Duchess

Ash was up and in front of me instantly. I stood up a little more slowly. How did Lord Flame come here without being noticed by someone? More importantly, why hadn't Ash and I smelt him when he got in? "What are you doing here?" Ash snarled.

Lord Flame smiled. "Surely a man can visit his niece."

I blinked. "Niece?"

His grin widened. "No one told you? Your father was my dear older brother."

"What?" I turned to Ash. "Did you know that?"

He looked at the ground. "Her Grace asked us not to tell you."

"Why not?" I demanded. That's not something that should have been kept from me.

Lord Flame laughed. "Isn't it obvious? She thought you'd do what your father did."

I looked at him through narrowed eyes. "Which is?"

Ash glared at Lord Flame and answered me. "She thought you'd feel like you have to be the one to deal with him. Like the duke did."

"She should have told me," I growled.

"She didn't want to make your life any harder than it already is. You can't honestly be mad at her for caring about you."

I forced myself to calm down. "I could but I won't." I turned to Lord Flame. "You're evil and my father was good. That doesn't explain why you're evil."

Lord Flame smiled. "I'd love to tell you why I'm evil." He twisted his fingers and I heard the locks click. "Griffin was a year older than me and very protective. Which I was okay with until I was older. I was fifteen when I asked him to stop. He did. Five years later I met Donna. We became friends but I was secretly in love with her. We loved the same books, food, and movies. I was getting up the nerve to ask her out when she told me my brother had asked her on a date.

"I stormed home to confront my brother. I told him he had to back off because I loved her. He said, 'So do I. But if she loves you too I'll back off.' So I went to her and told her how I felt." His eyes filled with rage. "She told me she only thought of me as a friend. Nothing more and nothing less. Like she thought that would mean anything to me. She loved my brother and said she hoped we could still be friends.

"I suddenly saw red and hit her right when Griffin walked in. He got between us and told me to go cool off. I was used to doing what he told me so I walked away but paused at the door. I told them they'll regret what they did. And so I became Lord Flame. A powerful and evil wolf." He looked me in the eye. "They both loved this place and I will destroy it. If you get in my way, you'll go the same way they did." Then he was gone. Ashe and I looked around but didn't see him.

The doors suddenly burst open and all the Commanders ran in. "Ashero, Sylvia, are you okay?" Dominic asked.

"Yes, sir," Ash replied. I said nothing because I was still processing what Lord Flame said.

Dominic looked directly at me. "Sylvia?"

"Loved. Same way," I whispered.

"I beg your pardon?"

I looked at Ash. "Lord Flame used past tense when he spoke about the Duke and Duchess. He said I would 'go the same way'," I said.

"The Duke is dead," Ash said.

"But the Duchess isn't supposed to be!" I turned and ran out of the building. When I got to the front yard of the Duchess's house I could smell blood. I followed the scent to the living room and found her lying on the floor. "Mom," I cried dropping to my knees and grabbing her hand. She was just barely alive.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Sylvia?" She whispered.

"I'm here," I said softly as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Endania…is now…in your…hands." Her eyes closed and she died.

"No, please. Come back," I whispered brokenly. I wept until my eyes could produce no more tears. That's when I realized no one had followed me here. I shifted and howled out my pain and sorrow. Howl for the woman who took me in and cared for me when I had nowhere to go. Who made sure I had protection in case my birth mother came.

The front door was flung open and Ash, Mon, and the Commanders were there. I looked at them and whined. Ash knelt and hugged me. Mon ran her fingers through my fur. "Oh, Sylvia. I'm so sorry," she said softly.

Then she and Ash moved. Dominic knelt in front of me. "I understand grief is easier to handle in wolf form so I won't ask you to shift. But I do need you to tell me if you saw anything when you got here," he said gently.

I never heard him speak so nicely to me. ~When I got close to the house I smelt blood so I followed it here to the living room. She told me Endania was in my hands and died.~ I growled. ~ He killed her thinking it would destroy everyone and make Endania fall apart. I won't let that happen.~

Mon and Ash smiled at me which told me I had unintentionally spoken into everyone's minds. Commander Nature nodded. "Does that mean you're willing to be our new Duchess?"

I looked at my stepmother and then at everyone. ~If you will have me, I will be your Duchess. It's what she would have wanted.~ I paused. ~As long as I can be in my wolf form for a little while.~ I hadn't known that being in wolf form helped with grief but it's true because the pain isn't as bad as it was before.

"Of course. You can be in your wolf form as long as you need to, Your Grace," Commander Alton said.

~That's going to get annoying very quickly.~ I told Ash and Mon who both grinned at me. Which told me Ash had told her what I had told him. To everyone else I said, ~Thank you.~

"Where's Syl…Her Grace going to live?" Ash asked looking around.

"She can stay here. We'll have everything cleaned up in an hour," Commander Nature said. "If you want, Your Grace," she added to me.

I nodded. ~If it's possible, I'll stay here.~

Mon looked around. "Sis, I think it will take us three hours. He did a lot of damage while he was here." She tilted her head to the side. "Upstairs too."

~Who will lead the shapeshifters now?~ I asked changing the subject from what's happened.

The Commanders looked at each other. "I think the late Duchess had been training Alora to do it. She passed all her training with flying colors so she'll be good at it," Commander Gillian said.

I hesitated. ~I think I should be the one to tell her. Ash will show me where her house is. Since I'm the New Duchess, it should be me who tells her.~

Ash frowned. "When did I volunteer to do that?"

I growled. ~When you became my guard.~ I looked at Mon. ~I'd like you to help Commander Nature.~ I turned to the others. ~Make sure everyone is ready for what will happen.~

"Yes, Ma'am," the Commanders chorused.

I walked to the door and waited for Ash. He walked over and opened the door. "I think I'm just coming to open doors for you," he grumbled.

I gave him a doggy grin. ~You are. But you're also going to show me the way to her house because I don't know where it is. I'm still new here.~ I reminded him.

"Right, Your Grace," he said and laughed as I growled at him.

~Sylvia. When the Commanders aren't around it's Sylvia.~ 

He laughed and led the way.