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“She’s twice the wolf you’ll ever be,” Garren says, conviction clear in his voice. “She’s kind and fierce. Despite her young age, she’s quite a warrior. We should be grateful that a good soul such as hers still resides among us. We are fortunate that she’s a part of our kingdom.”
“She’s a commoner,” Grayden argues, his eyes wide and his brows furrowed in disbelief.
“We’re all commoners,” Garren says, raising his voice. “The only reason we are considered to be something more is because we’re skilled at manipulating wolves into worshipping us. Think about it. We’re not even the strongest family. Hell, I’m fairly certain that there are wolves within our own kingdom that are more powerful than us. I bet that Alyssa is deadlier than you could ever hope to be.”
“That’s not fair,” Grayden growls, his eye twitching as if he’s on the verge of throwing a tantrum.
“It might not be fair, but it is true,” King Gavin interjects, agreeing with his eldest brother once again. “I’ve spent a great part of my life fighting on the frontlines, shoulder to shoulder with our fellow wolves. While I always thought that it was about power, recently I’ve come to realize that this couldn’t be further from the truth. We’re on top because they allow us to be. We will stay on top as long as we show them the respect they deserve in return for their service. A kingdom isn’t only its royal family, but it’s a mix of royals and commoners that are tirelessly working together toward a common goal.”
“If you two truly believe that, your reigns won’t last long,” King Grey says, looking at his sons with visible disgust in his eyes. “We’ve been chosen by our gods to stand above the commoners and to lead them toward the light.”
“Times are changing, Father,” King Gavin says, but doesn’t bother to go into detail. Instead, he looks over to us and nods his head as if we’ve just come to some sort of an agreement with which we will lead our two respective kingdoms into a better and more peaceful era.
“You ruled your way, I’ll rule mine,” Garren replies, following his brother’s lead and keeping it short. “I did what you asked of me. I earned my stripes all on my own. I cleaned up, went through rigorous training, and even answered the deployment call. I might not have gotten to the Alpha status, nor do I want to because that belongs to Alyssa, but I am eligible for a promotion to be a Delta. The only step we haven't taken is the ceremony, which, to be honest, is merely an unnecessary formality at this point.”
“You did well,” King Grey says, and though he sounds a bit reluctant to compliment his son, he can’t deny the truth behind it. “Let’s say that after we’ve dealt with the threat, I’ll reconsider the continuation of the ascension process.”
“Fair enough,” Garren agrees, then looks over at me. “I think you’re better suited to debrief them about the mission.”
“Your Highnesses,” I start but am already interrupted by King Gavin.
“Drop the titles,” he says, not unkindly. “We’re in private, and you’ll soon become one of us.”
One of them, my wolf echoes, struggling with the extent of the reality that didn’t quite set in just yet.
“Thank you,” I tell him, unsure of how else to acknowledge the grand privilege he granted me.
Under the table, Garren gives my hand a comforting squeeze. I’m not sure how the bond works, but I could swear that I feel his pride and love through it. It’s all the encouragement I need to continue and address the royals face-on.
“The witches have a new leader called Hekate. She’s younger than the previous leaders when they got the mantel, but there’s something about her that’s different than what we’re used to,” I say, my voice growing with confidence as I speak about the familiar topic. “Based on how the witches have talked about her, we can draw clear conclusions that Hekate is powerful and ruthless.”
“They did seem to be afraid of her,” Garren confirms, no doubt remembering the conversations we’d overheard.
“There have been rumors going around about the massive migration of the witches,” I continue, trying to connect the dots from the many classified meetings I attended as an Alpha. “While some theories were that the witches were gathering to celebrate the young leader of the New York coven, I believe that the truth is something far more dangerous.”
“Go on,” King Gavin says when I pause to collect my thoughts. He leans forward, resting his elbows on the table as his eyes regard me with interest, giving me his full attention.
“My fear is that under Hekate, the witches are forming an alliance,” I say, but the confusion on everyone’s faces tells me that they don’t quite understand my meaning. “A lone witch is an easy target. A coven of witches is a formidable enemy, but still well within our capabilities. Imagine what would happen if all the witches were to come together under one, massive coven, traveling country to country and exterminating the wolves from those areas in the process until there are none left. Imagine if they formed what we call an Ultra Coven.”
The faces of the royal wolves in front of me darken one after another as the gravity of my information settles in. Gone are the days of foolishly forgetting about the war that’s happening on too many fronts for witches to be a serious danger to our species. Standing united as one, they might prove to be the biggest threat we’ve ever had to face in the whole history of wolves.
From creators to destroyers, my wolf comments, unable to resist the poetic sound of it.
“What should we do?” Grayden asks, breaking the heavy silence that stretches across the room.
Garren and I exchange a look, and this time it’s my turn to give him the go-ahead. When it comes to bossing around the royals, it’s better that he’s the one that does it. I might be an Alpha in my own earned right, but he’s still a pure-born royal with a title much superior to mine.
“We need to follow their lead,” Garren says, his voice clear and full of authority.
Looking at him now, I feel stupid for never seeing him for who he truly was. I was so blinded by the anger of being stuck with an Omega, that I didn’t even think to consider there might’ve been more to the story. With the knowledge of his identity and the ability he wielded that night, there’s no way of seeing him as anything less than the incarnation of power and the future.
“We’re far too vulnerable alone, and despite the Lafayette’s support, we don’t have enough wolves,” Garren says, slowly building up to the big reveal. “If we really want to win this war once and for all, we should call on the other families and have them join us on one battlefield.”
“Are you suggesting that we unite like the witches did?” King Gavin asks, his eyes darkening.
“I know that there are rogue wolves in our midst,” Garren says with a sigh. “I’m not saying that we should forget how Felix Farrell and his followers betrayed their own kind and massacred young wolves in return for more power. Even though the witches are our creators, the power they’ve given to the traitors wasn’t pure. Bloody and diluted abilities that ravage one’s soul.”
“It might take some time to get the alliance going,” King Gavin says, accepting the way Garren acknowledged the horrors that he and his wife have been through when Prince Felix kidnapped Queen Leia’s sister and blackmailed Gavin into a duel until death.
