Find out where they are!” I shout, and I can see the generals looking confused.

“The King and Queen of werewolves, and they have a Kingdom?” One general asks.

“Yes, somewhere in Europe, but I suspect it will be somewhere in England, as the old werewolf Kingdoms were in England. Find out where it is! We need to destroy it and the werewolves! Once the so-called King and Queen are dead, the wolves will be without leaders and confused.

I am still pissed off that Luca attacked my Castle. Pushkin contacted me and told me. He also said Luca dropped two rings in the vault while fighting another vampire. He attacked in the day, and I know he must have a daylight ring. Maybe the rings he dropped are daylight rings, but I know Luca will not drop things and not go back for them. Pushkin says Luca has not been back for the rings yet. Maybe he is waiting for my troops to relax again. Pushkin got humans to fix the windows, so the Castle is in the dark again. I wonder why Luca has not destroyed it. He knows it is my stronghold, and I know he hates me. I wonder if he wants me to go back there and if he will try to kill me. I laugh by myself, and the generals look at me funny.

“Didn’t I give you a job to do?” I ask. The generals run out, and I know they will start scanning every area for wolves. I think of Luca again and realize I am in trouble if he has a daylight ring. I wonder about the rings he dropped. Why has he not come back for them yet? Pushkin calls and tells me they saw Luca near the Castle again. I smile. So he is looking for his rings and is stalking the Castle. I think it is time my wife and I return home. I know she enjoys it here in the states as everything is open until late at night, unlike where we live. The towns and cities near the Castle are always quiet at night. I need to get that daylight rings, but it can be a trap, and I will not fall for Luca’s traps. He always wanted me and his mother dead. So I will wait and see what those rings are all about.

“I think it is time for us to go home, darling,” I tell my wife. We do not have a genuine love for each other, but there was a time when we were in love, and we would call each other pet names for the sake of those times. I am still pissed off that Kristina and Roman got away from us, as I know that Luca would never attack us while his brother and sister were with us. I know he swore he would kill all of us, but deep down, I knew he still loved his siblings even if he had no soul. I still wonder how they got away. Some say it was in the daylight, so maybe Kristina got daylight rings for her and Roman and never told me about it. I always thought she was my strongest child and biggest supporter, but she was always fooling me. I wonder if she hates her mother and me as much as Luca does. I hope not because if the three of them turn against us and start working with the werewolves, we will be in more trouble than I thought, as they know everything about their mother and me. I can only hope they never find the white oak stakes. They are long lost, and I do not believe there is someone old enough that knows where the werewolves of old hid them. I feel everything I planned is against me, but I can still turn it around.

“Do we have to go back home, darling? I like it here, and I love the nightlife. There are so many humans here that no one misses them when we take them as our prey, and no one misses the homeless and other people we feast on and kill. I will miss the city life and the young men I can play with,” My wife says.

“It is time we go home. Go pack! Our plans are not working as someone removed all the labs, and the dogmen are missing. We will not be able to rule the world from here, but at home, people still believe in vampires and werewolves, and it will be easier for us to start from there,” I say. She nods, and we start packing to go back to our Castle. Our jet’s windows are dark, so the sun can not shine inside. Yes, I miss walking in the sun and feeling the warmth of it. It has been decades since I last saw the sun and walked in daylight. I need those bloody daylight rings and want them so badly that I am willing to kill them.

“Well, I am ready to go if you are,” I say. She nods, but I can see she does not want to go. We fly that night as they can not go on the plane in daylight. We sleep while we fly, and soon we are home. We wait for nightfall to go back to the Castle. As we arrive at the Castle, we find Pushkin sitting on the stairs in a lousy shape.

“He came back for the rings, but I hid them. He attacked and almost killed me, and I had to run and hide until he left,” Puskin says.

“Where are the rings?” I ask. I will test them out tomorrow morning, as I do not trust Luca. Why did he leave?

“He must have known you were coming back as he left just before you came, Duke. The rings are in the secret safe in your office behind the portrait of your father,” Pushkin says. Of course, the bloody coward would run away when he heard I was back.

“Go rest. It looks like you need it to heal,” I say, letting Pushkin go to his room. Pushkin was always loyal to me, and I know he looks like he will die, but he will survive. I am sure Luca would have killed him if he could, but I was in time to save Pushkin. I walk to my office and unlock the safe. Inside are two rings made of bloodstones. I know those stones, and I know they have potent magic inside them. This may be the real deal! I am excited, and I do not touch them as I first want to ensure they will not hurt me if I touch them. I still do not trust Luca, but maybe he took his sister’s and brother’s rings and meant what he said by killing all of us and our bloodlines. Maybe he killed them and had their rings. I do not know what to believe. I will wait for the sun to rise. When the sun rises, I call my Dutchess. I have not told her about the rings yet.

“I got two daylight rings, darling,” I say. She looks at me and the rings lying in the safe. She picks one up and puts it on as she always wanted to walk in the sun again.

“Oh, darling. I feel the warmth again. My heart feels so warm, and my body feels the sun’s heat. I am going to walk outside,” She says. She walks outside, and I watch her. She smiles and laughs and dances in the sun. I will wait, and I want to see if it lasts. I am in no hurry to put on the other ring as I still do not trust them.

“Duke, we spotted Luca again. He is near the Castle. Maybe we should let the Dutchess come in. We spotted him from the top floor,” One of my soldiers says. Humans have come with us, and they are carrying guns.

“Wait, let her enjoy the sun for a few more minutes. The humans will keep him away if he gets too close,” I say. I am fascinated looking at my Dutchess running in the sun and dancing as if she never wants to stop feeling the sun’s heat. I am about to take the other ring when it happens. She starts burning, and she screams in agony. None of us can help her, and the human soldiers looking after she can do nothing but watch as she turns into dust. I look at the other ring and am glad I never put it on. Oh well, my mate is dead, and I can feel a f**k.

“Well, there was nothing we could do. I knew those rings were too good to be true. At least she got her last wish to be in the sun again,” I say as I walk to my room. I do not feel sorrow or any pain as my heart is cold. She was nothing to me anymore anyway. We were two strangers pretending to be partners still.

“The Dutchess is dead because of that ring?” Pushkin asks. I know he is afraid I will kill him for it.

“Yes, she is dead. Clean out her room and get me some young thing to share my bed with today,” I say. I know Pushkin is also not feeling anything.

“I will do as you ask, Duke,” Pushkin says, and I can see that he has healed and does not feel anything about the dead Dutchess. After about five minutes, he brings me a beautiful blond to share my bed with today. I am not worried about Luca being around the Castle, and he just wanted to see if I felt for his trick with the rings. I am glad I never put that ring on my finger. I enjoy my day in bed with the blond, and when I get up that night, I look into my wife’s room and see it is empty. There is nothing in there that reminds me of her. The perfume she loved to wear is still hanging in the air, but soon that will be gone as well, and I will have nothing left of her. I do not mind, as my heart can not feel a thing. I am glad I never put that ring on my finger as I would have been dust like her. Half of my army has turned into dust with her, but I am lucky to have the human military with me, and I know Luca can not take us on alone. Kristina and Roman must have also turned into dust after putting on the rings, which is why Luca “lost” them in the Castle.

“Nice try, my son, but you are not getting rid of this old vampire so easily,” I whisper into the night. I can hear someone laugh, but it must be the wind.