Chapter 8

"Where have you been lately?" He jogged in his direction.

"I was patrolling near the border as per orders from His Majesty." He said this as he emerged from the trees.

"I can smell your lie; do you take me as a fool?" He slapped the back of his head, and Marcus hissed. "Your shift was over earlier this morning; now speak or I'll pull out your tongue!"

"I was by the waterfalls beyond the southeast border."

"And?"

"And what of it?"

He smacked him again, harder this time.

"Ow!"

"I will report this to His Majesty." He threatened. "Lying under his name is punishable by death! Just because we are brothers, that does not mean I will let this slide."

"My apologies, Gamma Clent..." he submitted and showed his neck.

The two go about their business beyond the border the following day. Gamma Clent was curious about what his little brother had been stuck up on, which tempted him to break the rules.

The rustling sound of the bushes alerted the person they had been creeping on, but she did not look back.

"I told you to stay still!" Calvin, his little brother, whispered at him in the mindlink.

"It's not like she noticed us. We're a few yards away." They briefly glanced at each other, and as soon as they looked back, she was gone.

"Tsk!" Calvin was disappointed. "Ow! That was uncalled for, brother!"

"Is this what you have been up to, Calvin? Instead of committing to your duty, you have become so shallow that peeping at this female has been your most important mission. This is a disgrace to our family!" He walked back, nearing the border, with Calvin following behind.

"Brother..."

"His Majesty, Alexander, will have your head as we speak! Do you take him for a fool too?"

"Brother I-"

"Enough! You are to be relieved of duty for a year and stripped of your title."

"Brother! Listen to me!" He pulled his shoulder to face him.

"What nonsense are you going to utter now?" His nose was flaring, and his face held disappointment.

"I admit I neglected my duty, but trust me, I am not a pervert. I find that female rather suspicious on that land, don't you?"

Clent went silent and lent an ear for further information. His piercing gaze did not falter. He was very disappointed nonetheless.

"I am aware the female is human, but how could she separate herself from the villagers that far?" "That land is unclaimed and too dangerous to even enter with their kind; how could she ignore His Majesty's decree?"

"I do find the female suspicious, but she will not survive that long. That land is infested with hungry, flesh-eating beasts. However, that is no longer our concern. And why did you not report this to me beforehand?"

"It is only been a few days, and..." He couldn't handle his smoldering stare anymore. "Alright, I admit, it was selfish of me to be tackling this matter alone."

"The female, what else did you find about her?"

"That I do not know of. She always disappears under the water. She submerged herself deeply, and then I would never see her again until the next morning. Her back is always facing our border, and she wore almost nothing. I find it odd, though; her clothing was unfamiliar. I've seen a lot of females wearing next to noth-" He was cut off when Clent smacked the back of his head.

"Say no further, you ungrateful brat!"

The huge mahugany door opened, and Clent announced his arrival in his king's library. He bowed.

"I greet His Majesty, the almighty King."

"At ease," he said while reading a book. He was leaning against the tall window frame with his legs crossed over each other. "State your business, Gamma."

"Your Majesty, my brother was pulled out of curiosity, went beyond the border, and..."

"Unless it is about the kingdom's affairs, you can freely disturb my privacy. That matter you claim to report is out of my bounds and responsibility."

He interrupted him and flipped to the next page.

"He had found a human in an unclaimed land, a few miles away from the human village."

He snapped his book close, folded his arms over his chest, and faced him. Now he had caught his attention.

"A human, you say?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Hmmm. How long do you think he'll survive?"

"It is a female, Your Majesty. And it has almost been a week. My brother, Calvin, had been observing her during those days."

"A suspicious young female?" He stated.

"Yes. She wore such bizarre undergarments."

The Lycan King's brow arose.

"And what has she been doing there?"

"She have been taking a bath there, Your Majesty."

He eyed his Gamma lazily. Silence brought more distance between them.

"Your Majesty?"

"That land is not under our jurisdiction. She may assume to have the right to live there or enter as she pleases; however, she disobeyed my decree for the protection of their kind. Whichever suits best, let her die there or continue to be suspicious of her?"

"I believe, due to a certain investigations lately, we cannot take this chance for granted. Be suspicious of the female and wait until she meets her doom."

"Reliable as always, Gamma." He admitted it and made Clent puff his chest proudly. "It's final then; let you and your men be perverts for a while."

"Ugh, I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?"

He did not care to reply and turned his back on him, currently facing the window with his arms behind his back.

"Two weeks, I'll give her two weeks. If she lasts longer than that, then you may follow her. Find out where she lives. If she persists, you know what to do."

"As you command. I'll excuse myself."

A female piqued his interest. He knows nothing of this lady, but he felt a certain pull of desire to capture her. That is, if she survives that long.

And within two weeks of being a peeping Tom, Clent, his brother, and two more of his men had surprisingly seen her three times in those weeks.

She surpassed beyond their limitations in an unclaimed land. It was time to make their move.

Using their keen senses, they listened. And searched for clues. Sadly, it took them three hours.

"What if there's a cave under this water and she swam through it?" Calvin stated.

"I've been wondering the same thing."

"Calvin, you go investigate."

"What? Why choose me, brother?"

"Are you refusing to follow?"

"Fine." He took off his shirt and pants.

Calvin dove down.

Two minutes have passed, and Calvin has emerged from the water, gasping.

"I find no underground paths."

"Where could she have gone?"

The sun was setting, and the dark, dense trees began to look foggy and eerie, but there was no fear written on their faces.

Warriors were vigilant, as a higher risk of attack was to be expected. It was the savages' hunting hour.

Calvin wanted to give up.

"Are you sure you were looking thoroughly there?"

"All I could see were huge rocks underneath the waterfall. With her petite size, she could not have lifted any of them to make paths. The strong current almost blew me away, and I'm bigger than her in terms of size and strength."

"Unless she's a witch." Jason, one of his warriors, spoke. He only said it as a joke, but all heads turned to him.

"That is not possible; there's only one witch who ever existed. Lady Telisha is at the castle. A mermaid perhaps?"

"No, they won't last in fresh waters."

A lone howl alerted the men. Clent quickly submerged his body in the water, and soon his men followed suit.