They say that the enemies of a man are the members of his household; No truer words could ever have been said about Cyrus and his household.
As soon as the news about Alicia got to the palace, Gedoni had ridden fiercely, without any stops to the enemies clan, the Rosewood Clan. They were a pack of wolves that governed a rebellious territory. A territory that had stood against Cyrus for years, threatening to take over his throne.They had been waiting for an opportunity and Gedoni, just like his father was ready to give them one. Gedoni’s father had failed at the coup he planned, but Gedoni had no intention of failing. He wanted the throne and the news of the death of two future Lunas was enough for him to overthrow his brother.Gedoni had served his brother, rebelliously for years, waiting for the perfect opportunity. And it had simply fallen into his laps.“Gedoni,” The leader of the Rosewood moon pack barked out his name, immediately his horse pulled up. Gedoni came to a halt, pulling the neck rope of his horse.
“Tobias,” Gedoni called out to the leader, “I come in peace.” Gedoni got off his horse and followed Tobias into the little settlement. The wolves of the settlement started to bark as they picked up his scent.“I would have offered you a seat, but seeing that we aren’t friends, I will go straight to the point while you are on your feet,” Tobias spoke, his voice, transmitting the displeasure he felt towards his uninvited guest.“I’ll offer myself a seat anyway,” Gedoni replied as he pulled up a seat, throwing his weight on it.The men grumbled and made moves to challenge him but Tobias stopped them.“Leave him,” he commanded and the men stepped back, then he turned to Gedoni, “speak.”Gedoni cracked his knuckles, “ I have some news that might interest you and I also have a proposal. But before I say what it is, you have to give me your word, one wolf to another, that this stays between us.”“haha. You come bearing secrets? Why should I trust whatever it is you have to say?” Tobias doubted, the crowd murmured.“Because like you, I have been marginalized. And like you, I want to take what is rightfully mine.”“Gedoni, you speak in parables, out with it already.” Tobias was pacing, he was beginning to get impatient.“Okay, I want to take over the throne from my cousin, Cyrus. And I need your help. Yours and that of your men.”There was utmost silence. For minutes, everyone stood still and didn’t say a word. Including Tobias. Gedoni could hear the cracks from the old roof.Finally, Tobias broke the silence, “and why are you telling us this? Why have you come to us with this piece of information?”“because I need your help. And because we have a history. Your father worked with mine when they tried to overthrow the previous king and Alpha, but they failed. Now it's our turn and we cannot fail because I have solid insider information that will help us.”Tobias broke into a song. An old war song that his ancestors had passed down from generation to generation.Gedoni continued, ignoring the song. His voice eventually triumphing over Tobias’s voice.“I have useful information, and I have a strategy that will help us win. But before I go on, I need to know your stand. If you do not want a part of this, I will leave your settlement and we can forget I ever came to you. But if you do want this, and you help me become king, I will make you my war chief and you shall lead our joint armies. Your people shall have fertile lands assigned to them for their farms. Your children shall have the right education. Your women will learn trades and your daughters will each have their own dowry.”He took a deep breath before he continued, “generations to come, will sing of your name and together, we shall form the biggest pack and kingdom that the world has ever known.”By the time he finished his speech, he had Tobias’s full attention.“tell me Gedoni, isn’t Cyrus’s son warming up to take after his father? Didn’t he find his mate barely one week ago? Why should we suddenly trust you?”“Give me your word, Tobias, and I shall bear it all out to you.” Gedoni fixed his eyes on Tobias. His gaze, unwavering.Tobias called a few of his top men aside, and they spoke in whispers. Then they returned.“I cannot send my men off to die, Gedoni. Yes, I want to have a seat at the king's table, my people need a place in the kingdom. But I need to know that you have a solid plan and that you’ll stand by us. Otherwise, I cannot give you my word. I need your word first.”Gedoni got up from the seat and threw his wolf tag (which all wolves always wore around their neck) on the floor, “I swear by my wolf tag, you have my word.”The men started to howl. That was the ultimate sign of commitment in wolf territory.Tobias smiled, “you may proceed.”The group put their heads together and they hatched the perfect plan. The one that was set to overthrow Alpha Cyrus, because he was distracted with the evil that had come upon his people.Their crops were dying.Their animals were dying.The river had turned red, after the death of Alicia, the people had no means of getting water except from a smaller stream.His son, Darius couldn’t be mated to anyone.His people were whispering.Cyrus was in trouble, and he knew it.One week after Gedoni’s visit to the rosewood moon pack, his new army infiltrated the kingdom, killing off half of Cyrus’s army of wolves. Raping their women and seizing their king.
Alpha Cyrus had been taken as a prisoner, and now Gedoni demanded a total surrender of the kingdom, from Alpha Darius.Alpha Darius called on Sule and Adolf. Sule was his father’s beta. He had stood and fought majestically with Cyrus, but Gedoni’s army was too strong. They had taken Cyrus into their custody. They had come for blood and had gotten it.Crowned prince, Darius was in a state of confusion when he summoned the men to the inner chambers. The chamber was where the king held his inner meeting with his trusted advisors.Now, the Lakewood kingdom was without a king, they needed to swear one in immediately. The kingdom was bound to fall apart if there wasn’t a defined leader. Gedoni’s men had retreated but they were coming back. Darius had to prepare.There was one major problem though, one that couldn’t be overlooked. Darius didn’t have a mate, which caused issues on two levels.One, he needed a mate to lead the Lakewood moon pack. The wolves couldn’t submit to an Alpha leader who didn’t have a Luna.Secondly, he couldn
“I need you to answer me, Sule. What is it you are hiding?” Darius stood eyeball to eyeball, facing Sule. He was desperately trying to restrain himself. His temper was fast-rising and his wolf was threatening to burst out.Sule noticed, so he took another inch to the side, away from the prince’s side. Then he spoke up, “I believe a series of events have happened. We ignored them when they started but right now, I am pretty certain it’s the curse.”Darius grunted and clenched his fist and then Sule continued, “I believe the curse affected your late mother. Our queen and Luna. She died while giving birth to your twin brother and yourself.”Darius processed the information, and shook his head vigorously, “common Sule, my twin and I were too large, and we pressed her at the same time. Birthing us would be a huge task for any wolf, curse or not. I don’t believe it.”Sule nodded. And then he continued,
Emelda joined her grandmother, Yemanja in the living room. Yemanja was seated by the fireplace, her legs wrapped in a huge duvet. Emelda had just gotten back from the woods but had told her grandmother something different. She had lied to her grandmother about her location but by the look on Yemanja’s face as Emelda approached, she could tell that her grandma had already caught her in the lie.“so how was your visit to Calista?” Yemanja eyed Emelda. Calista was Emelda's friend, she was a wolf, not a hybrid like Emelda.“It was great. She sends her greetings. She could have come with me but she had to shop from the market.”“so you truly believe I don know where you are coming from?” Yemanja raised her eyebrows, “I don’t need to be a witch to know, your dress is a mess, and I can see some dirt in your hair.”“I was with Calista, I promise.” Emelda smiled. She was saying the truth, she had been
Emelda raised her eyebrow, her grandmother had just called the crown prince by his first name. Did she not realize the gravity of such a level of disrespect? In her thoughts, Emelda secretly wished that the prince had not noticed.“I have come for you, Yemanja. You are to answer for your crimes. Seize her.” Alpha Darius backed and the other two men that had come with him moved towards Yemanja.Yemanja laughed, her voice loaded with arrogance.Then Yemanja screamed out an enchantment, her fragile voice sending waves around the house, “LUCIDIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA,” One word and the three men including Alpha Darius were on the ground.They sprung back up and charged towards Yemanja who was still sitting on her chair, her legs raised.Emelda ran to stop them before they could reach Yemanja. Emelda stood in front of her grandmother, she raised both hands and started out a series of incantations, inching towards
“Throw her in the dungeon,” Darius commanded his men. They had reached the palace minutes after leaving Yemanja’s house.The men dragged Emelda through an underground opening and into an abandoned part of the palace. As the men dragged her in, Emelda could smell the place, it was covered with the stench of wolves. It was an old smell but she could still pick it. The smell carried a mix of blood, sweat, and tears.Emelda scanned the quarters as the men yanked her through the hallway. The quarters had several rooms and most of them, looked scary. the rooms had heavy gates mounted at each entrance. She could see stones, cuffs, and chains. It looked like a torture house and fear gripped her. What was this place? And what was it used for?The two men holding on to her threw her on the floor and her body scrapped the bare floor. She winced in pain but they didn’t seem to notice and even if they did, they didn’t care much. They closed the gate o
Alpha Darius strolled from one end of his chambers to the other. He had gotten the witch’s granddaughter, he intended to use her as a pawn to get Yemanja to withdraw her curse. But it had been two days and it hadn’t been reversed. Word had reached him that his uncle, Gedoni, and his men were advancing towards Lakewood.Earlier that morning, a spy had come running to him. Prince Darius had placed spies in the four corners of the kingdom. They were to watch the areas and to report to him immediately if anything was wrong or out of place. The spy at the south end had rushed to him, out of breath. Gedoni had been sighted approaching the kingdom. It was going to take Gedoni a couple of days to reach him but still, Darius was uneasy. He didn’t like the odds.So that morning, after the spy had informed him about Gedoni’s sighting, Darius had sent some men to bring Yemanja to him.The men had brought in the old with and they threw her on the floo
Emelda watched the guard leave. She waited for a few extra minutes before taking off the invincible armor which she had worn. She poured herself some soup from her pot and went on to have her meal.Yes, Emelda had used her powers to carry out a makeover in her cell, a makeover that no one could see, including the chief priest. Because of how powerful she was, she had been able to create an alternate existence right inside her cell. Emelda had a giant bed, a heater, a bathroom with scented soaps, and everything else she would need. She even sprayed some scented oils around the edges of the damp cell wall.She was as comfortable as she could be.A bird came in every morning, fetching her fresh fruits and vegetables. She could live on that for as long as possible, so she wasn’t in any hurry.What she wanted to do, was to perform a three-circle ritual, an act that could bring down the palace within minutes. But her mother’s words kept ringing in her
By morning, two guards had come for Emelda. They led her to a large hall. She could tell that all the banquets were held there. Emelda had sensed that the reason why they had taken her up had to do with the fact that they had figured out that she was a wolf.As she climbed the stairs, she wasn’t scared. There was a sense of calm that went with her. She could feel her ancestors with her, she could feel her mother too.“Bring her forward,” she heard the chief priest say as the men dragged her in.Her eyes ran across the hall and she realized that something was different. Twelve men were standing behind the chief priest, all decked in red, holding black candles.As she drew closer, Emelda started to lose a grip on her powers. she tried to fight it, there was no way she was letting this chief priest take her powers again. How did he even know that she had them?Emelda fought back in her head and when she couldn’t sustain it, she