The Queen of Alphas

3. Family Reunion

Victoria

While I was being tugged to the dungeon, the main guard looked down at me, a frown distorting his rough face, “Seems like the prince will see you.”

I felt a breath of relief go down my lungs.

They turned around, without losing their too-tight grasp of my arm, and soon I was being dragged through more elegant halls. They knocked on a beautiful wooden-crafted door carved with scenes of wolves doing daily things like running in their packs or being together with their families, their pups. I desperately wanted to have what these wooden wolves had: a community, a family. But as soon as I step inside this room, I will have my family, I will be reunited with my brother.

The door opened without the guards that held me touching it. To my surprise, we entered quite an ample throne room, and the man I recognized to be my brother Henrik, was sitting on the throne, on our father’s throne, the Royal Throne, as if he was the King.

The room was quite empty. It had a row of thirteen flags with heraldic symbols on both sides. They probably symbolized the packs within the Realm. Behind the flags, big wooden chairs were carefully carved with more heraldic symbols, also thirteen on each side.

Other than that, only a couple of very long windows, almost standing from the ceiling to the ground, letting the light inside and showing the endless green forest around.

At the bottom of the room, in front of a thick dark-red curtain, two thrones stood proudly, a bigger golden one, richly decorated with rubies and other stones, and a smaller silver-colored one, coated with delicate emeralds. Behind the throne, the beheaded statue of a woman was placed. It was a very odd decorative object.

It wasn’t as impressive as our Silver Castle, but it had the airs of royalty.

I took some steps forward, still confused about why he was meeting me in this room; it felt so formal and unnecessary.

It was the opposite of familiar and cozy, which I expected instead. I also wondered why Henrik was sitting there since he was only a prince.

“Guards, you may leave.”he said ceremoniously, without even looking at the guards. But at least now it was only the two of us.

I have seen Henrik a couple of times from the full-moon window. He and my father used to run in their wolf form together. I think they were quite close. I seriously hoped Henrik could share the memories and anecdotes about our father with me.

Henry was a tall and broad male, with curly dark brown hair, a bit darker than mine—that much I knew from looking at him from above. But I couldn’t ever see the details on his face before.

He had a long nose, thin lips and his eyes had a beautiful hazel color, but they looked cold.

After everyone left, and my brother and I were alone, I felt a bit lighter, a tiny smile twisted my lips. When Henrik’s eyes found mine and I could see all the anger radiating from them, my smile was replaced by shock. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.

“So, you told my guards that you were Victoria,” he said, looking intently at me, from head to toe.

“Yes, I am. I know you haven’t seen me before and it makes sense for you to be suspicious and I…” I trailed off, trying to sound secure. I was trying to sound and behave like a Queen-to-be, even though sometimes I felt like a scared duckling.

“Oh, but I believe you, sister…” he cut me off. Though the way he said the word sister didn’t go down well, it had a pang of bitterness. “Or should I say, half-sister, bastard sister?” he asked, making my blood freeze in my veins, as I swallowed back the tears that rapidly formed in my eyes.

“What…?” I asked almost numbly.

“What did you think? That this Realm would receive you with open arms, give you a crown and a standing ovation? Did you want to use your mother’s godly powers to usurp some royal power? Your greed knows no limits?” he asked.

“I…” I tried to answer, still trying to process the unexpected words.

I wasn’t there out of greed; it was my birthright as my father’s first child. But beyond that, it was a way for me to have a life within the Realms. In this Realm, to be more specific. The life I had always wanted. To feel closer to my father in the only way I could.

“Of course, it knows no limits, you have no honor or ethics, just like your promiscuous mother.” he stated, making me swallow hard once again.

My loud racing heart was preventing me from thinking straight and adding to the fog of chaos that overtook my mind. But his words about my mother made me recover part of my senses. I wouldn’t allow anyone to talk like that about her.

“You cannot talk about your Goddess like this…” I said firmly.

“She isn’t my Goddess, she is not a Goddess, nor worshiped in this Realm. Here we know very well what kind of vile creature she is. Your dear mother seduced not one, but two kings in her selfish and frivolous adventures. She abandoned a child and tried to take a male away from the one who was bonded to him, who held the other half of his soul, his true mate. After all of this wrongdoings and behavior that one can’t even expect from a lower dog in heat, she went up to her clouds to her castle of indifference, stealing part of our moonstones, the same stones that gave our Realm a portion of its magic. Your mother was the cause of the bloodshed, of King August's attack, and the war that killed our people and destroyed our lands. She is no Goddess here. She is no one, and neither are you,” he said slowly and bitterly, every word laced with spite.

I stood there like a statue of stupidity, dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe his words; my mother didn’t do these things! She would never steal or take anything that didn’t belong to her, she wasn’t egoistic, not the least. She was the most peaceful and serene among all creatures. How could she incite a war?

Mother is the sweetest and most warm-hearted being I have ever seen. She is an amazing, caring mother. She would never abandon a child.

“Victoria, go back to your mountains and your selfish and indifferent life! There is no vacant throne for you. This Realm doesn’t want you! This Realm doesn’t need you!” he stated with power vibrating in his guttural voice and his eyes shining slightly, showing that his wolf was on the surface and that man and wolf said and meant each word.

Each word lacerated my heart, shocked my mind and made my body tremble.

But soon, after everything sank in, the sadness, the hurt, and the shock, gave place to a surge of anger.

“You are wrong, you are spreading lies about my mother! How dare you?” I blurted out, speaking through gritted teeth, as I took a few steps towards him.

Slow, secure, long strides. However, before I could reach him, he yelled, “Guards, take her out of my castle and its surroundings,” After his words were pronounced, a group of more than a half-dozen bulky males entered the throne room immediately, and grabbed me.

“Victoria,” he said, looking at me, “Go back to your clouds, bastard!” he added in the same slow and angry way.

I burst out in a loud scream, “Don’t touch me!” as the guards, Henrik’s guards, dragged me away.

My mind went into overdrive with so many thoughts, I couldn’t believe what was happening, and I couldn’t contain my tears anymore. The waterfalls from my eyes flowed freely down my cheeks, making me choke in my deep sobs.

This… this Realm and its people could be cruel. That was why my mom always said I wasn’t ready to come here. She only wanted to protect me.

I expected to have a family here, to meet a family here. But I have never felt more like a stranger.

His claims, his words still resonate within my ears. The undertone of anger surrounding his speech still made my heart clench.

When I was taken along the halls, I saw a tall and strong male with dark blonde hair and an imposing presence passing by. At first, he was looking down at me, like the guards, like my own brother. However, soon he stopped on his trail, and a glimpse of light crossed his green eyes. My eyes locked with his, almost hypnotically, until the guards dragged me around a corner, and I couldn’t see him anymore.

I protested, but I wasn’t heard.

I wanted to call him, but I didn’t even know his name. Although, I felt that somehow, I already knew a lot, all about him with a single look at his eyes.

His look, his eyes made something inside me stir awake.

~ * ~

Philip

The guards were dragging a young female away. She was surrounded by six of them as if she was a dangerous, feral wolf needing to be contained. She was quite tall and slender, but the bulky males were still towering over her.

I knew who she was. Who else could she be?

King Magnus' lovechild, Henrik’s half-sister, the daughter of a selfish and evil Goddess.

I wanted to show Victoria my loathing for her and all she represented in my eyes. Because she did represent the disregard of the sacred bond between mates, the fruit of an illicit relationship, the symbol of how the Goddess can abuse her powers by coming to our Realms to create havoc, steal, seduce, abandon a child and even incite a war between King Magnus and King Augustus, and never face any consequences.

However, something felt different, her blue eyes bewitched, attracted me. Was she using one of her trickster powers on me? Was she trying to manipulate my mind?

I was afraid so, but something in me said that she wasn’t.

“She is beautiful, those eyes, those full lips,” my wolf, Chaos, howled in my mind.

“Don’t let it blind you, we all know well what her mother did to our Realm and what she is trying to do, usurp Henrik’s, our Alpha’s throne,” I scolded him.

As the future Alpha King, Henrik was to be the Alpha of the Alphas. Thus, even though I was the Alpha of my own pack, I already considered my best friend, as my King and Alpha.

I pushed these thoughts away; I pushed her smell away.

“She smells like clouds…” My wolf muttered.

I had to focus on more important things, talk to Henrik and see what we were to do about this situation, about her.

I entered the throne room, where I saw Henrik pacing around restlessly, probably just like his wolf was doing inside his mind.

He looked at me for an instant, before his eyes moved back to the direction where he was stepping, back and forward.

“We have to gather the other Alphas, make sure where their loyalty lies. Meet the Betas, and the ones of ranked blood too. We have to make sure she doesn’t take them to her side if she insists on staying in this Realm after our not-so-pleasant meeting,” he spoke fast, and kept pacing back and forth, without even looking at me.

He had already gathered many supporters, fearing that the Goddess’ daughter would one day come to our Realm and lay a claim on his throne. We just didn’t imagine she would do it that soon: not even five days passed since the former Alpha King and his Luna Queen went to the other dimension.

They fell victim to the war. The same war that was incited by the Goddess' whims. Their death was on Her and every wolf of the Realm would remember it, and consequently would oppose her daughter and Her.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Who would support the Goddess’ child?” I asked, quite secure myself.

“We have to be careful anyway. Her mother is powerful, and Victoria probably was schooled in the arts of manipulation and mind-tricks.” Henrik said, finally looking at me.

“Fine,” I exhaled deeply, Henrik and our cause had my full support, and I knew that being careful was always the best strategy. “I will call the others for a meeting,” I added.

Many had already joined Henrik’s cause, our cause. Some joined because they didn’t want the child of that promiscuous and frivolous Goddess as their monarch. Others, for what I don’t find a sensible reason, were against having a woman as their Alpha, as the Alpha of Alphas.

However, what mattered most was that Henrik had the support of his Realm, and no usurper, doesn’t matter how alluring she looked, would lay a finger on his throne.

We wouldn’t ever allow her to.