I was Kidnapped for Revenge by a Ruthless Alpha-Chapter 167: Artemasia and Arya

***A repeat from the Gentle Maiden Chapters 218/219 with some minor differences***

~THIRD PERSON POV~

Artemasia had been sitting in her home reading, her window open the cool winter breeze blowing in her home. Her fireplace dimly lit the room. Finally, a day off, and she was planning to fill it with peace.

Until a knock disturbed her.

Whipping the door opened annoyed she snapped. "What do you want? It’s my day off."

She leaned on her hip frowning at Hector.

"Listen, don’t shoot the messenger. Alpha King Ambrose is requesting your presence, in the palace." Hector backed up from the door, nervously. His hands up in surrender. Artemasia was known to be unpredictable and dangerous when angered.

"Why?" She had a strong attitude showing her displeasure.

"Above my pay grade to ask let alone know." Hector shrugged. He never questioned orders, just obeyed.

"Whatever. Tell him I’ll be there later when I’m done reading." She growled. Slamming the door shut.

Another beautiful day off ruined. She rolled her eyes and scoffed taking her place in the corner and picking up her book.

The vampires were here. The schedule she was used to changed. King Asher was training with Odette, giving her more free time in her day.

She had a funny suspicion what she was being summoned for. And she didn’t like it.

When she finished reading the section in her book she put it down. She went to her closet to pick out a more presentable dress.

A long black dress with long sleeves that hung loosely and gracefully around her wrists. The neckline was a low V cut. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Checking the mirror, she smiled. She looked like Morticia Addams, but with a bob and fierce cat eye eyeliner. She held all the grace a woman in black should.

She made her way to the palace taking her sweet time. When she arrived, she felt a strong familiar pull.

Artemasia knew instantly. What the cause of the pull was.

A member of the Circe Coven was here.

Artemasia knew this was no regular visit to the palace. Ambrose called her here for this.

And She. Was. Pissed.

Actually, pissed didn’t even begin to cover what she felt.

She was fuming. Flames were practically dancing on her head.

She stormed through the palace and went directly to Ambrose’s chamber.

Flinging the door open with rage she starts yelling.

"You little fucking shit." She slammed the door behind her.

Ambrose looked at her wide eyed before dropping to an annoyed and angry frown.

"You will watch your tone with me, this is my office and I am you Alpha King." He growled threateningly.

"I will not. You let another witch into my territory. Unacceptable Ambrose, you slapped me in the face with this gesture and you’re lucky I don’t return the favor." She was letting him have it.

"Artemasia. Why are you so bothered? We’ve had witches here before." He asked a little confused by her reaction, and how she knew there was a new witch in the palace.

"Those weren’t coven witches. They were witches without a sisterhood. Or a coven member. You brought a whole different kinda witch into the castle. Into my territory!" Artemasia screamed, "You broke rules."

"Relax, Artemasia, this was necessary, we need her to help defeat Ezelreth. Rules between covens, it doesn’t matter anymore. This is bigger than that, get over it." Ambrose brushed her off.

"I need to you to work with her."

"No. Absolutely not." She crossed her arms and turned her back to him.

"Artemasia, you don’t even know them, so why?"

"What makes you so sure I don’t know her, you do know I had a whole life before I came here." She reminded him, she kept her identity secret, and because this was her domain she could sense the witch that was in palace, but she couldn’t be.

But her glamour, the one that hid her real face, the witch would see right through. Glamours don’t work on sisters. And Artemasia is from the Circe Coven.

"I know nothing about that and it’s none of my business."

"I won’t work with her, Ambrose, I’m serious." Artemasia was holding firm to her stance on this.

"Artemasia, you have to. This is an order from you King. You cannot disobey, not while you’re in my service." Ambrose let out his heavy dominating aura fill the air.

She felt it hit her like a wave. But she pushed through, she wasn’t’ shifter, or apart of his pack, but it was enough to remind her, he wasn’t just any alpha, he was also the first wolf, and his wolf was more than capable of ripping her to shreds if he got close enough.

"I don’t know what your deal is with other witches, I don’t care, but I need you to work with me, not against me. And if that means working with another witch to accomplish this, then so be it." He let out a long sigh before running his fingers through his hair.

Ambrose was feeling stressed. The vampires here added an extra load to his plate. His council was breathing down his back about the upcoming Gala and all the secrecy surrounding the castle as of late.

Problems between witches was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

"Fine." Artemasia bit down hard and growled through her teeth, reluctantly agreeing to Ambrose’s order.

"Thank you. Please meet her in the library." Ambrose waved her off to get back to focusing on his work.

Artemasia rolled her eyes and stormed out of his office.

"Fucking little shit."

She knew this day would come sooner or later because she never broke her pact with her coven. She couldn’t handle being a rogue witch. Sisterless, despite being actually sisterless at the moment.

When she opened the door dread washed over her.

"Well, hello, Artemasia. It’s good to see you again."

Artemasia felt her skin crawl.

That voice still scratched in her ears like it did the first day she joined the coven.

Arya.

She’s always hated Arya.

"Wish I could say the same to you. Why are you trespassing in my territory." Artemasia growled between her teeth.

"Your... Territory...? You are still a member of the coven, are you not?" Arya smirked. Her tone was condescending and laced with mockery.

"What do you want Arya?" Artemasia shut the door to the palace library behind her and glared hard at Arya.

"Nice name. Artemasia. I’m here for the same reason as the last time we saw each other." Arya’s condescending smirk still present on her face. "Princess Odette and Artemis."

"And what about them brings you into these parts?" Artemasia questioned. She’d cut all contact with the coven after she was demoted from being The Maiden of the Three Sisters. Because of Arya she’d lost her spot. How was she to actually believe the crazy story Arya told her about the goddess, it was insane at the time?

"I have been working on a way to trap Ezelreth in a stone not of this earth." Arya started. "I’ve collected resources that are currently curing at the coven. I’m hoping they will be a binding element that will trap Ezelreth like before."

Artemasia listened intensely. Despite her dislike of Arya, she knew the importance of this stone.

"What are you using as the binding resource, have you figured out a seal design yet? Because you know a simple bond is not enough to hold a god hostage in a chunk of rock, you need a binding spell or seal. That’s where they went wrong last time. They bonded him to the rock, but they didn’t seal him, that’s why he was able to reach out the way he did to find someone to release him from his prison."

Arya hadn’t even considered that yet. She started to move around the room tapping her chin as she pondered.

"A binding seal. To bond not just his soul, but his powers too." The gears in her brain started reeling. "What if we connected his powers to the strength of the stone? Like the stones durability revolving around his strength. The more powerful he is the more powerful the seal and the stones material properties."

"I think you’re on to something there." Artemasia admitted through her gritted teeth.

She hated to admit and compliment Arya’s good idea, but she wasn’t a fake, she’d give credit where credit is due.

"You think you can design a seal, one like you did with Odette?" Arya asked.

"Yes, I probably can. I need to do some research into making a kind of fusion happen. Maybe a solar fusion. He is the DarkSon, meaning his soul and energy are directly related to darkness. Solar energy could maybe create some kind of seal."

"So... Basically... You need to capture the energy of the sun."

Yeah... Basically..."

"Sounds simple enough." Arya’s tone dripped with sarcasm and Artemasia found a light chuckle escaping from her throat.

However, she quickly silenced it.

"So, a solar fusion binding seal to a stone not of this world that will be bonded to an ancient evil by the blood of his own sons." Arya Shuddered. "Sounds ominous."

"When you put it that way yeah it does." Artemasia agreed.

"So, you’re using the blood of his own sons to bond him to the stone?"

"Yes. I plan to isolate his genomes and split them from Lilith’s. I have samples of both sons, which I think will give me at least a 75% match to him. It’s not as good as it would be if I had his actual blood, but this is what we have now. You have to make the most of it, ya know?"

Artemasia was usually annoyed by Arya’s optimism, but right now, she found it oddly relaxing.

"That’s actually pretty smart, how’d you come up with that?"

"I had help from Lilith. She shared some insight about the first time, one thing led to another and now I’m a phlebotomist, not just a witch." She shrugged laughing at her own joke.

This was the longest conversation they’ve ever had alone. At least one unaccompanied by resentment and arguments that is.

"I heard you’ve been training Odette. How is that going?"

"Good, she’s powerful, like really powerful, strong beyond your wildest dreams." Artemasia started to brag. If anyone were to hear her now, they wouldn’t dare believe their own ears.

"She’s got some resilience too. Fearless but quick thinking. I think Ash did alright training her most of her life, her physical combat skills have helped her with her power control. What she has in this life that she didn’t have in her last is the fact she was trained for this her whole life and her support team has been here since birth, plus she has me for a teacher." Artemasia said proudly.

"Cocky much?" Arya laughed "How do you know you’re not a reincarnated witch destined to train the MoonChild in every life she’s born?"

"Maybe I am. She’s mastered air and ice and lightening. Fire has been a difficult one to control but she’s getting the hang of it. Water, that’s been a fun one. Great with rain, but not so great with large bodies of waters like lakes..." Artemasia mentioned recalling one of their training sessions they had on the frozen lake. She ended up much colder and wetter than she would have liked.

"How long are you here for?"

"Until you finish the seal and I finish the stone." Arya answered "If all things work out, after the gala, I think I’ll move my lab things here, we’ll get more done if we’re not on opposite ends of the world. You know?"