Enchanted Bonds: A Tale of Moonlit Secrets

3:Elric

I'd heard of the faerie games once before. Long, long ago. My father told me of the faeries who lived in their Kingdoms, far above the clouds. When a princess was of age, a battalion would descend and capture an Alpha wolf. He would be used in the Trails of Fire. Whatever the hell that even means.

Turns out, I was that Alpha. It had been centuries since the last capture, so panic had long died down, security had gotten lax. Our packs were all existing peacefully, the way Selene intended. Only, we grew lazy, our border's were open for all to co-exist peacefully.

Which is why all they had to do was wait for the right moment to unleash hell. Fire was set to every building. As the screams echoed around me and chaos ensued, I hardly stood a chance. They came by the dozens, armed with sharp spears and sharpened teeth, descending upon us like winged rats. They tossed me into a portal, and I fell, and fell, and fell, until I landed in a world unlike anything I had ever seen.

The sky was purple, and the trees were taller than mountains. Small creatures with wings soared through the air, chittering to one another. And the faeries… they were everywhere. Their wings were like shimmering jewels and their skin as white as porcelain. They flitted about in a laughable sort of dance, as if they were performing just for me.

I stumbled forward, unsure of where to go or what to do. Suddenly, the ground beneath me began to rumble, and I realized that I was standing on some sort of pathway. It glowed with an otherworldly light that pulsed with every step I took.

As I made my way down the path, I couldn't help but stare in awe. Everything was light and bright, full of life. At first, I questioned if I was dreaming. But the pain in my chest from a fresh wound told me otherwise. I staggered as the guards pushed and pulled me forward. Snarling at him, he just held my gaze in a sort of curious manner before laughing. At me. Loudly.

"Welcome to the Faerie Kingdom," one of them said in a deep-set voice. "You are the Alpha wolf, the one who will compete in the Trials of Fire."

"Yeah. I figured as much. Thought ya'll were done with that. Given its been a good century or so since the last one," I muttered under my breath.

A sharp kick to the back of my knee brought me to the ground, "you will not speak unless directly spoken to. You are a means to an end. Nothing more, nothing less."

I gritted my teeth, feeling the anger boil within me. But I knew better than to fight back. Not when surrounded by their kind.

The guards pulled me up and dragged me towards a towering castle at the end of the path. From the outside, it was breath-taking. It was crafted with the most beautiful stones I had ever seen, marbled with the light of a million stars. The walls were tall and thick, made of some sort of emerald-hued crystal that seemed to sparkle in the light. There were towering spires jutting into the air, with an intricate tapestry of stained glass façade that depicted entire stories encased within them.

As we entered, the air grew colder, and I could feel eyes watching me from every corner. The castle was like a maze, twisting and turning until I had no idea where I was or what direction we were heading in.

Finally, we reached a room with a blazing fire. The heat felt almost unbearable after walking through the cold halls. The guards pushed me forward, and I stumbled, landing on my knees in front of an elegant looking woman.

"Ah, there he is!" She clapped her hands and smiled. "The star of the show. Gentlemen, gather around, this is the Alpha you will be fighting in the Trial."

Three men flanked her, all stared at my curiously, as if waiting for my beast to take over.

"This is the challenge?" The large one scoffed, "he looks like a mutt. All soft and pudgy."

"King Tarek, you know the rules. An Alpha must be selected and brought to the Kingdom for the challenge. This is the lineage we have always chosen from. Though..." she paused and gazed at me with disdain, "you are correct in assuming he is rather... lacklustre."

I guffawed, "so sorry I don't meet the criteria you crazy bitches have, in order to make my death spectacular."

The woman's smile faded, and the room grew silent. The guards took a step closer to me, their hands tightening around their weapons.

"You dare speak to the Queen that way?" One of them growled.

But the Queen raised her hand, signaling for them to stand down. "No matter," she said, her eyes locked onto mine. "I believe you will be more of a challenge than you appear."

She stood up and walked towards me, her heels clicking against the stone floor. She stopped in front of me, her eyes scanning my body as if trying to assess my worth.

"You see, Alpha, the Trial is not just about physical strength and stamina. It's about mental fortitude, strategic thinking, and resilience. Do you possess any of these qualities?"

I looked up at her, my eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Wouldn't matter if I did. The goal is my death right?"

She smiled again, but it was a cold, calculating smile that made me shiver. "Essentially, you are correct. But, if you ask me nicely, I'll give you the next two weeks to train and prepare. Under guard of course, just so that the show might last longer than a minute or two. Though, I suspect that's what you're used to giving."

I scoffed, "Two weeks? That's all the time you're giving me? You really do think I'm a mutt don't you?"

Her smile widened, enjoying my irritation. "I can always give you no time, kill you right now and go find someone else in your lineage."

"Fine," I said through gritted teeth. "You want a challenge? You'll get it."

She clapped her hands together, grinning maliciously. "Excellent. You'll have everything you need at your disposal- weapons, training equipment, basic food, and water. But remember, if you try to escape or disobey the guards, we won't hesitate to kill you on the spot."

I nodded as she turned around and walked back to her throne, taking a seat with a regal grace. The two guards flanking her resumed their positions, watching me with cold gazes. With a flick of her wrist, the guards grabbed me and dragged me across the cold floor.

"Great. To the dungeon? How original." I mumbled.

"Shut up, mutt."

Much to my surprise, they dragged me to a rather beautiful room. Of course, the minute they dumped my body inside, they shut the door and the clink of a heavy lock slid in place. I looked around the ornately decorated room, expecting to find traps and, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The room was spacious and well-lit, with plush carpets and comfortable furniture. They even provided me with an empty bookshelf. It was as if they wanted me to be comfortable before my inevitable demise.

Right in the center of the bed was a stuffy of a white wolf with big blue eyes.

Hilarious.

Looking down at my body, I grimaced. The dirt was so caked on from being dragged everywhere, that I needed a shower. Fortunately, there was a door leading to what looked to be a private bathroom. I quickly stripped off my dirty clothes and stepped under the steaming water of the shower. As I washed away the grime, my thoughts wandered to the task at hand.

I had to find a way out of this place and fast. With only two weeks to prepare for a battle against three faerie assholes, I needed to make every moment count.

As I dried off and got dressed in the clothes provided, I began to explore the room, looking for any clues or hidden objects that could aid me in my escape. The walls were covered in intricate tapestries, depicting various scenes of battles and victories. There were bookshelves lining one wall, filled with ancient tomes and dusty scrolls. I picked up a few books, flipping through them quickly, but found nothing useful.

My eyes fell on the stuffed white wolf on the bed. It was almost as if it was staring at me, watching my every move. I walked over to it, picking it up and inspecting it closely. As I turned it over in my hands, I noticed a small tear in the seam on its belly. Curious, I reached inside and felt something hard and cold. Pulling it out, I laughed.

"Ahhhh, there it is. Hello everyone. Now that I know you can see everything I do in here, how about I put on a little show?"

I winked at the stuffed white wolf and chuckled to myself. As I looked around the room for a good spot to stash my newfound treasure, my eyes landed on a small compartment in the bookshelf. It was just big enough to fit the object I held in my hand. I did a booty jiggle and was about to pull down my pants and moon the stuffed toy when a knock on my door interrupted my fun.

"Come in!" I called cheerily.

"As if we wouldn't, even without your permission. Now, as I understand it, you've settled in and cleaned off your filth. It is time to train."

"What time is it?"

"Time is irrelevant, wolf. You will come with us to train, then you will eat and return to your quarters where you will rest until 4am tomorrow. Rinse and repeat." The guard sounded like he had a dry mouth. Literally, like cotton balls were in his mouth, which made his voice hilarious to listen to.

"Right. Excellent, sir. Lead the way."

The guard looked at me incredulously, "turn around."

"You're cuffing me?"

"You are literally a prisoner. Yes I'm cuffing you, oaf."

I obediently turned around and let the guard put the cuffs on me. He tugged them tight, until my wrists burned. Obviously they doused it with wolfsbane. Such hospitable captors, these guys. With a nod from the guard, two more guards grabbed my arms and we set off together.

The gym was a brightly lit room with high ceilings and tall wooden beams stretching across it. On one side of the room was an obstacle course filled with modern fitness equipment. On the other side were heavy bags hung from chains, free weights that had to weigh at least half a ton each, and various weapon stands with swords, spears, maces. Anything and everything.

The click of the lock on my cuffs gave me a sense of relief. Watching as the guards posted up by the gym doors, I set about creating a workout routine. Some cardio, a little bit of heavy weights, but my eye was drawn to two small knives handing obscurely on the side of the weapons rack.

Karambits. Beautiful little things shaped like the devils horn. Powerful when you wield one, but two? Deadly. Slowly I felt the weight of them in my hands. They felt warm and alive in my grasp, the metal cool and smooth against my skin. I swiped them through the air experimentally, delighted with the way they sang a high-pitched tune with each movement.

The guards didn't seem to care about my interest in the weapons, so I continued to practice my movements, experimenting with different stances and strikes. The knives felt like an extension of my own body, natural and effortless in my hands.

Suddenly, a loud whistle sounded, and I turned to see one of the guards motioning at me. Jogging over, I sighed, "what?"

"10 minutes until we take you back to your room and bring you dinner."

"Oh wow, a room AND room service? I never want to leave."

The guard with cotton for a tongue slapped me so fast, I didn't know what hit me until I was already laid out with his gut sticking over my face.

"Worthless piece of s**t, shut up before I cut out your tongue."

"Maybe you should cut out a meal or two, fat-rie." I spat back, blood flying out of my mouth and covering his shoes.

Just as he was about to bend down and hit me again, another guard stepped in. "Alistyr, you cannot damage the challenger. The Queen would not like him to die before the Trial."

Cotton mouth - Alistyr - hissed and stepped away, pointing at me, "you, shut up. Back to your room, now."

The two men grabbed my arm and dragged me back past the other guards, all snickering at my situation. I sighed and shook my head. I was definitely going to have to escape from here sooner rather than later.

Just as the door to the gym opened, I smelled it.

The most alluring scent I had ever smelled before. It was an intoxicating blend of musk and roses that filled the room, and my heart almost stopped.

Standing before me was a very petite strawberry blonde with piercing eyes. Tiny freckles pebbled against her skin and a dimple sunken in her right cheek. Her beaming smile lit the entire room.

"Princess Eileen. What are you doing in the library? You should be in your room." Q-tip head spoke to her sternly.

"Oh..." her cheeks flushed a beautiful pale pink, "I was just looking for something to read. I couldn't sleep."

The guard took a deep breath, "you know the rules. Now, to your quarters before the Queen finds out."

As she turned her gaze upon mine, my heart felt like it had exploded. Heat raced through my veins and I felt my face flush the same way hers had moments before.

Mate.