The Wolf Guardians

Chapter 3: Her New Home

The time was past evening. A carriage stopped in front of the enormous castle of the Western Werewolf Empire, the castle that showed the pride of the western werewolves, the home for the alpha king, Edward Augustus Jackson, who ruled over three lands.

A young man was standing tall in front of the huge wooden bridge over the deep, wide moat. He saw that the alpha king got down from the carriage, followed by a very young little girl. The king’s clothes were wet as well as torn apart in some areas, and there were blood spots and mud on them as well. His hair was disheveled. His hand gloves and boots were dirty. The young man knew the king since his childhood. He easily could say that some unlucky passerby met him earlier.

Then his eyes scanned the little girl standing behind the alpha king. Though a part of her face was getting covered by the enormous hat she was wearing, he could see she was a real beauty for such an early age. Her attire was elegant and expensive, but they were dirty and a little wet. That little pup looked exhausted to his eyes.

“Welcome back, alpha king! Hope you are unharmed, my king.”, that young man wished the alpha king.

“Lord Aaron! How is everything going on here during my absence?”, the alpha king asked in response. His voice was cold. His face was expressionless, as always.

“With the blessing of the moon goddess, everything is going well here,” lord Aaron replied. King Edward nodded his head once.

“Pardon my intrusion, may I know who this lovely lady might be?” Lord Aaron asked again with curiosity in his voice.

“Aaron, she is lady Rosella from the Northern lands.”, the alpha king replied.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Rosella. I am Aaron Blake, the royal Beta.”, Aaron responded, bowing his head again gently with a smile.

“Pleasure, lord Aaron!”, Rosella replied, bowing her head a little offering him a gentle smile.

Aaron was amazed by her behavior. By her appearance, he could say she was from a noble house. But she was different from all the noble ladies he knew. They were generally arrogant and full of pride, especially the ones who were beautiful. But this lady Rosella looked so pure and innocent to him, though she was a real beauty and escorted by the alpha king himself. She was very young, still; she was well mannered. He heard that people from Northern lands were very trustworthy and simple and she was a burning example of that fact probably; he thought again.

“Aaron, ask someone to prepare the last room near the hanging garden in the north wing. She will be staying there. Please ask lady Minerva to show her the way.”, the alpha king said again.

Lord Aaron was taken by surprise after hearing that. He looked towards the alpha king for once and then smiled gently.

“Very well”, he said, bowing his head. The alpha king nodded his head one last time before leaving Rosella behind with Lord Aaron.

“Let’s go inside, my lady! The weather is getting chilly again.”, lord Aaron said to her politely with a gentle smile. Rosella returned the gesture and followed him into the castle.

“My lady, you look exhausted. Are you unharmed?”, lord Aaron enquired her again.

“Yes, lord Aaron. I am unharmed. Thankfully, I was with the alpha king. Thank you for asking.”, Rosella replied politely.

The castle was huge from the inside as well. As they entered the castle, Rosella noticed the vast stairways that took them to a grand hall. The floor of that hall was carpeted. Two big chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling. There were several other candle stands hanging from the wall. The room was bright because of the candles. The hall was magnificently decorated. It looked like a ballroom to her. Several golden framed paintings were hanging on the wall so as some weapons.

A lady was waiting there for their arrival. She was in her forties probably, Rosella thought. It was hard to guess the right age for a werewolf as they aged slowly after their maturity. She looked a noble lady to her, somehow similar to Lady Malesa. She had a motherly aura.

“Good evening, lord Aaron!”, that lady greeted with a smile. Her eyes traveled once towards Rosella, but she did not let out any reaction, just what a noble lady should do. Malesa always used to tell her to hide her curiosity in front of others.

“Good evening, my lady. The king has returned.” Lord Aaron informed gently with a smile. The lady nodded her head with a smile.

“Lady Minerva, please meet Lady Rosella. Our sweet little guest from Northern lands. She will be staying with us for a while.”, lord Aaron mentioned again.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady.”, Rosella spoke, bowing her head a little while spreading a side of her gown with a gentle smile.

“Oh, my dear. Pleasure is all mine.”, Minerva responded, walking near her.

“What a beauty for such a young age! Such a well-behaved little angel! You must be from a noble family, my child. How old are you, little one?”, she asked again warmly.

“I have seen twelve summers, my lady.”, Rosella replied gently. Minerva could she how polished that girl was. It was unexpected for her age. She even learnt to talk in a lady manner. She indeed was from a noble family. Also, she was a little surprised as Edward brought her here. It was for the first time he brought a girl into the castle for no matter what the reason was. Also, Rosella looked so familiar to her. But she could not remember where she had seen her before.

Minerva smiled hearing her words.

“My lady, the alpha king requested you to escort her to her room, which will be the last one near the hanging garden in the north wing.”, Lord Aaron requested gently. Lady Minerva looked at him in surprise for a moment before collecting herself again.

“Very well, little one, please come with me.”, lady Minerva asked her. Rosella nodded her head in agreement.

Minerva took lead, and Rosella followed her. She took her to the north wings. When she reached there, she saw her trunks were already in the room, placed properly in a trunk cell. This room was as big as hers in their castle. It was made for some elegant lady; she could say without another thought. A maid was making the bed for her. She turned around, hearing the footsteps.

“My Lady”, she bowed in front of Minerva. Minerva nodded.

“This is Lady Rosella. Please prepare a bath for her and help her get ready for the super.”, Minerva instructed the maid.

“You must be tired, Rosella. A bath will help you ease your body. Please wear something appropriate. Remember this will be your first dinner with us and you will be meeting a lot of new faces.”, she said politely.

“Thank you, my lady.”, Rosella thanked her. Minerva smiled and left her with the maid. Rosella already liked her as well. And as per the alpha king, she could trust her as well.

The maid walked her towards a garden. In the middle of the garden, there was another room. The maid walked inside the room.

“My lady, this way.”, she said politely showing her an enormous bathtub that was the size of a pool. The maid helped her to take off her gown. Rosella walked down through the stairs and sat on the water.

“What do they call you?”, Rosella asked with a smile.

“Myra, my lady.”, she said softly again.

“Myra, how long are you working here?”, she asked again.

“It has been five years now, my lady.”, Myra answered gently.

“What is this place call, do you know?”, Rosella asked again.

“Hanging garden of the north wing, my lady.”, she said again, scrubbing her hands and faces gently.

“And what about other wings?”, Rosella asked again.

“The beta and others in commands live in the east wing. The other offspring of the royal family live in the south wing.”, Myra said again. That girl was polite, Rosella thought. But she looked a little troubled to her. There was something going on in her mind, but she was not sure if she could ask.

“Myra, is there something bothering you?”, Rosella said softly. Myra kept silent.

“Tell me, Myra. What is it?”, she asked again.

“My lady, guests generally stay in the west wing. Only the alpha king and his father and lady Flora live on this side of the wing. Not everyone can come to this side of the castle. Not even all maids.”, she said in a low voice. “Pardon me, my lady. I should not talk about these things.”, she apologized suddenly.

It was obvious. In every castle, there are different parts. The royal family always lives in a particular area, whereas others live according to their status. Rosella thought for a few minutes before replying.

“Myra, I can understand why you are saying these. But the alpha king chose this place for me to stay probably because he promised my father that he will protect me.”, Rosella said gently. The alpha king indeed promised her father that he would protect her with all his might.

Myra also seemed convinced. She heard that sometimes the alphas keep the one closer whom they have promised to protect so that they could watch over them better. This lady was indeed from a noble family, probably a daughter of an alpha from a large pack. She also heard that some packs went through constant attacks and to save the daughters, the alphas sent them to a safe place in another pack. Probably it was the same for her. But she looked so naïve. She was not like another noble-born; she knew. They all were so arrogant, and she even never had any conversation with them before. They only loved to order around and dolled up and complain about things they should not. But this lady was somehow different from them, she felt. Even different from lady Flora, though she was the kindest among all.

Rosella was done with her bath. She was wearing a white bathrobe. She was sitting in her new room on a wooden stool, closing her eyes. Myra was drying her long hair. She knew it would take time. There was an awkward silence between them. Rosella thought of starting another conversation.

“Myra, have you always been living in this castle?”, she asked her softly.

“No, my lady. I am from Southern lands. My pack was demolished by rogues. A few of us were only blessed to live. When the alpha king knew about that, he went to visit our pack. I was fourteen at that time. He asked us if we want to live in the castle area for safety. We agreed. I was an omega in my pack and so I got to work as a maid here in the castle.”, she paused and sighed.

“We were devastated on the day he visited us. He is no lesser than the moon goddess for us.”, she completed.

“I am so sorry, Myra. I didn’t know.”, Rosella said. She felt that she poked into her wounds. Rosella also lost her mother when she was five. She knew how vacant it was for her. Still, she had Malesa, her father, and others. But this poor girl was all alone.

“My lady, I don’t think about it anymore.”, Myra said politely. Rosella felt relieved in her heart. She had heard so many stories about the alpha king, but this new one added a different perspective about him in her eyes.