Inevitable Conclusions

Chapter- Two

Chapter- Two

King Edward Abraham Alasdair the third was said to be a lot of things, he was an honorable king and a powerful Alpha to his country, a celebrant of peace and justice amongst his people, An adventurer in his prime; some might even say King Edward Alasdair was bit of a pompous jerk with an ostentatious interest in materialistic wealth and boisterous parties, but those people were usually smart enough to not mention so within hearing of the great Alpha King Werewolf. The King- even in his old age- was charming, full of easy smiles and happy laughter to share with his pack and his kingdom, even as he ignored the plights of his country there was nothing he enjoyed more than a good party.

Hence, it was decided early on that the king was a happy man, but yet as the yearly Mating Festivals went on the king was found forlorn and frustrated, which was very strange considering the Mating Festivals were the time of the year where the king could throw his parties without having to suffer through his ministers qualms about the Royal expenditure and rations for the humans. The king was found frowning more often than not as the Festival passed on, it was obvious; the king was in a dilemma, one he couldn’t quite solve so easily despite how powerful of an Alpha he was.

The King’s counselors – an obvious majority of equally ostentatious Alphas- didn’t have much to say for once, not when the dilemma had the Twin Alpha heirs in the center of it, which was quite usual when it came to most dilemmas within the castle and the Royal Family to be honest, but as previously mentioned most were smart enough not to vocalize those thoughts anywhere within vicinity of the Royal family.

So as the Mating Festivals slowly started drawing to an end, the king could be seen dwindling behind his children begging to have a word with them, looking an agonizing mix of frustrated, fearful and desperate that one would think The Great War itself had started again at the very prospect of his twin sons- the future kings of the great country- that King Edward held dear.

When his beloved late wife birthed Twin Alpha sons the whole world had rejoiced, but none more so than the king himself who threw feasts for the whole year since their birth. Alphas itself was a rarity in its own, Alphas were leaders, dominants that conquered worlds and stood at the height of every pack, Alphas were kings no matter royal blood passed through them or not, but twin Alphas, to the werewolf community it was a miracle, a sign of marvel, worship and undeniable strength, the fruits of a prophecy about the Twin Kings who would rule side by side, two Alphas as one for the first time in history, the twin kings who were destined for greatness. As the King introduced the Alpha heirs to the world twenty six years ago the people fell to their knees in worship to the men that were to grow from the babes he held in his arms, and for twenty six years they have been waiting, waiting until the Alpha Princes became the Alpha Kings.

King Edward never doubted the prophecy or his children, Augustus and Eddrian Alasdair were the strongest of werewolves the kingdom had ever witnessed, they were born in the true glory of their wolf form with burning red eyes for the world to see, they took down werewolves twice their age and size as mere children, their blood lust was almost alarming to some but it kept their enemies at bay, they were a striking force of nature and no one would dare doubt that. The issue was never about their valor, but rather the ‘ruling as one’ part of the prophecy. From the day of their birth to the present, Augustus and Eddrian had never managed to remain within the confines of a room for more than a few hours without bloodshed.

The King would never blame his golden sons of course, they were Alphas, Alphas were possessive and controlling by nature, they were territorial and ingrained to dominate, to lead and to prosper over others which categorized every other Alpha as a threat, it was natural, biological, two Alphas of equal powers always butted heads, the only way peace could co-exist is if an Alpha submitted to the stronger one, the same way his ministers submit to his rule and council. The King himself could attest to that as he had a hard time being around his children being an Alpha himself, the hardest thing he had to do was submit to his children decades younger than him, but his wolf easily recognized the power in them no matter what their relations were, it was the natural order of things, far beyond their human sides’ understanding.

The brothers refused to submit, out of spite, power, biology or anger the king didn’t know, or care enough to find out, but it meant his sons hated each other, as Alphas, as werewolves, as brothers, and every soul in the castle, the king included, knew better than to ever let the two cross over each other’s presence. This made a meeting with the two of them much harder than it ought to be, and with each day that passed it seemed despite the king’s subtle hints the princes weren’t listening, and with the coronation mere weeks away the king was running out of time and desperation and fear clawed at him as he waited for a response from his sons.

“Then I shall valiantly refuse the crown, may our kingdom prosper under my dear brother’s rule- If he doesn’t burn down half the population that is” Augustus is the one to speak first, his hands barely drifting from the drink in his hands, eyes glinting along with the fading moon in the horizon, clearly intoxicated and unrested due to his wild evenings these days. He speaks in ease, as if he didn’t just refuse the crown that rightfully belongs to him in front of the current King, It’s a simple joke, but yet the words are startling.

There is a hint of smirk on Eddrian Alasdair from a dark corner of the room, one a stranger might mistake for ease and kindness but one which makes the king’s blood run cold, but yet the prince barely spares a glance at the rest of the occupants in the room, eyes focused through the window and at the shattering rain. Most wolves hate the rain, it confuses their sense of smell, but not Eddrian, the young prince insists it makes the kill most worthwhile, the blood fresh. The King thinks maybe it’s the memories of Eddrian ripping through flesh in a similar stormy night that sends the shudder through him rather than the smile, but then again its all the same, his son smiles as though he is eating the heart of his enemies.

King Edward forces himself to gulp down; he keeps his eye focused on Augustus rather than Eddrian. Not that it’s much of an exchange, King Edward would never say he was afraid of his children, he was an alpha, the Alpha King for that matter, but yet that didn’t stop him from noting the peculiarities of the soon to be kings either. Augustus is equally daunting as his brother, but not the way his brother is, Augustus paints pictures with his words and charms, manipulating every bone and nerve until every soul on earth bends to his will. It’s been made very clear Augustus gets just what he wants, the king was both fortunate and unfortunate in Augustus’ lack of interest in being king, fortunate as in if his son did wish for the throne the king wouldn’t even be alive negotiating with him, unfortunate because it means King Edward had to have this conversation with him to take up the same position the prince was refusing.

It was seemingly an impossible task, but the only ones immune to the both the twins peculiarities were each other, but yet the king was left with no choice as there were no minister in his council who would dare to choose the position of speaking and convincing the crown princes.

“My Son, I don’t think you quite understand what I mean” The King tries again, he makes a point of keeping his voice stern, intimidated or not he is the king after all.

“But I do understand father” This time Augustus is the one with the easy smirk, eyes lit and words alive as he saunters on, “You wish for me- and my beloved psychopathic brother, I presume- to find our respective mates and start working on those beautiful Alpha heirs before we take to the throne. The idea is promising, but I am a man of peculiar tastes, I don’t think the life of the devoted mate would fit me very well. I’d hope you know that Father” the youngest of his twins grins with another gulp of his drink.

The King does know though, his son’s escapades and the overflowing bed partners that lay way beyond Augustus’ bed are well known throughout the castle and maybe even the country itself. In a time King Edward enjoyed the same pleasure in life he presumes, years and years before he met his mate, but there is a time were responsibility trumps over pleasure.

“Every King and Queen to take the throne was mated and married, most of them with children. Josephine was five, and your mother was pregnant with the two of you at my coronation-I-It’s tradition-”he tries, but knows well on traditions wouldn’t be the incentive for his sons to take interests in the crown they aren’t concerned about in the first place, “I know you are young, much younger than I was at my own coronation but you are the prophesied Kings, there comes a time you must step up- I am not asking to have you wedded within the week, but rather the both of you take the effort to search for your mates, for the good of the crown, for the country” The King insists.

But it’s not just for the crown or the country; it’s also for the sanity that seems to be slipping away from his sons. Once again, the king would never accuse his golden twins of any ill deed, they were the destined Alphas the kingdom worshiped, they had the right to do whatever they intended, but Eddrian has been spotted too often with blood in his fur and burning flesh in his hands, which seems to be proportional to the amount of werewolves disappearing from the prisons with no traces left behind other than a decayed and tortured carcass from time to time, Augustus on the other hand was rumored to have bedded half the kingdom and more, there were enough retched whores claiming the younger prince to be the father of their bastard children to prove for it, Augustus was unstable and negligent on a good day, his so called ‘peculiarities’ worrisome to the sake of the kingdom he ought to rule.

Even the king, with all his pride and pomp had to admit that handing them the reigns of the great kingdom was worrisome, they sought trouble divided as they were, so as much as he wished to see the two of them rule together he was worried of what may come in the event it did happen, together they would be dangerous beyond comprehension, and as strong and prideful as the idea was to the Alpha in him, it was daunting to the King that cared for his kingdom.

They needed an anchor; A mate who could hopefully ground the explosiveness in his sons, someone who could mitigate the bloodlust and violence that Eddrian seeked out, and someone who could finally get Augustus to be responsible, to care for the things A king should rather than his silly games. The King could almost picture it, two sweet young beta mates to counteract his sons’ harshness, mates that could bear prideful Alpha heirs in the Alasdair name so that the crown would remain among them for decades to come, hopefully from prestigious packs that could strengthen the Alasdair pack further, with the two Alpha’s at the head of the pack, they would be unstoppable, the mightiest pack to ever walk on earth since The Great Wars.

But only if his sons could listen to him, if only they could understand about the potential they had rather than swat away the crown as if it’s a cheap position.

“Ah, if you hadn’t noticed father, I am making much of an effort- In fact I believe I have a couple of charming young ladies waiting for me in my room, which reminds me- I shouldn’t leave them waiting, potential mates to find and all that- There you go Father, Effort!” Augustus grins away effortlessly. He gets to his feet easily despite the intoxication, the bottle that was previously held in his hand tossed to side for the maids to clean up. Augustus’ barely heeded his word, the king knows it all too well, but it’s almost comical the way the King is hesitant to stop his reckless son who shrugged away his words and belated the traditions that made up the kingdom.

“Augustus!- I don’t understand, the coronation is in mere days- both of you are to be the Kings, is it much to ask for you to take up the responsibilities that was destined to you?” The King finally loses his patience, his voice raising a decibel at how exhausted he is at having to have the same conversation over and over again at every Mating Festival that came to pass. “It’s been stressed that you have to be mated before you take the crown -You can’t just shrug away the crown, Son. It’s power that belongs to the two of you!”

The problem was not the necessity of power to his son, but rather the fact they already had all the power King or not, there was not a thing in the world that the princes couldn’t obtain, not when even the king considered them as the ultimate Alphas, a crown and a throne wouldn’t change much to his sons, but to the people it’s a new ruler, the ultimate decision maker. The issue, when put in the blankest sense of the words was that the twin Alphas princes simple didn’t care, either for the country or the people, they were vicious, powerful but not rulers, the king understood and stressed over it, but never admitted in fear of what it would mean.

“I don’t think anyone is gonna refuse to let us be kings just because we are unmated” Augustus simply smiles again. The Crown was theirs, unfit or not and if someone dares to challenge that, well the king is sure Eddrian has ways to deal with traitors that would bypass even the fiercest warrior’s worst nightmares, in fact he doubted his eldest son was anxiously waiting for a fool to challenge him. Augustus was right, no one would dare raise a voice against them.

“But the traditions-“ The king splutters, but Augustus barely stays to listen.

“Traditions are meant to be broken father, fear not father, the crown isn’t going anywhere and for the time being it’s in the best head it could be” Augustus winks, already motioning the guards to open the door, “Now, if that’s all of the mates bullshit I’ll be taking my leave- I do believe there is a party I am missing” his son spares him a wide smile before he leaves.

The king sighs out loud; Eddrian is still in the room, still staring out the window. His eldest son is one quite fond of the silence, he doesn’t speak easily, his dark stature and violent eyes might have some believe Augustus is all the wits while Eddrian is the violent brawn, but the King knows that’s far from the truth, Augustus might be manipulative, a master of lies but it’s all fun and games to his youngest, a lot of broken hearts and shattered bonds is the gist of Augustus’s destructions, but Eddrian, Eddrian deals in blood, his wolf is a beast in its own right, his words are calculated and deed even more manipulative than his brother’s, he is cunning in a way that scares even his father.

Eddrian eyes are still focused out of the window, he doesn’t seem to wish to move or join the party downstairs. The King idly wonders what had caught his son’s attention but doesn’t dare interrupt him or approach the same topic with Eddrian, besides sometimes even the king doubted if there was a wolf on earth who would survive Eddrian’s attention.

The King silently takes his leave, unaware of the fact the king was right indeed, there was no wolf for his sons…