33. The Enemy, part 2.
NEWS AND AN UNEXPECTED ALLY
She wouldn’t dare, Kratos thinks, even though the evidence was contrary. It’s been two months since his daughter escaped and not a trace of her has been found.
The Lycan race, in its best years, was already very numerous, but now they are going through a birth crisis. Many casualties, the packs that previously had thirty members, now, doesn’t have even half that number, and others ceased to exist completely. With the countless wars, the alpha couples are not having time to father offspring. Everything the werewolves have fought for is slipping through the fingers of the genuine alpha. The only reason he hasn’t been discharged this month is because they haven’t suffered any more attacks from the traitor, the witches don’t want to fight anymore, and the vampires are in their sleep time.
What should I do? I cannot tarnish the memories of my ancestors by accepting an alliance with the witches, he thinks as he watches the beta couples eating on the dining table. Everyone is starving.
The wolves lost weight and their strength diminished, having fully focused on the fugitive’s quest nearly killed all the remaining packs of hunger. Kratos gave everyone a week off to hunt for food and rest.
After scouring almost half the world, the only idea the genuine alpha had was that his daughter had fled into the predator’s territory.
Would she take the risk? She knows absolutely nothing about the world, how would she go to such a dangerous place? Surely she did not go there. The genuine alpha refused to consider the hypothesis that she had gone so far. To think she starved to death was a more acceptable but impossible idea.
Kratos felt his blood boil, he at that moment wished she had really died, but he feels she is alive. She just doesn’t know where she is.
“S-sir,” a slave interrupts their meal, drawing to himself countless snarls of disapproval. “A message came for you.”
Kratos raises his eyebrows, staring at the brown-haired slave with trembling hands as he holds the small piece of parchment. That kind of paper is expensive, who sent it?
Fear mixed with hunger and weariness, the filth employed in every corner of the slave’s skin, the lifeless eyes; this is the image Kratos and everyone else enjoy seeing in humans. They’re filthy rats, which is nothing special, but they feel great. Garbage, they think only because they are creatures of Zeus. Kratos hated the gods. The main ones are Selene, Hades, Triple and Zeus. Before the books, they were the creators of the terrestrial races.
Selene is the goddess of werewolves. The one that has ruled over lycanthropes.
Hades is the god who betrayed the witches and the one who created the vampires. The cold blood-suckers.
Triple, also known as Mother of the Earth, is the goddess of the witches, the cheaters.
Zeus is the god creator of the first existing race, the humans. The weakest species.
The supernaturals who lived above the heavens, or among the waters, did not matter to Kratos. What matters to him is the power over the land, the total control of all earthly races.
The genuine lunam takes with disgust the scrap of parchment from the slaves’ hands and hands it to her matex who reads the words carefully.
I know who you are and I also know what you’re after. I’m just someone trying to do good. I can help you get your daughter back. Tomorrow morning I’ll send the raven for your answer, don’t waste my time, he reads.
Who the hell is behind this? It’s a long shot, is it worth the risk? Kratos wonders.
“Is everything okay?” the beta asks.
“I will go to my den,” the genuine alpha says, standing up.
Climbing the stairs to the floor of his den, he thinks of all the pros and cons. Trust wasn’t easy between wolves, especially ones he didn’t know. It could be a trap from one of his enemies. The witches, maybe? Or could be the vampires.
Like the wolves, the blood-suckers are proud and execute the other races, they want to be the being above all others. But it couldn’t be them, this time of year, it’s their time to sleep.
I’ll take my chances, he decides. Already inside his bedroom, he lies on his stomach in his bed.
Wolves don’t like to risk, trust, or lose. They are proud, loyal and competitive beings. And they respect the hierarchy above all else. But the race had two exceptions. The traitor and the murderer. Two nuisances that shouldn’t exist. But they do exist, and Kratos wants to end them.
In the Nascent pack…
“You like it this way? You want me to suck harder? I can swallow it all,” she says in her seductive voice.
“Get out.”
“But I still…”
“I said get the fuck out!” he growls at the lunae who kneels in front of him. Trying not to cry, she runs out of the alpha’s den.
Rolf holds his cock and tucks it back into his pants. Today, once again he tried to mate and once again failed. His mate’s smile still overwhelms his mind, her death still causing pains in his chest. And the regret… That’s what hurts his brain the most. He had the female of his life killed, she was innocent. The traitor… The hunter of his own kind is his son. His rejected son. The son accused of being the fruit of betrayal. It was all a lie.
Having no one else to blame, Rolf remembered that his female believed in the goddess and then, since they discovered the truth about Occisor, Rolf cursed her. For him, Emerald devoted her faith to a goddess that eventually betrayed her.
Remembering how cheerful and gentle his velut luna was, remembering her bright green eyes makes tears flow from his eyes. He remembers how she hated the way the lower class of the pack was treated, and also hated watching the tortures he subjected to humans. She was different, but one that enchanted him like no other.
I hope that one day you will forgive me. Rolf always asks for his mate’s forgiveness in thoughts.
Although he regrets it, Rolf still has his pride as an alpha. And he, more than anyone else, is the most enthusiastic about finding Bloodstain. She was his salvation. He would have a new son to honor and bring back the name of his pack. He only hoped that with her he would not be a failure as with the lunae of his pack.
In the witches’ palace…
“This is not the time, we need to focus on a way to get…”
“An alliance with the other races,” Kyle completes Angèle’s sentence. “You can’t talk about anything else,” he rolls his eyes.
“Because that’s the most important thing.”
“No, the most important thing should be our marriage.”
“My people are more important. We’re dying with three races against us. Our people do not have the same powers as royalty, they are even more fragile.”
“And the duty of the strong is to protect the weak.”
“Exactly, Kyle.”
“I really admire that about you. But I feel cornered… You went alone to the dogs’ den.”
“I went with the head of the guard, my sister.”
“You could have taken me. You took a risk!”
“You’re too hot-headed, you would have thrown the whole conversation down the drain.”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.
“What conversation? From what I heard, it was just threats and an attempted of attack.”
Angèle sighed tiredly. Kyle has been her fiancé for six months. And six months he’s been waiting for the wedding because she decided the most important thing was to get an alliance first. Kyle is her cousin, he has fifty years left to live. And being thirty-one years older, she understands that he doesn’t want to wait any longer.
“Look, Ange. I’m sorry,” Kyle hugs her and kisses his fiancée’s forehead. “I’m an idiot, I should be supporting you and trying to force you to do anything. Forgive me, my love,” he hugs her tightly and Angèle returns the gesture.
Kyle spent a couple of years to win the first princess’ hand in marriage. He did everything to stand out among all the other witches. And yet, he is still not well regarded by the eyes of their people. Being a branch, Kyle doesn’t have strong powers like the main family. But even so, he wasn’t intimidated and overstepped his limitations. And besides, kindness was what really attracted Angèle.
“I predict that we may soon be married, and it will be in a time of peace. Our children will be safe. Our people can live without fear.”
“May the triple goddess hear you, my beloved.”
Smiling at each other, the two of them walked back through the castle gardens.