The Alpha's Daughter Read online

  "That was not bad," Queen Anne said after a moment that stretched into forever.

  "I would say the girl is good," Henry said. Tamsin felt his eyes boring into her and she looked down at her feet. Her father might have sent her to Hampton Court to seduce the king but now she knew she couldn't do it. Fortunately, as she was not a werewolf, he could not give her an alpha order. He could only order her as her father and she had disobeyed him more than once in her life.

  "I am sure we have heard better," Anne said.

  "I cannot name anyone who was better. Was that an original song?" Henry asked.

  "Yes, your highness," Tamsin said.

  "Is it your only one?" Henry asked.

  "No, I have many more and given time I can make a song of anything you might wish to hear," Tamsin said.

  "Sing one about me," Henry said.

  "I thought your Highness wished to challenge my skills. Any song about you must be great to match your grandeur," Tamsin said. Her words were not from the heart and were nothing more than flattery but she could see that they pleased Henry. Tamsin hoped they did not incite anger in his wife.

  "Sing a song about the son I shall give my husband, the greatest king to ever live," Anne said.

  Tamsin smiled and began to sing a song she had made up about Tobias, her little brother. Out of necessity she changed some of the words. Her brother would grow up to be a Marquess while the king and queen thought her song of a prince.

  Tamsin sang of a handsome and strong boy born to rule. She made the boy more scholarly than Tobias and more adventuresome. Tamsin's mother wished to calm, not encourage, her brother's foolhardy nature, especially after Thomas died, but Tamsin thought the king would appreciate a prince who was brave and took risks that her own mother wanted to discourage in Tobias. She couldn't really blame her mother. The loss of Tobias, the only remaining son and the only remaining werechild, would devastate the Wolstenholme pack. Her brother's life was important and the less risks he took the better.

  By the time Tamsin was finished her mouth was dry and her heart weary with thoughts of home and the brothers she was apart from.

  She was glad that the queen dismissed her instead of asking for another song though Henry assured her that she would be called upon frequently to entertain the court. She wasn't sure how she felt about the impression her songs had made on the king. If she had planned to seduce him as her father had ordered then she could have used his love of her songs to entice him. His eyes on her made the skin on the back of her neck prickle unpleasantly.

  "I do not have words to describe your songs," Joan said rushing towards her.

  "You give the songbirds someone to envy," the man she had spoken to earlier said. She wished she had caught his name. Besides Joan, he was the first person to talk kindly to her.

  "May I escort you ladies back to your room? It appears you need to rest," he said. Tamsin nodded. She was feeling weary.

  "You may escort us both but only if you give us the name of our protector," Joan said teasingly. It occurred to Tamsin that Joan was much better at using feminine wiles than she was. A girl being raised to marry a werewolf and raise werewolf pups had little need of feminine wiles. Especially when she was the daughter of an alpha. If she had become a she-wolf her father would have married her to the son of another alpha to make or strengthen pack alliances.

  "I am Walter. You danced with my friend Owen earlier," he said to Joan.

  "I remember that he was a fine dancer," Joan said. Her eyes went to the dance floor. Tamsin did not see Joan's companion from the earlier part of the evening and her look of disappointment indicated that she did not see him either.

  Tamsin wasn't sure what was proper at Hampton Court but she thought it would have been more proper if Owen had joined Walter in escorting them back to her room.

  She wasn't sure what she had expected Walter to do but she was almost disappointed when he gave a polite bow at their door and then left. She wondered if he was going back to the Great Hall to enjoy the rest of the ball. He hadn't seemed to be enjoying it much as she hadn't seen him dance at all.

  "Walter is a handsome man though he is not so handsome as his companion," Joan said. Tamsin helped Joan strip down to her chemise and then Joan did the same for her.

  "I had not thought about it," Tamsin said.

  She pulled back the coverlet and climbed between the sheets. She was surprised by how exhausted she felt. She hoped that meant she would be able to sleep. Sleep was always hard and dreams harder still. She loved the nights when Thomas visited her dreams but she equally loathed waking up and remembering that her twin was dead.

  Chapter 5

  Walter was glad when people began to leave the Great Hall. It was well into the night and he had not expected the ball to run so late. Tamsin had departed hours before but the beauty of her voice still haunted his thoughts. Walter glanced around the room for Owen. He had accepted dances from several other women besides Joan that night and he also had partaken in the drinking that the nobles seemed to enjoy gluttonously. Owen, however, had only drunk in moderation. His werewolf nature allowed him to hold his liquor better than others in the crowd.

  Walter knew that as the representative from the alpha family he should remind Owen that they were here to guard the king and not to enjoy women and drink. In the end, he decided to say nothing. Owen was in the grand court of Henry the eighth. It would be hard for any man not to partake in the festive atmosphere that King Henry inspired.

  Anne had departed an hour before and Walter had expected Henry to join her but he had stayed in the Great Hall until there were only a dozen people remaining besides the king, Owen, and Walter. Of those, three were passed out drunk.

  Henry signaled that he was ready to retire and Owen rushed to Walter's side. They accompanied Henry down the halls to his chambers.

  "Shall we do a sweep of your rooms before you enter?" Walter asked.

  "No need. My most trusted friends are the ones who put me to bed. I assure you that they would never let anyone invade my chamber. Just remain at the entrance through the night to be sure no one enters uninvited," Henry said. Walter nodded.

  He stood to the left of Henry's door and Owen stood on the right. They both leaned against the walls casually. They had no armor or weapons and so would not raise the alarms of anyone who saw them standing there.

  Walter wasn't sure how many people knew that the king had brought in personal guards. Henry might view such a thing as a sign of weakness if his companions discovered it.

  "He has much more faith in his companions than I would," Walter whispered. It was an ill advised thing to say but there was little chance any ears but werewolf could pick up the words as softly as he had spoken them.

  "I think the truth is that he believes we are not from good enough families to enter his chambers," Owen said.

  "Or to wipe his ass either though if I were to send an assassin it would have been someone who had every chance to be so close to the king," Walter said. He had learned that King Henry had a servant just to attend to his bodily needs. He couldn't imagine how someone paranoid of being killed could keep so many people around him. Surely he knew that all were vying for his favor but equally happy to take the favor of whoever was in power. Their loyalty was not to him. The English court was nothing like a werewolf pack.

  "It appears Henry is afraid of what is outside his chambers and not inside them," Owen said with a shrug. Walter shook his head. The king was an older man but not a wise one if he thought that assassins were more likely to try to invade a room than infiltrate his household. It was easiest to stab a knife into the belly of those who thought of you as a brother than it was to stab a stranger.

  Walter sighed. He had been sent to protect the king and follow the king's orders as long as they did not endanger his pack. He didn't care who wiped the king's ass.

  He closed his eyes and thought back to home. His children would be fast asleep as would their nurse. Crake estate would be quiet except poss
ibly for the labored sounds of his father's breathing and the rumpling of papers from his brother's office.

  He missed kissing his children before they were sent to bed. He missed going to the nursery and watching their cherubic faces as they slumbered. He smiled as he imagined Bess looking like an angel with a thumb in her mouth sucking it for comfort.

  "You must be thinking of something nice. Perhaps one of the women at the ball tonight. There were many beauties there," Owen said.

  "Indeed there were but they all danced with you," Walter teased opening his eyes to look at his companion who had slid down the wall and was now sitting on the floor.

  "It was a nice ball. The first girl I danced with was not half bad to look at. I would not mind finding her in my bed," Owen said.

  "The maids here are rumored to be willing but if you cannot abstain from them I will ask my brother to call you home and to find you a wife. The last thing Hampton Court needs is werewolf bastards," Walter said with a laugh. He was joking, mostly.

  "I am no foolish pup. I know how to bed a woman and not put a child in her," Owen said.

  "I thought I did as well but if I had my Mary would not be cold in her grave," Walter whispered. The pang of guilt for her death flowed through him again.

  "The girl who sang seemed eager to engage with you. Perhaps she would be a willing companion. Bedding a woman might be exactly what you need to lift the cloud from your head. You have been in a dark mood since Mary died," Owen said.

  "That girl is the daughter of Marquess Wolstenholme. As I value my life I have no intention of putting my cock anywhere near her," Walter said.

  "Surely, you jest," Owen said. He had forgotten that Owen hadn't heard her name. He had been off dancing while they spoke.

  "I assure you that I do not," Walter said. He heard the sound of footsteps approaching and pressed a finger to his lips.

  The door behind him opened and several men left the room. Walter wasn't sure how many remained inside to attend to King Henry but the air held only the smells of drink and relaxing. He lowered himself down to the floor as well. He wasn't accustomed to such long nights.

  He wondered when it would be appropriate to call Reuben and Isaiah to take over watching the king so he could get some rest.

  "I intend to visit the queen," Henry said peeking out of the door. Walter made sure his sigh was inaudible as he raised himself off the floor.

  He and Owen followed King Henry to Queen Anne's chamber and then they sat down on either side of her door. Henry would need an escort back to his own room.

  "Tonight I am wishing the wolf gift did not come with such a good sense of hearing," Owen said. Walter agreed. He tried to block out the sounds of rutting coming from Queen Anne's chamber. He closed his eyes again. Perhaps he could nap until King Henry was through.

  "What are you doing at the queen's door?" a voice called. It was a soft voice but the alarm in it made Walter's eyes fly open and his cheeks redden.

  "We are guarding the king as he visits the queen," Walter said.

  "Oh," Tamsin said. Walter wanted to chuckle at the look of embarrassment on her face. There was no doubt at all in his mind that the girl was a maid through and through. Otherwise, she would not have asked such a silly question.

  "And what are you doing up and in the hallways at this hour?" Walter asked.

  "One might worry that your intentions were less than pure," Owen said though Walter knew he was jesting even if she did not.

  "I could not sleep. I thought to go to the chapel to pray. I often do that when sleep evades me," Tamsin said.

  "I am not sure that going to the chapel alone is wise. You should have an escort," Walter said. He did not think many others were up at the late hour but Tamsin was the daughter of a powerful pack alpha and he felt a sense of responsibility for her. That, coupled with her innocence, brought out his protective nature.

  "I hear snoring," Owen said. Walter put his ear to the door and realized that Owen was right. The king must have decided he was too exhausted to return to his chamber. Walter did not know if kings and queens often slumbered together but he was not about to awaken Henry.

  He looked at Tamsin and then at Owen.

  Owen nodded as if reading his thoughts.

  "Tamsin, stay here a moment," Walter said. He went to the chamber that he and his companions were assigned.

  He shook Reuben's shoulder.

  "I need you to guard the king so that I can escort a girl to the chapel. It is quite late for a lone girl to wander the hallways alone," Walter said.

  "So much chivalry and yet so little tail to show for it," Ruben murmured. Walter wanted to tell him who Tamsin was so that he would understand but Walter didn't want to unveil her identity to the world if she did not want it known.

  "Do it anyways," Walter said.

  Reuben grumbled and climbed out of bed.

  Walter left Reuben to dress while he awoke Isaiah.

  Soon, both men were at his heels. They were yawning but they would be awake enough to guard a sleeping king.

  "Our relief has arrived?" Owen asked as they approached the door.

  "It has. You should go to our chamber and get what sleep you can. These two do not look as though they will last past breakfast," Walter said. He offered his arm to Tamsin. She hesitated but took it.

  "It is most improper for a woman to be alone with a man," she said when they were a good distance from the others.

  "It is. But I am a guard of the king and only escorting you to the chapel. Do you have trouble with sleep often?" Walter asked.

  "Only since my brother died. Before that I never had difficulty," she said.

  "I understand. I had many sleepless nights after the death of my wife," Walter said.

  "If I had known you were unmarried I would have been even less inclined to walk alone with you," Tamsin said causing him to laugh.

  "I assure you that I am the least harmful man you will meet in this place. I know your father's reputation and I would rather cut off my own arm than be the subject of his wrath," Walter said.

  She stopped and looked at his face for several moments as if trying to decide if his words meant what she suspected.

  "My twin brother, Thomas, died of Lycanpolium. Have you heard of it?" she asked.

  "Naturally, I have heard of it. It is believed to be rare," Walter said. He knew what she was doing. He had just confirmed to her that he was a werewolf. Not only did he know how powerful her father was but he also knew of Lycanpolium which was not something a normal human would know of.

  "That was what the doctor said. They have no guesses to how the disease is caught only that once it is caught it can spread through a household. The doctor treated him with quail eggs and a mustard poultice but in the end there was nothing to be done," Tamsin said. Walter had heard those treatments done for many ailments and he wondered how good they were. He was grateful Caldwell and Kolby were quick to admit when there was no known cure for an ailment. Caldwell had been summoned to Mary when her delivery took a turn. Bess had been born with difficulty and afterwards Mary's bleeding could not be stopped. Caldwell had taken Walter aside and told him that there was nothing he knew to do that would make any difference. Walter hated the helplessness he felt but he was glad that Caldwell had neither given him vain hope nor tried some healing method he knew was futile and caused Mary more suffering.

  "I cannot tell you how sorry I am," Walter said and he meant it.

  "I wish it had been me. My father certainly wishes it had been me instead of his oldest son. He does have a younger son but his love for Tobias can never match the love he had for Thomas. My father would not have missed a daughter," Tamsin said.

  Walter stopped and spun her to face him.

  "God took your brother for reasons that are His own. He let you live for reasons that are also His own. Never question that. You could not have died instead of him. You are immune to Lycanpolium because you are not a werewolf," Walter said.

  "Am I not? My parents b
oth were if my mother speaks the truth. How am I any less of a werewolf than my brothers even though I do not change with the moon?"

  "I do not claim to know such things," Walter said. He could feel his irritation rising. He had always hated when Mary and Margaret turned questions back on him.

  "Nor do I," Tamsin said starting them walking again. They continued in silence and they did not pass a soul in the hall. Except for them, Ruben, and Isaiah everyone at Hampton Court was asleep.

  Tamsin would have been safe enough traveling the halls alone with no one to bother her but that didn't make him regret offering to escort her. There was something in her companionship he found very inviting. He just hoped that it was not his body growing lusty as Owen had suggested. The past year was the longest he had gone without being in a woman's bed since the night he had married Mary. She wasn't a woman of particular passion but unlike Margaret, Mary was not a woman who would ever send her husband away from her bed. Now, he almost wished she had. Perhaps if she had refused him after Naomi's birth, she would still be alive and caring for their children. Caldwell had told them that so many werewolf pups were a danger to the mother. He had cautioned against any more when Joseph was born. He had warned them again after the birth of Naomi. If Mary had refused him she would be alive now. Of course, he couldn't really lay the blame on her shoulders. It was squarely on his. He knew how to prevent a pup. He just had failed to do so through his own weakness.

  "What was the name of your wife?" Tamsin asked suddenly when they stopped outside the doors to the chapel.

  "Mary," he whispered. Her name burned his throat.

  "I will pray for Mary as well as my dear brother Thomas," Tamsin said.

  "Should I wait to escort you back?" Walter asked.

  "There is no need. I expect I will be praying well into the morning and by then I will be able to find a proper female companion to return me to my room," she said.